Word-Learning Strategies (WLS) is a semester-long program
designed to teach elementary students how to use “word parts, context, the dictionary
and a combined strategy” to solve unfamiliar words as they come across them in
their reading (Graves, Schneider & Ringstaff, 2017, p.3). The efficacy of
the program has been evaluated thus far with three small field trials – all of
which demonstrated that upper elementary students (4th and 5th
graders) participating in WLS made significant vocabulary-related gains.
The program is built upon a model Graves and colleagues
(2017) refer to as “balanced strategy instruction” which involves both
gradually decreasing support in relation to students’ internalization of the
approach and permitting ample opportunities for students to build understanding
together and independently (p.5). The WLS model requires the teaching of
multiple strategies that can then be flexibly employed.
Previous research suggests students benefit from learning
about and how to use word parts (e.g., prefixes and suffixes) as well as
context clues. Strategies for using the dictionary are also a fundamental
component of the program, although Graves and colleagues acknowledge that no
empirical studies have specifically evaluated the effectiveness of
dictionary-related strategies. Lastly, research has indicated that providing
students with a dynamic multi-strategy approach to solving words is superior to
teaching only a couple strategies, and so this is a central part of the program
(Wright & Cervetti, 2017).
The model consists of the following steps:
1.
Emphasize the value of the strategy as a means
of motivating students to use it.
2.
Describe the strategy and explain how to use it
well.
3.
Demonstrate how to utilize the strategy with a
text excerpt all can participate in.
4.
Collectively practice using the strategy with a
text accessible to all.
5.
Create opportunities for students to discover
what specific word parts mean.
6.
Conference with students regarding whether and
in what ways they find the strategy to be helpful.
7.
Gradually reduce the amount of support you
provide to students.
Graves and colleagues underscore the role motivation plays
in any word-learning program: “Without motivation, the chance of significant
learning is very slim” (Graves et al., 2017, p.6). One way they have aimed to
heighten students’ enthusiasm for the program is by developing three superhero
word coaches representing each of the main strategies. Additionally, they
recommend working word-solving games into lessons when possible.
How do you make word-learning fun in your classroom? We like
the idea of having literacy superheroes represent specific strategies - think
of all the word-learning adventures these heroes could embark on!
Graves, M. F., Schneider, S. & Ringstaff, C. (2017).
Empowering students with word-learning strategies: Teach a child to fish. The Reading Teacher, 1-11.
Wright, T. S. & Cervetti, G. N. (2017). A systematic
review of the review on vocabulary instruction that impacts text comprehension.
Reading Research Quarterly, 52(2),
203-226.
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