Academic+Vocabulary

=Action Research Project Spring 2010=

The Freshman Center is currently doing an action research project based off of Dr. Marzano's work with Academic Vocabulary. [|Building Background Knowledge For Academic Achievement: Research On What Works In Schools] by Robert J. Marzano

Academic vocabulary is not memoring defintions. It is giving a name to a concept. Building academic vocabulary involves assessing background knowledge, building knowledge about a concept, making connections to other background knowledge, and assigning the proper name to the concept (academic vocabulary.

Teachers at our staff leadership meetings would comment that students knew specific content, but would miss questions on common assessments due to the vocabulary. Students knew the content, but did not have the correct name to it. This is why we decided to focus on building academic vocabulary.

Two American Government teachers are doing the action research (Angie Davidson adavidson@bssd.net and James Thomas Fournier jfournier@bssd.net). The teachers thought they could focus on 34 words in a semester. The list of government terms from Dr. Marzano's book was combined with words found on released items from the state test. The list was then prioritized to identify the top 34 words. A pre-test was written to asess students current level of understanding of the 34 identified words. American Government is a semester course so every second semester student took the pre-test. Test data was compiled for IEP, regular, and advanced students.

The teachers are currently using vocabulary cards, review activities, review games, and self evaluating progress charts discussed in the book. Students will then take the pre-test as a post-test to measure the knowledge gained by the activities compared to teachers not in the cohort. First semester American Government state test data will be compared to second semester data.

A larger group of teachers will form a cohort the fall of 2010 to participate in the action research project. The whole building will implement the activities the Spring of 2011.

=__American Government Resources__= American Government Vocabulary List American Government Vocabulary List by Unit. Vocabulary from Units 1 & 2 are also used in later units. This helps with the eight exposres needed for retention. Students can link terms later in a unit to earlier ones in the relative terms section of the vocabulary card. Students can also use the relative term section of the vocabulary card for synonyms and other concepts or idea related to that term.

American Government Pre/Post Test and Answer Key

American Government Vocabulary Cards Template

Mathematics Vocabulary Card

Another version of a card.

Example of a completed card prior to instruction: Students will add to their card reflecting new knowledge during the year. Student work from an analogy activity.

__Weekly schedule for how the vocabulary words are embedded into the weekly routine:__


 * Monday -** Students receive the terms for the week and textbook definition. Students rate their present level of understanding of the word and restate the definition in their own words on the vocabulary card (5 min).
 * Tuesday -** Students draw a non-linguistic representation of the word on their card using a picture or graphic organizer (5 min).
 * Wednesday -** Review game/activity
 * Thursday -** students review with a partner (pyramid, etc)
 * Friday -** quiz (collective)

=__﻿Algebra I List 9th Grade__=

Example of an Algebra I review on slope. Students used their academic vocabulary cards to match the term to the exampels provided. The students then shared their thinking so everyone learned from each other. Students gave examples, non-examples, and connections. =﻿= =__Algebra A List 9th Grade__=

=__﻿Science List 9th Grade__=



=__﻿English I List 9th Grade__= __**Jargon Practice**__ Set up four stations. Students are assigned in groups and rotate through each section. Students complete analogies, venn diagram, do "taboo." game, and "pictionary." See pictures below. =__Agricultural Science List 9th Grade__=
 * __﻿Review Activity__**

=__Health__= =__Biomedical Sciences PLTW__=

=__MO DESE Terms__= []

=__Web Resource with Review Games and Activities__= [] [] [] __Jim Burke Vocabulary Activities pdf__ []