Students are constantly developing
their vocabulary throughout their school days. Generally, we think of
vocabulary development as something done in an English classroom. However, in
order for our students to be successful in other subject areas, students need
to develop content area specific vocabulary. Students need content area
specific vocabulary because without it, they will find it difficult to
understand the subject being taught (McLaughlin, 2015). McLaughlin (2015) also stated that vocabulary
development is more than knowing a words definition and that in order for
vocabulary to be successfully integrated, students need to be comfortable with
the words and with using the words. In my experiences, my most meaningful
vocabulary development came from hearing/using the words in sentences versus
learning definitions. I additionally think it is important for students to read
vocabulary in texts, in varieties of texts, so that seeing the words becomes
more normal for them. Right now, content specific words might seem foreign to
many students. Many times these words, although considered content specific,
can be seen in different subject areas. Exposing students to a variety of texts
lets them see that these words are important on many levels and often have many
levels of understanding.
For part four of framing our
reading, I chose to use vocabulary self-collection strategy (VSS). I like this
strategy because in complies a variety of ways to derive meaning from a word. VSS
is also student driven which I think is critical to vocabulary development. A
teacher can give students words that they feel are important/difficult to
understand, but that is not always the case. Student selection increases
student involvement in the text. VSS involves selecting a word, provide a
skeleton definition and text context, and reasoning for why the word should be
added to the list (McLaughlin, 2015). Any word can be nominated for the class
list and through classroom discussion, definitions are refined and the word
list is narrowed (McLaughlin, 2015).
For
this assignment, I chose the same three words my partner chose; equilibrium,
amorphous, and corrosive. I like these three words because while they are
chemistry related, they can also be seen in a variety of subject texts. Below
is my example of VSS.
· Word: Equilibrium
o Word in Context: “When these two reactions occur at
the same rate, we say that an equilibrium exists.” (ChemMatters, 1983) p. 5
o I think equilibrium means that the two reactions are
happening at the same time and are stable
o I think this word should be on the class list because
it is a tricky concept to understand. I have also seen this word in other
contexts. Additionally, I think this concept is important to understanding how
reactions occur.
· Word: Amorphous
o Word in Context: “Amorphous metals are a class of
materials developed a few decades ago that are extremely tough without becoming
brittle.” (Niiler, 2016)
o I think amorphous means that the metal is very strong
and supple.
o I think this word should be on the class list because
I do not know much about this word and would like to understand it better.
· Word: Corrosive
o Word in Context: “Because of the corrosive and toxic
properties of chlorine gas…” (ChemMatters, 1983) p. 4
o I think corrosive means damaging.
o I think this word should be on the class list because
it is a word used in a variety of contexts in chemistry. It is also a property
of some elements and it is important to understand corrosive materials as they
present a health risk.
References:
McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content Area Reading: Teaching
and Learning for College and Career Readiness. Boston: Pearson.
Niiler, E. (2016, April 8). Even
superman couldn't bend this steel [Web log post]. Retrieved April 16, 2016,
from
http://news.discovery.com/tech/nanotechnology/even-superman-couldnt-bend-this-steel-160408.htm
Swimming pool chemistry. (1983,
April). ChemMatters, 4-5. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articles-by-topic/acids-and-bases.html
