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Lessons
Choosing, Chatting, and Collecting: Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy
Discipline
Reading
Grades
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
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Professional Commentary

In the vocabulary self-collection strategy, students choose the words they want to learn, offer a rationale for their selection, and agree upon words to include in a classroom collection. This strategy helps students to understand the meanings of new words, integrate new words in their conversations and writing, and make personal connections with words while reading. In this lesson, an online Shakespeare text is used as an example. The self-collection strategy is versatile and may be applied to any content area reading. This lesson can easily be modified and used with other content area topics as well. Although self-selection of vocabulary enhances students' motivation and achievement in learning new words, overuse of the strategy will diminish active engagement. (author/ncl)


Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Grades 6–12
Language
Grade 6
Knowledge of Language
L.6.3 
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
  1. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/ listener interest, and style.*
  2. Maintain consistency in style and tone.*
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.6.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
  3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.6.5 
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
  2. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.
  3. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
L.6.6 
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Grade 7
Knowledge of Language
L.7.3 
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
  1. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.*
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.7.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
  3. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.7.5 
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
  2. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
  3. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).
L.7.6 
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Grade 8
Knowledge of Language
L.8.3 
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
  1. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.8.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
  3. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.8.5 
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
  2. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
  3. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
L.8.6 
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Grades 9-10
Knowledge of Language
L.9-10.3 
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
  1. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.9-10.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).
  3. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.
  4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.9-10.5 
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.
  2. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
L.9-10.6 
Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Ohio English Language Arts Standards (2001)
Acquisition of Vocabulary Standard
Benchmarks (4–7)
A.
Use context clues and text structures to determine the meaning of new vocabulary.
F.
Use multiple resources to enhance comprehension of vocabulary.
Benchmarks (8–10)
A.
Use context clues and text structures to determine the meaning of new vocabulary.
F.
Use multiple resources to enhance comprehension of vocabulary.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 6)
1.
Define the meaning of unknown words by using context clues and the author's use of definition, restatement and example.
8.
Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 7)
1.
Define the meaning of unknown words through context clues and the author's use of comparison, contrast, definition, restatement and example.
8.
Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 8)
1.
Define unknown words through context clues and the author's use of comparison, contrast and cause and effect.
7.
Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 9)
1.
Define unknown words through context clues and the author's use of comparison, contrast and cause and effect.
6.
Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 10)
1.
Define unknown words through context clues and the author's use of comparison, contrast and cause and effect.
6.
Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.