Word Study/Vocabulary

The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer for building student vocabulary. This technique requires students to define target vocabulary and happy their knowledge by generating examples and non-examples, giving characteristics, and or drawing a picture to illustrate the meaning of the word. This information is placed on a chart that is divided into four sections to provide a visual representation for students.

From The Reading Teacher Vol. 58, No. 1 September 2004

Preview - Predict - Confirm

Preview

• The teacher shows pictures from an informational text to the students.

Predict

• The teacher asks the class for several word predictions and reasons for those predictions.

• The students work in groups to record additional predictions on blank cards.

• Each group sorts its words into meaningful categories and labels each category. Category labels are shared with the

entire class.

• Each group selects from among its cards a word that the group members think every other group will have, a word

the members think no other group will have, and a word the members find interesting. These words are written on

sentence strips, and a representative from each group shares the three words.

• The teacher leads a discussion about the words that have been shared, including their possible context in the book.

Confirm

• The students listen to or read the book, confirming predictions as the text is read.

• The students compare the author’s selection and use of words with their own and discuss the benefits of previewing a book in this way.