Vocabulary Megaclusters - TextProject

Growing Capacity with theVocabulary of English LanguageArts Programs:Vocabulary MegaclustersElfrieda H. HiebertTextProject, Inc.AbstractThe typical approach to teaching vocabulary in English/Language Arts programshas been to focus on six to eight words per text. Even though these words may addmeaning to a particular story, the target words are often rare and their generalizabilityis limited. The Vocabulary Megaclusters provides a framework for selectingand teaching words according to their shared meaning and function in stories.Within each of the 13 Vocabulary Megaclusters, words are clustered according toconceptual connections such as emotions and traits of characters or the actionsand motions in which characters engage. This article develops the rationale for theVocabulary Megaclusters framework and illustrates how this approach providesstudents with a metacognitive stance that supports them in developing a rich literaryvocabulary.R E A D I N G R E S E A R C H R E P O R T # 1 1 . 0 2June 2011TextProject, Inc.SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA