Practice Brief-Struggling Readers.pdf

• Differences in depth of understanding are related to the number of timesand the variety of contexts in which a word is encountered and used. Forthe sixth grade science student, it may be sufficient to understandmitosis as“the process in cell division by which the nucleus divides,typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase,anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in two newnuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parentalchromosomes” (Wikipedia, n.d.).He or she may also know that karyokinesis is sometimes used to describethe same process. The detail at which a student understands each phaseof mitosis will vary, depending perhaps on local curriculum standards inscience, the student’s aptitude and motivation, or the instructional goals.• Use assessment procedures to identify target words students know andwords students need to learn. For example, pre-assess vocabularyknowledge before teaching a specific content-area unit, use curriculumbasedprogress monitoring to track vocabulary development over time, andassess the level of understanding of words (e.g., Can the student definethe word? Use it in a sentence? Provide a synonym or antonym?).• Provide explicit instruction of the vocabulary needed to understand aspecific text or content area by offering simple definitions prior to reading,generating examples and non-examples, or creating semantic maps thatcontain word families or list multiple uses of a target word. Explicitinstruction of key words increases both vocabulary and readingcomprehension and is especially effective for students with disabilities(Bryant et al., 2003, Jitendra et al., 2004).• Use computer technology as one component of vocabulary development.For example, game-like formats engage students, online dictionaries andreference materials may help students extend their knowledge of a word,and hyperlinks (clickable words contained in online passages) allowstudents to access additional information quickly or to see words used inmultiple contexts (Wood, 2001).19