Making Sense in a Sea of Words: Helping Students Navigate Through the Vocabulary of High School Textbooks
Proposal for Presentation
As students advance through academic grade levels, they must grapple with increasingly complex vocabulary in expository texts. By the time they reach high school, students who may not comprehend the vernacular used in the specific subject areas they are required to learn may struggle with content comprehension of new material. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveals that reading levels of high school students improved little over the last 15 years¹, and that they are not ready for college-level disciplinary texts. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) specifically direct students to address the ways vocabulary is used to communicate within the discipline.²
This presentation will explore how the CCSS supports specific instruction that teaches students to meet the language demands of their texts. A toolbox of effective academic techniques that educators may use to help their students grasp and solidify the technical vocabulary needed to improve their understanding of expository texts will be discussed.
Making Sense in a Sea of Words: Helping Students Navigate Through the Vocabulary of High School Textbooks
Buller Hall Lobby
As students advance through academic grade levels, they must grapple with increasingly complex vocabulary in expository texts. By the time they reach high school, students who may not comprehend the vernacular used in the specific subject areas they are required to learn may struggle with content comprehension of new material. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveals that reading levels of high school students improved little over the last 15 years¹, and that they are not ready for college-level disciplinary texts. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) specifically direct students to address the ways vocabulary is used to communicate within the discipline.²
This presentation will explore how the CCSS supports specific instruction that teaches students to meet the language demands of their texts. A toolbox of effective academic techniques that educators may use to help their students grasp and solidify the technical vocabulary needed to improve their understanding of expository texts will be discussed.