VOCABULARY

STRATEGIES EVERY
TEACHER NEEDS TO
KNOW
Grades I-III

Dr. Concepcion U. San Antonio

OIC, Assistant Schools Division
Superintendent
& Education Supervisor I in Filipino
DepED, Division of Rizal
Region IV – A CALABARZON
 INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary knowledge is
essential to reading
comprehension. One cannot get
the meaning of the text without
knowing what most of the words
convey. Researches had
documented the valuable
relationship between vocabulary
and comprehension.
Pre-
reading
Anderson and Freebody
(1981) revealed: Activitie
s
“A reader’s general
vocabulary knowledge is the
single best predictor of how well
the reader can understand text.”

This is the reason why

vocabulary development has been
taken into consideration in the
pre-reading activities as shown in
 1. Showing Real
Object / Realia

2. Use of
gestures,
Translation demonstration,
pantomime or
VOCABULAR
pretend play
Y
STRATEGIES

Use of Visual Graphics/

Dictionary Graphic
Organizers

Word Sorts / Context

List-Group- Clues
Label
1. Use of real objects or realia

Introducing a new word using real

objects provides a very rich and more
meaningful experiences because the
child is required to use her senses. For
example, in introducing the word pebble,
you may say: “Look, what do I have on
my hand, what do you see?” (a small
stone). Would you like to touch it? (Pass
it around.) What can you say about the
small stone? (smooth, not rough like
ordinary stone.) This small stone is called
a pebble. (Write pebble on the word)
Where can you find pebbles?
 1. Use of gestures or
demonstrations
You unlock words through
demonstration or action. This is very
ideal in unlocking the meaning of a noun
or verb. Example

To introduce the word fist, you

may call on a student and tell her to
raise the right hand. Asked her to close
her hands. Everybody raise your right
fist. What is a fist? When do you have a
fist?
 Activity

Directions: Read the sentence. Demonstrate or pantomime

what you are told to do.

• Raise your fist and say, “Long live the

Philippines!”
• Touch the part of your body where roller skates
are worn.
• Pretend to rock a cradle in a brisk manner.
• Peep over the side of your desk.
• Sing or hum a lullaby.
• Sing in a shrill voice.
• You are on the verge of crying and you feel a
lump in your throat.
• Snuffle or breathe noisily through your nose.
• Gaze longingly out of a window.
1. Visual Graphics or Graphic
Organizers

Visual Graphics /
3.1 Graphic Organizers

Definition Examples

1. Picture a   1. Structure
concept  Overviews
2. Way to provide  2. Diagrams
meaning   3. Pictures
3. Visual structure   4. Semantic or
for new mapping
vocabulary  charts
4. Theme with  5. Feature
main ideas  Analysis
5. Way to show  Charts
relationships 6. Frayer Model
7. Frames
3.2 Diagram, Cut-out and
Demo
Directions: Look at the road signs. Draw a small car. Cut it
out. Then, let it move and follow the road signs from 1 to
6.

Start 3. Turn
right.

2. Go up.

4. Go down.
1. Go down.

6. Stop. 5. Turn left.

3.3 Pictures and Learning Word
Games
Activity 1

Boys and girls sometimes absent from their classes because of sickness.
Directions: Hidden in the puzzle are words that refer to the common
ailments of children. Find and circle them. Refer to the pictures
as guide.
W I P P A K T I G R A T A R

T O O T H A C H E H N S R Y

M B R U S E O V K G M B L E

E U L S I A E Z E R I A T O

A S O C D F K L C O L D L F

S V I S T O M A C H A C H E

L Z L U A J E S O R L O D E

E L A N T S U F I L O U B L

S O R E T H R O A T F G U I

M C M A A T D I A R R H E A

Reference:
“You’re Going to be Fine”
Reading Network Grade IV, pp. 13-14
 3.4 Featured Analysis
For For For smal Crude/ Permane
big/fancy Portable
people animals storage l rough nt

house + _ _ o o o + _

Shack + _ _ _ + + ? _

Shed _ _ + _ + + ? _

Barn _ + o _ o o + _

Tent + _ _ _ o o _ +

Mansion + _ _ + _ _ + _

...

Matrix for a semantic feature analysis. The marks in

cells are arrived at through class discussion.
 Fable Fairy Tale

 Talking  magical
 Short  prose events
incidents  narrative  complete
 Explicit  dialogue story
moral  happy
 folk
 Modern origins ending
versions  implicit
(mainly moral
satirical
common)

Venn diagram (Little and Subor 1987). Elements

within the intersection are common to both
sides.
3.5 Semantic or Mapping
When you hear the word rainbow, what ideas come to
your mind?
sky

Where
Spectacula
you can
r colors
see

rainbo
w

Word
shape compositio
When n
you can
see

rain bow
drops of rain mist
 3.6 Frayer Model
Vocabulary Card: MAMMALS
Definition Characteristics
A member of a class of higher  warm-blooded

vertebrates  produce milk

 have fur

 have backbone

 have a developed brain

 babies are born live (not eggs)

Examples MAMMALS Non-examples

 human  rooster

 rabbit  fish

 whale  turtle

 horse  tarantula

 gorilla  fly

 dog  hawk

 elephant  bee

 tiger  lizard

 raccoon  snake

 lion  eel
 3.7 Frames

What I Know Want to Know Learned

4. Use of context clues
Context clues are hints about a meaning
of an unknown word that are provided in the
words, phrases and sentences that surround
the word. The word is used in a sentence
that carries with the clue or clues that
direct/s the learner to the focus. A context
clue may define pr restate or give an
example of anTYPES
example of an unfamiliar
OF CONTEXT
word. CLUES

2. Definition
3. 4.
1. Example or
Synonyms Antonyms
Statement
4.1 Example
The writer / teacher helps the readers
understand a new word by giving an
example.
Examples:
 My grandmother loves gardening, so her garage is
filled with implements such as spades, weeders and
rakes.
Implements:_____________________________________

 Pedro can play a marimba, a guitar and several other

musical instruments.
Marimba:_______________________________________

• Key words signaling an example

and other for example for instance
like especially such as
4.2 Definition or Reinstatement
The writer / teacher may give a definition of
the word in a different way.
 Athletes all over the Southeast Asia will convene in
Cebu for the 2005 SEA Games.
(What would the athletes do first before competing
in the Southeast Asian Games?)

 Lolita’s signature, embellished with loops and swirls,

was easy to recognize.
(What do loops and swirls do to the signature?)

• Key words signaling definition or reinstatement

and other for example for instance
like especially such as

• Punctuation marks signaling definition called dashes, commas, and

parenthesis.
 4.3 Synonyms
Synonyms are words that mean the same as
the unknown word.
 The troop leader left explicit instructions, giving us
clear directions for the route to their cabin in the
mountains.
Explicit - _______________________________________

 Ana swore not to reveal Irma’s secret, but then she

divulged it to Ted.
Secret - ________________________________________

• In such cases, the synonyms may be set off by special punctuation

marks such as dashes, commas, or parenthesis.

• Synonyms may be introduced by or or that is.

 4.4 Antonyms
Antonyms are words that oppose the
unknown word.
 Novices at bowling throw more gutter balls than
people who are experienced at the game.
Novices - _______________________________________

 The teacher would have achieved better results if

she had been quick to commend students for their
successes as she was to criticize them for their
failures.
Commend - _____________________________________

• Antonyms are often signaled by words and phrases such as however,

but, yet, on the other hand, and is contrast.
5. Word Sorts and List-Group-Label

Word Sorts is an instructional strategy used

to help students see the generative nature of words.
Students “sort” words written and chosen by the
teacher on individual cards into groups based on
commonalities, relationships and / or other criteria.

The strategy is used to: (1) assist students

in learning the relationships among words and how to
categorize words based on those relationships; (2)
activate and build on students’ prior knowledge of
words; and (3) allow students to understand recurring
patterns in words (e.g. rhyming words, number of
syllables, etc.).
 What do I do?
1. Select 5-10 words (more words for older students) from
the text that relate to key concepts you want students to
understand.
2. In addition, select any other difficult words from the
passage that students will need to understand in order
to comprehend the passage.
3. Select some words that will help the existing words fit
into categories.
4. Print the words on a sheet of paper and make enough
copies for all students in class. Allow students to cut out
word “cards” for themselves.
5. From your list of words, present categories for students
to use as they sort (“closed sort”), or ask students to
select categories for sorting their words (“open sort”).
6. Have students work in pairs or in small groups. Ask
students to discuss and categorize their word cards by
taping their cards under appropriate categories on a
piece of butcher paper.
7. Ask students to share their categories with the class and
explain their rationale for placing words in different
categories.
 Word Sorts

Closed Sort (teacher-created

categories)
Prefixes
con- dis- re-
conservation disappear recycle
contemplate disintegrate reduce
consume disabled respect
construct disaster reusable
container distance responsibility
consider discover resource
 Word Sorts
Open Sort (2 student-created
categories)
Syllables Parts of Speech

2- 3-syllable 4 or more- nouns verbs Adjective

syllable words syllable s
words words
consume contemplat conservation conservation contemplat disabled
construct e (4) construct e reusable
distance container disintegrate (4) container consume
reduce consider reusable (4) disaster construct
respect disappear responsibility distance consider
disabled (6) disappear
resource respect
discover responsibility disintegrat
recycle e
resource
discover
recycle
reduce
respect
Directions: Read the words. Group those that are closely
related. Write them on the appropriate column of the
table.

LIST
Weather Words
stormy thunder jacket
cloudy lightning thermometer
rain traffic shorts
wind sweater flood
sunny summer seasons
temperature vacation accidents
cold
hot
 CATEGORIZATION (Group-Label)

Categorization Weather Words

1. Types of Weather
1. Storms
1. Temperature
1. Types of Clothes
1. Things that happen
because of weather
1. Ways to know about
weather
Thank you!!!