No More "Look Up the List" Vocabulary Instruction

by Ellin Oliver Keene, Camille Blachowicz, Nell K Duke (Editor)

"Just as word learning is incremental, so is learning about vocabulary instruction. Teachers need exposure to research, best-practice strategies, and fellow practitioners."
-Charlene Cobb and Camille Blachowicz The way we've learned influences the way we teach, but the vocabulary instruction many of us received-looking up words and writing sentences or completing worksheets- just doesn't work. So what can we do instead? No More "Look Up the List" Vocabulary Instruction is your guide to engaging, research-proven practices for teaching words effectively. Practitioner Charlene Cobb and researcher Camille Blachowicz share why old-fashioned methods don't work, what the research shows does work, and how to put the research into action. Charlene and Camille answer teachers' most commonly asked questions about vocabulary instruction, "Without practice in the full range of ways we use a word," write Charlene and Camille, "our word knowledge is limited and falls from our grasp as the next cycle of words enters." No More "Look Up the List" Vocabulary Instruction offers a solution-deepen students' engagement with words, increase their exposure to them, and expand their word knowledge.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Teaching

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

Reviews

[Emma Strettell]

Good ideas - thanks Meaghan!

[Jeremiah Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books is my favorite in terms of professional reads. They are very concise. Much of the book is spent on applicable ways to apply things in the classroom. I will continue making my way through Not This, But That series.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quick, research-based book gives practical ways to develop young adolescents vocabulary. The ideas presented here are important, especially for those without knowledge of best practices in literacy instruction and for content area teachers.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great links to research in the early part of this book.

[Michelle Picard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series of professional books!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read on current research and specific strategies for the classroom. I plan to check out another title in this series.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better suited for improving Science & Social Studies instruction than for enhancing Word Study during a Literacy Block.

[Nicole J · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has some good information for teaching vocabulary

[Douglas Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are not a teacher then do not read this book. If you are a teacher this book offers good (but not a lot) of strategies to help students use and learn vocabulary in any classroom

[Nikki Drury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously enough with the worksheets, vocabulary lists, and arduous dictionary use - I don’t know, look it up! Expanding our word knowledge can be meaningful and generative!

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. Its a good size (sorry to admit that). It has a good update about the research on vocab development and then ways to tweak your instruction so that it lines with ways that kids really learn words. And gets aways from tactics that no research supports. I recommend it to 3rd grade and up teachers, but 2nd grade teachers could totally find some good stuff in here. I liked the overall philosophy creating an engagement with words as interesting things to look for and learn from and use. But then, I love good words. And its short. Did I mention that?

[Nichole Lindgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good and quick read. I got some great quotes out of reading and a few good ideas for activities. Reading it though, I still felt as though there weren't enough suggestions on how to teach vocabulary through content... besides involving reading, there were lots of reading related ideas to encourage vocabulary. I wanted more ideas on how to keep vocabulary instruction from being so isolated. The book was good, but wasn't enough.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An information packed book that was a quick read.