Teaching/Developing Vocabulary Using Graphic Organizers and Modeling

Abstract

Vocabulary graphic organizers are useful visual resources to teach English language learners (ELLs) to represent and visualize relationships between vocabulary words and their possible meanings, attributes, and associations. In addition, teachers use vocabulary graphic organizers to deepen students' understanding of difficult words and the relationships of such vocabulary words to their prior knowledge through multiple instructional activities, including word definitions, examples, synonyms/antonyms, and word attributes. Graphic organizers are effective visual learning strategies because they are engaging and they allow ELLs to work in collaborative groups. Similarly, modeling as a scaffold allows teachers to show students how to unpack difficult words as they share with students (and students observe) the series of steps and thinking processes (through thinking aloud) they go through in order to complete a cognitive task. Students can then use what they observe to “mediate” their thinking as they work in small groups or independently to complete a similar or new task.