Teaching Upper Level Vocabulary Strategies in Speech Therapy
Ready for 100 no-prep, printable vocabulary worksheets, featuring vocabulary words targeting a variety of age-appropriate, functional, academically relevant words? Check out my Upper Level Vocabulary Strategies: Worksheets + Assessment for Speech Therapy! (Or for all ages, my Vocabulary Worksheets for Speech Therapy: One Sheet, Digital, Uses Real Pictures).
Working in a middle school, many of the students I see demonstrate decreased vocabulary skills when compared to their peers. I’ve spent the past year coming up with a thorough packet to target these skills in a meaningful, evidence-based, effective way. Read on to learn more about how I’m improving the vocabulary skills of my students!
Target Selection:
The vast majority of my students demonstrate some underlying difficulty related to vocabulary. Therefore, I have been targeting vocabulary within the majority of my groups this past year. The biggest hurdle when creating materials or deciding how to work on vocabulary strategies is target selection. Yes, we want to target tier 2 words but we all know picking words should be so much more than that. I wanted the words I targeted to be relevant to their curriculum and frequently occurring. I found this amazing resource called Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students – Research-Based Lists & Strategies for Key Content Areas.
Between this resource and vocabulary words I compiled while pushing into the classroom, I gathered a list of 100 words. Sixty of these vocabulary words are general, meaning they can be used across settings and content areas. Then, I chose 10 frequently occurring words from each major content area (english language arts, science, social studies, math) to target as well.
100 Chosen Vocabulary Terms
The resources I used contained hundreds, if not thousands, of vocabulary words. I dwindled it down to 100 by choosing words that…
1. Lead to increased understanding of other words. For example, the word “luxury” was included because it helps you understand other, similar words like “deluxe” and “luxurious”. You can use these words to help students understand how the part of speech can change using different endings.
2. Can be easily confused. Words like “issue” are surprisingly confusing. Look at the table below (straight from a worksheet in my packet) and think about how “issue” can mean so many different things depending on the context. Sometimes it is a verb, sometimes it is a noun.
3. Students hear both in and out of school. For example, the word prediction is often used in sports and in science class and while reading books. It is an incredibly important word to understand.
4. Might seem simple at first but are related to much more difficult curricular words. I love when my students start making connection between words they perceive as “easy” and words that they don’t understand in their textbooks. This happened with one of my students after we discussed the word “migrate” and how migr- is a root word that means “move”. They made the connection between “migrate” and “immigration” when that topic came up during a class discussion. Awesome.
There are word patterns all around us that we use to help us understand new, unfamiliar words. Teaching your students vocabulary strategies like how words work is a great way to help give them the skills to compare, break apart, and understand words they’ll encounter in the future.
Effective Vocabulary Instruction:
Based on the research I’ve read, vocabulary instruction needs to…
1. Include multiple repetitions of the same target word. We can’t just have students hear a word once and pair it with a definition or synonym and expect it to stick. We need to give our students lots of practice hearing and using the word.
2. Incorporate a variety of language skills and modalities. Our students need to practice the word by speaking it, reading it, and writing it.
3. Increase a student’s word consciousness, meaning students demonstrate increased metacognitive and metalinguistic knowledge about words. Students need the ability to think about language and what they know.
4. Allow students to read, see, and use words in different contexts. This is why I’ve included so many multiple meaning words in the packet. There is a huge emphasis on understanding how words can mean different things in different contexts, and how meanings can change based on word beginnings or endings.
What vocabulary instruction IS NOT is drill and kill. Vocabulary instruction IS NOT learning large lists of word definitions. Vocabulary instruction IS NOT quizzing your students by having them name synonyms for a list of 10 words.
Massachusetts Reading Association:
I want to share a long quote from a paper from the Massachusetts Reading Association. You can read the entire research summary here.
“Vocabulary instruction should support students as independent learners by helping them develop strategies for learning words that can be applied in any context and as they move through their educational careers. Instruction should include the following aspects of words and language usage:
1. Word families
2. Affixes (prefixes, suffixes), derivational affixes (affix changes part of speech e.g. joy-joyful), inflectional affixes (-s noun plural, -possessive s, -s verb present tense third person singular, -ing verb present participle/gerund, -ed verb simple past tense, -en verb past perfect participle, -er adjective comparative, -est adjective superlative)
3. Synonyms and antonyms
4. Cognates (words that have similar origins) including Greek and Latin roots
5. Multiple meanings
6. Idioms and figurative language“
We are doing ourselves a HUGE disservice to focus solely on synonyms, antonyms, and mayyybe word definitions in our practice. We need to be teaching SO much more to start seeing increased progress and carryover.
There are so many takeaways from the research I’ve read. Below are three of my favorite vocabulary related research articles/resources that relate to intervention and vocabulary strategies.
Research:
Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
A Review of the Current Research on Vocabulary Instruction
Examples:
So you probably want to see examples from my packet now, right? Check out the video below for some examples of the visuals, questions, and sections of the worksheets. Oftentimes, I use the worksheets as a guide and have my students draw the graphic organizers on the whiteboard for extra practice setting things up on their own.
PS: Sorry about the sudden ending! My phone decided to stop recording 🙂
Other Targets:
Another reason I’m obsessed with this packet is that it can easily target other objectives such as…
Articulation – Look through the included word list. How many of the words selected contain /r/ or /s/ or /l/? Answer: So many. These words make incredibly relevant articulation targets as well! One of my students said he liked practicing harder words because he often got tripped up on them while reading out loud in class. Success!
Grammar – On every worksheet, your students will be expected to produce coherent sentences, definitions, and explanations containing increasingly difficult vocabulary words. What a meaningful way to target verb tenses and other grammar goals! If you look through the example pages, you’ll see tons of work that targets grammar goals including having your students increase their understanding of parts of speech and how words can often be used as either a noun or a verb depending on the context.
Word Finding – I’ve seen huge (and I mean huge) gains with my students who demonstrate word-finding difficulties using this packet. Many of the worksheets challenge your students to think of synonyms for given words. Some of the worksheets provide a sentence containing the target word and ask the student to swap it out for a synonym. This is amazing practice for some of our students who often cannot access a specific word when they want it! Many of my students at the upper level are beyond working on describing words by category, color, and function and need practice recalling words using root words, prefixes, suffixes, verb conjugations, and more.
Useful Books:
Below are some books I’ve purchased, referenced, and used related to vocabulary learning and vocabulary strategies.
My Vocabulary Strategies Packet:
That was a ton of information. Thanks for sticking with me!
The packet I created based on all of this wonderful information can be found by clicking here. It is 237 pages long and targets 100 vocabulary words so it’s sure to last for a very long time.
The entire packet is set up to teach vocabulary strategies, which will increase your student’s metacognitive understanding of vocabulary and words in order to increase true progress and carryover. It lends itself perfectly to starting some amazing conversation with your students about words. My student’s minds were seriously blown when they realized how many definitions a simple word like “issue” can have.
The packet also includes some assessment pages and progress monitoring. AND it includes editable PowerPoint slides so you can make your own worksheets and customize them with your own vocabulary targets! Yay!
If this packet sounds like something you could use in your therapy or if you just want to learn more and see some example pages, click here to check it out in my TpT store.
{thanks for reading}
Hi, Shannon. Your vocab packet looks amazing. I have it on my wish list for next school year! I just found out today that my state licensure has been processed so I am official in Ohio and I should soon have my CCC’s. Thank you for being a great resource during my CFY. I can’t wait to keep using your knowledge and products next school year. Enjoy your summer!
– Leah
Hello Shannon, I stumbled upon your website this past weekend and have been obsessing over your website & products ever since! I’m graduating in a little over a month to start my CFY year in the next few months, I will probably work for the school system just like you so I can’t wait to know more about my future position to raid your Tpt store even more. Continue your devotional work in our profession, you are wonderful!
With love, a grateful grad school student.
Shannon, I have been eagerly awaiting the revamped version of this amazing product, since I saw your Insta-stories about it! I bought the “older” (but still amazing) version of this packet late in the school year. I’m truly looking forward to the new school year so I can begin to use this product with my students. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to making such a well thought out, evidence based product. You’re a true SLP rock star!
~Andrea Jansen
Hi Shannon!
This packet is everything I’ve been looking for! As I read through your post, it reminded me of a lot of strategies that I read in Bringing Words to Life (I was going to suggest it but realized you already did :)). I finished my CF this year with middle schoolers and will continue with them next year, as well as adding high schoolers to my caseload. I’m excited to bring this incredible resource into therapy!
This packet is amazing and something I could use as a beginner clinician for the years to come!!! You put so much work into it!????
I work with grades 4-6 and your ideas are so helpful for that age group! Thank you!
I just added it to my wish list for next. It looks great! Thank you
I really appreciate your products! Although I work with preschool, I enjoy reading your blog posts and thinking about how to use your ideas to approach vocabulary with the little ones. Never to early to dart it right!
Hi!
This packet has a lot of great stuff to offer! With so many different components it can be used with a wide variety of children! This is definitely a great product to have for learning vocabulary! This will definitely be an item on my wish list!
Your resources are all great!
-Taylor
This is absolutely amazing!!! Pretty much every kid on my caseload struggles with vocabulary, so this would be perfect!
This looks incredible! What a great way to structure instruction in vocabulary.
This looks like an amazing resource!
This looks absolutely incredible! I bought Bringing Words to Life this year with the intention of implementing some of the ideas from that book in my speech room, but I never had a chance to even READ the book, much less use the ideas systematically! You are seriously inspirational.
This is such an awesome packet. I work with numerous middle school students, and struggle finding resources that will help my students increase their vocabulary. I love that you have included many different concepts all related to vocabulary in the packet.
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for providing such great resources to use for middle school students. Along with your expository and narrative text main idea/comprehension resource, one sheet language lessons, and social skills activities, I have added this vocabulary packet to my collection. Luckily, I was able to snag it when you first came out with it, and I am so excited to re download for the updates. With groups that are so mixed (goals and school placement) these days, it can be challenging to choose vocabulary targets that will work for everyone. I think this resource is the answer. Also, I wanted to thank you for being so responsive when I once messaged you on instagram with a question about one of your resources. I really appreciated it and I am looking forward for more to come this summer!
Jenna
I just found out I’ll be doing my CF in a middle school. So grateful for all the great info you have about that population on your site!! This packet looks amazing!
Hi Shannon, You have provided such great resources for the upper level kids….evidenced based and researched. You have the ability to take a “need”, provide the background and research, and come up with a product that fulfills what we (SLP’s) all would love to use. Exciting for us as SLP’s, exciting for the kids we service. Thanks, I love your approach :).
This sounds amazing. I will be starting to work with middle school and highschool this upcoming Fall. I often feel like being an SLP requires you to be knowledgeable in so many areas that sometimes you just aren’t sure how to be most effective. This is a great way to organize, teach, and adapt materials for students in an effective way for the students and me!
Thanks for all of your hard work!
Looks like a great product that I will be able to use with many of my students.
This is just what I need to help me get started with students working to build and understand vocabulary!
I would love to win this! I work with 5th and 6th graders and I use your one page language worksheets often. So many of your products are right on target for what my students need. This looks amazing and it’s obvious you’ve put tons of work into it!
Wow!!! I LOVE this packet. As a CF who will be serving middle school and elementary school this coming school year I can see myself using this packet for so many of my students!
Thanks so much for all of your hard work. I work at the elementary level, and I love your ideas. My school noticed this year that the biggest struggle with our students is their vocabulary skills. I am putting this project on my wish list for next year. Thanks!!!
Shannon, This resource looks incredible! You have done the hard work for us 🙂 I have heard all these suggestions before, but your product brings them all together. Thank you so much! This would be a terrific addition to my therapy materials (as are all of your products – lol!).
Your product looks like an excellent addition to every clinician’s toolbox! It’s on my wishlist!!
This sounds amazing! I love working on vocabulary skills with my 6-8th grade students, and I can see myself using this packet!!
This looks like a great packet and another great alternative when working on vocabulary. Most of my middle school and some upper elementary students have been working on using context clues this last school year. I really like all the considerations you took when selecting your targets and I appreciate the reminder that multiple exposures is really necessary for the students we work with!
I bought these set late in the school year after debating between a few other vocabulary package. Can’t wait to use it!
I also see many students on my caseload struggling with vocabulary. I often find myself teaching vocabulary even with my articulation students. You always seem to create a product that can always be used right away and be effective. Thanks for all the work and time you put into making amazing products!
Your activities are always so fresh and detailed. I absolutely love it. I’m working with middle school students and students who have a cognitive impairment within the high school setting this upcoming school year, and I think that they would absolutely benefit from a packet like this. I really hope that I am chosen as the winner, but if not, I hope to see this on sale for, perhaps, and SLP Monthly Must Have price?? 🙂
Your tips, ideas and Therapy products are always so helpful. I look forward to your emails and activities. This packet looks awesome and It would be a great tool in my therapy. I like how versatile it is and how it integrates so many important skills. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing the steps you use for introducing and teaching vocabulary – so thoroughly thought out and well-organized. As I do more and more of my language therapy in the classroom, it’s now more important to me than ever that I can show and explain the method of my instruction to teachers. I love the way you selected these 100 words, and the packet looks marvelous!
What a great packet! This would be such an amazing therapy tool for my collection as I’m moving into my CFY this coming year. Great ideas and so much detail in this post and packet. Thank you!
Shannon, this is amazing work! I love Bringing Words to Life and I’m amazed at how you’ve synthesized it into this product!
This looks like a wonderful packet! I’m switching from private practice back to the schools and will serve a pre-K to 8th grade school. This would be great for those older grades! Looking forward to it!
You’ve touched on so many good points with vocabulary intervention. I loved how you attached articles with the post. Your vocabulary packet is in my wish list for this fall. Thank you for all your time and effort you put into creating materials!! I look forward to your emails and posts! Keep it up!
Looks amazing!!Love your products and your emphasis on self care too. That work life balance thing sure does get me sometimes but I guess we’re all a work in progress, :). Thanks for all that you do and share with the world!
Shannon,
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this product! I saw your Insta story but got busy with endnof the year stuff and forgot to go purchase it before the update. The additions and changes look amazing. Thanks for making my middle school life a little easier with my 24 incoming 6th graders not to mention my returning students and evals! ❤
This looks great! I would love to use this with some of my older kiddos! Thank you so much!
This looks like such an incredible collection of resources! I love your outline of the research used to create with such attention to detail.????????
Just started doing vocab stuff with 2 of my kiddos this year (and I have a feeling that more parents/teachers are going to want me to target vocab…), and I wish I had had this packet! Your blog post has great info as well =) Thanks so much for sharing!!
I am switching next school year from an all preschool building to elementary. I am already trying to find new materials to support my students. This packet looks amazing!! It is so thorough and would be a great resource to use with my new students!
Thanks so much for this great, research based information. Sometimes S/L therapists (and teachers) have difficulty figuring out how to target vocabulary in an organized way. This resource will,really help our older, struggling learners.
Thanks for the update. I already own this package, but I am glad to be able to add to it. I’m trialling the new version this afternoon and will let you know how I go.
Thank you for this post! So clear and well thought out. Your vocabulary pack looks amazing.
This looks amazing and super useful! Thank you for creating this. I would LOVE to win it!
Thanks for the information! I recently made the switch from a hospital to the schools, so this packet would be great to have in my arsenal.
Hi Shannon, this packet looks amazing! As an SLP who JUST finished my CF last week (yay!) this would definitely be something I would like to have in my “toolbox.” Thanks for all your time and effort gathering the research!
I bought this packet last school year and never ended up using it. These improvements seem awesome! Excited to use it next year
Wow! So thorough, well thought out & ready-to-implement. This quote best sums it up “We are doing ourselves a HUGE disservice to focus soley on synonyms, antonyms, and maybe word definitions in our practice. We need to be teaching SO much more to start seeing increased progress and carryover.” I truly need this focused higher level practice with my middle school students for true progress & carry over. Thanks for all your hard work & great video!
I love the vocabulary packet you have put together. I am always looking for vocabulary activities for my upper elementary students and this looks like something my students would hang on to. The research that you have with the vocabulary is good too. Research based interventions are a big deal in school. Thanks for all the time you spend with your research and ideas.
Looks like a great resource! Do you have anything/any tips for working on vocabulary at the preschool level?
This looks like a great product to efficiently teach important vocabulary. I have pinned it for the fall!
This packet is amazing!!!
Thank you for focusing on the research behind vocabulary instruction. I also love that you used vocabulary that you picked up from class discussions. That way you are providing instruction and practice with the words in different contexts!
The time and research you put into this is amazing! It looks to be a great tool for vocab!
This looks amazing! I love that you keep adding to it as well. Great for older students!
Thanks for putting so much research behind your work. I have always struggled with how to address vocabulary within a measurable IEP goal. Do you include sample IEP goals in your packet?
All my students struggle with this. I always try to find ways to incorporate curriculum or tier 2 vocab and this packet would be perfect!
The packet looks amazing!!! Any chance that one is in the works for elementary students???
Thus product looks terrific! Thank you for thoroughly researching the evidence to aide you in developing it.
This vocabulary packet looks amazing! I have it on my to purchase list!
Wow! This packet looks fabulous!! Thank you for taking the time to create this! I work with preK-5th and I’m always struggling to find the time and resources to target vocabulary for my upper grade students. This looks amazing!! I’ll be adding this to my wish list and fingers crossed I win!! 🙂
I am always looking for resources targeting vocabulary for my middle school students. This packet looks like an excellent resource. I am adding it to my wish list for this school year. Thank you for putting this together and for sharing the research to support it!
This packet is incredible! I also really enjoyed your blog post and all of the information you provided, specifically the references you listed. I will be looking into these resources more this evening but at quick glance I can tell they are going to provide a lot of great information. Thank you for putting so much effort into this product and the accompanying blog post, it is much appreciated!
Hi Shannon,
I love the strategies you use in this packet! There’s so much here that offers a lot to individualize for students. 🙂 I could totally see myself using this next year in my CF.
Thanks,
Karissa
This would be awesome! I just completed my CF year and I work in a very small district with kids K-12 as the only SLP. I often struggle with finding activities for my middle schoolers and high schoolers and this seems like an invaluable resource. Thank you for making this!
Love this!!
This vocabulary packet looks amazing! I work with English as a second language and we often find that vocabulary is both languages are generally very low!
I love all of your products!! Last year, I started working in middle schools as an SLP, and I didn’t have any materials for that age group!! I would LOVE this vocab packet to use with my students in the next school year and years to come!!
I am moving uo to secondary this next year and I’ve been looking for ways to productively target academic vocabulary. I appreciate how much thought you’ve put into this resource!
Your vocabulary packet looks awesome. I serve middle and high schools students and found vocabulary is a weakness for all my students. I am so excited to find therapy ideas/materials for adolescents. These speech-language impaired group are often forgotten. Thanks!
Hi Shannon! This looks amazing. I love how ALL your products are neat, organized, and user-friendly. I always look forward to seeing what you’ve been working on. Thank you for all your thorough work and for putting your heart into what you do – it shows! Hope you have an amazing summer! ❤
I always love your posts and the articles you share on facebook! This one is excellent!
I have been using the EET and feel like it is a wonderful resource, but was on the lookout for something more to use with my upper elementary grade students….and here it is!!
This packet is something I definitely want to invest in for next school year.
Thank you!
Such a great resource!
This vocabulary packet looks great! Would love to win one!
Wow, I have also put this on my wish list! I love that you included a video that goes through your product! What a fabulous way to promote your awesome product.
HI Shannon!
Love your ideas! Very inspiring for my caseload! I’m going to be on maternity leave for the first few weeks of school, so I’m looking for products for my sub!
Thanks!
Jenni
This sounds great! Especially for those kids I’ve had for years and are now in 4th and 5th grade!
Wow, what a thorough packet! I like how even the words you choose from specific subject areas can be heard across the student’s school day. I also like the many ways that students interact with these words. For my students (upper elementary), I typically incorporate drawing into my vocabulary instruction as well, because it’s highly motivating. Or I’ll have them use their new words in a short story that they can illustrate. This packet will definitely make it to my TPT wish list!
Wow, what a thorough packet! I like how even the words you choose from specific subject areas can be heard across the student’s school day. I also like the many ways that students interact with these words. For my students (upper elementary), I typically incorporate drawing into my vocabulary instruction as well, because it’s highly motivating. Or I’ll have them use their new words in a short story that they can illustrate. This packet will definitely make it to my TPT wish list!
As always, you have created another fantastic resource! Thanks for putting in the time and doing the and research to make this. I will be starting my CF in an elementary school next month and think this would be a great product to have 🙂
This would be wonderful for my students! Always love your blog posts! 🙂
This would be great for my students! Always love reading your blog posts! 🙂
Thank you so much for the great info! I will definitely be making adjustments to my therapy after reading this!! Love your products and this one has been at the top of my wish list. Curious how you write your vocabulary goals? Do you define specific aspects to target within the goal (context clues, antonyms,etc) or do you leave it more broad?
This looks amazing! I have and am starting to read the. Bringing words to life and need to check out the other book! I took a screenshot when you had it in your ig story! Thanks for all your work and inspiration you provide!
This looks like a great vocabulary resource for my students. It’s on my wishlist for this school year:)
You’ve put so much work into this packet. I can even imagine changing the vocab and using some of the strategies for younger students as well, but love it as is for older students!
W-O-W, I can only imagine all the time and effort you put into making such a comprehensive product. Thank you for all of your hard work! Just what an SLP on the go needs for effective vocabulary instruction!
Hi Shannon, I love following your blog posts and TPT store. I would love to add this vocabulary packet to my collection of materials. I am starting at a new school this fall and this packet would be a wonderful tool!
Hello! I have loved all of your blogs and emails. You have some great advice that I have been using. From therapy materials to apps to organizing tips to stress relievers, I have used all of your ideas! I’m starting my CFY in August and would LOVE this packet! Thank you so much for everything you do. You’re the best!
Hi,I have real.y enjoyed your blog and products.I have bought several that have been huge successes for my students! Keep them coming!
I love how your packet doesn’t have students just memorizing definitions but teaches students how be independent vocabulary learners.
Love this post so much and plan on using this to help me restructure how I introduce vocabulary in my sessions. Working in a private school with a primarily dyslexic population includes a lot of vocab and grammar goals, so this would help tremendously. Thanks for always taking the time to explain and show how best to implement your materials!
I actually used this packet all Spring semester with students 4th through 7th and was pleasantly surprised by how much even my older students liked completing EVERY SINGLE TASK. There’s a good sense of accomplishment built in, which is motivating, as well as the incremental and very thorough method you’ve utilized in this packet. I really appreciated the video and this post because it provided a great context for …well…everything! I cannot wait to re-download and see what else you’ve added!
This looks like an amazing resource! I have been spending more time targeting vocabulary the past 2 years and trying to make it functional. I’ve noticed that the kids I’ve been working with have had big increases on normed testing scores but their reading comprehension hasn’t improved as much as I would like. This packet is definitely on my list of materials for next year. Thanks for offering a well thought out and researched therapy materials packet!
Hi, Shannon. Your vocab packet looks amazing. It is something that will help with a great number of students currently on my caseloads, and many more to come in the future.
Shannon,
I’m going to be in the middle school setting for the first time next year, and I’m very excited to use this resource with my students. Thank you so very much for all of the research you read through and provided to your followers and for taking the time to create such a comprehensive and amazing resource. I greatly appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. Thank you!
I love that this is research-based, and you do such a nice job of combining all the research elements/ways of learning upper level vocabulary in your packet! Also, I appreciated hearing how you select vocabulary words to teach–that’s always a struggle for me. Thanks!
I have loved looking at all your products as well as your blog and am eager to use them in my grad school program this fall! Your stuff has really made me feel more confident going into my program so thank you!
I appreciate the thoroughness and the sharing of the rationale behind activities. I have students who need more visuals because their reading levels are so low. I like the idea, and want to figure out how to make it work with my students with complex needs.
Looks great! I love that it’s researched-based!
This sounds amazing! Thank you for explaining the research behind the product as well. There is a strong chance I end up working with middle school students in the fall, and I will be sure to keep this product in mind if/when that time comes.
Wow! I’m so excited for this product. As a CF, I have been keeping my eyes open for the best products to help my clients/students succeed! Thanks for the opportunity to win such an incredible packet.
This product is definitely on my wish list but let’s talk about this blog! I will be adding this blog as a resource for therapy planning with my middle school students. I see the same issues with my students but this information makes me energized and ready to hit the ground running with better strategies to help my kiddos. Thank you!
This looks amazing and it is on my wishlist for the beginning of the school year. I appreciate all the research invested in the creation of this work.
I love that the development is research based! Vocabulary is always an area of weakness for my middle school students!
I have been looking for something like this. The biggest achievement gap at my school is for students who are free and reduced lunch. We do not have a lot of ethnic diversity in my building but there is a large difference in the socioeconomic status of students in my building. Most of our FRL students are also SPED. As a building we have decided to focus on developing the academic vocabulary of these students in hopes of improving their academic success. I would love to have a resource like this to help with that building goal!
[…] I’ll be reviewing Shannon’s resource in depth along in my next article, so be on the lookout for it. She also has an overview and video with a description on her website in this blog post. […]
[…] I don’t think I could do this justice with a short synopsis, so if you want to see it in action you’ll want to check out this blog post about teaching upper level vocabulary strategies in speech therapy. […]
This looks like such a great product! I have never been confident in vocabulary instruction, so I have been researching how to make my instruction more effective and evidence-based. I do have one question, how does one take data when focusing on Tier 2 words? I’m assuming only 1-2 words are introduced per session, so it seems like it would be difficult to document any sort of percentages. Or would it be helpful to do some sort of a pretest and post test for every level to document growth? How do you take data with vocabulary?
Great question! For day to day data, I typically record the prompts required for students to do a given task. I also do monthly progress monitoring. I do most of my progress monitoring with SLP Toolkit (another fabulous website). Hope that helps!
Hi Shannon – thanks so much for the awesome resource! I’m going to use it today with my kiddos! I have a question about when you said you have students set up the graphic organizer for new words/words they want to practice – what does this look like exactly?
Thanks so much!