Childrens Literature and Literacy

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===== Definition =====

Non-contextual vocabulary instruction focuses on the connections to other words or the concepts being taught in class. 

As you introduce words you focus on making semantic, morphological, or multiple meaning connections.

==== Semantic Connections ====

Semantic networks represent the links between words as we often illustrate in a [[Concept Maps]] or [[Semantic Feature Analysis]] Graphic organizers.

Marzano and Marzano (1988), grouped  7,230 words  reading programs. Researchers then sorted organized around the words into three group: superclusters, mini-clusters, and synomnyms of clusters. They identified 61 superclusters, words who share a  broad meaning (e.g., occupations, emotions, machines), 430 clusters in which words share a specific meaning (e.g., outdoor professions, one of 30 clusters within occupations), and 1,500 mini-clusters in which meanings are synonymous.

==== Morphological Connections ====

Morphemes, the smallest elements of language that contain meaning, have shared meanings in the morphology of a word. The work kick is a morpheme. A free morpheme has it own meaning a bound morphem such as -ed or -s gets added to a free morpheme to make a new word such as kicks or kicked. 

Other morphemes make compound words. Book and case become bookcase. If you make it plural you have bookcases a word that has three morphemes. A teacher may make the connection of the two words becoming a compound word explicit. 

Suffixes, prefixes, and root words also make morphological connections to highlight. Many tier II academic language words build off of Greek and Latin roots.

==== Multiple Meanings ====

Many words have multiple meaning, or polysemy. This word comes from the Greek roots of poly for many and semy for sign. You need to make the connection between these words. Students should get taught the dictionary skills to identify the correct definitions. 

===== In the Classroom ====

Extensive Reading-Reading equals vocabulary
Mini-lessons-Explicitly teach the connections between words and conceptual vocabulary. 
Rich Discussion-Require use of vocabulary, provide scaffolds like lists of words for discussion