MODULE 8
Vocabulary Building
An Effective Reading Process: Student Strategies
If you have felt that taking a college class is like learning a new language, you are not alone! Your textbooks might assume
that you have a familiarity with the concepts and vocabulary of the class, but that’s not always true. And when you struggle
with meaning at the word level, it’s hard to understand the entire chapter. The strategies included in this handout will help
you better understand the vocabulary you encounter in any class.
Faculty Strategy #1
STRATEGY #1: Creating a Cloze Activity
Cloze activities are similar to fill-in-the-blank questions you find on tests. They can be used to develop word recognition
and prediction skills. Cloze activities require learners to engage with the text on several levels, to draw on background
knowledge, and to develop a range of strategies for interpreting written information. They are a good way to review for tests
that require vocabulary knowledge.
As you develop a Cloze activity, follow these steps:
1. Choose a section from of an assigned reading that contains several important vocabulary terms--not
too long, though.
2. Select an appropriate number of words to delete. Don’t delete so many words that the activity becomes
a guessing game.
3. Leave all the words in the first 2-3 sentences of the text to establish the context.
4. If you are working independently, let it sit for an afternoon or a day, if you can. Then, without looking
at the textbook, try to fill in the terms as best you can.
5. When you are finished, compare to the original text to see how you did.
6. If you missed some terms, read the text carefully for better understanding.
7. As an alternate approach, you may exchange Cloze activities with individual reading group members
or groups in class. If exchanging with others, be sure to provide the page number of the original
reading section so that they may self-check when they are finished.
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Vocabulary Building
Faculty Strategy #2
STRATEGY #2: Reading Context Clues
Learning the meaning of words from the context of reading material can be a useful strategy to help you increase
vocabulary comprehension. Using the context that surrounds an unknown word helps to reveal its meaning.
1. Definition Clues: The unknown word is defined in other words in the sentence or in a nearby sentence.
Example: Female deer, or does, seldom give birth to
more than two fawns at one time.
blue = context clues
red = unknown word
2. Synonym Clues: The unknown word is defined by nearby synonym(s).
Example: Rude, sometimes even churlish, Phil was unpleasant to be around because of his meanspirited complaints.
3. Comparison Clues: A comparison is presented which reveals the meaning of the unknown word.
Example: Like frenzied locusts, the ravenous bargain hunters swarmed into the mall the day after
Christmas, tussling over clothes, gadgets, ornaments, decorations and mismatched items, all of
them hungry for the cheapest and the best, duking it out for the title of most frugal.
4. Contrast Clues: A contrast is presented which reveals the meaning of the unknown word.
Example: ”You might think this had happened in the 1970’s when the idea was still relatively new to
those teaching in the profession. Or that those professors were ‘old fogies’ who were trained under
an antiquated system. Anyway, so they were against new ideas. What would you say if I told you
that this happened to me in 1989? The surprising thing was that the two most vocal opponents to
the proposal were relatively new and young professors, so even the old fogies excuse cannot be
applied.”
5. Example Clues: The unknown word is defined by examples or instances.
Example: In older versions of fairy tales, many of which were designed to frighten children out
of misbehaving, horrific atrocities awaited people and animals who were “bad”:- beheadings,
drownings, scaldings, being cut open or boiled alive, and the abduction, abandonment,
bewitchment, imprisonment, attacks upon, and even implied murder of small children.
Contrast clues passage from Mio, J. S., Barker-Hacket, L., Tumambig, J. (2005). Multicultural psychology. St Louis,
MO: McGraw-Hill.
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Faculty Strategy #3
STRATEGY #3: Creating a Graphic Organizer
It may help you to visualize your work with vocabulary and context clues. To do this, use a graphic organizer like a context
clues chart to conceptualize and organize ideas. Here’s an example of how one might be used:
blue = context clues
The Rise of Multicultural Psychology
red = unknown word
As we have seen, the field of psychology has traditionally been a White-male dominated field in theory,
research, and practice. Members of minority groups, such as African Americans, women, and the LGB
community, have traditionally been left out or viewed as inferior. The same can be said for other diverse
groups, such as people with disabilities and those of [other] religious backgrounds. The broader climate
of social change, which addressed the issues of the underrepresented, oppressed, and disadvantaged
groups during the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s (e.g. the civil rights movement, the War on Poverty) also
affected the field of psychology. Over time, psychology and psychologists have been pushed to become
more inclusive (p. 27).
Passage from Mio, J. S., Barker-Hacket, L., Tumambig, J. (2005). Multicultural psychology. St Louis, MO: McGraw-Hill.
The following chart shows how the student has organized that information visually.
Vocabulary
Word
Context Clues
Diverse
Oppressed
Definition of the Word
Comparision,
partial definition
by example
1. A smaller party or group opposed to a majority, as in
voting or other action.
People with disabilities
[other] religious
backgrounds
Comparision, partia
definition by
example
1. Of a different kind, form, character, etc.; unlike: a wide
range of diverse opinions.
Underrepresented,
disadvantaged
Synonym
1. To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority:
a people who were oppressed by tyranny.
African American,
women, LBG Community
Minority
Why it’s
a clue
2. A group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background,
from the majority of a population.
2. Of various kinds or forms; multiform.
2. To weigh heavily on: Poverty oppresses the spirit.
Inclusive
The paragraph has to do
with people, being left
out and refers to pushing
for some kind of change.
Inclusive is like the word
include, so maybe it means
being open to including others
Inference
1. including a great deal, or including everything concerned;
comprehensive: an inclusive art form; an inclusive fee.
2. that includes; enclosing; embracing.
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Vocabulary Building
Faculty Strategy #4
STRATEGY #4: Analyzing Word Structure
Analyzing a word’s structure and properties can be used to determine a word’s meaning. When approaching an unknown
word, you can better guess at the meaning by breaking down its parts.
1. Compound words are two words joined together, sometimes by a hyphen. When separated, you may be able to
determine the meaning.
Examples: Related to dogs: dogpound, hounddog, doghouse, hangdog, dog-eared, underdog, dog-tired,
hair-of-the-dog, dogbreath.
Examples: Now, look at these more complex terms starting with “aqua” meaning water: aquacade,
aquaculture, aquafarm, aqua-lung, aquamarine, aquanaut, aquaplane, aquarium, aquatic, aquatint,
aquatone, aqueduct, aqueous.
2. Understanding the meaning of prefixes and suffixes can help you decode complex vocabulary terms without the
need to resort to constant dictionary use.
Examples: Examples: Micro - prefix meaning “small” Ex. microscope, microcosm, micromanage,
microeconomics.
-less- uffix meaning “without.” Ex. odorless, colorless, tasteless, senseless.
3. You can also use base words, also known as root words, to derive meaning.
Examples: decathlon: Root word is “deca” which means “ten.” Definition: A decathlon is an athletic event
consisting of ten track and field events.
hydraulics: Root word is “hydra” which means “water.” Hydraulics is the study of the mechanics of fluids-or moved or operated by fluids.
You can search the internet for web sites that provide word structure meanings. Some provide these in chart form for ease of
access and use.
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Vocabulary Building
Faculty Strategy #6
STRATEGY #5: Using the Dictionary
Looking up words in a dictionary can make a difference in vocabulary building. Research suggests that readers who consult
a dictionary tend to retain the word’s meaning longer than contextual guessing and helps you make strong connections to
words. Online dictionaries, such as dictionary.com, make looking up a word even simpler. Noticing features beyond the
definition is often an eye-opening experience. Notice how words are formed and used as well as their histories and varieties
across the ages.
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Faculty Strategy #7
STRATEGY # 6: Using a Process: Circle, Reflect, and Define
Another good approach is to circle vocabulary words as you read. First reflect and try to understand from context, then look
up the meaning in a dictionary or glossary.
1. As you are reading, circle all the words you do not recognize.
2. Continue reading to gain understanding from the context.
3. When you have finished reading a section of a text or article and are ready to take notes, look up
unknown words especially if they prevented you from understanding the main ideas and supporting
details.
This approach is less intrusive to comprehension than looking up words in a dictionary or glossary while reading because it keeps
you focused on content and context. Following through with the definitions enables you to improve your reading comprehension.
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Vocabulary Building
Useful Resources
English vocabulary word directory with links to various thematic units of words for our modern age.
http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/
This website functions as a dictionary of primarily Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes, and roots. It is also a source for quizzes and games
relating to vocabulary.
Reading comprehension.
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/compre.htm
This webpage from the University of Connecticut offers many links for vocabulary buildling including sections for instructors, students,
and English language learners. Additionally, the page contains links for reading comprehension and teacher preparation
Teaching academic vocabulary.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/teaching.htm
This link to an academic word list is useful because of two unique features: the AWL highlighter and the AWL Gapmaker. The highlighter
allows students to copy academic text into a textbox which will then highlight all academic words in the text. The AWL Gapmaker creates
cloze reading tests using the highlighted words. It also includes tips on teaching academic vocabulary
**Please bear in mind that documents on the web might change location or go away. If a link provided here does not work,
try searching the key terms in a search engine or locating more of your own resources.
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