First presented at the TN Spec Education Conference 2012 at Opryland Hotel. It is important to use visuals to teach vocabulary. Here are suggestions as to how you can make this happen.

1. Using Visual Literacy
To Teach
Vocabulary
Keith Pruitt, Ed.S.
Words of Wisdom Educational Consulting
www.woweducationalconsulting.com

2. If teachers are teaching only 200 words
per year, by 4th grade students will
already be 50% behind where they need
to be.
--Keith Pruitt
How Great is the Deficit?
Turn and Talk
Deficit of 800
words

3. Beck, McKeown, Kucan
• Vocabulary must first be orally introduced.
• Vocabulary is not grade specific.
• Words must be explained, not defined.
• Must be contextualized.
• Multiple usages in a meaningful context (8-10).
• Create Schema (visual representation)
• Students reflect with each other
• Three Tiers of Vocabulary

4. The Work of J R Anderson
Discards
OR
Sensory Working Permanent
Memory Memory Memory Files
This speaks to why creating schema is so very important.
Anderson, J.R. (1995). Learning and memory: An integrated approach. New York: John
Wiley & Sons

5. Teacher Presented Visuals
The word we are going to
talk about is invisible.
So what would that
mean?
If something is
invisible, you can’t
see it.

6. Invisible

7. Pollen

8. © Art by Keith
antenna

9. Exaggerate
Beck and McKeown, Elements of Reading Vocabulary, Steck Vaughn, 2004

10. scheming

11. Bison

12. The bear was very fatigued from walking so far.
Fatigue

14. Today in science we are
talking about volcanoes.

15. Mt. Saint Helens

16. What Words can I
teach based on the
video just seen?
Turn and Talk

20. Here are real
students working
with words in a
real classroom.
There are a wide
variety of
students in this
classroom
including IEP
students.

22. Provide purpose for reading
Glossary terms are highlighted
fingerprint
Terms are defined for the
students in words they can
understand
Pearson Longman, Keystone, Level E

24. Student Created
Visual
Representation

32. How To Use Visual
Literacy to Teach
Reading

35. Making Learning More Concrete

36. It is so important for children S
to have words.
U
As a teacher, the most
important teaching I can do is
C
to give students words. C
E
And when I have done that I
will experience one of the
S
most delightful words in the S
dictionary…

37. Thank You
Keith Pruitt, Ed.S.
Words of Wisdom
Educational Consulting
www.woweducationalconsulting.com