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Stunning Vocabulary in Picture Books is Important

8/11/2015

17 Comments

 
Picture
Talk to your children.

Why? Because…

“Gains in oral vocabulary development predict growth in comprehension and later reading performance” (Elleman, Lindo, & Compton, 2009; cited by Neuman & Taylor, 2013).

And…

Vocabulary, in particular, is very highly correlated with reading comprehension in the upper elementary years (Duke & Carlisle, 2011; Baumann, 2009; Wagner, Muse & Tannenbaum, 2007).

Read to your children.

Why? Because…

Effective teachers of reading know that encouraging their students to read trade books, both in and out of school, is the best way to bolster their students’ vocabulary. As books are rich in academic words, the extended reading of trade books not only increases vocabulary in terms of quantity, but it also enhances vocabulary in terms of quality. “Written language, including the language found in children’s books, is far more sophisticated and complex than is spoken language, even that of college educated adults” (Cunningham & Zibulsky, 2013; Allington, 2012; Hayes, 1988). Compared to written language, spoken language is “lexically impoverished.”

The amount of students’ reading is strongly related to their vocabulary knowledge. Students learn new words by encountering them in text, either through their own reading or by being read to. Increasing the opportunities for such encounters improves students’ vocabulary knowledge, which in turn improves their ability to read more complex text. “In short, the single most important thing you can do to improve students’ vocabulary is to get them to read more.” (Texas Reading Initiative, 2002).


Three Tiers of Vocabulary

Educator and author of Bringing Words to Life, Isabel Beck, has categorized all words into three tiers.

Tier I
-Most basic words
-Rarely require instruction in school
-Examples: clock, baby, happy

Tier II
-Words that are high frequency for mature language users and are found across a variety of domains
-Not so common in everyday language
-Instruction adds productivity to an individual’s ability
-Examples: coincidence, absurd, industrious

Tier III
-Words whose frequency of use is quite low and is often limited to specific domains
-Best learned when needed in a content area
-Examples: isotope, lathe, peninsula

Therefore, when teaching vocabulary, it makes the most sense to teach Tier II words.

 
So what does this mean for writers?


It means that educators specifically choose well-written picture books that contain tier II vocabulary words. It means that writers should be aware of this and not shy away from such vocabulary words when writing. Often, I hear writers discussing using “higher level” vocabulary words in picture books. And whether it's appropriate or not. But they typically clump together tier II and tier III words together as this "higher level vocabulary." However falling into this assumption will cause writers to fill picture books with inappropriate “higher level” vocabulary that will make the picture book inaccessible for young readers. 

Knowing the difference between the tiers and having an understanding of effectively using tier II words will make a picture book reach a much wider audience. 

 
Is there a list of all tier II words?
No. (Not that I know of.) Because the list would be way too large.  However, even within tier II words, writers and educators can choose the “best” tier II words to use for instruction.

For example think about this:
-Is the word interesting? Useful? Will it be in other texts?
-Can you define the word using vocabulary the student will understand?
-Will the word help with the major understanding of the selection?

What About Moose?

No. Moose is not a tier II word. However, What About Moose? by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez is a fine example of a picture book that makes great use of tier II words. This would be a wonderful example even if this book were written in prose. However, Corey and Rebecca's rhymes are never predictable, always clever, and go beyond the simple one-syllable rhymes. (Example: work zone/megaphone, concern/stern, all imperfections/careful inspections, advice/precise, straighter/dictator, pounded/surrounded.)

Picture
This book has it all!

-Flawed, yet likable character.

-Strong character want and problem.

-Clever, original rhyme.

-A never stumbling, perfect meter.

-(I hate using LOL, but the humor in this book is literally the laugh out loud kind.)

-Perfect pacing.

-Satisfying ending.

-And for a book that is geared toward a younger audience, the use of vocabulary will make your four year old smarter (as well as your ten year old.)

 
Check out some of the stunning vocabulary used in this amazing picture book:

 
divvied

trotted

announced

caution

commands

crank

pace

concern

overseeing

stern

jotted

imperfections

careful

inspections

spouted

advice

precise

glare

tromping

mumbled

dictator

manned

clambered

complete

hefted

surrounded

hollered

muffled

hopeless

groaned

grumbled

huddled

plotting

 

 
What About Moose? Well, it’s simply splendid, engaging, and full of stunning vocabulary! 


17 Comments
Jennifer DuBose
8/9/2015 09:26:44 pm

Excellent post! First time I've read a clear extrapolation of what makes great / appropriately challenging words (i.e. coincidence but not isotope, unless it's a science text). Yay! Thank you :)

Reply
Mandy
8/9/2015 09:34:42 pm

Thanks Jennifer!

Reply
Charlotte Dixon link
8/10/2015 03:48:06 am

Thank you, Mandy, for writing about a subject that keeps us dancing around the vocabulary pole.

Reply
Mandy
8/11/2015 09:50:33 pm

Thanks for being a faithful reader and blog follower Charlotte!

Reply
Vivian Kirkfield link
8/12/2015 08:26:15 am

I just shared this on Facebook, Mandy. I am so invested in helping young children build their vocabularies. And what better way than to dish it up in a fun picture book where illustrations/rhyme/sentence context can help them grasp the meanings.

Reply
Mandy
8/17/2015 09:35:32 am

Thanks Vivian!!!

Reply
Rebecca link
8/12/2015 11:30:28 pm

This is a wonderful article, Mandy! I've always believed that we shouldn't talk down to our kids, whether they are our own or our readers. Thanks for the lovely words about WHAT ABOUT MOOSE?!

Reply
Mandy
8/17/2015 09:34:40 am

Thanks Rebecca! Moose is awesome.

Reply
Deb Bartsch
8/16/2015 11:59:32 pm

Thank you for this great post ! And a perfect explanation of appropriate vocabulary use for our writing manuscripts.
Cheers !
Deb Bartsch

Reply
Mandy
8/17/2015 09:31:51 am

Thanks Deb!

Reply
Mark Condon link
8/17/2015 03:38:11 am

This was a great article, but in all of that IMPROVE COMPREHENSION talk I hope that we don't lose sight of the REAL reason that vocabulary strength is such an important goal.
Children with strong vocabularies can COMMUNICATE BETTER than kids who have weak vocabularies. More specifically, they speak in ways that get people to listen. They listen and understand what folks from a range of backgrounds are saying. They can read more comfortably and they write more creatively. All that is what impacts school success, life success and of course, those ever present test scores.

Reply
mandy
8/17/2015 09:31:11 am

Absolutely! Totally agree. :)

Reply
Sylvia Liu link
8/30/2015 01:56:20 am

Mandy- thank you. This is such an important post - I think so many people underestimate what young kids can understand, and what better way to introduce more complex vocabulary than through their first books.

Reply
Mandy
8/31/2015 11:51:05 am

Glad you enjoyed it Sylvia. And thanks for sharing it on KidLit 411. :)

Reply
sally suehler
8/30/2015 03:43:57 am

We talk about not talking down to kids in our writing, but we usually refer to the content, not the vocabulary. If kids are exposed they will soak it all up. We just need to expose them. Need to go out and add this book to my collection. Thank you @Mandy!

Reply
Mandy
8/30/2015 11:06:41 am

You're welcome Sally!

Reply
jean
4/20/2016 02:05:35 pm

what are two books that promote richness of language for toddlers

Reply



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  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
  • Picture Book Palooza
    • Contributor Bios
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    • Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books
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  • About Us
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    • Our Bookshop
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    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
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