Blended Vocabulary for K–12 Classrooms: Harnessing the Power of Digital Tools and Direct Instruction, Feb/2017

Discover a research-based model you can implement to help English learners, general education students, and special education students master tiered vocabulary.

Created for teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, and literacy teams, this resource outlines a research-based model that will help you ensure English learners, general education students, and special education students master tiered vocabulary. With greater understanding of how to teach vocabulary effectively and incorporate digital tools, you can develop a blended approach to word learning that makes a significant impact on achievement.

1. Understand the importance of students’ vocabulary development and ways educators at the classroom, school, and district levels can positively impact vocabulary building.
2. Learn how to develop effective literacy leadership teams.
3. Explore digital tools and how to use them to support word learning in interactive ways.
4. Discover instructional strategies for teaching vocabulary to elementary students, secondary students, special education students, and English learners.
5. Access activities, recommended books, and other resources that support the three tiers of vocabulary instruction.

About The Authors:

Kimberly A. Tyson, PhD, has served as a classroom teacher, college administrator and instructor, and literacy consultant across the United States in classrooms ranging from preschool to twelfth grade. She has written classroom curriculum and language arts sections of standardized assessments and recently chaired the Elementary Reading National Evaluation Preparation Committee for Pearson Education. Kimberly is past president of several professional organizations and actively participates in contributing to the profession. 
Over the years, Kimberly has joined with teachers, principals, and administrators to improve literacy in readers of all ages. Through The Literacy Lens Audit®, a research-based literacy audit she developed, Kimberly guided literacy leaders in assessing and improving curriculum, instruction, environment, and student achievement across schools and districts. In addition, Kimberly has worked with educational organizations such as the I-READ Department of Education literacy improvement program, and educational service centers. She has also supported statewide initiatives. 
Kimberly earned her doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She discovered her love of word learning and vocabulary when working with middle and high school students in several initiatives within Kansas City Public Schools. Since then, vocabulary improvement has been the focus of much of her work alongside educators in schools and districts across the country.

Angela Peery, EdD, is a consultant and author with three decades of experience as an educator. She has spent the last decade making over a thousand presentations and authoring or coauthoring eleven books. She has consulted with educators to improve teacher collaboration, formative assessment, effective instruction, and literacy across the curriculum. In addition to her consulting work, she is a former instructional coach, high school administrator, graduate-level education professor, and English teacher at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Her wide range of experiences allows her to work shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues in any setting to improve educational outcomes.