Readers build word awareness and understanding by focusing on words that are interesting and unique in the text.

If you see readers who . . .

• don't inquire about unknown words.
• skip words they don't know the meaning of, causing comprehension to break down.

Readers who tune in to new and interesting words begin to recognize and remember them, thus expanding their vocabulary, which enhances comprehension.

Search for and take note of words that you are curious about in your own reading and when someone is reading to you.

We start by tuning in to interesting words as a class and adding them to a whole-group word collector. The word collector is a way to gather new and interesting words and is organized in alphabetical order. We make a grid or boxes on a large piece of paper and write each letter of the alphabet in a different box (see Appendix O). Readers will also have their own word collectors to build their individual vocabularies, and this process serves as a model for that as well. We choose two or three words from our read-aloud that we think the children will encounter in their own reading or writing and that we believe are interesting.

• While we are reading, we stop and say how much we love the word or how important it is to the text.
• We write the word on the word collector in the appropriate box (e.g., deluge, d).
• We continue reading and leave the group word collector as an ongoing activity, collecting two or three words each day. At the beginning of each literacy block, we review the words on the collector and discuss how students are using them in their conversations or writing.

Suggested language:

• We love discovering words by really paying attention to the ones authors use. It is one of the best ways to increase the number of words we can use in our everyday speaking, writing, and understanding.
• What words did you find that are interesting?
• Ooh . . . that's an interesting word, for sure. Let's put it on our word collector so we can keep thinking about it.

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

• When we meet with children in a one-on-one conference, we often discuss the words they are learning and using. This conversation helps deepen their understanding of words while supporting comprehension when they are reading.
• Ask students to use two or three words each week in their writing and circle them for easy reference during their next conferring session.
• Use a word collector (Appendix O) for both whole-group lessons and individual conferences to record and remember the new words.

Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

• Read Text That Is a Good Fit
• Check for Understanding; Monitor and Self-Correct
• Use Prior Knowledge and Context Clues
• Back Up and Reread