Introducing Geodes
Research in Action Geodes help teachers put research-based best practices into action. Research Says
Students Need
Geodes Respond
“Young children’s listening and speaking competence is in advance of their reading and writing competence. That is, they can understand much more sophisticated content presented in oral language than they can read independently. As children are developing their reading and writing competence, we need to take advantage of their listening and speaking competencies to enhance their vocabulary development” (Beck, et al. 48).
Students need to be given opportunities to leverage their oral expression skills as they build their literacy knowledge through talking about books and orally retelling stories. Practicing storytelling develops students’ sense of story structure and comprehension in addition to building vocabulary and syntax knowledge.
The first two Geodes modules each include two Wordless Picture Books, which offer students the opportunity to learn story elements and structures, practice retelling, and boost their oral vocabulary.
“Studies indicate that giving children the opportunity to tell stories helps their language development by enhancing vocabulary, syntactic complexity, sense of story structure, and comprehension” (Strickland and Morrow 261). “Our chances of successfully addressing vocabulary differences in school are greatest in the preschool and primary years” (Biemiller 30).
Students need to develop a depth of vocabulary to support comprehension.
Geodes in Modules 1 and 2 include an About section, a summary that provides students and teachers with the specific events and vocabulary underlying the text. In addition, all Geodes books include a More section, a brief informational selection that extends and enhances the content knowledge and vocabulary that correspond with each book. The Geodes teacher resource, Inside Geodes®, includes vocabulary routines and suggested words to introduce. In the Book Notes for Modules 1 and 2, words are selected from the adult-read text within the book. For Modules 3 and 4, vocabulary words are selected from both the child- and adult-read text. Book Notes in Modules 3 and 4 also highlight five Oral Recurring Content Words for each module. Students can use these words to discuss key ideas within and across books. Using the provided vocabulary routine bolsters students’ content knowledge and encourages students to include these words in their book discussions.
7
