Refining Meanings

Many vocabulary words have multiple and complex meanings. Students begin acquiring meaning with a learner-friendly definition and multiple encounters with the word in context. Once they have cemented a basic understanding of the word’s meaning, students can then be exposed to additional meanings or nuances. Encountering the vocabulary word in different contexts with these alternative meanings can help students absorb the nuances of the word.

“What does eligible mean Dre? Oh, to be able to do it. So, I can tie my shoes. Am I eligible to tie my shoes? Yes. Really? No. Who can use eligible in a different way? Because eligible does mean to be able, but it's got a little bit of a twist. So, I hope I see lots of people - Mike, Keisha eligible to pass the sixth grade. How do you become eligible to pass the sixth grade? That's a very good use. What kinds of things do you have to do to be eligible? Do you wanna call somebody to help you out? And what is your homework? And classwork help with Amani. So, to be eligible also has something to do with requirements. So, what are the requirements for passing sixth grade? If you get F's, you wouldn't be eligible for sports, but can I put my stamp of approval on you and say this child is eligible to enter the seventh grade. They know they have met the requirements to get into seventh grade. You can be eligible for a lot of different things. How many people like to enter contests? For a lot of contests, to be eligible, you have to be over the age of 18. 

We see the class starting with the kid-friendly definition that comes from the materials. That's a foot in the door to what the word eligible really means. What the teacher does then is take that and build on it. She begins to look for other student input. What you end up seeing in a very short period of time is how other students are adding to that, and the teacher is pulling them along. She's really helping them think it through so that, by the time they reach the end of the conversation, they have a clear sense of what eligible really means. They understand the different ways it might be used, and the teacher has some concrete examples for them, as well. So, it's a really strong way to build a definition, starting with something that's user-friendly and then moving into that more developed sense of what eligible really means.

Professional Learning Task

Discuss how using the learner-friendly definition of eligible as "to be able" can serve as an entry point. But also consider why the definition is insufficient to understand the full meaning.

What are other words that can be introduced with learner-friendly definitions that are then refined? What role does context and student experience play?