Running head: VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

Vocabulary Development
Kayla Franklin
National University

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Vocabulary Development
Vocabulary is vital to the success of students through out their entire lives. Students who
are taught vocabulary can read better, have a strong foundation for further study and it can help
them in their careers. For the lesson plan focusing on Julie Andrews and Maria Callas I have
chose the following vocabulary words:
Revolutionized- effect a radical change
Coloratura- a lyric soprano of high range who

Aspiring- to long, aim, or seek

Tragedian- an actor especially noted for

specializes in such music.

Encore- again; once more (used by an

performing tragic roles

Soprano- the highest singing voice in women

audience in calling for an additional number or

and boys.

piece).
Ambassador- a diplomatic official of the
highest rank
Antithesis- opposition; contrast

Octave- a tone on the eighth degree

from a given tone.
Polyphonic- having two or more voices or
parts, each with an independent melody, but all

Virtuoso- a person who excels in musical

harmonizing; contrapuntal
Baroque- of or relating to the musical period

technique or execution.

following the Renaissance, extending roughly

Immortalized- to bestow unending fame upon;

from 1600 to 1750.

Morose- gloomily or sullenly ill humored, as a

perpetuate.

person or mood.

For the Vocabulary Words that are highlighted in yellow they will be focused on Opera
terms and words that refer to Opera. To help students understand these words I have created a
semantic map. The semantic map begins with Baroque that is a period of time that many operas
were developed and a certain type of opera style was created. It also applied to art developed
2

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during this same time period. From Baroque it moves to Soprano, which is the highest singers
category. A soprano can be a tragedian like Maria Callas. Polyphonic is multiple singers that are
able to harmonize so that also relates to a Soprano. A coloratura is a high range of Soprano and
they sing notes that contain octaves. From there if they have all the skills necessary to be a great
singer they could be considered a virtuoso.
By using the semantic maps you create a relationship between the words that help students
understand how the words relate to each other. It is reasonably clear that semantic memory (our
personal store of concepts) is organized as a network of associations that can be diagrammed in
this way (McKenna & Robinson, 2014). If students can see the diagram when they are reading
the essay on Julie Andrews and Maria Callas they will have an easier time. With semantic maps,
in addition to the vital links between the target word and its category membership, other
associations can be attached as offshoots of the diagram (McKenna & Robinson, 2014). The
passage uses a lot of music and specific words. The following is the flow chart that students will
be asked to complete:

SpecificTime
Periodfrom1600
1750
____________

HighestOperasinger:
_______________
Apersonwhoexcelsin
musicaltechnique:
AhighrangeofSopranos:
AtragicActor:
MultipleSingers__________________
_________________
____________
Typesofeighthnotessung:
Harmonizing:
____________ 3
___________________

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For the remaining vocabulary words students will be asked to complete the following
Venn diagram. The remaining words were used in reference to either Julie Andrews or Maria
Callas. The students will be asked to say if the word was used when the author was referring to
either Andrews or Callas or if it was for both. By categorizing the words students will better be
able to retain the definition. Students will learn the definition as they complete the Venn diagram.
They can work together to determine if it is a positive phrase and which singer the author seemed
to favor. When concepts cannot be broken down cleanly into narrower conceptsthat is, when
overlapping is possiblea Venn diagram may be helpful in depicting the relationships.
(McKenna & Robinson, 2014). Since the remaining words are mainly descriptive phrases it is a
perfect way to organize the words into way that easier for students to interpret.
The following Venn diagram would be empty when provided to students. This one has
been completed.

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By providing the students with different forms of graphic organizers to complete

students are not just being presented with the spelling for the word and the definition. Students
should be familiar with the vocabulary before being asked to learn a new subject. By presenting
them with the vocabulary first it helps prevent them struggling with the words while also
learning a new topic. The graphic organizers help students to visualize the word association and
remember not only what the word means but also the words that are similar. The grouping of
words will help all learners.

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References
McKenna, M., & Robinson, R. (2014). Teaching Through Text: Reading and Writing in the
Content Area. Upper Saddle River , NJ: Pearson.