Vocabulary · Tier 2: academic words

Frayer model

A four-box organizer for a key word: definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples. It builds a precise understanding of a concept.

Bands: 2 to 5
Stages: Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
Settings: Mainstream class, Push-in support and Small group
Prep: Low prep

How to do it

Draw four boxes around the word: definition, characteristics, examples, non-examples.
Model completing one for a word students already know.
In pairs, students complete one for the target word, using the text or their notes.
Share the non-examples, because they often reveal misunderstandings.
Keep completed organizers in books or on the wall for reference.

In a lesson

Science (middle school)

For “mammal”, a pair writes the definition, lists “breathes air, has hair or fur, feeds young on milk”, gives whale, bat and human as examples and penguin and shark as non-examples. Their discussion about why a whale is a mammal and a shark is not becomes the best talk of the lesson.

What commonly goes wrong

Students copy a dictionary definition without understanding it.
It is used for every word, so it becomes a chore.
The non-examples are skipped, and that is where most of the thinking happens.

Adapting it

For a lower band

Give pictures to sort into examples and non-examples, and provide the definition.

For a higher band

Ask students to write the definition in their own words and argue about borderline examples.