Up from the Ashes: "grateful"

Up from the Ashes: "grateful"

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about learning how to find the meaning of the word 'grateful'.
Think about the word 'grateful'.
 
a) Where have you seen or heard this word used?
 
 
 

b) Use the word 'grateful' in a sentence:

 
 
 
 
 

c) What do you think 'grateful' means?

 
 
 
 
 
 

Read Up from the Ashes by Mahina-a-rangi Baker (pages 2 to 9, Choices journal, 2005).

d) The word 'grateful' on page 7 is associated with several things on that page.

For d) i) copy the sentences which describe what the narrator is grateful for into the left-hand column. Two examples have been done.

For d) ii) explain what the text you have selected tells you about the meaning of 'grateful'. Two examples have been done.

i) Which words and phrases in the text tell you about what 'grateful' means? ii) What do these words and phrases tell you 'grateful' means?
Page 7 "All of these things I am so grateful for." This tells me that there are many things you can be grateful for, not just objects but experiences too. (student example)
Page 7 "I enjoy the memory of travelling on the back of a ute through the brisk morning of the Mount Titiraupenga forest in the search for the perfect totara (although I didn't enjoy the harsh windburn at the time)." This tells me that you can be grateful for memories. And it tells me that things you don't enjoy at the time can become a memory you are grateful for (student example).
Page 7 This tells me 
Page 7 This tells me 
Page 7 This tells me 
Page 7 This tells me 
Page 7 This tells me 
 
e) Now what do you think 'grateful' means? (Your answer might be different from what you wrote for c.)
 
 
 
 
 

f)  Use the word 'grateful' in a new sentence:

 
 
 
 
 
g)  Pause and think.  Something I'm still wondering about the word 'grateful' is:
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pen and paper.
 
Equipment:
"Up from the Ashes", on pages 2 to 9 in the 2005 Choices.
To access a PDF copy of the text, click on the link: Up from the Ashes.
  • Students do tasks a), b), and c), then read the text before doing the remaining tasks.
  • Tasks a), b), and c) tap into students' prior knowledge of the word.
  • Task d) assesses student ability to use contextual clues to interpret the meaning of the word. (Students record the page number where they find the clue.)
  • Tasks e) and f) will show if, and how, students have modified their original understanding of the meaning of the word.
  • Task g) prompts students to check their thinking, and will make their thinking explicit.
Copyright: 
Up from the Ashes - Text was first published by Learning Media Limited for the Ministry of Education. Copyright © Mahina-a-rangi Baker, 2005. Reproduced with permission. 
 
Source: Choices, Learning Media, 2005.
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
vocabulary, inference
Description of task: 
Assessment focus: student ability to use contextual clues in order to infer the meaning of a word. (There is a link to the text used for this resource in the Using this Resource section.)
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • apply their knowledge of word families
  • infer ideas and information that are not directly stated in the text
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: vocabulary knowledge, sets 7-9
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

Note: Only student responses from d) are presented and analysed in the table below. This is because student data from this section is more complex than that from other sections.

Note also: There is no single correct interpretation of a text, and it can be interpreted at different levels (more or less 'deeply'). However, some interpretations are simply wrong. Students need to make logical connections between the text and their interpretation of its meaning.   We have assessed responses as appropriate if students show in ii) how the text examples they chose in i) help them to build a deep understanding of 'grateful'. Things that the word 'grateful' can apply to include:

  • experiences and opportunities, rather than just help received;
  • memories;
  • things that occurred in the past which were not enjoyable at the time;
  • being grateful is a positive and life-affirming thing.

We have assessed responses as inappropriate if students:

  • repeat or rephrase the text without interpreting what it says about 'grateful';
  • describe the narrator's feelings rather than focus on a meaning of 'grateful';
  • make illogical connections between the text they select and meanings of 'grateful'.

The reasons for students not making a logical connection between text and meaning were varied. For this reason, some examples of students' appropriate and inappropriate (or logical and illogical) responses in the trial are shown in the table below.

i) Which words, parts of words, and phrases in the text tell you about what 'grateful' means? ii) What do these words and phrases tell you that 'grateful' means?
Page 7"All of these things I am so grateful for." This tells me that there are many things you can be grateful for, not just objects but experiences too. (student example)An appropriate response." All of these things" refers to experiences and memories mentioned previously which the narrator was grateful for.
Page 7
"I enjoy the memory of travelling on the back of a ute through the brisk morning of the Mount Titiraupenga forest in the search for the perfect totara (although I didn't enjoy the harsh windburn at the time)."

Note: This and the following text samples are included by the narrator's phrase, "All of these things I am so grateful for" at the bottom of page 7.

 This tells me that you can be grateful for memories. And it tells me that things you don't enjoy at the time can become a memory you are grateful for. (student example)An appropriate response. The narrator is grateful for the memory although she didn't enjoy the windburn at the time.
Page 7"Weaving the very last whetū and border for the tukutuku was such a privilege ..." This tells me that you can be grateful for being part of something. (student example)An appropriate response. The weaving was a group activity the narrator participated in.
Page 7"Tramping through the Papaitonga bush in search of harakeke was fun, and I learnt so much." This tells me that grateful means something positive. Being grateful is not a negative thing. (student example)An appropriate response. The word 'fun' and phrase 'learnt so much' create this meaning.
Page 7"And although it was a tedious task, staying up late into the night ... is something that I'll always remember." This tells me that sometimes you are not grateful for an experience until later. (student example)An appropriate response. The 'tedious task' becomes something the narrator will always remember.
Page 7"Contributing to the design of the website was a cool experience, and just trying to explain the concept of a website was a cool experience, too." This tells me she was grateful for the cool experience. (student example)Not an appropriate response. It doesn't say anything about the meaning of 'grateful'.

Students may also find other words and phrases in the text which tell them about the meaning of grateful, for example:  

  • Page 5 - "... realising how precious things are."  (People feel grateful for new perception.)
  • Page 8 - "Either way, I have grown because of it."  (People can be grateful for learning, even if the lesson comes at a high cost.)
Diagnostic and formative information: 

This resource was trialled by 80 students. The trial involved Year 9 and 10 students from four schools.Word knowledge: moving along a continuum

Because an individual word fits into a complicated system of language, there are many things to learn about any particular word and there are many degrees of knowing (Nation, 2001). Therefore, learning a word can be thought of as an incremental process along a continuum of word knowledge. Stahl (1986) suggested three stages of word knowledge: association, comprehension, and generation.  At the association level, students can make accurate associations with the word, although they may not understand its meaning; at comprehension level, they can understand the commonly accepted meaning of a word; and at generation level, they can use the word in a novel context.

This vocabulary resource enables students to increase their knowledge of a word from whatever point it lies along the knowledge continuum - from association at the first step of vocabulary knowledge, through to comprehension and novel usage.

From recognising words to building a deep understanding

The word 'grateful' is highly recognisable and has many associations in that there are many things we can be grateful for. For this reason it is a good word to build knowledge upon - students can identify the different contexts in which 'grateful' is used in order to increase their understanding of its meaning.

In Task a), students are asked about the first step in vocabulary acquisition: recognition. Most students in the trial cited home and family as the source for seeing or hearing the word. A small number cited thank you speeches.

Task b) assesses basic comprehension of the word. Most students wrote a sentence containing the word 'grateful' in the passive context of receiving help, e.g. I am grateful for everything you've done for me. Another trend was for sentences like, Be grateful for what you've got, which appear to be admonishments reported from home. This level of word knowledge can be associative: students may be able to associate a word with other words or a context but not understand its meaning (Stahl 1986). Task c) The definitions students write here explicitly show their level of comprehension of the word. Almost all trial students wrote a brief definition of 'grateful' involving the synonym 'thankful', e.g, Being thankful for something. This close synonym may cause some students to feel they have the 'answer', which prevents them moving further along the word continuum to an understanding of a deeper and more active sense of 'grateful'.

At this point, students read the story Up from the Ashes, which explores a tragedy and its multiple effects in detail, including things the narrator becomes grateful for in the light of the tragedy. This gives students the opportunity to form a deeper understanding of the word 'grateful'.

Task d) i). Students find text samples in Up from the Ashes which tell them about the meaning of 'grateful'. (The word 'grateful' only occurs once in the story, at the bottom of page 7, but it directly applies to several things above, also on page 7, which the narrator feels grateful for.) These things provide examples of the possible applications of the word 'grateful'. This assesses student ability to link the word 'grateful' to the activities, memories and things in the text. Only about half of the trial students copied at least one example of things the narrator felt grateful for into d) i). The difficulty with this task is that students have to 'work backwards'. The phrase "All of these things I am so grateful for" applies to things that occur previously in the text.

Task d) ii). Using context is an important part of working out the meaning of a new word. Context is also important in learning to extend knowledge of a word.In d) ii) students are asked to write about the meaning of 'grateful' suggested by the text they chose in d) i). For d) ii) about half of the students logically connected the text samples they selected to a meaning of 'grateful'.

Task e) A very small group of the students trialled showed increased word knowledge by writing a broader definition of 'grateful' than they did in c), for example, this trial response to e) Being thankful for objects, events, people, etc. Appreciating what people have done or have let you do, compared to the same trial student's answer for c) Thankful. You appreciate what someone has done.

The low rate of success in this task was most probably a result of confusion about the relationship between the text and task d), having to 'work backwards' to find what the narrator was grateful for, and the 'blocking effect' of the close synonym 'thankful'. Most students wrote a close variation on their first definition.

Task f) This assesses ability to generate use of the word in a new way (novel usage can be considered to be the highest stage of word knowledge). A small group of trial students wrote a more complex and novel sentence than they did in b), for example, this response to f) I felt privileged to have taken part in the rebuilding of the church and for the experience I am grateful, compared to the same student's trial response to b) I am very grateful for your help. This student has demonstrated a shift along the vocabulary acquisition continuum for this word by drawing on the deeper meaning of 'grateful' explored in Up from the Ashes.

Task g) Students may raise issues or questions about the way their understanding of the word has developed. This might provide a starting point for a class discussion or a way forward, such as an exercise or game in which novel uses of the word 'grateful' are sought.

Next steps: 

The following section is about what the English team at NZCER call vocabulary acquisition technique (VAT) and is presented as an example of how you might foreground the Key Competencies within reading. In particular, it exemplifies how you might foreground "Using language, symbols, and texts" and, to a lesser extent, "Thinking" within reading through a focus on applying language strategies to find the meaning of new words. VAT teaches students a strategy that will help them become more active interpreters and users of words. This idea is expanded below. 

Working with new words
 
How should students approach new words they don't recognise, and therefore can't build meaning on?
 
The following text selected from Up from the Ashes (p 8) provides the opportunity to teach some vocabulary acquisition techniques.
 
"Seeing Rangiātea grow now is like seeing a ghost emerge. Its mana is becoming visible again. Powered by the hope and expectancy of its people, Rangiātea will stand tall and gallant once again."
 
Applying vocabulary acquisition technique (VAT)
 
The first unusual word in the text is 'emerge'. What does it mean? There are several clues given by the context. Firstly, look at the word/s next to it.  'Emerge' is attached to the word 'ghost' so it is something that a ghost can do. Another thing to look at is what we call the word's 'electrical value' - is it positive or negative? By looking at the general tone of the text, at both the sentence and story level, we can see that the word occurs in a positive context of growth and hope - so 'emerge' probably isn't negative. Whatever it is that ghosts do, then, we can tell it's not necessarily one of the bad things. Another clue from the words nearby (though this clue is harder) is the word 'mana' described as 'becoming visible'. The words 'ghost' and 'mana' both describe something we can't really see. Could it be that 'emerge' means something similar to 'becoming visible'? Maybe! Another clue is to look inside the word for parts that are recognisable. The word 'emerge' contains the word 'merge'. It's a fair guess to say that 'emerge' might mean the opposite of 'merge', due to the way that prefixes often turn around meaning, for example, wife - ex-wife, able - unable, tonal - atonal, tolerant - intolerant. And in this case, 'emerge' does mean the opposite of 'merge.'
 
So, to summarise things to look for when using VAT:
 
  • attachment to neighbouring words (e.g., ghost and emerge)
  • 'electrical value' (whether the word is in a positive, negative, or neutral context)
  • nearby meanings that may be similar or synonymous (e.g. ghost/mana and emerge/becoming visible)
  • word parts (including prefixes such as a, un, in, ex, which turn around meaning).
The shifting meanings and uses of words
 
While we all know that words are created and others drop out of use, it's a little known fact that for every new word added to a revised edition of a dictionary a rarely used word is usually dropped for reasons of space. This normally private process was made public for the first time by the editors of the new edition of the Collins English Dictionary who have put up the list of 24 words due to be deleted for public debate. These words include:
  • Embrangle: make more complicated or confused through entanglements
  • Muliebrity: the state of being an adult woman
  • Nitid: bright with a steady but subdued shining
Some celebrities in England championed their favourite words before Collins made its final decision, while the Times ran a poll, with 'embrangle' being a favourite with readers.The words we do keep using change in meaning (the word 'gay' being a famous example). These changes in meaning are often driven by young people using language outside of institutions where meaning is tied down for reasons of business and commerce.
 
Some students may use the word 'tragedy' in a trivial sense in b), for example: "Today I forgot my pencil case. What a tragedy." This particular student cited her mother using the word in a), "My mum made a cake and it didn't turn out right so she said, 'What a tragedy.'" This student has used the word 'tragedy' in response to a (mildly annoying) situation similar to her mother's, but without understanding the humour her mother intended through use of comic deflation (the humorous puncturing of a grand or serious statement through trivial context). Her answer in e): "Something that you would be able to remember in your life. A bad moment for you" demonstrates her new, broader understanding of the word.
 
However, the reduction in the gravity of the word 'tragedy' can also be seen in the media to create headlines. The death of Barack Obama's 86 year old grandmother in her sleep during the 2008 US presidential campaign was headlined as 'Obama Tragedy' by TV One at the time.
 
While the definitions of words are sometimes explicitly contested in the public sphere (think of the debate over the words 'war' and 'terrorist'  on one side versus 'invasion' and 'freedom fighter' on the other), the changing meaning of words is mostly an ongoing, organic process.
 
It might be useful to think of dictionaries as reference tools that record current meanings rather than set them.  Be responsive and interested in the new usage of words in the classroom - what starts as slang often comes into general usage - while ensuring that students clearly understand more widely accepted meanings.