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DailySpark: Effective Vocabulary Instruction

This series helps you reflect on how intentional vocabulary instruction expands students’ understanding across content areas.

5 Hours | 30 Lessons | Video Instruction

What you will learn

Educators will be successful when they can:

  • Explain how intentional vocabulary instruction supports both access and equity for all learners.
  • Select or design one classroom activity aligned to one or more dimensions.
  • Commit to a next step—such as piloting a daily task, using think-alouds for word learning, or implementing a student word-noticing routine.
  • Identify key features of each dimension (Intentional, Transparent, Transferable, Usable, Personal).
  • Reflect using the learning log to document changes in instructional practice and student engagement with vocabulary.

Overview

Vocabulary is more than a collection of words to memorize. It is the foundation students use to think, read, write, and make sense of the world. This series is designed to help you reflect on how intentional vocabulary instruction expands students’ understanding across content areas.

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Course format

DailySpark is a professional learning series that delivers short daily videos with simple action items, helping K-12 educational professionals grow through small, consistent steps that build sustainable habits over time. Released intentionally one weekday at a time, email notifications will be sent Monday through Friday. This approach allows you to apply one strategy at a time, reflect on it, and gradually integrate it into your practice without adding workload, making professional growth part of your everyday rhythm.

  • Introduction
  • Day 1: The Power of Words
  • Day 2: Choosing Words That Matter
  • Day 3: Making Word Learning Transparent
  • Day 4: Making Vocabulary Transferable
  • Day 5: Making Vocabulary Usable
  • Day 6: Making Vocabulary Personal
  • Day 7: Building a Culture of Vocabulary Through Talk
  • Day 8: Strengthening Vocabulary Through Writing and Reflection
  • Day 9: Selecting Words That Matter Most
  • Day 10: Teaching Words as Concepts, Not Just Definitions
  • Day 11: Making Vocabulary Instruction About Access
  • Day 12: Planning for Repetition and Retrieval
  • Day 13: Making Word Learning Visible
  • Day 14: Using Context Clues to Unlock Meaning
  • Day 15: Looking Inside Words
  • Day 16: Using Resources Strategically
  • Day 17: Teaching Word Parts That Empower Independence
  • Day 18: Clustering Words for Meaning
  • Day 19: Deepening Understanding Through Word Relationships and Word Families
  • Day 20: Becoming Word Detectives
  • Day 21: Helping Students Use Words Authentically
  • Day 22: Supporting Academic Talk Through Discussion
  • Day 23: Using Writing to Strengthen Word Ownership
  • Day 24: Learning Words Together
  • Day 25: Making Word Learning Personal Through Wide Reading
  • Day 26: Helping Students Reflect on Their Growth as Word Learners
  • Day 27: Strengthening Vocabulary Through Generative Sentences
  • Day 28: Checking for Understanding During Vocabulary Learning
  • Day 29: Assessing Long-Term Vocabulary Growth
  • Day 30: Looking Back and Moving Forward
  • Conclusion


Who this course is for

This course is designed for K-12 educational professionals at all levels—from classroom teachers to district administrators—who are committed to advancing instructional quality, whether you're directly teaching students, supporting teachers, or leading educational initiatives.

 

Meet the thought leaders

Douglas Fisher photo

Douglas Fisher

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Fisher was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design, as well as books such as Your Introduction to. Full bio
Nancy Frey photo

Nancy Frey

Nancy Frey is a professor in educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include The Courage to Learn, The Art and Science of Coaching, How Scaffolding Works, and The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Frey is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California and learns from teachers and students every day. Full bio
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$15

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This course also includes:

  • 90-Day Course Access
  • 30 Instructional Lessons
  • Practical Classroom Application
  • Course Learning Log
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Available in US and Canada only

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