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3TRATEGIES THAT BUILD VOCABULARY AND READING
COMPREHENSION IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES
+%,,)% "5)3
0EMBROKE 0UBLISHERS ,IMITED

Dedication
To those who are intrigued and inspired by the words
Acknowledgements © 2004 Pembroke Publishers

538 Hood Road
A profound thanks to… Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 3K9
…my mother and father for their gift www.pembrokepublishers.com
of words
…my husband John, for having the Distributed in the U.S. by Stenhouse Publishers
best stories of all P.O. Box 11020
Portland, ME 04101
…my children, for their support and
www.stenhouse.com
encouragement
…Colin Chow, for his extraordinary
teaching partnership All rights reserved.
…the members of Lom Cira, for their No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means elec-
tireless work with literacy tronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information, storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
…the members of the SFU team, for
their dedication to best practice Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders for permission to repro-
duce borrowed material. The publishers apologize for any such omissions and will
be pleased to rectify them in subsequent reprints of the book.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the
Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our publishing
activities.
We acknowledge the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media
Development Corporation’s Ontario Book Initiative.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Buis, Kellie
Making words stick : strategies that build vocabulary and reading
comprehension in the elementary grades / Kellie Buis.
Includes index.
For use in grades K-8.
ISBN 1-55138-174-5
1. Vocabulary—Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Reading
comprehension—Study and teaching (Elementary) I. Title. II. Series:
Teaching strategies
LB1574.5.B83 2004 372.44 C2004-903661-0
Editor: Kat Mototsune

Cover Design: John Zehethofer
Cover Photography: Ajay Photographics, Alexander Simone
Typesetting: Jay Tee Graphics Ltd.
Printed and bound in Canada

987654321
Table of Contents
Introduction 5
Chapter 1: Anchoring Word Knowledge 7

Levels of Understanding 7
Cycle of Anchored Vocabulary Instruction 9
Vocabulary Instruction Contexts 9
Conceptualizing Strategies 12
Active Learning 17
Chapter 2: Semantic Mapping 18

Mapping Our Word Knowledge 20
Chapter 3: Using Semantic Mapping 23

Word Choice 23
Preparing a Semantic Mapping Strategy 26
Method for Semantic Mapping 27
Semantic Mapping Strategies 31
Chapter 4: STRETCH-Chart Prompted Conversations 58

Grand Conversations 58
The Shared Reading Routine 60
Routine for STRETCH-chart Prompted Conversation 62
Shared Responsibility 65
Chapter 5: Using STRETCH Charts 67

Getting Started 67
Coding the Text 68
Routine for Coding Text 69
STRETCH-Chart Strategies 69
Chapter 6: Independent Centres 104

Reading Centres 104
Writing Centres 105
Word-Play and Representing Centres 105
The Centres Approach 108
Principles of Best Practice in Centres 110
Chapter 7: Using Centres 111
Reading Strategies 111
Writing Strategies 120
Word-Play and Representing Strategies 128
Conclusion 148
Bibliography 150
Index 153
Introduction
Research on vocabulary instruction is clear. There is a strong
correlation between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension
(The National Reading Panel document on teaching children to read,
2000). When words stick in the minds of young readers, the readers
better understand the text. This book provides elementary teachers
with a specific system of best-practice vocabulary instruction that will
make oral and printed vocabulary stick.
Some children come to school rich with behaviors of what good
readers do, and fat with stores of usable vocabulary. Others come to
school in a state of “word poverty” (Moats, 2001), poor in terms of
their understanding of what good readers do and showing huge deficits
in their meaningful and memorable vocabulary. Literacy researcher
Moats advises that this word poverty is most prevalent in ESL students
from minority groups, and students from low socioeconomic back-
grounds.
The good news is that shortcomings in word knowledge don’t
usually signify a cognitive deficit but typically reflect the child’s level of
word experience and instruction. Biemiller assures us that sound
vocabulary instruction can teach students the words they need to learn
to read (Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982; Biemiller, 2001). Other
researchers confirm that we make words stick through experience and
instruction (Allen, 1999).
The bad news is that, despite a long history of research correlating
word knowledge and reading comprehension, there is limited transla-
tion of this into classroom practice. Many teachers devote little time to
vocabulary instruction (Scott, Jamieson & Asselin, 2003), or those who
devote time to vocabulary instruction typically use strategies that do
not improve students’ vocabulary and comprehension abilities (2002,
Nagy, 1988). Janet Allen (1999) suggests, “vocabulary is one of those
educational arenas in which research and best practice are elusive.”
Even with the resurgence of interest in vocabulary development as part
of many school-district literacy initiatives, there remains little evidence
that effective methods of vocabulary instruction, grounded in research,
are being used by elementary teachers today (Blachowicz and Fisher,
2004).
More than ever, teachers need practical knowledge of a specific sys-
tem of best-practice vocabulary instruction to help make words stick in
the minds of young readers. Making Words Stick synthesizes research
into a system of consistent, anchored vocabulary experiences teachers
can use to anchor students’ vocabulary and improve their reading com-
prehension. Set in the familiar language-learning contexts of read-
alouds, shared reading, and centres, this plan provides multiple
opportunities for explicit, mediated instruction in vocabulary through-
out the school day. It can make vocabulary stick for even the most
diverse, challenging groups of learners, especially those from low
socioeconomic or ESL backgrounds.
5
Chapter 1 introduces the system of instructional strategies of
semantic mapping, prompting conversations with STRETCH charts,
and independent word play. It conceptualizes the plan of vocabulary
instruction and outlines the accomplishments that can be made.
Chapter 2 introduces teachers to the explicit teaching of semantic
mapping. Chapter 3 presents, in practical terms, the method to deliver
this strategy. Research informs us that there is a great need for the
explicit teaching of new vocabulary to students (Blachowicz and Fisher,
2004).
Chapter 4 introduces the use of STRETCH charts. Chapter 5 presents
the practical application of the STRETCH-chart strategy in guiding stu-
dents’ talk about text to further expand their knowledge of words and
reading strategies. Research informs us that we need to help students
build strategies to learn new words independently (Blachowicz and
Fisher, 2004).
Chapter 6 introduces the use of centres to situate the strategy for
independent word play. Chapter 7 presents collections of engaging and
effective centre activities to develop the students’ awareness and love of
words. Researchers advise us that we need to encourage students to play
with and explore words (Blachowicz and Fisher, 2004).
Making Words Stick answers many of the questions teachers ask
about the most effective methods to deepen and enrich the word
knowledge of our fledgling literacy learners. Use it as a resource to
answer commonly asked questions about vocabulary instruction:
• How many words can I teach in a lesson? In a week? In a year?
• What words should I teach?
• How many experiences will be necessary before new vocabulary
sticks?
• How can I most effectively teach vocabulary during read-alouds,
shared reading, guided reading, and independent centre time?
• What are the most effective and manageable teaching strategies for
instruction in vocabulary to deepen and enrich language learning?
This book has been produced specifically for two groups of
educators. One group consists of pre-service and beginning teachers
who are in the formative stage of developing their beliefs and under-
standings of methods for instruction in vocabulary. It is especially use-
ful if they work with ESL students from minority groups or students
from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The other group consists of
practising teachers at various levels of education — including class-
room teaching, resource room teaching, curriculum/instructional
development, and evaluation of curriculum — who are looking to
make changes in their current vocabulary teaching practices. It is useful
for teachers who want to move away from a method of “assign, define,
and test” and shift their practice toward a concept-based, multi-layered
knowledge of words, but who simply haven’t known how to do it …
until now.
6
Chapter 1: Anchoring Word Knowledge
......................................................................................................................................................................................
A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanging, it is the skin
of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content
according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1843–1935)
Research instructs us that students need a more comprehensive, deeper

conceptual understanding of words. Anchored vocabulary instruction
assists our students in holding on to this deeper conceptual under-
standing (Juel & Deffes, 2004). We use an explicit, systematic, and
extensive system of vocabulary instruction to anchor our students’ full-
Strategies for Making Words Stick concept knowledge of words. We use it to make words stick.
1. Semantic Mapping Semantic mapping, STRETCH charts, and independent word play
2. STRETCH-chart Prompted are the three research-based, best-practice strategies we use in this plan
Conversations
to secure complex word knowledge. We specifically and consistently
3. Independent Word Play
use these three strategies, one after another, to give our students repeat-
ed exposure to a set of target words. Here we have the integration of
key words during semantic mapping, repetition of them during
STRETCH-chart prompted conversations, and assimilation and trans-
fer of them into independent use during word play. We use this system
to provide rich, routine opportunities for multi-layered contact with
key vocabulary. It helps our students build word-concept
knowledge beyond memorizing straight definitions. Instead, they build
multi-dimensional concept-based meaning for words that can be used
in different contexts and applied to their own lives.
In anchoring specific word learning recurrently and consistently
throughout the day, we create a broader vocabulary program than is
being used in many classrooms (Graves, 2000; Graves & Watts-Taffe,
2002). We ensure that more words go into our students’ lexicons.
Biemiller reminds us that “developing a comprehensive understanding
of a word comes through repeated exposure to the word in a variety of
rich contexts” (2000b). With this expansive vocabulary program we can
make words stick.
Levels of Understanding
Many of our fledgling readers do not learn vocabulary at a deep
conceptual level by just reading or by being given brief contextual defi-
nitions. Few texts are written in a manner that allows students to walk
7
through them and obtain more than the incidental, single-meaning
understandings of the words. Research-based guiding principles about
vocabulary instruction confirm that word knowledge is complex and
consists of more than knowing definitions (Scott, Jamieson & Asselin,
2003). Methods to learn new vocabulary through definitions, contexts,
and word study can provide some information about the meaning of a
word, but each of these methods of instruction alone has significant
limitations. Students, especially language-disadvantaged students, need
more than a linear, left-to-right method of processing text or context-
based definitions to deepen their understanding of it.
To anchor our students with a deeper conceptual understanding of
words and optimal reading comprehension, we use each strategy and
context to guide their attention to word components, letters, and
sounds (graphophonics), word meanings (semantics), and the relation-
ships between words (syntax). This knowledge may include students’
familiarity with a word’s polysemy, or multiple meanings, and its
morphology, or derivation (Nagy & Scott, 2000; Nation, 1990).
Three Levels of Understanding A full-concept level of word knowledge is attained when students learn
Verbal Association about word families, the multiple meanings of words, ways to extend
Partial Concept
Full Concept
them into meaningful use, ways to discriminate them from similar words,
and ways to integrate them comfortably into their own use (Allen, 1999).
Word knowledge can be broken down into three levels:
Verbal-Association Level
Low level of understanding through context clues in reading:
• everyday reading
• definitions
• single contextual meaning
• interactive reading
Partial-Concept Level
Moderate level of understanding through individual play to increased
word knowledge:
• work with multiple meanings
• work with explicit strategies to learn words
• work with graphic organizers to extend definitions and nuances of
words
Full-Concept Level
High level of understanding through visual presentation of rich
knowledge of the shape/structure, sound, word families, and multiple
meanings or nuances of words:
• play with word families
• play with multiple meanings
• extend definitions
• discriminate words from similar words
• play with explicit strategies for connecting/extending words
• integrate words into meaningful use
Students typically attain a partial-concept level or the full-concept
knowledge (Baker, Simon & Kameenui, 1995a) of key words with the
8
semantic mapping strategy.
Students typically attain partial-concept level when they use
STRETCH charts to prompt their talk about the words. They learn a
deeper level of understanding of the words through conversation than
they would if they just read them. Students can also attain a full-con-
cept knowledge using STRETCH charts.
Students typically attain only verbal-association level (Baker, Simon
& Kameenui, 1995a) when they read alone or in a small group during
centres. They may attain partial-concept or full-concept understanding
when they anchor their new word knowledge through independent
word play.
Cycle of Anchored Vocabulary Instruction

This explicit, systematic, and extensive plan of vocabulary instruction
gives students at least eight to ten systematic passes to anchor the
vocabulary learning of between six and eight key words each few days.
By the end of this specific and consistent cycle of vocabulary
instruction, students will typically develop a level of understanding of
four to six target words, including all kinds of information about them:
related word-family members, multiple meanings, ways to extend the
meaning, ways to discriminate the word from similar words, and ways
to integrate the word into personal use.
When we use this coherent plan of semantic mapping, STRETCH
charts, and independent word play with students, we are able to anchor
a higher level of word knowledge for each of the key words. We give stu-
dents exposure to more knowledge of the words with each strategy and
context used. Word knowledge is complex, and students require many
meaningful and memorable passes at it to anchor it in their minds.
Vocabulary Instruction Contexts

We best anchor students’ vocabulary learning by engaging them with
semantic mapping, STRETCH charts, and independent word-play
strategies within three familiar, common-practice, language-learning
contexts — read-aloud, shared reading, and independent centres. Our
students anchor their word knowledge by participating in semantic
mapping during a read-aloud, STRETCH-chart prompted conversa-
tions during shared reading, and independent word play during
centres. The language-rich environments can be conceptualized as “to”
(read-aloud), “with” (shared reading), and “by” (independent centres)
spheres to anchor vocabulary learning (Mooney, 1990).
Semantic Mapping
We most often begin the process of anchoring important words before
we share the read-aloud or view the picture. We begin with a poster-size
9
The read-aloud/picture study context semantic map, with the topic in the middle and the four to six key
is characterized as a “to” reading words that we will anchor branching out. We access the
context, where we read or teach a
picture study “to” the students. We use
students’ background knowledge by asking them what they already
our semantic mapping strategy to know about the words. We add the students’ prior knowledge to the
introduce new important vocabulary map. This semantic map captures the “big picture” display of what they
“to” them. already know about the new words being learned. Conjuring up this
information with the students gives them a context in which the learn-
ing is not entirely new or overwhelming to them. It reassures them of
what they already know. We then build on this prior knowledge, adding
the new ideas we have collected from the read-aloud and/or picture
study.
Accomplishments
During the semantic mapping strategy we
• implement a read “to” context
• provide a visual display of the topic and the important 4–6 key
concept words
• activate the students’ prior knowledge of these key words; record
these on the semantic map
• explicitly provide definitional and contextual information about
the key words
• explicitly teach pragmatics (relationship between text and con-
tent), semantics (meaning vocabulary), syntax (grammar), and
graphophonics (conventions of print) of these key words
• use the read-aloud and/or picture study to develop the key words
• draw attention once again to the pragmatics (relationship between
text and content), semantics (meaning vocabulary), syntax (gram-
mar), and graphophonics (conventions of print) of these words
• draw attention to words selected by the students
• assess and evaluate student progress and performance with new
word knowledge
STRETCH Charts and Shared Reading

In the reading “with” context, we This second pass at key vocabulary comes through prompted conversa-
cultivate talk about the text “with” the tions about a shared reading text. We further anchor the conceptual
students’ through STRETCH-chart understanding of new word knowledge by using a set of conversation
prompted conversations.
prompts, STRETCH charts, to guide students’ talk “with” a collabora-
tive discourse community. The students review and discover additional
meanings of the key words and many other words in the shared reading
text through this social, collaborative, and active conversation. We culti-
vate a high level of consciousness of all the aspects of word knowledge
— the pragmatics or relationship between the text and the content,
semantics, syntax, and graphophonics — through these prompted con-
versations. We code the text with colored highlighters as part of the
strategy to touch the words and connect new knowledge with any prior
knowledge. We add the words they are talking about to the Word Wall
to engage students in the active analysis of words.
10
Accomplishments
During the STRETCH chart strategy we
• read “with” the students
• provide STRETCH charts as a discourse organizer to provide
engaged, active analysis of words
• model ways to introduce a text
• read the text together
• share responsibility with students for discussion of some of the
definitional and contextual information of the text
• use the shared reading “talk about text” to call students’ attention
to important key, concept, common, high-frequency, personal,
and utility words
• guide the talk about the pragmatics, semantics, syntax, and
graphophonics of the text
• guide the “talk about text” to call students’ attention to important
strategies good readers and writers use
• highlight/code the STRETCH-chart words, phrases, and sentences
on the page of text
• add the highlighted/coded STRETCH-chart words to the Word
Wall for future reference
• review and/or list on chart paper the strategies that good readers
and writers use
• assess and evaluate student progress and performance
Independent Word Play During Centres

In the “by” context of independent This final pass at key vocabulary learning comes through students
word play, we nurture students’ “ways reading, writing, representing, and playing with words during inde-
of being” individuals reading, writing, pendent centres. The students review and discover additional word
and playing with words “by” them-
selves.
meanings and nuances of vocabulary. During this differentiated learn-
ing time, we nurture their independent “ways of being” good readers
and writers, and meet their specific language needs.
With this final context of our broad-based word-study plan, new
important words can be once again viewed, spoken, and played with
“by” our students.
Accomplishments
During the independent word play we
• have students read in a “by” context — by themselves, or in a
small group
• implement reading, writing, representing, and word centres to
further anchor their knowledge of important concept, common,
high-frequency, utility, and personal words
• provide opportunities for students to integrate word and concept
into meaningful use
• provide opportunities for connecting and extending words
• provide opportunities to discriminate words from similar words
• provide opportunities to work/play with word families, multiple
meanings
• host reading and writing conferences with individual students
11
• monitor and reinforce the independent play/practice of the stu-
dents with reading and writing strategies
• use this time for students to participate in recreational choice
reading and writing to learn words as they appear in context
• assess and evaluate individual student reading and writing
progress and performance
We anchor the rich development of vocabulary for our most at-risk
students with their full immersion in these three vocabulary-learning
contexts. This eclectic collection of strategies works effectively as a
coherent, cohesive plan to anchor the full-concept knowledge of words
for even our most language-disadvantaged students. Our students will
typically develop a deeper level of conceptual knowledge of key words
through their continual revising and revisiting of word meanings
(semantics), grammar (syntax), conventions of print (graphophonics),
and genre (pragmatics) through each of these contexts. Anchoring new
word knowledge through multiple strategies and contexts improves our
chances of meeting the needs of both our language-advantaged and
language-disadvantaged students.
Conceptualizing Strategies
The strategies we use to anchor word knowledge at a deeper level of
understanding can be conceptualized in numerous ways. They are each
characterized by the use of different literacy contexts, modes of com-
munication, and methods to deliver vocabulary instruction. They
demand different levels of understanding, teacher support, groupings,
number, and kinds of words studied.
Although each strategy is somewhat unique, the one common thread
running through each is their role as anchors for the full conceptual
meaning of the same target words.
Modes of Communication
We anchor students’ deeper knowledge of words with a program bal-
anced in the use of visual, oral, and written modes of communication.
We nurture this deeper knowledge by first creating a context of visual
communication with large, colorful semantic maps of important words
from a read-aloud or picture study. We then nurture word knowledge
by creating a context that attends to oral communication with lively,
student-centred, whole-group, STRETCH-chart prompted conversa-
tions about a shared text. We further nurture word knowledge by creat-
ing a context for independent practice of visual, oral, and written com-
munication. We create a balance between each of these communication
styles to meet the needs of our diverse groups of learners.
Types of Instruction
Each of these word-anchoring strategies has a particular level of
instruction associated with it. Semantic mapping requires a high level
12
of explicit, direct instruction by the teacher. STRETCH-chart prompt-
ed conversations require the students to take more responsibility for
learning through their active participation in conversations about their
growing word knowledge. Independent word-play centres are largely
student-centred with low-level instructional support; the exception is
the guided reading centre that, like read-alouds, has a high level of
instruction. We need a variety of strategies and levels of teaching sup-
port to effectively anchor word understanding of our linguistically
advantaged and disadvantaged students.
Number of Words
There are approximately 88,000 word Each of these word-anchoring strategies teaches the same number of
families in English (Nagy and key words. However, each has an additional number and type of words
Anderson, 1985). Most of these words that may be taught and learned to a verbal-association, partial-concept,
are so rare that they are almost never
encountered in a lifetime. or full-concept level (Baker, Simon & Kameenui, 1995a).
If students accumulate about 3,000 to 4,000 words per year, it would
be unrealistic to teach the meaning of each of these words. We do have
some guidelines of the numbers of words our students should be
exposed to. James Flood, noted vocabulary researcher from San Diego
State University, informs us that it is sufficient to cultivate knowledge
of about five words per lesson (Brassel & Flood, 2004) and about 400
Children know about 8,000 common per year (Beck et al, 2002). For the purposes of this system of vocabu-
words (Brassell & Flood, 2004). lary instruction, repeated exposure to four to six words throughout
these three contexts would anchor a healthy store of over 800 words for
our students. We extend the learning of these four to six words over the
contexts so that students encounter at least eight to ten exposures to
each new word, the estimated number for it to become part of their
lexicon — for it to stick (Nagy & Scott, 2000; Beck et al, 2000). If we
can make good sense of five words per literacy lesson, and anchor them
through the three vocabulary learning contexts, and we do this three
times per week, our students will typically learn more than five hun-
dred words at a deep conceptual level in a school year — 5 key words
x 3 times per week x 35 weeks = 525 words per school year.
Kinds of Words
There are many excellent sources for There are a number of kinds of words we work with throughout the
lists of words on the Internet. year with each strategy. Students need basic sight words, high-frequen-
Students can be challenged to access cy words, utility words, and words found in their school readings and
this information as part of their
shared responsibility for the learning in their own personal reading and writing. They need to learn high-
of words. frequency words at their reading level. They need to learn some utility
words, the words they encounter less frequently. They also need new
concept and content/topic words. We need to teach the content-area
words that are associated with math, social studies, or sciences. They
also require knowledge of some literary words.
13
Groupings
Group sizes change with the kind of instructional strategies we are
working with. We use holistic semantic mapping to anchor new impor-
tant vocabulary inclusively, into the existing stores of vocabulary of all
students. Use of STRETCH charts can include all students in the
prompted conversation about their knowledge of words, or we divide
them up into smaller groups to participate in their talk about text.
With independent word play, we have students work with vocabulary
on their own, in partnerships, or in small groups to develop their own
particular meaningful use of the vocabulary.
Modes of Learning
We anchor student’s deeper knowledge of words with a program bal-
anced in the use of strategies that focus on different modes of learning
(visual, auditory, tactile, etc.). We need to be cognizant of a variety of
learning-style preferences if all of our students are to make sense of
new words in their own unique ways. We meet the diverse learning
needs of our students when we strategically plan a variety of activities
to match and sometimes stretch their various cognitive styles.
We know that not all students process text most effectively in a linear,
left-to-right manner. For many students this way of making sense of
information may be foreign and leaves them at a disadvantage. As part of
our initiative to meet the diverse needs of our students, we provide activ-
ities that match those students who do not learn as effectively with the
linear left-to-right orientation. We provide opportunities for them to
participate in activities, such a semantic mapping, in which they work
with the whole big picture of visual information. This activity requires
holistic learning, unlike the parts-to-the-whole style characterized in the
linear presentation of STRETCH-chart prompted conversations.
We spend some time making meaning through linear left-to-right
text reading, and some time in non-linear guided semantic mapping.
We also provide opportunities for students to consolidate their grow-
ing word knowledge through a range of styles during the independent
centres. As we take our students through the three contexts each day,
we use a number of cognitive strategies with them.
Word Anchoring Processes

The strategies for word anchoring explore the different processes
involved in word use — integration, repetition, and meaningful use of
vocabulary. Explicit semantic mapping demonstrates the integration of
new vocabulary. STRETCH-chart prompted conversations involve
repeating new key words in context. Independent word play explores
the meaningful use of the different aspects of new word use.
All three processes contribute to students’ understanding of the dif-
ferent aspects of word use, such as semantics, syntax, graphophonics,
and pragmatics.
14
Semantics (meaning vocabulary)
• word meanings, phrases, sentences, discourse, and whole texts
• multiple meanings
• ideas
• idioms, etc.
Syntax (grammar; relationship between words)
• pattern of sentences, clauses and phrases
• sentence structure
• use of linking words
• paragraphing
• discourse structures, etc.
Graphophonics (conventions of print)
• graphic symbols
• letter–sound relationships
• spelling patterns
• directionality
• spacing
• punctuation, etc.
Pragmatics (relationship between text and content)
• registers
• functions
• forms of representation
• genres
Characteristics of Strategies For Vocabulary Learning
Semantic STRETCH Independent

Mapping Charts Word Play
Context Read-aloud/ Shared Reading Centres

Picture study
Method Teacher-directed Shared Student-centred

responsibility
for learning
Modes of Visual Visual Visual

Comunication Oral Oral Oral
Written Written
Type of Explicit Collaborative Differentiated

Instruction conversations/ learning
discussions
Level of High Moderate Low

Instructional
Support
Level of Word Full concept Partial concept Verbal

Knowledge association
15
Semantic STRETCH Independent
Mapping Charts Word Play
Levels of Deep Partial Various
Understanding
Number of Key 4–6 words per 4–6 words per 4–6 words per
Words Learned lesson lesson lesson
Kinds of Words Words related to Basic sight, high- Personal, con-
read-aloud, stu- frequency, utility, tent, and high-
dents’ experi- personal interest, utility words;
ences and/or concept, and and type of
word study related content words deter-
words mined by the
teacher to meet
the vocabulary
learning needs of
the individual
student
Group Size Whole class Whole class or Individual, part-
small group ners, or small
group
Modes of Holistic: visual Holistic/part-to- Holistic and
Learning representations whole learning: part-to-whole
of vocabulary linear represen- learning:
knowledge tation of vocabu- independent
lary knowledge practice with
in context visual represen-
tations of vocab-
ulary and linear
representations
of vocabulary
learning
Processes Integration and Repetition and Meaningful use

mapping of new conversing about of and play with
key words new key words new key words
Semantics Explicitly map Converse about Independent play
(meaning out semantics: semantics: ideas, with semantics:
vocabulary) ideas, words, words, idioms, ideas, words,
idioms, etc. etc. idioms, etc.
Syntax Map out syntax Converse about Independent play
(relationship syntax with syntax
between words)
Graphophonics Map out Converse about Independent play
(conventions of graphophonics graphophonics with
print) graphophonics
Pragmatics Map out prag- Converse about Independent play
(relationship matics pragmatics with pragmatics
between text
and content)
16
Active Learning
A student’s deeper understanding of words is anchored through social
and active participation in an explicit, systematic, and extensive system
of key vocabulary instruction. We can see how the three studies
encompass multiple modes of communication, levels of understanding,
representations of learning, levels of teaching support, groupings,
numbers, and kinds of words studied. We can also see what can be
accomplished with this three-fold array of best practice vocabulary
anchoring activities. By following the strategies of semantic mapping,
STRETCH-chart prompted conversation, and independent word play,
we lead students through the acts of listening, talking, and playing to
anchor word instruction, to make the words stick.
17
Chapter 2: Semantic Mapping
......................................................................................................................................................................................
Reading researchers (Beck, McKeown & Kucan, 2002; Biemiller, 2001b;
Nagy, 1988) caution us that vocabulary instruction must be more sub-
stantial for words to really stick. Direct, active, and analytical vocabu-
lary instruction is a more effective method to promote learning than
instruction in which students only relate words to their own experience
or hear context mentioning of definitions (Beck and McKeown, 2001).
The semantic mapping strategy is one of the most effective methods to
promote vocabulary learning beyond context-mentioned definitions.
Within the familiar context of the read-aloud of our Language Arts
Program, semantic mapping begins the process of anchoring students’
full conceptual knowledge of words. Semantic mapping of read-
alouds/picture studies is the first step in a consistent, explicit, and
extensive system of vocabulary instruction, in a whole-to-parts method
of anchoring vocabulary that takes students from the whole text, to
words, to word parts. It is a way to capture old and new word knowl-
edge from a context of full texts rather than in isolation. It is the “to”
part of the “to,” “with,” and “by” word experiences of the students. It
introduces students to the multiple possibilities for key words through
contextualized, memorable, and meaningful strategic instruction before
and after reading.
With the semantic mapping strategy, we ensure that children learn
new vocabulary and how to read by being read to. Semantic mapping of
key words is our first important way to make words stick.
......................................................................................................................................................................................
Context: Read-aloud/Picture Study or I share the stunningly beautiful tag scarecrows of our own from bor-
Common Experience Cynthia Rylant book Scarecrow as my rowed clothing and treasures. We
Read-aloud/Picture Study: Scarecrow by read-aloud/picture study. The book have prepared a Thanksgiving feast
Cynthia Rylant shares the story of the scarecrow to celebrate our harvest from our
Important Concept Words: borrowed,
who, although he is made of straw school garden. We are now ready to
mammoth, real, witness, wonder
and borrowed clothes, appreciates begin to tackle a deeper, richer
Strategies: Visual Displays, Semantic
Mapping of a Scarecrow his peaceful, gentle life and the privi- knowledge of the big ideas of our
Level of Instruction: Teacher-directed, lege of watching nature at work. curriculum and some of the words
robust, explicit instruction Rylant uses casual language with from the story. We will anchor the
Grouping: Whole-group language simple grace and pleasing rhythms words borrowed, mammoth, real,
experience. for this heart-warming picture book. witness, and wonder at a deep con-
The illustrations are exquisite, in soft, cept knowledge level. I will use the
muted autumn shades. The words book to extend the meaningful
and illustrations are as glorious as a vocabulary of my students through
sun-drenched autumn day. each of three contexts: the read-
We have been on a field trip to the aloud/picture study context, the
pumpkin patch and made some rag- prompted conversation context,
18
and finally independent centre time. Cynthia Rylant’s book is a metaphor • We expand the meaning by
I have selected the words for her own life as a writer. When trying to finish a sentence: When
witnessing and wondering for my asked to describe her own writing you witness ______ you _______.
teaching of the big idea. These words process, she talked about writing not
are not only slightly ahead of the as something she does at a desk, but Anchoring Common, Everyday Words
vocabulary of my seven- and eight- rather as something she is part of as As well as anchoring a deeper word
year-olds, but they are central to the she “witnesses” or “notices” what goes knowledge of the key words, I con-
concepts I am trying to teach, regard- on in her life. I want my students to nect them to other common words
ing science and writing as processes begin to live their lives as writers with that hold personal meaning for the
of “witnessing” and “wondering.” a great sense of awareness of wit- students. I want them to select from
nessing what goes on in their lives — the story personal words that they
Anchoring Important Concept Words much as the scarecrow does in the like and are likely to encounter in
I selected this read-aloud/picture story. their day-to-day reading. We add
study and these concept words so If my students can perhaps linger more personal words to the semantic
that I can take a first pass at exposing for a bit in one place and live through map as well. I ask them for some
my students to important content the experience of the scarecrow, they everyday words they remember, and
vocabulary at a level beyond what can learn to linger a bit in their own they come up with smile, high, birds,
they would be able to comfortably lives, notice things, and layer them and straw. They also include the
read. I am exposing them to a deeper with greater meaning in their writing. words button and chat. We will add
understanding of the big ideas, If my students can deepen their con- the verb tremble to the line between
important learning especially for ESL ceptual knowledge of the words the words wonder and sun (“the sun
and at-risk students. wonder and witness, perhaps they can trembled”) at the suggestion of one
I ask them what they know about benefit from thinking their own student. We add the verb floated
scarecrows. I print the word scarecrow “long, slow thoughts” and benefit between wonder and cloud (“the
in the middle of the poster-size blank from their own particular noticings, clouds floated”), and the verb wilted
chart during my wait time, and ask questionings, witnessings, and won- between wonder and vines (“the vines
the students to help me build a derings about themselves, each wilted”) at another suggestion. I am
semantic map of the key words from other, and the world. This plan to careful to explain the words that go
our topic: borrowed, mammoth, real, “linger over life” is an important first on the lines between words on the
witness, wonder. We say the words step in our conceptual understanding semantic map. I show the students
slowly as I point out the letters and to becoming a writer, scientist, and how to use lines and arrows to con-
stretch the sounds out. I want to acti- wordsmith. nect important information.
vate their prior knowledge of these We “shake out” (Calhoun, 1999)
words before I read the book and Anchoring Word Meanings other supporting words from the
show them the illustrations. Our list At the end of the story I take a few illustrations to add to the main col-
grows as I scribe their ideas onto the minutes to talk about the book with lection on the semantic map. We add
large word map. Many of my students the students. I point to the word grackles, starlings, and jays to the list
will enjoy the simple challenge of lis- witness on the semantic map and ask of birds; owls, rabbits, spider, and mice
tening for these targeted words the students to share ideas of how are added at the request of the ani-
when we go on to read the story. the scarecrow is a witness to life. I mal lovers in the class. We shake out
I have added the new concept add their ideas to the semantic map the borrowed words jacket, lapel, hat,
words as branches off of the central as we discuss the book. suit, and pants. Several students are
word. I will extend my students’ • What is a witness and what is delighted to add pumpkins, pie-pan
meaningful vocabularies by four to six he witness to? hands, and ten-foot-tall.
important words formally through • I ask the students if they have The visual display of Scarecrow
this lesson and throughout the course ever been a witness to something words begins the process of students
of the day. I will informally revisit and if they can use the word representing key words for meaning-
these words from time to time over “witness” in a sentence. I model ful use in their own life. We create the
the course of the school year. We will this by saying “I was witness semantic map to introduce big ideas
begin to compile a poster-size list of to _____________.” in science and writing, to activate
words so that over the year we can • I ask them what it looks like prior knowledge of the words, and to
revisit various ones from time to time. when a person is “witness” to distinguish the relationships between
I have selected this book largely something. old word meanings and new ones.
because the scarecrow’s life in
......................................................................................................................................................................................
19
Mapping Our Word Knowledge
Semantics is the study of the meaning of language. It involves the
analysis of words, phrases, sentences, discourse, and whole texts.
Semantic mapping includes the graphic displaying or “mapping out” of
words, phrases, sentences, discourse, or text in a meaningful way. Here,
semantic mapping includes the graphic organizing or mapping out of
words, phrases, and sentences as new knowledge in a wide variety of
formats. We use semantic mapping as the tool to make sense of our
students’ prior knowledge of target words and their additional learning
Flow diagrams are particularly useful from the story we read and/or pictures we study.
with non-fiction read-alouds that These visual displays can take a number of different forms, depend-
investigate or explain a process or a
cause and effect. They can also map ing on the key words and genre of the read-aloud/picture study.
out systems or character relationships. Sometimes words are added randomly to the map, sometimes they are
They can map out words or full organized as a flow diagram, pyramid, Venn diagram, or boxed chart.
quotations. The collection of semantic maps in Chapter 3 showcases a variety of
ways to organize a word, phrase, concept, section of text, or discourse
in order to break down new knowledge into steps and increase the stu-
dents’ level of understanding. Even though the mapping strategies may
take many forms — charts, boxes, outlines — and have a variety of
titles — webs, clusters, networks, graphic organizers — they all involve
the creation of a diagram on which the relationships among selected
words are arranged to extend students’ understanding. Some of the
semantic maps involve mapping out information from one semantic
map format to another.
Semantic mapping has long been recognized as one of the most
effective tools for expanding students’ vocabulary (Brassel & Flood,
2004). It is one of the most valuable strategies to help ESL students and
at-risk students understand vocabulary and learn to read and write. It is
often critical in the word-building phase of content-area learning.
Semantic mapping can make vocabulary meaningful and memorable in
ways that reading text in a linear left-to-right fashion alone cannot. It
can make vocabulary knowledge public. It can make vocabulary con-
crete in ways that spoken language alone cannot. The techniques of
webbing, clustering, or mapping helps students generate nonlinear
associations and ideas about words. It assists them in being interested
in the words. It allows them to feel connected to the important words,
and makes them part of the vocabulary learning process.
We place a high priority for the learning of vocabulary through visu-
al displays of vocabulary from our read-alouds and picture studies. It
can be a very creative process for students to holistically represent what
they already know. Some of our students’ best learning is done visually.
We value the natural disposition of many of them to organize informa-
tion in their heads through visual patterns and spatial relationships.
When students are given opportunities to learn through mapping,
many of them are better able to make sense of new important concept
vocabulary. As we increase the mental imagery we use to display new
word concepts, their interest typically increases.
20
We want our students to have plenty of opportunities to work with
read-alouds, picture studies, and semantic maps so that we can provide
a strong, memorable hook for their new vocabulary learning. When we
combine semantic maps with read alouds and/or picture studies, we
have an effective way to anchor the in-depth knowledge of important
words.
Activating Prior Knowledge

We create a powerful vocabulary-learning context when we activate stu-
The semantic map establishes a pur- dents’ prior knowledge before sharing a read-aloud or studying a pic-
pose for sharing the read-aloud or
picture study. ture. This is done by simply mapping out a visual display of what they
already know about the four to six key words. This process of accessing
our students’ level of knowledge of targeted vocabulary is the first step
in making their words stick.
Semantic mapping of prior word knowledge constructs meaning as a
three-part relationship between a linguistic form (the name, symbol),
the object it refers to, and the concept or the idea of it. Put a nucleus
word, the topic or concept, in the centre of the chart and radiate the
key words outwards from it. The important words for students to learn
can be written in prior to the lesson or added in front of the students.
The students’ prior knowledge of the key words will be radiated out
from here.
This visual display of what students know helps them begin to make
connections to the words or topic of the read-aloud/picture study. The
lines and arrows between the information you collect can be inserted
before the read-aloud, or added after the read-aloud as another step to
make sense of the words. These large-print semantic displays will be
completed after the read-aloud.
Access students’ prior knowledge by asking them what they know
about each of the key words. Encourage them to bring all their knowl-
edge about the topic to the surface before they read, thus setting them
21
into a meaning-based cueing system. This brief guided discussion, last-
ing two to five minutes, elicits what is collectively known about the key
words before reading about them. It prompts the students to realize
what personal connections they may already have with the text, and
allows them to contemplate the new ones they will make.
• Have students conjure up connections from their previous life
experiences, such as what they have read, watched, and done in
other places and times.
• Talk about how some of these important words connect to their
lives.
• They may have anecdotes that let them share their extended
meaning-making of the words.
• Tactile examples of the words can be shared to contribute to the
more in-depth knowledge/concept of them.
• Have a student who understands a word volunteer to describe it to
the other students.
Encourage all students to anchor their word knowledge from their
prior knowledge. Most often, the more accessing of this knowledge they
do, the greater the meaning-making that will occur during the read-
aloud and when talking about the text. As students listen to the read-
aloud, they can see if what they know on the semantic map matches
what the text tells them and the pictures show. As they listen, they can
find out new information about the words they did not know before.
Semantic Mapping in Centres

Semantic mapping can also be used as a strategy of independent word
play in representing or word-play centres (see Chapter 7), where it
offers students an important “by” strategy to learn and use in inde-
pendently organizing new information after the whole-group studies of
semantic mapping and the prompted conversations of shared reading.
During centres, students learn semantic mapping strategies that pro-
mote independent checking for understanding, nurturing of coopera-
tive learning, activating prior knowledge, improving organization,
matching and stretching learning styles, and assisting with vocabulary
and comprehension difficulties.
22
Chapter 3: Using Semantic Mapping
......................................................................................................................................................................................
This chapter presents a number of semantic mapping strategies that are
suitable for use with the whole class or with small groups in centres. We
create a powerful whole-class literacy event or successful centre by
challenging students to prepare visual representations of their word
knowledge and/or comprehension of a text/picture. For some lessons,
invite students to work at a Representing Centre or Word-Play Centre
with a semantic map constructed during a read aloud/picture study,
and have them independently translate the semantic map into another
format for further meaning-making.
With some read-alouds and picture Semantic mapping can be used with students in any grade. The
studies, you can expose students to
content area materials covering a
difficulty or the complexity lies not in the creation of the visual display
variety of Language Arts, Science, itself, but the text or picture used to create it. Semantic mapping can be
Social Studies, or Math learning out- applied to any genre of read-aloud, picture study, or content
comes at one time. This strategy of information. These strategies can be used with verbal communication,
semantic mapping of key content experiential learning, poems, plays, novels, or university texts.
words is especially useful to teachers
who are feeling the pressure to cover a Students with limited word knowledge and reading comprehension
broad number of curriculum topics. benefit from using a variety of mapping formats. In this collection, we
have a wide variety of modes and methods to suit and encourage
reluctant, linguistically disadvantaged readers, and also to enrich the
experience of enthusiastic, linguistically advantaged readers.
Word Choice
To create the semantic map, first determine the words from the read-
aloud or picture study that you want students to learn. Allen (1999)
suggests that, in order to teach words at various levels, we need to ask
ourselves some questions:
• What words are most important to understanding the text?
• How much prior knowledge will the students have about this word
or its related concepts?
• Is the word encountered frequently?
• Does the word have multiple meanings (is it polysemous)?
• Is the concept significant and does it require pre-teaching?
• Which words can be figured out from the context?
• Are there words that could be grouped together to enhance the
understanding of a concept?
• What strategies could I employ to help students integrate the
word/concept (and related words) into their lives?
23
• How can I make repeated exposures to the word /concept produc-
tion and enjoyable?
• How can I help students use the word/concept in meaningful ways
in multiple contexts?
Use the form “Choosing Words for Semantic Mapping” on page 25 to

explore these questions.
Using a Semantic Map with a Read-aloud/Picture Study

From time to time, you might decide
to build maps during (i.e., at the end Once you have selected the key words to learn, prepare a semantic
of a chapter of a novel study) or after map. For the purposes of new vocabulary development, pre-select the
reading to help readers make sense of four to six important words, especially those dealing with the “big
the text, but only if they have already idea” concept or content, or curriculum-related words.
activated their prior knowledge infor-
mally.
When creating big visual displays of words, structure the key concept
words on the map and then capture the high-interest personal words
the students want to “shake out” of the read-aloud/picture study session
(Calhoun, 1999). Print the topic word and decide on the arrangement
of the four to six branches for the pre-selected new words to be learned.
This is the only structure of the semantic map that can be pre-deter-
mined. The rest of the pattern, association, balance, and emphasis of the
words on the map are largely determined by students as apprentice
mappers. This in not an artistic challenge to create a beautiful impres-
sion with perfect color and harmony, but an organizational challenge to
make a spatial structure that accurately represents the conceptual inter-
pretation of the mappers’ new knowledge. The conversation of the
group largely determines the organizational frame of the map.
After mapping some prior knowledge, read the story or study the
picture and think about the new learning the class is taking in.
Assimilate this information into the existing structure of the map.
Delegate the process of adding words to the map after the sharing of
the read-aloud or picture study. The words generated from the text or
picture study become the central ideas of the semantic map or web. At
the end of the read-aloud students may associate words in the story to
other words they know. Words can be compared and contrasted.
Sentences can be rephrased and questions asked about word meanings.
Definitions can be given and examples made of correct and incorrect
usage of the words.
The students can shake out other supporting words of the text to
add to the main collection already on the map. It is important that stu-
dents help determine some words that may not be central to the story.
These are the important words they may encounter in their day-to-day
reading/writing across the curriculum.
Once in a while, you might hold back from sharing the list of impor-
tant words until after the read-aloud or picture study. You might wait
until this time to decide on the words for which you can develop a
deeper meaning. However, in many occasions you will find it best to
hold to implementing the semantic mapping as a two-part process: the
scribing of prior knowledge onto the partly prepared semantic map,
24
Choosing Words for Semantic Mapping
Curriculum Connection: __________________________
Text or Picture Study: ____________________________
Topic: _________________ Text Date: ______________________
Key words important to understanding the text:
Prior knowledge the students have about this word or its related concepts?
Are the words encountered frequently?
Does the word have multiple meanings (is it polysemous)?
Is the concept significant and does it require pre-teaching?
Can the word be figured out from the context?
Can words be grouped together to enhance the understanding of a concept?
Strategies I employ to help students integrate the word/concept (and related words) into their
lives:
Can I make repeated exposures to the word/concept productive and enjoyable?
How can I help students use the word/concept in meaningful ways in multiple contexts?
© Making Words Stick by Kellie Buis. Permission to copy for classroom use. Pembroke Publishers.
25
and the scribing of the information of the read-aloud/picture study.
The routine becomes the ritual that comforts and best informs many
learners. Despite the routine, engagement and interest remain high
because of the careful selection and presentation of a great variety and
number of genres and important words.
With the creation of the visual display of important content words,
frequently used words, and personal words, we bring together the
thoughts and impressions of our entire story-sharing community to
create a schema of our understanding. We combine each student’s
power of thought with that of all the other members of the discourse
community to increase everyone’s capacity to learn new vocabulary to a
deeper conceptual level. The map represents the social and collabora-
tive meanings we have made of the text we have read, the picture we
have viewed, or the experience we have shared.
Our students receive high levels of teacher support to create these
visual displays of important words. We use explicit teaching to connect
and extend the words to support the students’ growing level of under-
standing. They typically benefit from the vigorous, direct, explicit
teaching of these semantic maps.
Anchoring the Read-aloud Experience
There are important considerations to make when selecting a read-
Select read-alouds from a range of fic- aloud besides the use of it as a context for the creation of a semantic
tion, non-fiction, poetry, and biogra- map for word study. Sometimes read-alouds can be a time for the
phies that will not only match the strategic modeling of an important idea or about what good readers
interests of your students but also and writers do. Other times, you may want to simply, and only, intro-
stretch their knowledge, skills, and duce a book with a brief, relaxed informal conversation. Think carefully
vocabulary understandings. Choose a
variety of lengths of read-alouds, from
whether a semantic map or a pre-reading, during reading, or post read-
novels to short stories. ing strategy will work to enrich the read-aloud and contribute to the
vocabulary development of students. Sometimes, you will decide to just
read it, nothing else. Not every book you read needs to have a semantic
map attached to it!
Preparing a Semantic Mapping Strategy

Preparing a Read-aloud Semantic Mapping Strategy
1. Selection
• Select a curriculum-based “big idea” of the essential learning from
a Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies curriculum.
• Select a read-aloud with regard to the topic, the genre, the length,
the key vocabulary, and taking ample reading and rehearsing time.
2. Word Study
• Select four to six words from the read-aloud suitable to meet the
learning needs of the audience. Select other important words.
• Create a large visual display of the semantic map with the topic
word and the four to six important words central to it.
3. Visual Literacy (Optional)
• Decide on which pictures you will share along with the read-aloud
to support the vocabulary you have selected for study.
26
Preparing a Picture Study Semantic Mapping Strategy
1. Selection
• Select a curriculum-based “big idea” of the essential learning from
a Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies curriculum.
• Select a picture with regard to the topic, the genre, the detail, asso-
ciated key words, and taking ample rehearsing time.
2. Picture Study
• Select four to six words from the picture study suitable to meet
the learning needs of the audience. Select other important words
from it as well.
• Create a large visual display of the semantic map with the topic
word and the four to six important words central to it.
3. Other (Optional)
• Decide on any other pictures, artifacts, or text to share along with the
picture to support the key vocabulary you have selected for study.
Method for Semantic Mapping

Method for Read-aloud Semantic Mapping
Use “Checklist for Read-aloud Semantic Mapping Strategy” on page 29.
1. Introduction
• Sit together with group. Read the book title.
• Share the semantic mapping of the four to six key words of the
read-aloud.
• Activate prior knowledge of the key words: What do you know
about …?
• Add ideas to the words you have listed on the semantic map.
• Talk about the genre, word meanings, grammar, and conventions
of print of the key words.
2. Before Reading
• Give the students any other words you think they may be unfamil-
iar with from the text. Add these to the semantic map.
• Set a purpose: Listen for these words (read the words on the
semantic map).
of print of the key words.
3. During Reading
• Listen to the story.
4. After Reading
• Ask the students to retell, relate, or reflect on the read-aloud. Use
prompts:
I notice… I know… I remember…
That reminds me… I wonder… What if…
5. Visual Literacy
• Share some of the interesting pictures and talk about how the
27
illustrations add to the meaning of the words.
6. Word Summary
• Shake out and capture more words on the semantic map.
• Talk about the genre, word meanings, grammar, and conventions of
print. Give definitions and examples of correct usage of the key
words.
7. Reader Response
Share personal connections by telling stories that go with the new
vocabulary or storyline.
Method for Picture Study Semantic Mapping

Use “Checklist for Picture Study Semantic Mapping Strategy” on page 30.
1. Introduction
• Sit together with group. Share the picture.
• Share the visual display of the four to six key words of the picture
study.
• Activate prior knowledge: What do you know about…?
• Add ideas to the words listed on the semantic map.
• Talk about the word meanings, grammar, and conventions of print
related to the key words.
2. Before Studying
Think very carefully about the
• Give the students any other words you think they may be
audience so that your introduction unfamiliar with from the picture. Add these to the semantic map.
and read-aloud is situated to flow as a • Set a purpose: Listen for these words (read the words on the
conversation among your particular semantic map).
group of students. Think very careful-
ly about who they are as an audience 3. During Studying
and what interests they have as indi- • Talk about the picture.
viduals.
4. After Studying
• Ask the students to retell, relate, or reflect on the picture. Use
prompts:
I see… I notice… I know… I remember…
• Talk about the word meanings, grammar, and conventions of print
of the key words. Give definitions and examples of correct usage of
the key words.
5. Word Summary
• Shake out and capture more words on the semantic map.
of print of these words.
6. Picture Response
• Share personal connections by telling stories that go with the
vocabulary associated with the picture.
28
Checklist for Read-aloud Semantic Mapping Strategy
1. Introduction
❑ Sit together with the group.
❑ Read the book title. Show them the topic on the semantic map.
❑ Point to the 4–6 words. Spell them. Say them out loud.
❑ Ask the students if they know anything about these words.
❑ Map their prior knowledge on the map.
❑ Examine the genre, meaning, grammar, conventions of print of the key words.
2. Before Reading
❑ Identify any other difficult words in the text. Add these to the map.
❑ Set a purpose to listen for the topic words.
3. During Reading
❑ Read the read-aloud.
4. After Reading
❑ Ask the students to retell, relate, or reflect on the key words on the semantic map and add
new ideas to it.
I notice… I know… I remember… That reminds me…
I wonder… What if…
❑ Examine the genre, meaning, grammar, and conventions of print of the key words.
❑ Ask the students to use the key words in a sentence and give examples of correct and incorrect
usage.
5. Visual Literacy
❑ Ask the students to identify key words in the picture.
6. Word Summary
❑ Capture more words on the semantic map.
❑ Talk about the genre, word meanings, grammar, and conventions of print. Give definitions
and examples of correct usage of the key words.
7. Reader Response
❑ Share personal connections to the words and storyline of the read-aloud.
© 2004 Making Words Stick by Kellie Buis. Permission to copy for classroom use. Pembroke Publishers.
29
Checklist for Picture Study Semantic Mapping Strategy
1. Introduction
❑ Sit together with the group.
❑ Show the picture. Show them the topic on the semantic map poster.
❑ Point to the 4–6 key words on the semantic map. Spell them. Say them out loud.
❑ Ask the students if they know anything about these words.
❑ Map their prior knowledge on the map poster.
2. Before Studying
❑ Identify any other associated difficult words in the picture.
❑ Add these to the map.
❑ Set a purpose to listen for the topic words.
3. During Studying
❑ Add more information to the map through discussion of the picture.
4. After Studying
❑ Ask the students to retell, relate, or reflect on the words on the semantic map and add new
ideas from the picture study to it.
I see… I notice… I know… I remember…
❑ Examine the genre, meaning, grammar, and conventions of print of the key words.
❑ Ask the students to use the key words in a sentence and give examples of correct and incorrect
usage.
5. Word Summary
❑ Shake out and capture more words on the semantic map.
❑ Talk about the genre, word meanings, grammar, and conventions of print of these words.
6. Picture Response
❑ Share personal connections by telling stories that go with the vocabulary associated with
the picture.
30
Semantic Mapping Strategies
Students can improve their word The mapping strategies presented here can be used with individuals,
knowledge and comprehension small groups, or even the entire class. Many of them are designed to
through their work with partners or have students prepare and share new knowledge of words, phrases, sen-
the small groups. Partnerships are tences, paragraphs, text, or discourse they have learned with a partner,
especially useful in situations in which
a student with an ESL or low socio- other groups, or individuals during centres.
economic background can increase You will have to teach the process of mapping to students many
their word knowledge and compre- times before they can do it independently. Model the step-by-step
hension with peer support. process during the read-aloud/picture study before having students
work with them independently as a centre activity. Some students will
need only a few demonstrations to be able to create a map from key
words of a story of their choice. Others will need many examples and a
carefully selected level of text to be successful. When you first have stu-
dents create a map, use words they are familiar with. When you feel
they are ready, they can apply their mapping to more challenging
vocabulary. Eventually they will be able to create semantic maps indi-
vidually or in small groups working from their own reading material.
Students can use many media to present these semantic mapping
strategies. We want them to become routined in the use of the most
effective strategies so they can work independently with them during
centres. To make things interesting for them, invite them to work with
the strategies they have become familiar with and yet challenge them a
bit by providing variations in the choice of materials and methods to
present them. Students can present their semantic map on a blackboard
or whiteboard. They can use an overhead transparency or a computer
presentation. They can use various sizes and colors of paper to visually
display their new word knowledge.
Using a Dictionary or Thesaurus (page 41)

Create an independent centre to engage students in working with
inquiry strategies and a dictionary, visual dictionary, or thesaurus. This
strategy is designed to have students support each other in pairs as they
learn more about using a dictionary or thesaurus.
Sample Semantic Map from Charlotte’s Web
31
grinned smiled
watched looked
spider arachnid
fasten tie
fasten attached?
Prior Knowledge (page 42)
Create a semantic map of what our students already know about the
read-aloud topic (adapted from Vacca & Vacca, 1989).
32
Brainstorming (page 42)
Create a structured semantic map that shares “all” the students’ knowl-
edge and experience related to topic, creating interest in the text.
Record the words as they are offered.
Think, Pair, and Share (page 43)

Create a word list designed to have students think about the new words
in the text, make personal connections and meanings to the new word,
and share the connections and meanings with a partner.
Variation
Partner A can then share what Partner B said with the whole class.
Partner B then shares what Partner A said with the whole class.
Pair and Square Variation
Four partners share what they know about the word and what it
reminds them of.
33
Quotation (page 43)
Create a semantic map of quotations from a story.
Webbing (page 44)

Create a web from the important words in a story.
Drawing Word Meanings (page 44)

Create this independent word-play centre to engage students in
improving their knowledge of words. This strategy is designed to have
students support each other in pairs as they draw word meanings
together.
Responding Through Drawing (page 45)

Use this independent centre to engage the students in responding to the
text through drawing. Reading response is a valuable tool to give a stu-
dent a voice as a literate person. Students become serious when they are
asked to share their opinions. They love to be listened to. This is a per-
fect opportunity to develop their vocabulary and give them a voice. It
respectfully encourages them to share their opinions and feelings.
Mini Word Wall (page 46)

Activities about words in the context of shared reading help children
attend to the features of print and the alphabetic nature of English
(Ehri, 1992). Create independent centres to engage the students in
adding words to the Word Wall that they take from the shared reading
text. This strategy is designed to have students support each other in
34
pairs as they take words from the text, categorize them, and add them
to the Word Wall.
Sample Mini Word Wall
Frequent Long Tricky Easy New

Words Words Words Words Words
Charlotte saluta- wrap spider Cavatica
tions
Wilbur near- trough legs blun-
sighted dered
the blun- friendly all flashy
dered
I furiously eight me plunged
Coding the Text (page 47)
Students can use this strategy to become better readers and writers.
Lists of Important Words (page 48)

Create an opportunity for students to use a spelling strategy
independently.
Sample List of Important Words
Key Words
1. grey grey
2. meet meet
3. pleased pleased
4. eagerly eagerly
5. near near
6. threads threads
Working with Word Parts (page 49)

Create an independent centre to engage the students in working with
how words represent meaning through combinations of word parts
(run, runner, running). This strategy is designed to have students sup-
port each other in pairs as they learn more word knowledge.
35
flies fly flying flier

eat eat eating eater
thinner thin thinning
trapper trap traps trapped
early earlier earliest
Vocabulary Anticipation Guide (page 50)

Have students consider their thoughts and opinions of words before
they understand the meaning of the word in the context of the read-
aloud.
• Create a list of key words for study.
• Insert one key word in each column of the table.
• Write two similar words to the key word in each row.
Sample Vocabulary Anticipation Table from Charlotte’s Web
Answer Before the Question (page 50)

Create a list of important words from the read-aloud or semantic map
on a chart or blackboard.
36
Sample Answer Before the Question Chart from Charlotte’s Web
Answer Question
“some pig” What words were spelled?
tremble What did Mr. Zuckerman begin to do?
pale How did Edith’s face look?
murmured What sound did Lurvy make?
Word Wall (page 51)

Create a Word Wall from the words you shake out of the text into the
semantic map. Talk about and add the words to the Word Wall in spe-
cific categories.
Sample Word Wall Categories from Charlotte’s Web
High-Frequency Words Multiple Meaning Words

fair shaded
Zuckerman scrambled
his midway
and broad
Words with Words in Them Words with Silent Letters
Templeton friends i
particularly pleased a, e
Zuckerman watched t
Charlotte pitched t
37
Same and Different (page 51)
Create a word list designed to have students think about the new words
in the text, make personal connections and find meanings for the new
word, and share the connections and meanings with a partner.
Same Different
strong, tough weak

beautiful, pretty ugly
sac, magnum opus loose
patted hit
Webbing Poetry (page 52)
Create a web from the words in a poem.
Sample Poems
38
Venn Diagram (page 52)
Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting a concept from the
read-aloud.
Sample from Charlotte’s Web
Wilbur Charlotte
Different Same Different
need to eat
grown big Wilbur remains small
baby Wilbur adult
friendly
Structured Overview (page 53)
Create an overview by brainstorming words and then categorizing
them.
Important Topic Word(s): Animal Characters in Charlotte’s Web
Brainstormed Words: Wilbur, flies, geese, ducks, cow, rat, butterflies,

Charlotte, chickens, horses, donkeys, moths, spiders, pigs, sows, crickets,
fish, sheep, goslings, gander, potato bug, beetles, gnats, midges, mosqui-
toes, crickets, lamb, Templeton
≠
Ø
Live in Live in Live in Live in Live in
house _____ barn pasture barnyard
Wilbur geese ducks
cow chicken
horses
flies
Story Starter (page 54)
Create a display of words to go with each part of the story.
Story Frame (page 55)

Create a story frame that shows the important key words from the
read-aloud.
39
Know–Wonder–Learn (page 56)
Create active roles before, during, and after the read-aloud for your stu-
dents to frame their thinking as they learn to ask questions and assess
their own learning.
Window Pane (page 57)

Create a window pane to show some of the multi-leveled words in the
read aloud.
Story Pyramid (page 57)

Create a pyramid of important key words from the story.

Wilbur
“some pig”
wants to live
web to safe life
best pig at the fair
Charlotte leaves a sac of eggs
40
Semantic Mapping: Using a Dictionary or Thesaurus
Strategy: Good spellers use a dictionary, visual dictionary, or thesaurus.
1. Work in partners to find other easier and harder versions of key words in a dictionary
or a thesaurus.
2. See it: Write a semantic map word for your partner.
3. Say it: Say it together slowly with your partner.
4. Write it: Both partners look and see if they can find another version of the word.
5. Box the tricky parts, the important parts, or unusual parts of each word.
6. Close your eyes.
7. Visualize the word in your mind.
Repeat for each of the words you are sharing.
Key Words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
41
Semantic Mapping: Prior Knowledge
Strategy: Good readers think about what they know about a topic before they read.
1. List important key words on the chart.

2. Everyone calls out what they already know about the word.
3. At the end of the read-aloud, review the brainstorm to see if there is any new informa-
tion not listed in the original one.
Semantic Mapping: Brainstorming
Strategy: Good readers try out all the ideas they think of.
1. Look at the key words.

2. Everyone calls out what they already know about the word.
3. At the end of the read-aloud, students review the brainstorm to see if there is any new
information to be listed.
42
Semantic Mapping: Think, Pair, and Share
Strategy: Good readers think about the important words in a story.
1. Take a blank sheet of paper and fold it into four boxes.

2. Sit in partners and select an important word from the semantic map.
3. Draw pictures of the multiple meanings of these words.
4. Talk together about what meaning each picture shows.
Semantic Mapping: Quotation
Strategy: Good readers have lots of ideas on what they read.
1. Pick your quotations from the text.

2. List them on the map for your partner.
3. Write in the characters from the text.
4. Talk quietly about your ideas.
5. Decide what quotes go with each character.
6. Make a line from the quotation to the character.
43
Semantic Mapping: Webbing
Strategy: Good readers have lots of ideas.
1. Sit in partners. Read a page of a text.

2. Select a topic and add four to six key words to represent the branches of the semantic
map.
3. Trade page of text and semantic maps.
4. Read the story you receive.
5. Draw a semantic map with the key words your partner gave you.
6. Trade back papers and view each other’s semantic map.
Semantic Mapping: Drawing Word Meanings
Strategy: Good readers use pictures to help them understand.

2. Sit in partners and select an important word from the semantic map.
3. Draw pictures of the multiple meanings of these words.
4. Talk together about what meaning each picture shows.
.
44
Semantic Mapping: Responding Through Drawing
Strategy: Good readers respond to the words they read.
1. Sit in partners and select an idea from the following prompts:

• something personal
• something you liked
• something you found interesting
• the place or setting
• a person or character
• a word you can touch
• a word you cannot touch
• something important to you
• something you now know that you didn’t before

3. Draw pictures of the things you chose. Label them.
4. Talk together about what you have drawn.
45
Semantic Mapping: Mini Word Wall
Strategy: Good readers know how to categorize words.

Good readers know about words.
1. Sit in partners with your shared reading text.

2. Pick a prompt from a STRETCH chart.
3. Think and search through the text for responses to the prompt. Repeat for additional
prompts.
4. Add these words to the Mini Word Wall.
5. Check carefully that the spelling is right.
Frequent Words Long Words Tricky Words Easy Words New Words
46
Semantic Mapping: Coding the Text
Strategy: Good readers think and search through the text they read to understand it.
1. Partner up.
2. Decide together on a STRETCH chart.
3. Select a prompt from the chart.
4. Respond to the prompt in one of the following ways::

• Right There on the page
• Think and Search using clues on the page and your own thoughts
• On My Own relating to the page from your own experience
4. Have your partner share his or her ideas related to the prompt.
5. Both partners highlight selected conventions, words, or sentences.
6. Talk briefly about what you understand about today’s text.
47
Semantic Mapping: Lists of Important Words
Strategy: Good spellers get to know words by looking at them, saying them, and writing
them.
1. Partner up.
2. See it: Write a key word in the first column.
4. Write it: Both partners look at it and write it down in the second column.
6. Close your eyes. Visualize the word in your mind.
Key Words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
48
Semantic Mapping: Working with Word Parts
Strategy: Good spellers know about combinations of words.
1. Work in partners to create as many combinations for words as you can.

2. See it: Write a semantic map word in the first column.
4. Write it: Write combination words it in the second column.
6. Underline the new word parts.
7. Close your eyes. Visualize the word in your mind.
Key Words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
49
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Vampire
of the Continent
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.
Title: The Vampire of the Continent
Author: Graf E. Reventlow
Translator: Georges Chatterton-Hill
Release date: October 4, 2021 [eBook #66468]
Language: English
Original publication: United States: The Jackson Press
Credits: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading

Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced
from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VAMPIRE OF

THE CONTINENT ***
Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber
and is placed in the public domain.
THE VAMPIRE OF THE
CONTINENT
BY
COUNT ERNST ZU REVENTLOW
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
WITH A PREFACE
BY
GEORGE CHATTERTON-HILL, Ph.D.
NEW YORK
THE JACKSON PRESS
1916
COPYRIGHT BY E. S. MITTLER AND SON
BERLIN
AMERICAN EDITION COPYRIGHT 1916

BY THE JACKSON PRESS
NEW YORK
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Translator’s Preface v
I. The “Heroic Age” of the Britons. Sixteenth

Century 1
II. The Pious Pirates. Seventeenth Century 15
III. The Campaign Against the “Enemy of Peace.” Era of

Louis XIV 29
IV. “We Have Conquered Canada in Germany.” Frederic

the Great and England 40
V. The Protector of Neutral Countries. The

Liberator of Europe. Second Half of the
Eighteenth Century 51
VI. The Great Harvest. The Napoleonic Wars 78
VII. England Digests Her Booty. The Continent

Gradually Becomes Unruly. 1815–1890 101
VIII. Anglo-German Friendship and Estrangement After

Bismarck’s Departure. 1890–1895 121
IX. “And if Thou Wilt not be My Servant....” From 1895

Till the Entente Cordiale 132
X. Delenda Germania. The Beginning of King

Edward’s Reign 155
XI. Edward VII Prepares the Humiliation and

Destruction of Germany. 1905–1908 159
XII. The Incendiary at Work. The Campaign Against the

German Navy 171
XIII. King Edward’s Unsuccessful Attempt to Set the
Near East Ablaze. The Bosnian Crisis 178
XIV. The Catastrophe Is More Carefully Prepared.

1909–1914 197
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE
Count Ernst zu Reventlow’s book “The Vampire of the Continent,”

of which I have much pleasure in presenting a considerably abridged
English edition to American readers, cannot be too strongly
recommended to all those who desire to obtain an insight into the
hidden recesses of European political history, where the forces are at
work which have shaped the evolution of Europe since about the
middle of the sixteenth century. It is the first systematic attempt to
go to the root of things, to lay bare the developmental forces in
question that have escaped the attention of partial or insufficiently
clearsighted historians up till now. With rare penetration and skill
does Count Reventlow show all such forces to find their synthesis in
England’s Will to Power—to use an expression coined by Nietzsche—
in England’s insatiable greed, in her limitless craving for the riches of
this world. The center-point of European history during the last 350
years is to be found in London. It is here that have been spun all the
threads of the countless political intrigues, the result of which has
been to turn the palaces and cottages of Europe alike into shambles,
her sunny fields and pastures into a desert deluged with human
blood. And, meanwhile, the barns and granaries of England were
filled with corn, her warehouses with goods of all descriptions from
all corners of the globe; her factories and workshops poured forth
their products with quadrupled energy; her warships prowled along
the ocean highways, stealing all they could lay hands on, whether it
belonged to friend or foe or neutral; and her trading vessels
transported her manufactured articles to all countries, draining the
wealth of the latter in exchange, and filling the pockets of the British
merchant with gold.
The more greatly Europe was impoverished, the more did
England’s wealth increase. Therefore has England stirred up wars
innumerable, in which she has herself taken practically no part, in
order to ruin Europe economically, morally, and politically.
Therefore has she always sought to prevent by all means the rise of
any prosperous European State capable of competing with her in the
markets of the world. She knew that, as long as she ruled the seas,
Europe was helpless, and that the monopoly of the oversea trade
belonged to her. Therefore did it become a fundamental principle of
hers to destroy mercilessly the sea power of every nation, as soon as
this sea power showed signs of growing to an extent such that
England’s “maritime supremacy” would be threatened.
Founded on piracy, the British Empire has been built up at the
expense of humanity. The English commenced by robbing the
Spanish treasure-ships—acts of murderous and dastardly brigandage
which are held up to Englishmen to-day as deeds of prowess. They
continued by robbing Canada and the States from the French,
Gibraltar from the Spaniards, India from the French and the
Portuguese, South Africa from the Dutch, Egypt and Cyprus from the
Turks, Malta from the Italians—and last, but not least, Ireland from
the Irish. Over the whole world we can follow the trail of the
venomous serpent, which has fastened its deadly fangs into so many
victims. Over the whole world we hear the cry for vengeance and for
redemption.
The great merit of Count Reventlow’s work is that of showing us
the history of Europe in its true light. Pitilessly has the historian here
torn to shreds the garment of hypocrisy in which the English seek to
clothe themselves; spurred on by the sole desire of impartiality
searching for the truth, he has rent asunder the veil which they have
thrown over the real history of the world with a cleverness equalled
only by their unscrupulousness. England is here exposed to the
reader in all her hideous nakedness, with not even a rag to cover her
sores; in the cold, unshaded light of facts she appears before our eyes
—no longer as the “Liberator,” but as the Vampire saturated with the
blood of its victims, as the Shylock gorged with ill-gotten wealth, as
the Parasite grown fat on the marrow of the bones of all the peoples
of the earth.
Count Reventlow’s book is not only a book to be read; it should be
re-read many times, pondered on, slowly and carefully digested; the
great lessons it teaches us should be engraved in our minds. When
the world has grasped the central truth taught by all the facts of its
history during the last 350 years or thereabouts—the truth, namely,
that Europe has never been considered by England as anything else
but an instrument adapted to increasing the latter’s wealth and
power: then only can the salvation of the world be hoped for.
Spain, Holland, France, who, all of them, defended the interests of
Europe against England, have been vanquished. But the victories of
England were never obtained by England herself. Physical courage,
endurance, organisation, are not characteristics of the Vampire.
England’s victories were obtained by Europe against Europe. From
the outset England succeeded in trading on the ignorance and
stupidity of Europe; admirably did she understand how to wave red
cloths before the eyes of the European bulls, skilfully goaded to fury
by her; equally admirably did she understand how to enthrall them
with sententious phrases about “liberty” and “justice,” even as the
mermaids of old enthralled unsuspecting mariners by means of their
divinely sweet melodies. The English Mermaid bewitched Europe
with her Song of Liberty; and only too late has Europe discovered
that it was a Song of Death.
But has she discovered it? We fear the truth is only just beginning
to dawn. France at any rate does not yet perceive that she is being
bled to death for the sake of England, who employs her to-day
against Germany, even as she employed Germany against Louis XIV
and Napoleon in former centuries. France, Belgium, Russia, Italy,
are to-day England’s instruments. By means of them does she hope
to destroy Germany and Austria-Hungary; but she also hopes that by
destroying these, they will have eo ipso destroyed themselves. The
whole of Europe will thus be drained to the last drop of blood,
exhausted, ruined; and on those ruins will England’s trade flourish
anew. The harvest reaped as the result of the Napoleonic wars will be
reaped again.
Such was England’s calculation. It was a mistaken one. For the
first time in her history since the Elizabethan period, England has
miscalculated her chances. Grievously miscalculated them! Germany
has to-day assumed the glorious task of liberating the world from the
clutches of the British parasite. She it is who continues the great
mission of Napoleon, who takes up the sword dropped by him, and
which France, unfortunately, is to-day unwilling to wield. In this
great war everyone must take his part—for it is a struggle between
light and darkness, between truth and lies, between manly vigor and
parasitical cowardice, between civilisation and barbarism. Germany,
the champion of the light and the truth, against the power of
darkness and mendacity! Under such circumstances, to sit on the
fence would be contemptible. And those who cannot fight with the
sword must fight with the pen.
Germany, in fighting for her own existence, is fighting also for the
liberation of the world. The great day of liberation will surely come,
sooner or later. The conditio sine qua non of that liberation is the
destruction of England’s maritime supremacy. For as long as
England rules the waves, humanity must remain her slave. This is a
fundamental truth. And another fundamental truth is that England’s
maritime supremacy cannot be destroyed until IRELAND IS A FREE
COUNTRY.
The one criticism which can be levelled against Count Reventlow’s
admirable work is that it has not sufficiently insisted on this second
great truth. As long as Ireland remains a British colony—or, rather, a
British fortress—England can at any time shut off the whole of
Northern and Eastern Europe from all access to the ocean; even as,
by means of Gibraltar and Port Said and Aden, she can close the
Mediterranean. Ireland is the key to the Atlantic. Release Ireland
from her bondage, and the Atlantic is at once opened up to Europe.
Therefore must Ireland be restored to Europe, if Europe is to be
free. An independent, neutral Irish Nation would be the natural
bulwark of European liberty in the West. The freedom of Europe
depends on the freedom of the seas; and the freedom of the seas
depends on the liberation of Ireland.
We hear a lot about Ireland’s helplessness and poverty. And it is
nothing but trash accumulated by England’s scribes and hirelings.
Ireland, the most fertile country in Europe; Ireland, whose
flourishing industry was deliberately destroyed by England; Ireland,
whose civilisation reaches back far beyond the Christian Era into the
dim twilight of the ages, and whose missionaries carried, during the
early Middle Ages, the torch of learning and piety all over Western
and Central Europe; Ireland, who, in the nineteenth century alone,
whilst artificially-made famines wrought havoc amongst her
children, furnished one thousand million pounds sterling to her
oppressor for investment in the latter’s world policy; Ireland, whose
sturdy sons, broken on the wheel of misery, were decoyed to the
number of 2,000,000 during the nineteenth century into England’s
army of mercenaries; Ireland, whose geographical position makes of
her the connecting link between Europe and America, and whose
forty harbors to-day lie empty and desolate at England’s behest;
Ireland, whose economic and biological wealth has formed the basis
on which the whole structure of the British Pirate Empire has been
reared:—Ireland is a rich country, rich by reason of her economic
resources, and rich by reason of the incomparable moral qualities of
the Irish race.
Europe has too long forgotten Ireland, too long has she shut her
ears to Ireland’s cry of distress. And to-day the most far-sighted of
her thinkers and statesmen recognise that the secret of Europe’s
future destinies lies embedded in the green isle of Erin.
In his great speech in the Reichstag on August 19th, 1915, the
German Chancellor, Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, said: “The welfare
of all peoples and nations demands that we obtain the freedom of the
seas, not—as England has done—in order to rule the latter ourselves,
but in order that they may serve equally the interests of all peoples.”
The words spoken by the Chancellor prove that Germany
understands the nature of the immense historical task incumbent on
her; and we may confidently believe that she likewise realises the
conditions under which alone this task can be satisfactorily
accomplished.
Despising the foul calumnies and the impotent vituperation of
England’s scribes, Erin waits calmly and confidently for the great day
of her liberation. The best proofs of her invincible strength—proofs
which no English lies can suppress—she carries within her bosom:
namely, her Existence and her Faith. Alone against the most
powerful empire in the world since the days of Rome, Ireland has
survived. The British Butcher has tried in vain during three centuries
to exterminate her; and yet, just before the war broke out, he was
forced to hold out his gory hands in a vain attempt to coax the victim
he had intended to strangle. Her race, her religion, her traditions,
her language—Ireland has maintained them all, and yet no foreign
help has been hers since the days of Napoleon. Often has she been
deceived, but none the less is her faith to-day stronger than ever. For
England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity. These who, to-day, are
intently listening, can hear the groan of an empire staggering under
the blows rained mercilessly upon it—they can hear, as if borne on
the wings of Time, a music like unto a distant death-knell, tolled by
bells of the future cast by German hands, strong, swift, undaunted.
And meanwhile voices are calling to us, voices from the grave, the
voices of our dead—of the martyrs who died for Ireland,—sacred
voices that we hear both waking and in dreams, and that bid us
watch and pray and be of good cheer, for the Green Flag of Erin is to-
day unfurled in the whirlwind alongside of the Black, White, and
Red.
G. C.-H.
Geneva, September MCMXV.
THE VAMPIRE OF THE
CONTINENT
CHAPTER I
THE “HEROIC AGE” OF THE BRITONS
SIXTEENTH CENTURY
The average German considers the destruction of the Spanish

Armada to have been a great and noble deed of liberation, for which
the world owes an eternal debt of gratitude to England. This is what
the German is taught at school, and this is what he reads in
innumerable historical works. Spain, and above all the Spanish King
Philip II, desired to force the whole of Europe into submission to the
Catholic Church, and to prevent the development of the spirit of
freedom. And behold! The Virgin Queen sends forth her fleet, and
the world was saved: afflavit Deus et dissipati sunt. At the call of the
Deity arose the mighty storm, which scattered the ships of the
oppressor.
We may well ask the question as to when these epoch-making
events will be revealed to the young German in another light? The
naked reality of historical facts shows the matter to have had a very
different aspect.
About the year 1500 Spain and Portugal were the two World-
Powers. According to a decision of the Pope, the globe had been
divided by a line of demarcation into two halves, of which the one
belonged to Spain and the other to Portugal. Viewed in the light of
those times, this somewhat naïve division of the globe was not an
unjust one. The great discoveries of the preceding century had been
made by Spain and Portugal, and they had opened out immense
perspectives. Neither Power, however, grasped the fact that what was
necessary to enable them to maintain their world-empires was not a
mere Papal decree, but an ample armed force. They neglected their
fleets; only too late did they perceive that in the North of Europe a
nation had arisen, which instinctively recognised in piracy on the
high seas the instrument adapted to its need of expansion. That
nation was England.
Not a single Englishman is to be found among the pioneers who
prepared the way for the great discoveries of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. Neither do we find among the English any record
of journeys like those accomplished by the Vikings of old—journeys
undertaken for the sole pleasure of adventure, and of exploring
unknown and distant regions. We find, on the other hand, alike in
the English nation and in its rulers, an extremely shrewd
comprehension of the value of gold and silver—a comprehension
already highly developed at that period. The news of the incredible
wealth derived by Spain and Portugal from those oversea possessions
which the genius of their citizens had permitted them to discover,
gave the English chronic insomnia. They had themselves neither
discovered nor taken possession of anything. What, therefore, more
natural for them than the idea of stealing from others what these
others possessed? The idea was, indeed, the more natural, seeing
that Spain and Portugal had neglected to build up their fleet. Thus
began, as British historians solemnly tell us, the “heroic age” of the
English people. It was an age characterised by organised piracy and
highway robbery; which was at first tolerated, and subsequently
sanctioned, by the English sovereigns—especially by the Virgin
Queen, the champion of Protestantism.
English piracy sailed under the flag of Protestantism, and of the
liberation from Rome. Leaders such as Hawkins, Frobisher, and Sir
Francis Drake fitted out expeditionary fleets and sailed over the
ocean to the Spanish and Portuguese possessions in America. But
their favorite trick was to lie in waiting for the Spanish ships filled
with gold and silver, which they captured and brought in triumph to
England, where these pirates were welcomed by Queen and people as
champions of the Protestant faith, no less than of civilisation and
progress. Or else they sailed to Spain herself,—without ever war
having been declared,—and flung themselves like a pack of hungry
wolves on the vessels at their moorings in Cadiz or Vigo, which they
promptly robbed, burnt, and sank; they then destroyed docks and
warehouses, and massacred everyone they could find. This went on
for years. But woe betide any “naval commander” who dared to
return home without a rich booty in gold, silver, or colonial produce!
Even if his life was spared, he could be sure of a long term of
imprisonment, and of the lasting dislike of the Queen. In return for
their heroic efforts on behalf of religious freedom, the English wished
to have at least plenty of ships filled with gold and silver.
Spain at last resolved to put an end to English piracy, and the
Armada was built. The English did not succeed in preventing the
construction of the Spanish fleet by their attacks on Spanish ports,
and by burning docks and vessels at anchorage therein—albeit Drake
destroyed 150 ships and an immense quantity of provisions in Cadiz
in 1587. The following year Philip of Spain endeavored, by means of
the Armada, to punish the English pirate nation, and to ensure once
for all the safety of Spanish property. The unsuccessful result of the
expedition is well known; we would only recall the fact that the Duke
of Parma was waiting with an army in the Spanish Netherlands, and
that a fleet was at his disposal in order to permit of his rejoining the
Armada, and of landing in Great Britain. England did not adopt the
only attitude suitable for her, namely that of the ambushed highway
robber—but adopted instead the attitude of a defender of the
Protestant faith. We still read to-day, in English history books, that
Philip of Spain fitted out the Armada in order to force the doctrines
of Catholicism down the throats of the English. The good Continental
Protestants were full of admiration for the sacrifices endured by
England in order to prevent a disaster to the pure doctrine.
All the fundamental principles of Great Britain’s insular policy
were manifested during the long years of war between England and
Spain—war which resulted finally in the destruction of the Armada,
and the complete upsetting of the plan to invade England by way of
the Netherlands. British policy, from the earliest times of British
expansion, has always remained the same, even if (according to
Clausewitz) it has subsequently adopted different means for
attaining its ends.
When English sailors, under the protection of the Queen or on her
suggestion, systematically pounced upon Spanish property; when
they attacked, in time of peace, the Spanish coasts, or Spanish ships
on the high seas, or Spanish oversea possessions, there was never
any sort of question of British rights, or of legitimate British
interests, or of the defence of British homes, or of the protection of
the Protestant faith. The English simply coveted that which others
possessed; and they were angry that others had it, and not
themselves. Above all things they wanted gold. Not only the ancient
English historians, but also the modern ones, admit this as
something which is self-evident. Whenever an English “naval
commander” cruised during months, or even years, on the high seas,
in order to capture a fleet of Spanish galleys carrying gold and silver;
when, in the midst of peace, he undertook a marauding expedition
against Spanish or Portuguese ports, in order to rob, burn, and
massacre to his heart’s content, he was received on his return as a
hero of the Protestant faith—provided he had been successful. If he
came home with empty hands, he was despised. The “treasure-
ships,” i. e. galleys laden with gold and silver, play an extraordinary
part, which the German reader can at first hardly understand, in the
descriptions of that “heroic age.” But the ambitions of the English
heroes of the faith were not limited to the ships alone; with the sure
instinct of the bandit de grand style, they soared beyond them, as far
as the countries from which the precious metal came. Drake’s
“voyage around the world,” which is still admired in Germany as the
deed of prowess of an idealistic pioneer of civilisation, was nothing
else than a thieves’ raid. Admiral Freemantle wrote a few years ago
concerning it: “Drake undertook an extensive cruise, in the course of
which he burnt and plundered the wealthy coast towns of the
Spanish colonies, beginning with Valparaiso, the capital of Chili. He
continued his journey, seizing all the treasures he could lay hands
on.... He returned to Plymouth in triumph, the first Englishman who
had sailed round the world, and laden with a million of pounds’
worth of booty. Honored by his Queen, beloved of his countrymen,
he then put to sea once more, in order, as he expressed it, to singe
the King of Spain’s beard. This time he left England, not as a private
adventurer, but as an English Admiral, backed up by the authority of
the Queen.”
Drake embodied the English ideal of heroism, and still embodies it
to-day. The form alone under which that ideal incorporates itself has
altered, although even the alteration of form is less great than is
generally supposed.
Throughout English history, and up till the present day, we can
trace the constant application of three methods: firstly, destruction
of the means which the nation whom it is intended to rob possesses
for protecting its property on the seas and oversea—i. e. its fleet,
harbors, docks, etc.; secondly, the seizure or destruction of the
trading vessels of such a nation. When these aims have been realised,
England lays hands without further difficulty on that nation’s
oversea possessions. It is to be observed, that this policy and this
method of warfare depend in the last instance for their success on
the weakening of England’s continental rivals. When the sea power
of the latter has been broken, the colonies fall off automatically, so to
speak.
For the first time in English history we now see, during the
Elizabethan period, the relations between England, on the one hand,
and the Netherlands and Belgium, on the other, clearly delineated.
The Netherlands, as we know, formerly included Holland and
Belgium, and belonged entirely to Spain till 1579; after this date
Holland became independent, while Belgium remained in Spanish
hands. From the beginning, England viewed the Spanish
Netherlands as a dangerous outpost of the Spanish world-empire.
She did everything she could to assist the Netherlands in their
struggle for liberty, and to detach them from Spain. The London
Government hoped, in this case, to have a weak state at the other
side of the Channel and the North Sea—a state naturally inclined to
be serviceable to England. The planned invasion of the latter by a
Spanish army stationed in Holland, has become, for British
statesmen, a never-to-be-forgotten nightmare. From that day on the
decision was taken, never to allow Belgium and Holland to come
under the influence of any Power save England. As soon as the sea
power of Spain had been broken, England’s interest was absorbed by
a new problem: how to prevent the Netherlands from becoming
themselves a strong Sea Power.
If England came to the help of the Netherlands in their struggle
against Spain, she did so, of course, under the pretext of defending
the cause of Protestantism. The real reason, however, was to prevent
any nation with sea power behind it from obtaining property and
influence at the other side of the Channel. It is very conceivable that
the English statesmen of those days did not first enunciate this
principle as a theory, and put it subsequently into practice. On the
contrary, they invariably acted in accordance with the requirements
of practical necessity. Neither must the experiences be forgotten, that
England had made in the course of many centuries during which her
ambition had been to become a Continental Power. She had tried
hard to obtain rights of property on the French coast, and in the
whole of France. If England finally abandoned her efforts in this
direction, it was because she recognised that her insular position, in
regard to European nations, far from being a weak one, was very
strong. As a consequence of this recognition, arose her growing
dislike to the despatch of English troops to the Continent. Her
fighting forces must be kept in the country, so as not to sacrifice
them except on very favorable occasions. The destruction of the
Spanish Armada entailed the recognition of another great truth:
namely, that an invasion of England was not to be feared, as long as
the English fleet retained the mastery of the sea. A corollary of this
truth was, that every continental fleet must be considered to be a
potential enemy of England’s prosperity and safety; and, further, that
the danger must be considered to increase in proportion as the
harbors serving as a basis for such a fleet are near to the English
coasts.
In this way did English statesmen come to the decision to employ
on the Continent, as far as possible, foreign soldiers to fight
England’s battles; for the native troops, as we have said, must be
kept in the country. The only possibility of applying such a decision
in practical life, lay in inducing the Continental Powers to let their
armies fight for England’s interests. In order to carry out this policy
it was indispensable that the Powers in question should be made to
believe that, in combating England’s enemies, they were at the same
time defending their own interests, if not their own existence.
Henceforth were the main lines to be followed by English policy in its
dealings with the Continent, definitely laid down. The means
adopted for pursuing that policy were made to depend entirely on
two factors: the circumstances of the moment, and the adversary to
be dealt with. From the very outset it was tacitly admitted that
nothing could be so disadvantageous for the realisation of English
aims, than harmony among the Continental States, i. e. peace in
Europe. Peace must inevitably bring about increased prosperity; and
the consequence will be the growth of the sea power of Continental
nations, alike in the waters in the neighborhood of England, and on
the ocean. Sea power is the typical expression of the inner strength
and unity of a nation—of a strength which must expand abroad
because it cannot find adequate employment within the limits of the
mother country. But it was precisely this growing prosperity of the
European Continent of which England had no need!
Very early did the English Kings come to understand the value of
industry for a country. As the English mind was not productive in
this domain, skilled workers were, in the later Middle Ages,
systematically recruited abroad. The manufacture of cloth, weaving,
mining, ironwork, machinery, dyeing—all these industrial arts were
brought to England by German, Dutch and French artisans. In this
way was the incapacity of the English people compensated for. The
narrowness of mind, quarrelsomeness, and intolerance of the
Germans proved very useful in this respect; all the dissatisfied or
persecuted German artisans went over to England. The stream of
emigrants grew constantly larger as a result of the wars of religion.
The English industry was slowly developed behind the impregnable
wall of a prohibitively high tariff. As long as trade and industry and
art were able to flourish in Germany, England was wholly unable to
compete with them; for the German products were immeasurably
superior to the English ones. But when the Empire decayed in
strength as a consequence of political and religious dissensions,
industrial and commercial regression likewise set in; and England
did everything she could to hasten the downfall. Whilst England was
undertaking, during the sixteenth century, the freebooters’ war
against Spain of which we have already spoken; whilst she was
thereby increasing her sea power to such an extent as to become, at
times, the mistress of the ocean;—during this time the power of the
German Hansa was broken, and the last emblem of the latter’s
former greatness, the Hanseatic Steel Court in London, disappeared
in the last years of the sixteenth century.
During one hundred and fifty years English ships continued to
carry out the policy of burning, murdering, and stealing immense
treasures which were taken off to England; all this was done in the
name of religion, and more particularly of Protestant freedom. The
Germans, meanwhile, were busy slaughtering each other, and
dissolving their empire in religious strife; the Thirty Years’ War
turned the once prosperous country into a desert, and annihilated
the whole of that flourishing industry which had been the admiration
of the world. England fanned to the utmost possible extent the
flames of German religious strife. The English were pious people—
especially the English Kings and Queens; they were of opinion that
the Germans were perfectly justified in transforming their own
country into a cesspool of human blood, for the glory of God and of
the Protestant faith. In this manner was England spared the
disagreeable necessity of fighting a dangerous competitor. The
German wars of religion, the hopeless want of unity among the
Germans, were among the important factors that contributed to the
establishment, in later times, of the English monopoly of trade and
industry. The stolen gold of Spain and Portugal, on the other hand,
constituted the basis on which the future edifice of English
capitalism was reared. English capital, in turn, admitted of goods
being manufactured and delivered cheaply; and this cheapness
rendered subsequently all competition with British industry
impossible. Soon the home market was not sufficient, and English
goods were brought to other lands under the protection of the
English fleet, mistress of the seas.
At the end of the sixteenth century the East India Company was
founded. Twenty years later England stole from the Portuguese the
important commercial center of Ormuz, in the Persian Gulf. An
English historian remarks drily that “this action marks the beginning
of our supremacy in those waters.” The same historian writes: “An
attempt was made to obtain possession of the Spanish colonies in
Germany and Holland by means of a sudden raid. The enterprise
failed owing to the unskilful leadership of the Earl of Mansfield. After
this failure, the English Court applied all its resources to the fitting
out of a fleet, in order that Cadiz might be sacked, and the Spanish
treasure-ships captured.” Great was the grief and anger in England
when the unsuccessful raiders came back empty-handed from their
excursion to Holland.
In the course of her “heroic age,” England laid the foundations of
her future supremacy; she did so by means of brigandage and theft,
of violence and treachery, after she had perceived the strength of her
insular position and had learnt how to utilise that strength. Her
rulers had recognised the value of a national industry, and had
understood the means best calculated to favor its growth.
The English of those days were by no means supermen. They were
not more intelligent than other nations; on the contrary, during the
era of discoveries they discovered nothing, and during the era of
inventions they invented nothing. But they understood the art of
ploughing their fields by means of stolen oxen. And that which very
clearly distinguished them from every other European people was
the greed of lucre as the fundamental mainspring of action.
CHAPTER II
THE PIOUS PIRATES
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Whereas the whole of the once prosperous German industry

disappeared in the course of the Thirty Years’ War, leaving a
convenient vacancy for English production to fill; this was by no
means the case with the Netherlands. After the separation of the
latter from Spain, their industry and commerce reached an
unprecedented height of development. Colonies were acquired in
East India, in the Indian Ocean, in North America, and in South
Africa. During the German wars of religion, the Netherlands offered
a place of refuge to many of the best elements of the German
population, and also convenient and profitable investments for their
money. Emigrants and investments contributed very largely to the
growing prosperity of the little country. If the German Empire had
evolved normally, Holland would have become its “window” opening
on to the North Sea and the Channel. Nature would certainly seem to
have destined the Netherlands, including Belgium, to play this part.
But the German Empire had been turned into a desert, and its
commercial importance had ceased to exist.
The fact that Holland was able to become, in the seventeenth
century, the greatest Sea Power in Europe, is all the more remarkable
in view of the circumstances. And inevitably the question arises:
what would have happened if only the Netherlands could have been
amalgamated with the German Empire, as Nature intended them to
be?
The Netherlands were everywhere in England’s way: whether as
maritime Power or commercial Power, in European or in British
waters, on the high seas or in the colonies. This could not be
tolerated. Least of all could the Dutch be forgiven for having
acquired rights of property there where the English had so far only
claims—in North America and India, and especially on the high road
between India and China. England saw at once that she must have
recourse to those weapons which had already proved so successful in
the case of Spain and Portugal: the roots of Dutch sea power must be
cut off, so that the fruit might then fall without further effort into the
hands waiting to gather it. Unfortunately the majority of the Dutch
were not Catholics, so that the war of destruction against their
commerce could not conveniently be carried on under the pretence
of defending the Protestant faith. England understood this, and
chose another pretext accordingly.
Puritanism was now dominant in England. The pious regicide
Cromwell had uttered the significant words: “Pray and keep your
powder dry.” It is certain that the carrying out of this last
recommendation entailed considerably more work than did the
praying! The Germans have been in the habit of searching in English
Puritanism for ideals which it never contained. The mainspring of
Puritanism was the fanatical belief that the English people
constitutes a divinely chosen race, which is destined to reign over all
other nations and to monopolise the world’s commerce. The
“religious enthusiasm” of which it boasted did, in the long run, but
serve the ends of egotism. As a matter of fact, Puritanism never got
beyond the Ego; and it was fundamentally irreligious. It believed
itself to be entrusted with the mission of founding the Kingdom of
God on earth. But this Kingdom of God was nothing if not a world-
empire dominated by England; and its realisation further implied
that the Chosen People of God should have the entire trade of
humanity exclusively in their hands. Here we have the real spirit of
Puritanism; and it is neither an exaggeration nor a
misrepresentation to describe it as we have done. The pharisaical
creed of a greedy and thieving race which, living in the security of an
island fortress, cast, like unto a pack of vultures, its lustful glances
over seas and continents—this hypocritical creed could not possibly
recognise the Protestantism of other nations to be anything like as
pure as that of its own adherents. A Christian people which should be
stupid and criminal enough not to grovel in the dust before the
Chosen Nation—which should even push such criminal folly to the
extent of competing with that Chosen Nation on the sea: such a
people deserves nothing else but annihilation. The God of the
English commands it!
It was not a mere accident that precisely those pious men should
have waxed ever more indignant at the spectacle of Holland’s
prosperity, who were always ready to commit every crime calculated
to ensure the glory of God and of England. Their indignation was
justified; during the first half of the seventeenth century, at the very
moment when a certain reaction was visible in England after the
“heroic age,” Holland had risen to the first rank alike as a trading
Power, a maritime Power, and a colonial Power. By means of
indomitable energy the Dutch had succeeded, if not in monopolising
the oversea trade, at least in acquiring the lion’s share of it. Their
trading ships sailed along every coast, and did a very considerable
carrying trade to and from English ports. Dutch industry flourished,
and proved a serious competitor for English manufacturers on the
Continental markets. The Chosen People on the other side of the
Channel could not possibly tolerate such a state of affairs. The
Puritan Cooper proclaimed that “delenda est Carthago.” Carthage
must be destroyed, Protestant Holland must be crushed, for she is in
our way!
This was Cromwell’s view. In 1651 he caused the celebrated
Navigation Act to be passed. Henceforth it was forbidden to carry
foreign freights to English ports on other than English ships, or else
ships belonging to the nation exporting the freights in question. It
was a death-blow dealt at Holland’s carrying trade. England likewise
required all foreign ships to salute in future the English flag
whenever they should meet it. The Chosen People thus demanded
that all other seafaring nations should recognise its claim to rule the
seas—and this was 250 years ago! But this was not all. Cromwell
demanded further for English warships in war time the right of
searching all trading vessels belonging to neutral nations, in order to
see whether or not the latter had goods on board which belonged to
the enemy. We have already said that the Dutch ships were very
numerous, and that they often had very valuable freight on board; as
one may imagine, it was a splendid opportunity for the pious and
morally pure English pirates to satisfy their greed under the pretext
of the “right of search.” Innumerable neutral vessels were captured,

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The Learning Works Prefixes and Suffixes Grades 4 8

Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies Level 6 Edge

Advanced Reading Power Extensive Reading Vocabulary

Independent Reading Inside the Box How to Organize Observe

Differentiated Reading Instruction Strategies for the

Religion in 50 Words A Critical Vocabulary 1st Edition

Verbal ability and reading comprehension for the CAT 3rd

Words and buildings A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture

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Acknowledgements © 2004 Pembroke Publishers

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Editor: Kat Mototsune

Printed and bound in Canada

Chapter 1: Anchoring Word Knowledge 7

Chapter 2: Semantic Mapping 18

Chapter 3: Using Semantic Mapping 23

Chapter 4: STRETCH-Chart Prompted Conversations 58

Chapter 5: Using STRETCH Charts 67

Chapter 6: Independent Centres 104

Research instructs us that students need a more comprehensive, deeper

Cycle of Anchored Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary Instruction Contexts

STRETCH Charts and Shared Reading

Independent Word Play During Centres

Word Anchoring Processes

Characteristics of Strategies For Vocabulary Learning

Semantic STRETCH Independent

Context Read-aloud/ Shared Reading Centres

Method Teacher-directed Shared Student-centred

Modes of Visual Visual Visual

Type of Explicit Collaborative Differentiated

Level of High Moderate Low

Level of Word Full concept Partial concept Verbal

Processes Integration and Repetition and Meaningful use

Activating Prior Knowledge

Semantic Mapping in Centres

Use the form “Choosing Words for Semantic Mapping” on page 25 to

Using a Semantic Map with a Read-aloud/Picture Study

Curriculum Connection: __________________________

Text or Picture Study: ____________________________

Topic: _________________ Text Date: ______________________

Key words important to understanding the text:

Are the words encountered frequently?

Does the word have multiple meanings (is it polysemous)?

Is the concept significant and does it require pre-teaching?

Can the word be figured out from the context?

Can words be grouped together to enhance the understanding of a concept?

Can I make repeated exposures to the word/concept productive and enjoyable?

Preparing a Semantic Mapping Strategy

Method for Semantic Mapping

Method for Picture Study Semantic Mapping

Using a Dictionary or Thesaurus (page 41)

Think, Pair, and Share (page 43)

Webbing (page 44)

Drawing Word Meanings (page 44)

Responding Through Drawing (page 45)

Mini Word Wall (page 46)

Topic: _ Text Date: ______