Vocabulary Tutorial: Using the Frayer Model

Challenge / Context

Around the same time as my reading strategy video for Renée Watson’s Some Places More Than Others, I wanted to give students a concrete tool for analyzing the novel’s vocabulary more deeply than a simple definition-lookup. I needed a way to teach the Frayer Model — a four-square vocabulary analysis strategy — clearly enough that students could apply it independently to new words as they encountered them.

Approach

I recorded a walkthrough modeling how to complete a Frayer Model for a vocabulary word from the novel, showing students how to work through the definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples sections.

Design Rationale

The Frayer Model asks students to engage with a word from multiple angles rather than memorizing a definition in isolation, building deeper and more transferable vocabulary knowledge. Modeling the strategy on video, rather than only handing out a blank template, let students see the thinking process behind each section, and gave them a strategy they could reapply independently to future vocabulary words well beyond this one novel.

Outcome / Reflection

Students had a repeatable, transferable strategy for approaching new vocabulary rather than a one-time exercise tied only to this unit. Looking back, I’d consider building this out as an interactive digital template now, rather than a static handout paired with video, so students could complete their analysis directly alongside the model.