Semantic Feature Analysis

Note: This post is intended to be a research and brainstorming tool for the reciprocal teaching assignment, not a reflection post.

Indiana University Description

Brief Description from IU Link: "Semantic-Feature Analysis (Anders & Bos, 1986) is a strategy that helps reinforce vocabulary that is essential to understanding important concepts in a text. The teacher builds a grid in which essential vocabulary words are listed vertically and features and/ or ideas are listed horizontally. Students complete the grid by indicating with a check mark (ü) or minus sign (-) whether each word possesses the stated features or is related to the ideas."

"Develop word associations...elicit prior knowledge...monitor [own] comprehension"


San Diego U: Comparing and Constrasting

Use to divide/sort words by similarities and differences. The charts/grids in semantic feature analysis "help students explore how related words differ from one another."

The page outlines the procedure and gives a 4th grade science example (which could be used in my class!) - types of rocks and how they form (would really help them differentiate the types of rocks for the rock cycle).


LearnNC.org: Guided Comprehension

SFA is a "strategy that teaches [students] to identify characteristics associated with related words or concepts."


My Thoughts: Students will mark what features apply to the vocabulary words; this helps them create better connections between the word and the meaning. This would help them differentiate between concepts and words that do get mixed up. Thinking of: Metamorphic and Igneous rock. Heat and pressure vs. heat. A lot got confused on that point.


Investigating Science with Dinosaurs (on Google Book Search)

More than just what mentioned above. Students learn to categorize and classify as well as "identify relationships." Can model as a class first, have them split up to do it on their own, and then review as a class and complete the class chart (me: so have something for display?).


My thoughts: the FOSS individual, population, community, or abiotic activity is a semantic feature analysis (from the FOSS Module Populations and Ecosystems). It was a huge chart with a list of things (rabbit, squirrels, forest, birds and insects, rock, etc.): the students were performing a semantic feature analysis as they assigned each of these items to a category. Of course, it seemed to work in the opposite direction - the vocabulary was across the page horizontally (because there were less words) and organisms aren't what I would really call features, but isn't this the same premise? Using a chart to reinforce the meaning of vocabulary words and build more connections and relationships in one's own head - I (groups of) organisms aren't features, but it seems to me that it's still the same basic strategy.

The aspect of how to integrate the reading end of literacy in my science classroom - beyond the text - is still an issue not quite in the reach of my understanding, but I feel that I've been getting a much better grasp on the writing end of things and how particular literacy skills apply very well to my content.

This reciprocal teaching assignment on semantic feature* analysis has made me realize that I was incorporating reading strategies in my own classroom this past year without even realizing it (Kristin realized the same thing).

*Best link of 3