Frayer Model for Vocabulary Instruction – Getting Started with SoR

Vocabulary is a significant predictor of overall reading comprehension and student performance, even as young as kindergarten. Vocabulary instruction, while not talked about as much as other literacy components, should be an intentional component of our day. A lot of our students’ word knowledge and vocabulary is learned without our explicit instruction. But, explicit vocabulary instruction must be present in our classrooms. In my The 3 Tiers of Vocabulary post, I walked through each of the tiers of vocabulary and what words belong in each tier. I then explored how to teach chosen vocabulary words and how to teach students to find the meaning of words on their own in my Vocabulary Instruction & Teaching Strategies  post. In this post, we’ll take a deep dive on one strategy – the Frayer Model.

The Frayer Model was developed in the 1960s by four educators: Norman Frayer, Wayne Frederick, Arthur Merkel, and Philip Klaus. They recognized that true vocabulary learning goes beyond rote memorization. They wanted to create a strategy that encouraged students to actively engage with the word and understand its nuances. While it can be used with any grade level, especially as a teacher model, it’s most effective beginning in middle/upper elementary school.

What is the Frayer Model of Vocabulary

While the Frayer Model is a graphic organizer, it isn’t your average fill-in-the-blank worksheet. It encourages students to think deeply about a word, going beyond simply memorizing a definition. It builds critical thinking skills as students analyze the word. For this reason, it’s important that we choose the right words for using with a Frayer model. They’re best completed with abstract concepts as they will contain facts and examples. This makes them difficult to define, at times, which is why it’s such a helpful strategy..

A Frayer Model is typically created by dividing your sheet of paper into four smaller rectangles along each corner. The word is placed in the center, typically within a circle. The part of speech may also be included in the circle. Each of the rectangles contains one component of the word analyzation:

• Definition: Start with the dictionary definition, but encourage students to put it in their own words.
• Characteristics: Key features, attributes, or qualities of the word; What makes this word unique? What are its essential features?
• Examples: Brainstorm real-life examples, literary examples, or even create their own original examples.
• Non-Examples: Things that the word does not describe. This is where critical thinking kicks in! Students must identify things that do not fit the definition or possess the characteristics of the word.

Engage students in a class discussion about the word and the components being written about in the model. Give them opportunities to talk together before sharing orally. Brainstorming with a peer before sharing is a great strategy for increasing student participation and engagement.

Steps for Teaching a Vocabulary Word with a Frayer Model

The Frayer Model can be used in whole group, or small group instruction. Because of its interactive nature, its typically not done in one-on-one instruction, though it certainly can be. The steps in completing the Frayer Model should be modeled with Think Alouds to help students understand the process for completion. First interactions should include relatively known and concrete words. This can be interactive, especially when it comes to giving examples and non-examples. As students develop further understanding of the concept, students can take on more responsibility for completion through a gradual release.

1. Choose a word for explicit instruction. Find more about which words are best for explicit instruction in my 3 Tiers of Vocabulary Instruction post. Also keep in mind that you want words that are able to generate examples and non-examples.
2. Provide students with the Frayer Model. If it’s your first, or first few, times using it, explain the four sections and what they mean. For your first introduction, use a Think Aloud to model the process of how to use the Frayer Model with a vocabulary word. Use a gradual release model to incorporate it into your regular instruction.
3. Work with the students to build knowledge of the term. You can use small group discussion, review various artifacts such as pictures, images, primary sources, charts, etc.
4. Have students work together to identify examples and relevant non-examples.
5. While monitoring student progress, share new ideas with the class to discuss and have students add characteristics as they are recognized. Work with students to identify those essential characteristics from the examples and non-examples compared to non-essential characteristics.
6. Provide groups an opportunity for students to share their thinking with others through an Academic Dialogue strategy, posting artifacts around the room. Posting around the room allows students to revisit and extend thinking and reference for the remainder of the unit of study.

Ready to begin using the Frayer Model as part of your vocabulary instruction? You can download several versions of the graphic organizer, including an unlabeled one here.

Why is the Frayer Model Beneficial?

The Frayer Model encourages students to move beyond surface-level learning. By exploring different aspects of the word, they develop a richer, more nuanced understanding of the meaning of the word. Actively engaging with the word in multiple ways improves long-term retention. By identifying characteristics and non-examples, students analyze and evaluate information, strengthening their critical thinking skills. Because the Frayer Model is completed together through discussion, it can foster collaboration as students discuss and refine their ideas. This also makes it interactive and engaging for students. For these reasons, it’s not effective to be done wholly independently either in-class or as homework. Instead, students can generate their ideas independently and then present them as part of a class discussion.

Changing Up the Organizer

There are many modifications out there for changing up the organizer. One change I’ve seen and used is removing the “characteristics” section and doing a drawing to represent the word. Another is swapping out examples and non-examples with synonyms and antonyms. While there is a specific organization to the Frayer Model, it can be adapted to meet your students’ needs.

Further Information on Vocabulary Instruction

Content Area Vocabulary Learning by Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey on Reading Rockets

Four Practical Principles for Enhancing Vocabulary Instruction by Manyak, Von Gunten, Autenrieth, Gillis, and Mastre-O’Farrell on Reading Rockets

Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Beck, McKeown, & Kucan (book) on Amazon (affiliate link)

Five Key Principles for Effective Vocabulary Instruction by Tim Shanahan on Reading Rockets

Which Words Do I Teach and How? by David Liben from Student Achievement Partners on Achieve the Core

Teaching Vocabulary by Linda Diamond & Linda Gutlohn on Reading Rockets

The Frayer Model on TeachHub

Further Information on the Science of Reading

I am sharing helpful information on the Science of Reading throughout this blog series. Each post has a different focus and includes links to relevant posts of my own, from time to time. The topics have been carefully chosen to include the background information needed to understand the science and help you learn more about some of the large, underlying research in the field. The first three up in the series include The National Reading Panel’s 5 Pillars of Reading, the Simple View of Reading, and Scarborough’s Rope.

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