Vocabulary
Teach students to learn and recognize words orally and apply this skill to printed words when they are reading.
Teach students to learn and recognize words orally and apply this skill to printed words when they are reading.
Children learn words from hearing them used by people they love in situations that matter. Your dinner-table talk is a vocabulary lesson.
Use advanced words like exhausted, furious, enormous — then provide a child-friendly definition: “Exhausted means really, really tired.” Children need to meet a word many times; make your home one of the places they meet it.
“If re- means again, what do you think reheat means? Rebuild?” Prefixes and suffixes unlock thousands of words.
“Is an ant enormous? Is a mountain enormous?” Children learn word boundaries from both what a word is and what a word is not.
If your family speaks another language, keep building it at home and continue using its richest words. Deep vocabulary in any language transfers to reading in English.
Vocabulary can be used when we are speaking (expressive vocabulary), listening (receptive vocabulary), reading (receptive vocabulary), and writing (expressive vocabulary). Vocabulary is essential to reading, as young readers recognize words they are familiar with hearing and apply this knowledge to printed words they see during reading. For this reason, vocabulary plays a key role in decoding (as students will have more difficulty sounding out a word that is not part of their oral vocabulary) as well as comprehending (as understanding reading material requires knowing the meaning of the majority of the words). Moreover, emphasizing connections between words is important to activate prior knowledge and further support comprehension. Some studies have estimated students need to know the meaning of up to 95% of the words they read in order to accurately comprehend. The National Reading Panel identified vocabulary instruction as one of the core elements to develop reading comprehension. Research outlines the importance of employing Structured Literacy Principles to teach vocabulary in a systematic, structured, cumulative, explicit and diagnostic fashion.
Research is clear that literacy is taught best when instruction follows the four Structured Literacy Principles. Here is what each one looks like for vocabulary.
Instruction follows a logical order, begins with the easiest concepts, and progresses to more difficult concepts (EX: Teachers start introducing vocabulary in context during read alouds, conversations, etc. and then progress to something like deeper word learning such as prefix/root/suffix meaning).
Each step must be based on concepts previously learned and continual review until mastery must be a part of practice. Systematic, sequential and cumulative learning enhance explicit instruction (EX: "Remember when we learned strategies for figuring out unknown words, like considering the context the word is used in? Today, we will learn a specific strategy to figure out unknown words where we see if our knowledge of prefix meaning can help us figure out a word in context.").
Teachers use approaches such as gradual release of responsibility models (I Do, We Do, You Do) where the teacher models and students have multiple opportunities to practice with support and independently (EX: A teacher explicitly introduces a new word encountered during a read aloud. The teacher will provide students with a friendly definition and model how they use the word in the context of a sentence. The teacher then might pair up two students to create a four corners vocabulary card where the students spell the word in one corner of a paper, write their own definition in another corner, come up with their own independent sentence in another corner, and draw a picture to represent the word in an final corner. The teacher would circulate and provide corrective feedback as needed during this cooperative learning. Finally, the teacher may assign students to independently write a paragraph using the new vocabulary word).
Teacher assesses where students are, progress monitors as frequently as possible, diagnoses where skill gaps exist, and adapts instruction as needed (EX: To start the year, a teacher administers a vocabulary assessment or reviews school vocabulary data. Based on overall classroom data, the teacher picks which level to start at and which skill in the vocabulary scope and sequence to start with. In addition, the teacher may use individual student data to plan which skill or vocabulary to practice one-on-one or in small groups based on student needs.).
Findings below are drawn from What Works Clearinghouse educator practice guides published by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/adlit_pg_082608.pdf#page=17)
Specific strategies for explicit vocabulary teaching were identified, such as: dedicating a time of the day solely to vocabulary instruction, repeatedly exposing students to new vocabulary in oral and written contexts, providing opportunities for students to use vocabulary in context, and providing students strategies to become independent word learners.
(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/Docs/PracticeGuide/english_learners_pg_040114.pdf)
Specific strategies for teaching academic vocabulary were identified such as: using an engaging informational text to teach a small set of academic vocabulary; picking academic vocabulary that met certain criteria (were central to understanding the text, were used multiple times in the text, were words with multiple meanings, were words that had cross content application, were cognates, or could be altered by adding affixes); providing student friendly definitions, using examples and non-examples of the words, matching sentences to word meaning for multiple meaning words, requiring students to use the words in their writing, teaching word learning strategies (context clues, word parts, cognates). See below for a sample multiple meaning word activity where students pair the definition with the relevant sentence:
Children acquire language in many different ways. Much of language acquisition occurs indirectly or in context (i.e., children learn new words through conversations, listening to read alouds, reading on their own). However, children also need explicit, direct instruction to learn challenging words. Using a gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do) to teach vocabulary is the most effective form of explicit instruction. Some of the best words to teach explicitly are key words that are essential to certain content areas or to comprehending certain texts. This type of vocabulary is often called "academic vocabulary," the more challenging or content-specific words students encounter in books or on tests. Teaching word learning strategies as a part of this explicit, direct vocabulary instruction will also be helpful (Ex: teaching prefix/suffix meaning, teaching students how to break words down into meaningful units, teaching cognates to English learners (ELs), and teaching students how to use context cues to figure out unknown words). Teachers should also pre-teach specific vocabulary prior to reading, expose students to words over a long period of time in many different contexts, and give repeated exposure to words.
Vocabulary Instruction Should Follow This General Sequence:
Each skill is outlined below, with sample activities to target each skill. A more comprehensive list of sample activities is available via the "vocabulary" tab on the literacy portal.
Since children learn more words indirectly, or in context, students must be exposed to words and language as much as possible (through read alouds, shared writing, independent reading, teacher modeling, conversation that includes back-and-forth exchanges, open-ended questions, prompts, etc.)
Read Alouds (with child friendly definitions, gestures or total physical response, think alouds, open-ended questions, and cooperative learning): Good teachers think aloud as they read, wondering why characters do things or stating what they think might happen next. Additionally, good teachers anticipate words students might not know, and make the words easier to learn by acting them out, providing a child-friendly definition, or engaging students in discussions that increase understanding of vocabulary. Review this interactive read aloud to see all of these strategies put into practice. Visual of key things to consider when introducing a word in context:
Using Context Clues During Independent Reading: Most texts contain context clues that give hints to the meaning of words or phrases. These clues can range from an actual definition/synonym provided near the unknown word to an example or other clue word that reveals the meaning. Teach children a process for using context cues to determine unknown vocabulary words. Model this with a sentence, locating and circling a word you want to know the meaning of and then looking for other clues in the sentence to underline. Explain how the underlined words help you figure out the unknown word. After modeling, have students practice context clues at the sentence/paragraph level with a buddy and in their own independent reading.
Although students can learn many words indirectly through reading and conversation, teachers need to explicitly teach new words and practice using the words in context. The best words for this type of explicit/direct instruction are Tier 2/3 words or academic vocabulary important to understanding a text.
Use a Brief Informational Text or Informational Video as a Platform for Teaching a Small Set of Vocabulary: The teacher should preview a short informational text or video and determine words their students might not be familiar with, especially ones that are key to understanding important ideas. Choose a limited number of words (between 2-5) depending on the age of the children. The teacher should choose words that have multiple meanings and application across multiple subject areas (Ex: "environment"), words with multiple morphological variants (Ex: "investigate" has other morphological forms such as investigation, investigator; this word is a also a cognate as forms of the word are similar in other languages), words that appear multiple times in the text or video, or words that have clues near them that may give away meaning. You can practice this by pre-viewing this video on Rosa Parks and selecting core vocabulary you would teach explicitly. Once you select words, introduce and contextualize each word to students prior to reading the text or watching the video.
"Word consciousness" refers to building students' appreciation of words and interest in words. Word study (looking at sound or spelling patterns, prefixes/suffixes, word forms, etc.) is one way to facilitate word consciousness. Teachers must create an environment that encourages and motivates students to play with words, identify words they want to learn, and examine words closely. A classroom that promotes word consciousness will allow students to learn beyond the basic meaning of words as they will probe deeper to discover connotations, see examples and nonexamples, learn synonyms/antonyms, etc. This video shows an interesting method for building word consciousness.
Pairing Sentences and Definitions: This vocabulary technique works well for multiple meaning words. Pick a multiple meaning word such as "current." Use the word in two different sentences such as: "The current took the boat down the river." and "The current president will be up for reelection in three years." Next, provide two different definitions for the word current, such as: "Current (adj.): belonging to the present time or happening now." and "Current (n.): a body of water or air moving in a definite direction." Ask students which definition matches each sentence. Encourage them to work in pairs to decide and justify their answers.
Choosing a Team Name: Ask students whether they'd rather be on a team called the "Slugs" or the "Panthers." If the majority of students choose Panthers, ask them why. Use this as an entry point to talk about denotative (actual definition of a word) and connotative (the emotion a word generates) meanings. Discuss the connotation of "slug" (Does it evoke a positive or negative feeling? Why?). Explain that "slug" has multiple meanings (a tough-skinned mollusk—denotative meaning, OR a slow, lazy person—a connotative meaning). Discuss the connotation of the word panther as well. Provide students with a variety of words with denotative and connotative meanings (gray, shack, nerd, cop, thug). Have students sort words into two categories, positive and negative, with a partner. Students should share why they sorted the words in each category. Remember that different people may have a different connotation with certain words (for example, some students may have negative associations with "cops" while others may have positive).
Word Maps: Utilize a graphic organizer to reinforce and contextualize a word's meaning. Students should discuss synonyms and antonyms, examples and nonexamples, multiple meanings, etc.
Word analysis takes word consciousness to the next level. Focusing on word analysis might shift to learning a prefix/suffix/root meaning, word origin, word forms, inflectional endings, etc.
Word Sort: Word sorts can be used for many purposes. Words can be sorted by category (i.e., vehicles could be sorted based on land, air, water), inflectional endings (words ending in "ing" vs. words ending in "ed"), pronunciation (words where "ed" ending sounds like "t" or "d"), or by prefix/suffix/root word. Prefix/suffix/root sorts are a good way to analyze words for meaning. Provide students with words containing two different prefixes (bi= two, tri= three). Have them sort the words (trident, tricycle, bicycle, trifold, trimester, bicentennial, bimonthly), with one column having "bi" at the top (along with meaning and/or representative picture) and one having "tri" at the top. Have them work with a partner to figure out the meaning of each word based on the prefix and anything else in the word that helps. Use an assortment of words the students might know and ones they might not know.
Varying Root Words: Students gain greater word consciousness and an ability to analyze words if they are capable of understanding different word forms. For example, the class may learn the word "exhibit" after going on a field trip to the art museum or a zoo. You could alert the students to alternate word forms that are similar to exhibit in spelling and meaning ("exhibition" for example). Encourage students to write a sentence using each word form (Ex: "We saw an art exhibit today." and "The exhibition at the art museum included modern art."). You can include parts of speech in the discussion (i.e., exhibit can be a noun or a verb depending on how it is used in a sentence, but exhibition is solely a noun).
The video library has clips of real K–3 classrooms modelling every one of these practices, and the printables library carries materials for the same skills.
Seven evidence-based literacy practices for kindergarten through third grade — the research, the teaching sequence, and the materials, free for teachers and families.