• This page provides information and resources for teaching vocabulary.

• Vocabulary is a critical factor in the development of reading skills. Vocabulary knowledge has long been identified as one of the best predictors of reading comprehension, reading performance in general, and school achievement. Receptive vocabulary is also a predictor of decoding skills. The more words the reader knows, the easier it will be to read and understand what is read.

  -Holly Lane, Stephanie Allen

• This issue of the Lens on Literacy offers ideas for routines for teaching vocabulary as well as background information for teachers.

• Related Curriculum Connections:

  B2.3  Word-Level Reading and Spelling: Using Morphological Knowledge

  B2.4 Vocabulary

In this video, Dr. Anita Archer models an explicit vocabulary lesson with older students.

By modeling the use of sophisticated words, educators can promote students’ vocabulary growth and word consciousness. In this article, the research support for this approach is explained, suggestions are provided for how teachers might accomplish this goal, and examples are shared from teachers who have done it successfully. Don’t miss the helpful list of sophisticated words for classroom routines, subject areas, etc. – a great resource!

A word map is a graphic organizer that supports connections among vocabulary and ideas. This resource from TextProject provides Word Maps for core vocabulary – the most important words in written English. Three types of words maps are available for the core vocabulary: synonyms, morphology, and multiple meaning of words.

In Chapter 3 of Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension, the Libens share practical and engaging strategies for supporting vocabulary development in the primary and junior grades. They highlight ways to make word learning fun and curiosity-driven for students. The chapter includes an explanation of the three tiers of vocabulary and how to support instruction at each level. It also emphasizes the importance of explicitly teaching word meanings and provides a clear rationale for why this instruction matters.

Keeping a vocabulary journal is a strategy for helping students apply their knowledge of new words. Research shows that writing supports memory of words because it requires the cognitive skills of retrieval and repetition. Their vocabulary journal can also be a reference for students to use as they write. And they can add to it as they learn other related words.

These documents explain Connectives and Anaphora and how to explicilty teach them.

“Anaphora is a device used in writing in which one word replaces another word. The most simple example: “she” for Samantha (replacing a noun with a pronoun).”

“A connective is a word that explicitly links one clause to another clause (e.g., and, but, if, although, that, which) or that connects ideas in two adjacent sentences (e.g., however, thus).”

Tier 2 vocabulary words are words that are useful and necessary across different content areas or domains, but that may not be frequently used in oral language. Christopher Such, author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading, has assembled a list of Tier 2 vocabulary words for explicit instruction.

In this article Joan Sedita highlights the importance of vocabulary instruction, how vocabulary instruction supports reading comprehension, and characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction.