VOCABULARY and its importance in READING...

Source:  A Closer Look at the Five Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction: A Review of

Scientifically Based Reading Research for Teachers (2004).  Copyright © 2004 Learning Point

Associates.

What Is Vocabulary and How Is it Important in Learning to Read?  The term vocabulary refers to words we need to know to communicate with others. There are four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening and speaking vocabularies are sometimes referred to collectively as oral vocabulary.

Vocabulary also plays an important role in comprehension. 

INSTRUCTION of vocabulary:

Vocabulary should be taught directly even though a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly.

Effective vocabulary instruction includes teaching new words directly by providing explicit,

clearly written definitions and well-chosen examples and non-examples, as well as helping

students learn words indirectly by teaching word-learning strategies students can use to learn

words on their own.

My middle school students relate better to new vocabulary when it is introduced before a short story or novel and then readdressed as it is read.  I find that my students who are given just a random set of vocabulary lists to memorize... is just that... memorization.  They memorize it long enough to take a test and then never are able to relate it to their lives.  Yes, they need to HEAR new vocabulary on a DAILY BASIS but if they are not given the opportunity to associate the new words in "real life" situations, they don't remember it as well.  Former colleagues of mine used something called "Wordly Wise" and I believe that for advanced placement students (honors/ gifted), this is a wonderful program.  But, for the average student, and especially the special needs (below reading level) student, these words are just not "relatable."  

Selecting the Right Words to Teach

Part of teaching vocabulary is deciding which words will be introduced and taught directly.

Because it is not possible to spend time on all of the words children need to learn, teachers will

need to select which words are worth teaching directly. Here are the criteria (adapted from Graves,

Effective Reading Instruction? 28 Juel, & Graves, 1998) for narrowing the list of vocabulary words and

deciding which words to teach:

Identify the words students do not know. Preview what students will be asked to read and identify

words they probably will not know. Prior experience with a specific group of students enables

the teacher to predict which words they will find difficult.

Identify the more important words. From the list of words, they are not likely to know, identify

words that are critical to understanding the text. Words with multiple meanings may be

particularly difficult for children to learn, so extra attention should be given to words that have

more than one meaning.

Identify the words students may not be able to figure out on their own. Eliminate words they can

figure out through context or structural analysis. If the textbook uses the word in a way that

clearly states its meaning, it will probably not have to be taught directly. Likewise, if the word

contains word parts they know or its base or root word is obvious, then students should be

encouraged to learn its meaning by analyzing the word’s structure rather than through direct

teaching of the word.

Identify words students will encounter frequently. Determine how frequently the remaining words

appear outside the text. Those that appear more frequently outside the text to be read may

deserve an additional explanation to ensure that students will transfer their understanding of the

words to other texts and settings.