Vocabulary: Tell me more

Vocabulary is a crucial component of reading and is essential for reading comprehension. Here are some key points to consider when teaching vocabulary in relation to the science of reading:

• Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively, and educators often consider four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

• Vocabulary development supports reading and increases comprehension. Students need to be explicitly taught words and vocabulary learning strategies.

• Students with low vocabulary scores tend to have low comprehension, and students with satisfactory or high vocabulary scores tend to have satisfactory or high comprehension scores.

• Vocabulary knowledge is essential for understanding what is being read, and early vocabulary knowledge predicts reading comprehension skill in later grades.

• Vocabulary knowledge might have an independent contribution to reading comprehension, and previous studies argued that vocabulary knowledge contributed to reading comprehension directly due to the derived meaning of vocabulary on the mental representation construction.

• Typically, vocabulary knowledge results from extensive and repeated exposures to words through reading and speaking.

To teach vocabulary effectively, teachers can use explicit instruction, context clues, and word analysis strategies. Here are some strategies for teaching vocabulary:

• Explicit Instruction: Teachers can explicitly teach vocabulary words and their meanings, including synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meanings.

• Context Clues: Teachers can teach students to use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

• Word Analysis Strategies: Teachers can teach students to use word analysis strategies, such as breaking words into parts (prefixes, suffixes, and roots) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

• Wide Reading: Students can develop vocabulary incidentally through indirect exposure to words at home and at school by listening and talking, listening to books read aloud to them, and reading widely on their own.