Vocabulary is important because students need to know 90% of the words in a passage to get the main idea and guess unfamiliar words. Oral vocabulary is the words we use in speaking or recognizing listening, and reading vocabulary is being able to recognize words in print. High school seniors near the top of their class know about 4 times as many words as their lower performing classmates, while high knowledge third graders have vocabularies about equal with the lowest performing seniors. An adult needs to hear a word 17 times for them to understand it enough to actively use it in their vocabulary. Active readers who keep a dictionary by them or look up unfamiliar words will have a higher vocabulary.
 

Terms Related to Vocabulary Instruction: 

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• Homophone – Multiple words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings and spellings. (I, eye, aye/ to, too, two)
• Homograph – Multiple words that are pronounced and spelled the same, but only have different meanings. ( Bat as in baseball bat, and bat as in the animal)
• Inflected Endings – A suffix that changes the tense of the word
• Structural Analysis – Breaking down words into basic parts to determine meaning

o Prefix: word parts located at the beginning of the word to change meaning
o Roots: the basic meaning part of a word
o Suffix: word parts attached at the end of the word



• Synonym - Two separate words with a similar meaning (close/ shut)
• Antonym – Two separate words with completely opposite meanings (melt/ freeze)
• Breadth – The size and scope of our vocabulary​
• Depth – The level of understanding we have of words
• Indirect Vocabulary – Words learned from everyday life situations, such as conversations, movies or books
• Direct Vocabulary – Vocabulary learned from explicit instruction to aid in reading comprehension. This can be done through providing students with specific word instruction or teaching word-learning strategies
   

Activities for Teaching/ Strategies/ Assessments:

Semantic Mapping – A visual tool that helps readers draw on background knowledge of a topic and make connections between ideas

         - Use before or after reading a text
         - Helps make connections between known words, unknown words and background knowledge
         - Select a key concept and place it in the middle of the page
         - Brainstorm words that relate to the concept
         - Make connections between all the words
         - Reorganize words into categories
 

Word Knowledge Checklist – A checklist of vocabulary words from a text where students can mark how familiar with the word and its meaning

         - Used before and after reading a text
         - Boxes at the top of the columns are labeled “Can explain and use, Know something about it, 

           Have seen or heard the word, Do not know the word.”

         - Place a “B” in the column next to the vocab word that describes how you know the word  

           before reading the text

         - Place an “A” in the column next to the vocab word that describes how well you know the

           word after reading the text



Direct Vocabulary Instruction - Word learning strategies is one aspect of direct vocabulary instruction.  This instruction includes using dictionaries and other reference aids, using word parts (prefixes, suffixes, root words, base words), relating words to already known words, and using context clues​



​Indirect Vocabulary Instruction - This instruction involves having students Engage in daily oral language learning through conversations with others. The more oral language experience students have, the more word meanings they learn.  Listen to adults read to them is another form of indirect instruction and is most helpful when the reader pauses to explain a new word, engage in conversation after the book, and relates words to prior knowledge/experience.  Additionally, students should try to read extensively on their own.  The more children read, the more words they encounter, and the more word meanings they learn

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