495

For most students, finding definitions and writing those words in sentences has had little effect on students' acquisition of new vocabulary. We need strategies that are consistent with research on how we learn new words, connect them to our existing knowledge and retrieve them when we want to use them in reading, writing, and speaking.

Teachers need to choose engaging informational texts that are short and interesting. These texts should be in the readability range of 4th to 6th grade and have the specific vocabulary that is to be taught. I recommend that you use Averil Coxhead's High-Incidence word list to determine which words to teach. These words need to be taught at least three times in five days.

Start with a short piece of text. To promote deep understanding, instruction has to begin with good conversations about rich topics and ideas. The discussion must be anchored in text to promote literacy and encourage the use of academic vocabulary over conversational language. We need to support students as they read texts that discuss subjects of interest and are at, or just above, their reading level. Struggling readers especially need to be set up to succeed with texts so that they increase their skills and their confidence. Short texts are easier to reread and revisit, and work best to reduce the overwhelming feelings that students have when they approach a longer piece of text.

So what does this mean for all classrooms? Use classroom sets of accessible and engaging magazine articles, newspaper stories, letters to the editor and op-ed columns, and appropriately leveled texts that won't overwhelm reluctant readers. Choose topics that are of interest to your students. Students need to be motivated and supported as readers. 

We can't possibly teach all of the words on any one list, so we must focus on depth over breadth. If we choose good, high-utility words, then we increase academic talk and promote strategic reading.

Limit the number of words taught and choose words that are used often in middle and high school texts. A less-is-more design carves out class time for focusing on breadth of word knowledge and increasing understanding and interest in words. Allow students to hear and practice those target words so that they can own the words for themselves.

Language is social and so are kids, so give them multiple opportunities to talk. Research shows that language and metacognitive development are improved through peer interaction. Vocabulary should include collaborative activities. Structured discussions boost the chance that students will own new words that they are introduced to in class and will encounter in their reading.

Students need to be instructed on how to figure out unfamiliar words, as they are constantly coming up against unfamiliar words in texts. In order for students to be better able to determine meaning, they need direct and explicit teaching of word-learning strategies. We need to teach morphology and how affixes affect word meaning. Teachers must carve out the time for vocabulary instruction.

Students must develop word consciousness and curiosity if they are going to increase their vocabulary. We must talk about and use the target words daily. Talk about the interesting words that you encounter in your own reading. Call attention to words that are used incorrectly. We must infuse our classrooms with these words.

When students can accurately use new vocabulary in writing, then they know the words and make them their own. Research shows that students need a structured approach to writing assignments in order to successfully respond to questions about a text. Have your students write a paragraph using the targeted words. Good writing begins with teacher direction and modeling.