Teaching vocabulary is an essential component of effective reading instruction. Students must know what the words mean in order to read and understand the text. In fact, "a solid vocabulary boosts reading comprehension for students of all ages" (Lyon, 2019).

Vocabulary can be grouped into three tiers:

Tier 1 - frequently used words (e.g., bike, fish, zoo)

Tier 2 - less common words that are used in many different contexts (e.g., modern, artistic, youth, rapid)

Tier 3 - domain-specific words (e.g., integer, germinate, isosceles)

Lyon (2019) suggests, "When choosing which vocabulary words to teach, you may want to pick words from Tier 2 because they’re the most useful across all subject areas." The words should be meaningful to the students, and should be taught using "engaging activities and repeated exposure" (Lyon, 2019). Click here for a list of ways to teach vocabulary.