The research is clear. We can help all students, and especially struggling readers, by taking the time to incorporate explicit, direct, and deeper-level vocabulary instruction in all classes. Below, you will find some useful materials for teaching vocabulary in any content area, as well as some of the research that supports explicit vocabulary instruction.
Guide students to understand multiple forms, pronunciations, definitions, and contexts of academic words.
Help students contextualize "big idea" words by having them come up with characteristics, examples, and nonexamples.
Push students beyond the dictionary definitions of words on class word lists.
Help students practice the process of determining the meanings of unfamiliar words that they encounter in a text.
This short and straightforward text makes a convincing case for why and how to implement explicit vocabulary instruction.
This text also provides evidence and recommendations for explicit vocabulary instruction.
This list contains the 570 words that show up most frequently in academic texts across the disciplines; because they are so common, they are so important for students to understand.
This list contains some of the most common prefixes, suffixes, and root words. With a thorough knowledge of "word parts," students will be better equipped for determining the meanings of unfamiliar words.