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Standards-Based Vocabulary Instruction
Words power our language and power comprehension. Standards-based vocabulary instruction is integral to supporting students’ effective comprehension of texts in all content areas. To be successful lifelong learners, students need a rich and robust vocabulary. As teachers, we have a responsibility to offer “a robust approach to vocabulary [that] involves directly explaining the meanings of words along with thought-provoking, playful, and interactive follow-up” (Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, 2).
Students with a rich vocabulary:
¨ know and use lots of words while increasing their knowledge of words daily
¨ have enriched prior knowledge that offers a foundation for extensive and complex understandings of many different concepts
¨ have deep-rooted and flexible understandings of many concepts that words represent
¨ have a keen ability to identify important aspects of words and sort out subtle differences in word usage
¨ are fascinated and delighted with language and are thereby highly motivated to learn new words
In Bringing Words to Life:Robust Vocabulary Instruction, Beck, McKeown, and Kucan emphasize that not all words call for instructional attention.
To get a perspective on the kinds of words that need instructional attention, consider a mature literate individual’s vocabulary as comprising three tiers. The first tier consists of the most basic words—clock, baby, happy, walk, and so on. Words in this tier rarely require instructional attention to their meanings in school. The third tier is made up of words whose frequency of use is quite low and often limited to specific domains. Some examples might be isotope, lathe, peninsula, and [pedagogy]. In general, a rich understanding of these words would not be of high utility for most learners. These words are probably best learned when a specific need arises, such as introducing peninsula during a geography lesson.
The second tier contains words that are of high frequency for mature language users and are found across a variety of domains. Examples include coincidence, absurd, industrious, and fortunate. Because of the large role they play in a language user’s repertoire, rich knowledge of words in the second tier can have a powerful impact on verbal functioning. Thus, instruction directed toward Tier Two words can be most productive. (8)
Tier One
Tier Two
Tier Three
Basic words (words most students at a particular grade level will know)
Words having utility across “many dimensions” or content areas (e.g., community, contrast, loyalty)
Highly specific content words lacking generalization
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