The Role of Vocabulary Instruction Beck found that words are learned best in the context of reading followed by rich discussion in the classroom. One of her most significant contributions is organizing words into three tiers based on their usefulness and frequency of use. Beck and McKeown (2002) suggest that for instructional purposes, teachers should concentrate on Tier II words—also known as academic vocabulary—that: • Reflect mature language use and appear frequently across a variety of contexts. • Lend themselves to instruction, helping students build in-depth knowledge of these words and their connections to other words and concepts. • Provide precision and specificity in describing a concept for which the students already have a general understanding. Duke and Carlisle (2011) also cite the high correlation (0.86) between academic vocabulary and comprehension, and they offer several strategies that students can use again and again to lock down the meaning of more sophisticated content words, including relating words to themes and to similar words. These word associations help build networks of meaning that support reading comprehension. In addition, Scott, Skobel, and Wells (2008) recommend creating a “word conscious” classroom where language is discussed and relished daily, and students delight in an exploration of words. Closing Thoughts Increased vocabulary knowledge helps students understand what they read, and reading comprehension is enhanced when students understand the meaning of words. Thus, there is a reciprocal benefit to independent reading of trade books. One of the best-established relationships in the field of reading is the connection between vocabulary development and achievement in reading (Kuhn, 2006; Hiebert, 2015). Independent reading is the major source of vocabulary acquisition beyond the beginning stages of learning to read (Christ and Wang, 2010). Students who read widely learn the meanings of thousands of new words each year.
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VOCABULARY
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