Print Download « Professional Development Home

Vocabulary plays a critical role in learning to read and comprehend text and, therefore, in children's success in school (Biemiller, 2003; Davis, 1942; Whipple, 1925). Nagy (1988, p. 1) states that "Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the words mean."

The National Research Council (1998) also concluded that vocabulary development should be a fundamental goal for students in the early grades. However, there is evidence to suggest that little attention is often devoted to vocabulary acquisition in today's classrooms (Biemiller, 2001; Scott, Jamieson, & Asselin, 1998). Because vocabulary development not only improves reading comprehension, but also supports students' writing and speaking, as well as learning in the content areas, it deserves to become a higher priority beginning in the elementary grades and continuing through the middle and upper grades.

What instructional practices should guide vocabulary development? The report of the National Reading Panel (2000) on vocabulary instruction, together with Kamil's (2004) summary of the same report, indicate that:

• Repetition and multiple exposure to vocabulary words are important.
• Children should be actively engaged in learning new vocabulary.
• A variety of methods should be used to optimize learning.
• Vocabulary tasks should be restructured when necessary.
• Computer technology can be used to enhance instruction.

Four Types of Vocabulary

Vocabulary is commonly referred to as being one of four types:

1. listening vocabulary - the words we need to know in order to understand what we hear
2. speaking vocabulary - the words we use when we speak
3. reading vocabulary - the words we need to know in order to understand what we read
4. writing vocabulary - the words we use in writing

(Source: Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001)