Strategies to teach children vocabulary
From KNILT
Introduction
Vocabulary plays an important part in learning a language. Children’s development of speaking, listening, reading and writing are based on their development of vocabulary. Especially it is correlated to reading in learning and developing a language. One of the most enduring findings in reading research is the extent to which students’ vocabulary knowledge relates to their reading comprehension.
Robust Vocabulary Instruction
- Multiple exposures
- Definitional information and contextual information
- Sufficient amount of instructional time to insure understanding of words
- Active engagement in instruction
What teachers should do, and what teachers should avoid
| Ideal | Least effective |
| Teacher infuses specific word explanations as they occur during the story. | Teacher does not draw attention to words during the shared reading. |
| Teacher introduces specific vocabulary using picture cards or props and poses questions about the word and encourages children to comment on the word. | Teacher does not draw attention to any specific words on cards or props |
| Teacher asks children to repeat the specific words after the teacher has said them to establish a phonological representation | Teacher does not ask children to repeat the word after hearing the word. |
| Teacher explains all specific word meaning in child-friendly terms. | Teacher provides no definitions of specific words. |
| Teacher explains meaning of specific words as they were used in or related to the story. | Teacher does not explain meaning of specific words as they were used in the story. |
| Teacher provides examples of each of the specific words outside of the story context. | Teacher provides examples of each of the specific words outside of the story context. |
| Teacher encourages students to construct their own examples or make judgments about the specific words. | Teacher does not encourage children to construct examples or make judgments about the words. |
Vocabulary teaching strategy unit1 : Reading books aloud
Vocabulary teaching strategy Unit 2 : RETELLING AND DRAMA UNIT
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