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Top 10 Resources on Vocabulary

Browse our resources about how to build academic language, the value of quality children's books, effective classroom strategies like word maps and semantic feature analysis, how parents can nurture vocabulary development at home, and more.

1. Linking the Language: A Cross-Disciplinary Vocabulary Approach

   Introducing students to a rich variety of words that share the same root can help diverse learners make important connections among vocabulary words within the same family and transfer core ideas across content areas.

2. Use Words to Teach Words

   Students with strong comprehension skills know about word prefixes, suffixes, word roots, and multiple meanings of words. Families can help develop word knowledge through simple conversations focused on words.

3. Building Your Child's Vocabulary

   Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk.

4. A Multidimensional Approach to Vocabulary Instruction: Supporting English Language Learners in Inclusive Classrooms

   Eight characteristics of a multidimensional approach are described. The first is the introduction of new words through engaging children's literature.

5. Building Language and Scientific Literacy in Young Children

   Young children are naturally curious. Early childhood educators and parents can build on children's questions, eagerness, and enthusiasm to help them learn the language and concepts of science and scientific inquiry.

6. Choosing Words to Teach

   Teaching vocabulary is complex. What words are important for a child to know and in what context? In this excerpt from Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, the authors consider what principles might be used for selecting which words to explicitly teach.

7. Developing Academic Language: Got Words?

   This article reviews the research and offers some practical suggestions for teachers about how to build academic vocabulary and weave its instruction into the curriculum.

8. List-Group-Label

   This classroom strategy — a form of semantic mapping — encourages students to improve their vocabulary and categorization skills, and organize concepts.

9. Word Maps

   Using a graphic organizer, students think about terms or concepts in several ways, including a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and a picture.

10. Semantic Feature Analysis

    This strategy uses a grid to explore how a set of things are related to one another. It illustrates how words are both similar and different and emphasizes the uniqueness of each word. It also draws on students' prior knowledge and uses discussion to elicit information about word meanings.

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