Words Matter: The Importance of Teaching Vocabulary

We’ve made advancements in many areas - technology, science, and global/social issues, but, as an educator, one area I don’t see great advancements in is language and vocabulary development. As an avid reader I have noticed that when reading classics, such as Jane Eyre, that the intensity of vocabulary usage is such that I either need to carry around my dictionary or load the book on my e-reader so I’ll have dictionary access. When reading more contemporary novels, I don’t seem to have that problem. The National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000) identified vocabulary as one of five major components of reading. Its importance to overall school success, and more specifically to reading comprehension, is widely documented.

By definition, vocabulary is generally referred to as "words used in language." In the world of education, we think of vocabulary as words and their meanings to help a student to grow academically. We often hear about vocabulary as students prepare for tests such as the SAT. Ideally, vocabulary should be a focus throughout a student’s academic career - not just to prepare for a test.

Educators have always recognized the correlation between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Students who struggle with reading tend to read less because understanding the text is more difficult. Pepper client, EngageNY, cites in an article, Why Teach Vocabulary, “Direct instruction in vocabulary can help arrest this cycle….explicit instruction can help students learn enough words to become better readers. Direct vocabulary instruction is useful for students at all ability levels, but it is particularly useful for beginning students who have a limited reading vocabulary and little exposure to incidental vocabulary learning outside of school.”

The National Reading Panel (NRP) provides eight elements for providing rich vocabulary instruction:

• Provide direct instruction of vocabulary words for a specific text.
• Repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items are important.
• Vocabulary words should be those that the learner will find useful in many contexts.
• Vocabulary tasks should be restructured as necessary.
• Vocabulary learning is effective when it entails active engagement that goes beyond definitional knowledge.
• Computer technology can be used effectively to help teach vocabulary.
• Vocabulary can be acquired through incidental learning.
• Dependence on a single vocabulary instruction method will not result in optimal learning.

NRP’s Review of the Current Research on Vocabulary Instruction states, “Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world.”

Pepper’s Building Academic Vocabulary in Middle School and Building Academic Vocabulary in High School courses are designed to provide more strategic selection and instruction of vocabulary words to improve students' reading comprehension and deepen understanding of key content area concepts. You can check out this course, as well as other great options, by visiting the Pepper Course Library.

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Scaffolding: Building Better Understanding

In the construction world a scaffold is a temporary structure used to support a work crew. In education, the use of scaffolding is not that different. Instructional scaffolding gives support to the student as they’re learning new skills and concepts. According to The Glossary of Education Reform, “scaffolding refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process.” While scaffolding is similar to differentiation, when teachers scaffold instruction, they generally take the concept they are trying to teach and break it down into smaller parts. This makes it easier for a student to fully understand each piece before moving on - kind of like eating an elephant one bite at a time. When differentiating instruction, a teacher may give students entirely different reading assignments on the same topic that will match their reading level, or give a choice of assignments that they may choose from to complete.

Scaffolding instruction can allow for greater quality of instruction, but may take more initial planning. According to Rebecca Alber, “scaffolding is what you do first with kids, then for those students who are still struggling, you may need to differentiate by modifying an assignment and/or making accommodations for a student.”

On Edutopia, Alber gives Six Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students:

1. Show and Tell - Many students learn best when they can see and hear about something. Modeling a concept allows a student to visualize and build understanding.
2. Tap into Prior Knowledge - Build on skills and ideas that the student already knows.
3. Give Time to Talk - Allow students the opportunity to talk with other students about new ideas.
4. Pre-Teach Vocabulary - Familiarize students with new vocabulary related to the new concept before tackling the more in depth ideas.
5. Use Visual Aids - The use of graphic organizers, pictures, and charts help guide students' thought processes and, ultimately, their understanding.
6. Pause, Ask Questions, Pause, Review - Question and discuss. Give students time to think. Repeat. This is a great way to check for comprehension and help them remember important information.

Abler’s best advice overall in this article is that sometimes “you have slow down in order to go quickly. Scaffolding a lesson may, in fact, take longer to teach, but the end product is of far greater quality and the experience much more rewarding for all involved.”

Our wide variety of Pepper course offerings give plenty of opportunities for teachers to use scaffolding strategies in their classrooms. Be sure to check out all of our Pepper Courses - we’re always adding new content!

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