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Why teach vocabulary?
Vocabulary is the largest determinant of comprehension of language. Teachers often ask, "Which words make up that vocabulary for preschool, primary, and upper elementary school students?" "Which words are likely to be needed?" This article is about ways of teaching and fostering needed vocabulary at the preschool, primary, and upper elementary and middle school grades.
The vocabulary needed to comprehend a specific text consists of knowledge of most of the words in that text. Some word meanings are learned earlier than others. Thus, if most of the words in a text are known by most children by age 5, that text would be considered appropriate to read to kindergartners or to be read by beginning readers. Conversely, a text with many words not understood by the majority of children in grade 2 is not appropriate for primary grade children to read independently.
By kindergarten, the number of words known orally (i.e., vocabulary) is the strongest predictor of children's reading comprehension when they reach the upper elementary grades (Scarborough, 2001). Cunningham and Stanovich (1997) extended those findings to high school. While there are variations in how quickly children acquire reading skills in the primary grades, by grade 3 for most students, lack of vocabulary is a far greater obstacle for comprehension than a lack of other reading skills such as phonics and word recognition. However, if a student's reading is restricted by learning disabilities such as dyslexia, it can further limit vocabulary development.
How many word meanings are needed before and during the primary grades?
I refer to word meanings rather than words. Especially at the preschool and primary levels, specific word forms (e.g., lean, place) access a number of meanings; some meanings that are related and some that are not. Meanings that really differ (e.g., lean meat versus lean the rake on the wall) simply are different root words that have to be learned. On the other hand, words with different grammatical variations (e.g., lean versus leaned) are not different root word meanings.
I estimate that at the beginning of kindergarten, average children probably know around 3,000 (+/- 1000) root word meanings. In homes where many words are used and explained, children add vocabulary rapidly compared to children in homes where...