Vocabulary - Part Five

            Reading print and understanding words are two conditions needed for success in reading grade level books (Biemiller 2000).  Explicit instruction has proven to be an effective way for students to acquire vocabulary knowledge (National Reading Panel 2000).

            Though no formula or explicit list yet exists for selecting age appropriate vocabulary for instruction, researchers have worked out strategies to identify such vocabulary.  When selecting words to teach the three tier system, the sequence of word acquisition and words for English Learners should be considered (Diamond and Gutlohn 2006). 

            An advanced system, or algorithm, for selecting words in a text best suited for direct explanation and focused instruction has been developed (Beck and McKeown 1985).  An established literate individual’s vocabulary basically comprises three tiers of words: Tier One words consist of basic words (these words rarely require instruction), Tier Two words occur frequently in language, are central to comprehension and are understood by established language users (these words are the best words for explicit instruction) and Tier Three words are low frequency or specialized words that are often limited to specific fields, domains of knowledge or content areas such as social studies or science (these should be taught only as they arise).

            Even though English Only (EO) students are assumed to know most Tier One words this is not always the case for ELs.  To guide instruction for ELs a modified criterion should include: concreteness (Is the word concrete or abstract?), cognate status (Does the English word have a cognate in the student’s first language?), depth of meaning (Does the word have multiple meanings?) and utility (Is the meaning of the word key to understanding the selection?).  Content words carry information or meaning in a text.  There are two type of content words: concrete and abstract.  Teaching students whose primary language is not English to take advantage of their cognate knowledge can be a powerful tool (August et al. 2005).

          Words are learned in approximately the same order (Biemiller 2005).  Students acquire vocabulary in a relatively well defined sequence that is ordered by vocabulary size rather than by grade level (Biemiller 2005).