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Reading PK-3 > Strategies > Direct Instruction: Vocabulary

Direct Instruction: Vocabulary

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Overview

Seeing and using new words repeatedly and in many contexts is critical for Vocabulary acquisition. In discussions and reading, teachers can provide students multiple opportunities to see, understand, and apply new Vocabulary words, as well as chances to use strategies for identifying unfamiliar words.

Use It in the Classroom

Watch how this kindergarten teacher explicitly teaches academic Vocabulary using multiple multisensory ways to explore the words, such as images and gestures.

  • Teachers should explicitly teach the meaning of new words, especially academic Vocabulary, and then provide repeated opportunities to hear and practice using these words in reading and speaking. Direct instruction in narrative and inferential Vocabulary is also critical for helping students learn new words and strengthen their Narrative Skills and Verbal Reasoning skills.

    • Design It into Your Product

    Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

    Learn how SpeakAgent's Vocab Lab supports direct academic language instruction with multimodal activities. Students learn new words by building on known words and using context clues.

  • Developers can expose learners to new Vocabulary through direct instruction by teaching them the meanings of words, showing the words in multiple contexts, and lastly providing repeated practice and opportunities to use those words in different contexts.
    • View References

    Resources

    Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
    Research

    Cognition & Memory

    Topic that includes cognitive science theories about how the brain processes information on Digital Promise's Research Map

    Examples

    Academic Language in the Elementary Classroom

    The role of and strategies for teaching academic language to younger students

    Examples

    Academic Language in the Elementary Classroom

    The role of and strategies for teaching academic language to younger students

    Examples

    Narrowing the Language Gap

    Making the case for explicit vocabulary instruction including strategies

    Examples

    Six-Step Routine for Vocabulary Instruction

    Sample plan for vocabulary instruction

    Examples

    Vocabulary: Explicit vs. Implicit

    Reading Rockets strategies for vocabulary instruction

    Factors Supported by this Strategy

    Language and Literacy
    Background Knowledge
    Decoding
    Morphological Awareness
    Narrative Skills
    Sight Recognition
    Verbal Reasoning
    Vocabulary
    Cognition
    Attention
    Inhibition
    Long-term Memory
    Short-term Memory
    Speed of Processing
    Working Memory
    Social and Emotional Learning
    Self-Regulation
    Student Background
    Adverse Experiences
    Home Literacy Environment
    Physical Fitness
    Primary Language
    Safety
    Sleep
    Socioeconomic Status

    More Instructional Approaches Strategies

    Dialogic Reading

    With this interactive technique, teachers help students become storytellers by listening and questioning.

    Direct Instruction: Comprehension Strategies

    When teachers provide explicit instruction in comprehension strategies and model when to use them, students learn how to flexibly apply them to make meaning of texts.

    Family Engagement

    Students are more likely to come to school when families feel like a valued part of the community.

    Guided Inquiry

    In guided inquiry, teachers help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning.

    Independent Reading

    Independent reading promotes reading development by emphasizing student choice with teacher support in selecting books, as well as by making time for free reading.

    Literacy Centers

    Literacy centers with reading games, manipulatives, and activities support learner interests and promote the development of more complex reading skills and social interactions.

    Mindfulness Activities

    Through short but regular mindfulness activities, students develop their awareness and ability to focus.

    Multimodal Instruction

    Instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills to understand and remember the steps they are to take in their reading work.

    Non-intensive HLE Intervention Program

    A parent evening meeting about how to support literacy at home with one follow-up meeting with each family has shown strong results for students' reading development.

    Phonics Programs

    Students with low early literacy skills benefit from a focus on phonics and Phonological Awareness.

    Pre-reading Questioning

    Talking with students about what they know about the topic of upcoming work helps activate their Background Knowledge or reveals gaps.

    Whole Language

    Students with strong early literacy skills benefit from a literacy-rich approach.

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