Vocabulary: Why and How

This summary is excerpted from the article’s abstract and conclusion.

Due to both opportunity and aptitude, some children acquire more word meanings than other children. Even by the primary grades, a limited vocabulary predicts poor educational achievement throughout students' public school careers. For children in need of more vocabulary, this white paper addresses the following questions.

Roughly how many words do lower vocabulary children need to learn? What meanings ought to be taught directly? What word meanings ought to be introduced, but not necessarily taught? What meanings can be left to experience without instructional attention? How does this differ for pre-literate children, and literate students through grade 6?

Because vocabulary is a cumulative process, children with low vocabularies at the end of the primary grades are already at a major disadvantage, even if they have been mastering word identification, reading skills and early computational skills. Thus, addressing low vocabulary in preschool, primary grades, and beyond appears to be the most effective approach to give students a fair opportunity for future academic achievement.