Vocabulary
According to the Oxford English dictionary, vocabulary means the body of words used in a particular language.
Vocabulary is the knowledge of word meanings. (Biemiller & Boote, 2006) By Grade 2 the average students have acquired 6,000 root word meanings. The gap between the lowest quartile and the highest quartile is 2,000. During primary years, the average children acquires at least 840 root word meanings per year, however the lowest quartile add only averages 570 meanings per year. This finding contradicts the research finding that age affects vocabulary development, since students are more or less the same age in each grade (Biemiller & Boote, 2006). Nonetheless a joint effort between school and home needs to be implemented to bridge the gap. |
Teaching strategies recommended for teaching vocabulary:
|
Teaching vocabulary through reading stories reflects the interwoven nature of reading and vocabulary. Reading contributes to an increased vocabulary, and a rich vocabulary is essential to efficient reading. (Winch & March, 2014) Additionally, using story books has been proven to be effective in increasing students' vocabulary with word meanings improved by as much as 25%. Explanations about new words are given while reading and are repeatedly emphasised. (Biemiller & Boote, 2006)
It is important to choose books that interest children, as engaging students in learning is crucial for effective teaching. (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development) Additionally children take more ownership of the reading because they choose the books themselves. Reading aloud has been recommended and implemented by many field educators (Pikulski & Templeton, 2004, Harvey & Goudvis, 2007); its philosophy is similar to the memory strategy for learning spelling - "check, sound it out, think if it is right". Multiliteracies such as films and cartoons provide multiple sensory experiences in learning in comparison to print texts; they are also fun and relevant to the contemporary children's world that is dominated by Information and Computer Technology (ICT).
It is important to choose books that interest children, as engaging students in learning is crucial for effective teaching. (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development) Additionally children take more ownership of the reading because they choose the books themselves. Reading aloud has been recommended and implemented by many field educators (Pikulski & Templeton, 2004, Harvey & Goudvis, 2007); its philosophy is similar to the memory strategy for learning spelling - "check, sound it out, think if it is right". Multiliteracies such as films and cartoons provide multiple sensory experiences in learning in comparison to print texts; they are also fun and relevant to the contemporary children's world that is dominated by Information and Computer Technology (ICT).
Oxford top 100 words list
These mere 100 words make up 50% of most English texts. (Pikulski & Templeton, 2004, p.3) Therefore mastering these words and knowing how to spell them is crucial for other aspects of English literacy development.
Four types of vocabulary
(Pikulski & Templeton, 2004, p. 2)
The chart above also shows how vocabulary is embedded in other aspects of English language strands and is consistent with some of the vocabulary teaching strategies mentioned earlier on this page, such as repetitive reading, read aloud and so on.
The chart above also shows how vocabulary is embedded in other aspects of English language strands and is consistent with some of the vocabulary teaching strategies mentioned earlier on this page, such as repetitive reading, read aloud and so on.