Vocabulary Instruction

Students are constantly learning new vocabulary through their experiences in the classroom and at home, they learn through conversations, reading, etc… Some different approaches to vocabulary instruction in the classroom are using word walls, having class discussions, learning vocabulary, reading aloud, using dictionaries, phonic skills, spelling and writing. Using a mix of the above approaches in the classroom will help support well balanced vocabulary instruction. It is important for teachers to read to the students aloud daily as well as building their vocabulary daily.

With the help of the teacher modeling, and then slowly phasing out, letting the students take control, the students can use their vocabulary skills, to decode words and figure out their meanings through context clues, using word-learning strategies, using definitions and roots of words. Students learn through repetition, so if a new vocabulary word is introduced, it is the teacher’s job to make sure that they use the word in their instruction. Also, it is important to teach students words that may be above their level so that they can have a variety of words to use in their everyday speech and writing.