Encounters with Words: Vocabulary Instruction
Encounters with Words: Vocabulary Instruction
Jamie Glass
Peabody College at Vanderbilt
Capstone Proposal
Spring 2010
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Encounters with Words: Vocabulary Instruction
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Capstone Proposal
Vocabulary instruction is an important aspect of reading comprehension in
literature as well as the other content areas. Students need more than dictionary skills to
be effective in figuring out the meaning of words. They must be interested in learning
words and excited about it. Students should be offered an opportunity to select the words
they will learn about. This will engage the students and make them a part of the learning
process.
The learning environment should foster word consciousness and surrounded
students with words. Words walls offer a place to display the vocabulary students are
learning. They can add words and relate words with ones they previously learned. They
should have an environment that encourages the use of words and the inquiry into word
meanings. Students can extend this learning to words they encounter at home and outside
of the school environment.
Words are complicated to understand because they often have more than one
meaning, and their meanings are interrelated. Therefore, word learning is incremental
and teachers must link new words with familiar words. Vocabulary instruction can be
explicit and involve read alouds and word play. Read alouds allow for repeated exposure
to words and give the students a context to help define the word. Students should have a
variety of experiences with words through different genres of books and activities that
allow students to use and investigate words. Students can discuss words, pick their own
words to study, and play with words. Students should be exposed to spellings of words
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and have an opportunity to decode and pronounce words. While writing, students should
check their word choice.
Teachers must also assess students’ word knowledge by utilizing a range of
assessments. Assessments should be authentic and use words in context rather than as
individualized words. The contexts must also be varied since words have more than one
meaning. Word knowledge must also be assessed over time since learning is
incremental.
In order to teach vocabulary, teachers must have an understanding of the
complexity of word meanings. They need to excite their students and make them aware
of the importance of vocabulary. The learning environment must enable students to
encounter words in a variety of contexts and be able to explore words they are interested
in. There are many strategies for teaching vocabulary that provide authentic learning
opportunities. This will allow students to apply strategies to unknown words they
encounter while reading or in their other content classes. Teachers must also assess
students’ word knowledge because it plays an important role in comprehension. Words
play an integral role in life and learning making vocabulary instruction vital.
Encounters with Words: Vocabulary Instruction
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Reading List
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Matter
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