ABSTRACT
Adequate vocabulary is a necessary (though not suf cient) condition for comprehension of any written text. For most of the rst 8 years of life, vocabulary size is now largely determined by language used at home and encouragement for vocabulary at home. By the end of Grade 2, children vary markedly in vocabulary, differences which are very predictive of later school achievement. Those in the lowest quarter average about 2 years behind grade-level children in root word vocabulary. Those whose reading comprehension is below grade level typically also have vocabularies below grade level (and vice versa). Because vocabulary is acquired in a predictable order, it should be possible to do more than educators do presently to ensure that children build adequate vocabulary. During students’ preliterate years, when children’s reading levels are lower than their oral comprehension, educators need to teach vocabulary in oral contexts. During students’ literate years, when reading becomes a major source of new vocabulary, educators must be prepared to help students with unknown meanings. In this chapter, selecting word meanings for instruction and methods for vocabulary instruction will be brie y described. Disabilities in reading and language are also brie y described.
