Recommendation 1 Provide Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Level of Evidence: Strong

1. Institute of Education Sciences Adolescent Literacy Practice Guide Recommendation 1Provide Explicit Vocabulary InstructionLevel of Evidence: Strong

2. Research Includes Students From: • Upper Elementary • Middle/High School • Diverse Geographic and Socioeconomic backgrounds

3. Recommendations For Teachers Of: • Reading and language arts classes • Content area classes such as social studies and science

4. Caveat to Interpreting Research on Vocabulary Instruction • All studies show effects on increased vocabulary learning. • Only mixed results on effect of explicit vocabulary instruction on general measures of comprehension. • Hypothesis: Whereas limited vocabulary interferes with comprehension, additional literacy skills are needed for successful reading comprehension.

5. Research to Support the Recommendation Vocabulary carries a large share of the meaning in content area texts. Implication: Integrating explicit vocabulary instruction into subject areas enhances students’ ability to acquire textbook vocabulary.

6. Research to Support the Recommendation A meta-analysis indicates the probability of learning meanings of new words while reading is relatively low--about 15%. Implication: Explicit vocabulary instruction is needed to ensure all students acquire print vocabulary needed for academic success.

7. Research to Support the Recommendation Words are best learned through repeated exposure in multiple contexts and domains. Implication: Many content area texts contain specialized vocabulary students may not encounter outside their textbooks. Therefore, repeated exposures in varying contexts must be planned.

8. Instruction in Strategies to Promote Independent Vocabulary Acquisition Skills Direct Instruction in Word Meanings Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Two Major Approaches: The two approaches are complementary rather than conflicting.

9. How to Carry Out the Recommendation

10. Dedicate a portion of each regular classroom lesson to explicit vocabulary instruction.

11. Use repeated exposure to new words in multiple oral and written contexts and allow sufficient practice opportunities.

12. Give sufficient opportunities to use new vocabulary in a variety of contexts through activities such as discussions, writing, and extended reading.

13. Provide students with strategies to make them independent vocabulary learners.

15. Other Considerations • Criteria for Selecting Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: • Literary Text • Tiered categories of words - Tier I, Tier II, Tier III • Tier II words are focus of explicit instruction • Content Materials • Select on the basis of how important the words are for learning in the particular discipline

16. Other Considerations • Although explicitly teaching vocabulary in each content area lesson requiring reading will take a few minutes of additional time…it will pay substantial dividends for student learning in the long run.