Resource for Educators: Vocabulary Lessons

Vocabulary Lessons
By Camille L.Z. Blachowicz and Peter Fisher

Blachowicz, C., & Fisher, P. (2004). Vocabulary Lessons. Educational Leadership, 61(6), 66-9. Retrieved 5 July 2009, from Education Full Text database.

If you are looking for strong research-based reasons on how and why to teach vocabulary, look no further. The article, Vocabulary Lessons, provides an extensive background on the importance of teaching vocabulary, giving key facts as to how it helps students in their daily lives. Furthermore, it provides educators with general researched-based practices that could help foster a love of words in the classroom.

Blachowicz and Fisher (2004) claim that homes, schools, and teachers need to bridge the vocabulary gap that accrues during the early ages of students. Often times, especially in lower income homes, pre-schoolers’ lexicons are lacking due to their in-exposure to words. Add this truth to the fact that students reading vocabularies are generally two years behind their oral vocabulary, and any teacher could have a mess on their hands (Blachowicz et. al., 2004). Students need teachers who immerse them with thrilling words, and engaging literature.

Students must have fun with words while learning the fundamentals of each declaration. When learning is enticing, greater knowledge is acquired. Furthermore, youngsters need explicit instruction that shows students exactly what words mean, how they work, and the importance of using them as much as possible in order to retain their meanings! Reminding students to use the words in their daily lives helps students to become independent thinkers about their vocabulary. Once students have a strong base knowledge of words, they can apply that knowledge to their reading, which will enable them to learn new words; thusly expanding the all important vocabulary bank.

Using researched-based techniques is imperative to students’ learning within classrooms when it comes to vocabulary instruction. Every teacher needs to be aware that all students come to them with a varying level of word knowledge, and that their reading vocabularies are significantly weaker than their oral lexicons. In order to overcome these important facts, teachers should emerge students in explicit instruction that is engaging, thought-provoking and leaves students to become independent thinkers about their own vocabulary!