Vocabulary, Reading and Classroom Supports for Language

Abstract

Successful acquisition of the ability to read with comprehension is essential for school success and for full participation in the mainstream technological society. The ability to read with comprehension draws on multiple intellectual skills, with vocabulary and other language abilities being of central importance (Hoover and Gough, 1990; Rapp, van den Broek, McMaster, Panayiota and Espin, 2007). Although vocabulary has long been recognized as important to reading success (Anderson and Freebody, 1981; National Reading Panel, 2000), instruction in the early grades in the United States traditionally has focused heavily on issues related to decoding (i.e. letter knowledge, phonics and associated phonemic awareness ability). Explicit, intentional instruction related to building vocabulary has tended to begin around fourth or fifth grade and in some cases has been delayed until high school. But mounting evidence suggests that by attending narrowly to ‘basic skills’ at the expense of vocabulary, later reading comprehension abilities suffer.

Work on this essay was supported by a grant from the Institute for Educational Sciences R324E060088A, Department of Education. Secondary authors are listed in alphabetical order.