Components of the Reading Rope: Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an undervalued asset. The richer a person’s vocabulary, the richer his or her thinking. We will only be able to communicate what our vocabulary allows. Therefore, if our vocabulary is limited, our communication will be limited as well. This is why vocabulary is one of the eight fundamental strands of Scarborough’s reading rope, and therefore an integral part of the landscape of any student’s reading development.

Why is Vocabulary Instruction So Important?

Better Communicators

It is important to equip students with a wide vocabulary for a variety of reasons. First and most importantly, the more words a student knows, the better they’ll be able to communicate with others. They’ll be able to better understand what others say and hold their own in a conversation. 

More Access to Text

Another important reason to build students’ vocabulary is that it allows them to access higher-level texts. The primary measure of whether a book is appropriate for a student is how many words they can’t pronounce and/or define. Therefore, the more words a student knows, the more text they will be able to read, and in turn, comprehend.

More Expressiveness

Students with a wide vocabulary are also better able to express themselves. This is true in all communicative contexts, not just academic. Having a larger vocabulary also makes communicating more efficient. When a person can’t find the exact word she needs in order to express herself, her words often become convoluted and imprecise. A broader vocabulary almost always translates invariably to a more effective manner of communicating.

Ways to Expand Students’ Vocabulary

Exposure

The best method for expanding students’ vocabulary is through exposure. When students have access to a wide variety and large number of words that are challenging but still in their zone of proximal development, their vocabulary grows. While not the most effective nor the fastest way to teach students new vocabulary words, simple exposure is the most natural and convenient.

Explicitly Teach Words, But Choose Wisely

There will, of course, be vocabulary words that come up in instruction that are necessary to teach, like mathematical terms or those pertaining to science units. There are also high-leverage words that students in each grade level are expected to know and be able to define when they come across them in text, like the ones in this list. But it’s important to choose these words wisely, and to avoid having students “drill” them through repetition. Instead, students should have multiple opportunities to practice newly learned words both in spoken and written contexts.

This method is best reserved for critical vocabulary words that students must know at a certain grade level, but can also be used for domain-specific words that students will need in order to successfully engage in the curriculum for a given subject area.

Marzano’s Method of Vocabulary Development

Educational researcher Robert Marzano created a six-step process for teaching vocabulary words, known as the “Marzano Method”. While six steps might sound unnecessarily tedious, it’s actually one of the most effective strategies for teaching students new words so they actually stick.