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Teaching vocabulary effectively can be challenging. There are many myths about vocabulary instruction that, while untrue, are widely shared. As you read, reflect on how materials you have used in the past reinforce or counter these myths. 

Dictionaries

While teaching definitions is a critical tool for learning new vocabulary, dictionary definitions are usually not rich enough on their own. They should be used together with other sources of information to provide a full and accurate understanding of a word.

Vocabulary is best learned by simply looking up or being given definitions from the dictionary.

select

Correct!

#3

Select the more accurate statement:

Vocabulary is not taught effectively by relying mainly on dictionary definitions.

MYTH

Adequately comprehending a text requires knowledge of about 95% of the words.

We can adequately comprehend texts if we know about 75% of the words.

#4

Word Knowledge and Comprehension

Of course, it is not necessary to know ALL the words in a text, and one way to learn new words is to encounter them in print. In order to learn new words by reading them in a text, a student must already know almost all the other words in the text, at least 95%. When we want to rely on texts as a resource in vocabulary learning, we must be careful to select texts that offer just the right level of challenge.

Words can be learned from one or two exposures, as long as they are clearly defined.

New words are typically only learned after several exposures, where the student can clarify the nuances of how a word is used and what it means. So, vocabulary instruction should include multiple opportunities for learners to read and use target words over a period of time.

#5

We need multiple exposures to words before they are truly learned.

Recurrent Exposures

#6

Simple words can be used in unfamiliar ways, and this can be especially confusing sometimes!

Simple Words with Varied Meanings

Word meaning is simple—a word means what it means. (Everybody knows what “dog” means!)

Even the words that seem simplest may have complex meanings in advanced texts. For example, “run” may be used to describe how a scientist “runs an experiment”, or as a "run" in baseball.  

I will be most effective if I choose a single strategy for teaching word meanings and stick with it.

I cannot rely on a single strategy to teach word meanings and be effective.

Most educators have a favorite method for word learning, such as reading in context, chunking words and thinking about the meaning of each syllable, or exploring etymology. However, for the fastest word acquisition, we need to teach and use every route possible.

#7

Approaches to Word Study

Teaching cognates is a bad idea because sometimes they are false and thus mislead students.

#8

Teaching cognates is a good idea because they are often helpful to making sense of new words. 

Cognates

While some “false” cognates do have very different meanings in English than in another language, the majority of Latin-based cognates offer a good source of reasonable guesses about word meaning.

Frequently Used Words

Some vocabulary words are more central than others to helping students understand text. For example, words such as hypothesis, confirm, theory, and argument express important ideas about truth, evidence, and drawing conclusions, and are likely to be encountered across contexts like math, science, and social studies, with slightly different meanings in each context. These are important words to teach. Many such words exist. 

#9

When teaching unfamiliar words, it is most important to focus on those that are weightier or used more frequently.

When teaching unfamiliar words, it is most important to focus on those that are most rare because students will have encountered these words least often.

partially correct...

Discourse connectives (e.g., although, thus, and) require explicit teaching.

#10

Discourse connectives (e.g., although, thus, and) appear frequently and do not need to be explicitly taught.

Discourse connectives are another important type of word to teach. These are words that signal relationships between ideas. Simple discourse connectives (and, but) probably do not need to be taught, but learning less frequent discourse connectives (unless, however, although, despite) could greatly improve students’ comprehension of texts.

Discourse Connectives

#11

Student Choice

Relying on students to identify unknown words is not sufficient for highly effective vocabulary instruction.

Relying on students to identify unknown words is a highly effective strategy for teaching vocabulary.

Students cannot always be counted on to recognize when they don’t fully understand a word, especially if it has multiple meanings. For example, they may know the word “substitute” as an adjective that describes a teacher, but not as a process of swapping one chemical for another.

Students can acquire new words incidentally. However, especially for learners with limited vocabulary who need to learn quickly to catch up, explicit teaching of carefully chosen words can be productive and efficient.

#1

Explicitly teaching the definition of words is unnecessary for most students because students pick up meanings incidentally by encountering the words in conversation and while reading.

Explicit Teaching of Definitions

Explicitly teaching the definition of new vocabulary is essential for most students.

Relying on Context

Students will find it impossible to learn the meaning of “pulchritude” through the basic sentence: Cleopatra's subjects were amazed at her pulchritude. To learn new words through context requires both that the text provides enough richness to understand the word and that the student comprehends the rest of the sentence. So, the learners who most need vocabulary knowledge will have the hardest time inferring meaning from context.

Texts often do not have enough context for students to infer word meanings.

Word meanings can usually be inferred from context.

#2

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Students often learn how to spell or pronounce words without knowing their meanings. 

It is okay for teachers to assume that a student knows a word if they are able to pronounce it or spell it. 

Spell + Pronounce = Know?

#12

Understanding word meaning is the critical point, and pronunciation and spelling are ways to consolidate that meaning. Some students may learn to pronounce and even spell words without understanding their meanings.

RESTART

Understanding word meaning is the critical point, and pronunciation and spelling are ways to consolidate that meaning. Some students may learn to pronounce and even spell words without understanding their meanings.

Select the more accurate statement.

Students will find it impossible to learn the meaning of “pulchritude” through the basic sentence: Cleopatra's subjects were amazed at her pulchritude. To learn new words through context requires both that the text provides enough richness to understand the word and that the student comprehends the rest of the sentence. So, the learners who most need vocabulary knowledge will have the hardest time inferring meaning from context.

Even the words that seem simplest may have complex meanings in advanced texts.  For example, “run” may be used to describe how a scientist “runs an experiment”, or as a "run" in baseball. 

Discourse connectives appear frequently and do not need to be explicitly taught.

Discourse connectives require explicit teaching.