As children read, they come across new words that they may not have been exposed to in their oral language. In order for comprehension to occur, children must have word knowledge, or vocabulary, in addition to reasoning skills. According to the National Reading Panel, vocabulary instruction is most effective when it is taught in a variety of ways.
Children should be explicitly taught specific words selected from texts that they are reading. In addition to specific word instruction, children should be taught word-learning strategies, such as how to determine a word’s meaning based on its roots and affixes (prefixes and suffixes). Finally, participation in language-rich experiences both at home and at school, such as being read to and reading independently, can promote children’s incidental vocabulary development and appreciation for language.
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