Vocabulary Instruction in the Common Core State Standards Era

Students who are verbally gifted enjoy vocabulary instruction. Word play, vocabulary games, and learning Greek and Latin stems are all activities that can be engaging to even the youngest students. Beyond this, however, it is important to understand how crucial it is that vocabulary instruction is intentional and robust, especially for students from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds and/or who are learning English as a second language. It is estimated that first graders from low-SES settings come to school knowing about half as many words as more advantaged children (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2008). In our efforts to spot and develop potential in underserved populations, it is crucial that we use deliberate strategies to promote vocabulary growth.