No abstract

Teaching the meanings of common affixes and steps for inferring the meanings of affixed words enhances students' word learning and fosters their interest in and attention to words.

The authors look back on their participation in three successful multiyear research studies focused on multifaceted vocabulary instruction and distill four overarching lessons that provide practical guidance to schools and teachers interested in implementing effective comprehensive vocabulary instruction. Specifically, they elaborate on the value of instruction that addresses quality, quantity, and strategy dimensions of vocabulary learning; teaching many types of high‐value words; employing versatile instructional strategies such as using visual images and creating vocabulary collections; and seizing opportunities to foster students’ word consciousness. The authors also describe and illustrate a number of practical activities that teachers can employ to enhance their students’ word learning.

The authors describe Literary Analysis and Writing, an integrated instructional routine, developed through a formative experiment research project, that prompts students to uncover the deeper meanings of literary texts. The routine weaves together brief preteaching of carefully selected vocabulary words, whole‐class assisted reading of text, close reading and discussion guided by high‐level text‐based questions, and analytic response writing. The authors discuss the research base for each element of Literary Analysis and Writing, present findings that demonstrate the benefits of the routine on third‐grade students’ performance in comprehension of literature, and detail the teacher researcher’s planning for and implementation of each part of the instructional sequence.

The authors develop the concept of teaching vocabulary for application (TVA) as a component of comprehensive vocabulary instruction. TVA is instruction that focuses on students’ skillful application of small sets of words within academic tasks, such as text analysis and writing. The authors discuss how this instruction, with its extended focus on high‐value words and its explicit goal of improving students’ oral and written language, represents an effective balance to common vocabulary instruction focused on teaching individual word meanings. The authors then illustrate the nature and potential of TVA instruction by describing activities for teaching connectives and character trait vocabulary. These descriptions document the benefits of the activities, including the enhancement of student writing, the stimulation of rich discussion, and the heightening of students’ awareness of words throughout the school day.