Word Knowledge Instruction: We Can Walk and Chew Gum at the Same Time

Abstract

Although development of young children’s vocabulary knowledge is critical for their literacy, it often is neglected in classrooms, especially those pressed for time. In this article we explore a literacy coach’s implementation of SAIL (Survey, Analyze, Interpret, Link), an instructional framework that integrates academic vocabulary (AV) development with development of children’s orthographic knowledge during small‐group word‐study instruction. We also examine the teacher’s talk moves and their relationship to students’ learning of AV. The context is a pullout intervention with kindergarten and first‐grade children in a lower‐performing school. We identified five, teacher talk moves that characterize the AV instruction and describe them through transcript excerpts. Children demonstrated significant growth in orthographic knowledge and in learning taught AV. Our discoveries provide support for integration of these two areas. Integration provided a meaningful context for AV learning and opportunity for more efficient teaching, without detriment to learning in either area.