Vocabulary Strategies in the Middle School Classroom
Vocabulary Strategies in the Middle School Classroom
Tabetha Dawkins
EEC 428
Professor: Dr. Piowlski
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Vocabulary is something that we use everyday. It is a component of classroom learning that is critical for student learning and comprehension of text. According to Adolescent Literacy, "vocabulary" is defined as "words that are used in speech and print to communicate." (2007, p. 14) Adolescent Literacy refers to three kinds of vocabulary. Oral vocabulary are words that the student uses in speech. Aural words are words the student understands when listening to someone else speak. Print vocabulary are words that the student recognizes in reading and writing. (2007, p. 14) All three of these types of vocabulary are important for students to comprehend what they are learning. The strategies discussed on this website can be used to teach oral, aural and print vocabulary, as well as content-specific academic vocabulary and content-general academic vocabulary.