Developing Vocabulary and Oral Language in Young Children

This book presents the most effective instructional strategies for promoting vocabulary growth in the early grades, when the interdependence of word learning and oral language development is especially strong. The authors guide teachers in choosing the best materials and in fostering home-school connections, and share six key principles for building vocabulary. Included are guiding questions; text boxes connecting vocabulary to the Common Core State Standards; examples from real teachers; reproducible checklists, rubrics, and other tools; and an appendix of additional vocabulary resources. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Rebecca D. Silverman, EdD, is Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, where she teaches classes and conducts research on reading and writing in early childhood and elementary school classrooms. Her research focuses on vocabulary and comprehension of diverse children, particularly English language learners and children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. A former elementary school teacher, Dr. Silverman has led two federally funded grants focused on vocabulary and comprehension and has published studies in journals including the Journal of Educational Psychology, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Reading Research Quarterly, and the Elementary School Journal.
 
Anna G. Meyer, EdM, is Faculty Research Associate in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland, where she also serves as Project Director for the Reading Buddies Research Project. Her research focuses on the instruction and inclusion of students with disabilities and their peers in the areas of reading and writing. She has managed locally and federally funded projects, contributed to presentations at national conferences, and coauthored publications in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly and the Elementary School Journal.

1. The Importance of Vocabulary Breadth and Depth
2. Principles of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
3. Explicit and Extended Vocabulary Instruction
4. Word Learning and Word Use in a Language Rich Environment
5. Word Awareness and Independent Word Learning
6. Assessing Vocabulary Knowledge
7. Differentiating Vocabulary Instruction
8. Using Multimedia to Support Word Learning in the Digital Age
9. Home–School Connections to Support Word Learning
10. Implementing Vocabulary Instruction in Prekindergarten through Second-Grade Classrooms
Appendix. Resources for Vocabulary Instruction