ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a discussion of the context of learning specialised vocabulary in secondary/Middle School and the importance of carrying out vocabulary research in this area. In the secondary school arena, vocabulary has begun to make its way into national curriculum documents, including the New Zealand Curriculum which states that learners need assistance with the specialised vocabulary of eight learning areas in the curriculum. Secondary school students need to engage with texts in all of their courses of study. Reading textbooks can be particularly demanding in terms of vocabulary load. There is quite a range of possible contexts where English is being used in classrooms in different subject areas as well as a range of learners with different proficiencies in English and different first languages, all in one class. English Literature classes and curricula are an important area of study for specialised vocabulary in secondary education.
