ABSTRACT
The goal of reading instruction and practice is for learners to improve their comprehension of the text by using automatic and unconscious knowledge and processing strategies. Ultimately, however, successful reading comprehension comes down to vocabulary. In order to understand a text, readers must understand a large majority of the words, perhaps as much as 95 percent of the vocabulary. English L2 readers must learn words in the classroom and on their own. In the classroom, teachers are not always sure how to balance vocabulary instruction and more general reading comprehension activities. If they think that readers acquire vocabulary while they are reading, they may avoid activities that are devoted to vocabulary. This chapter begins with a look at some topdown comprehension and vocabulary strategies, before moving on to study ways to supplement top-down vocabulary strategies with some word-analysis and phonological acquisition strategies.
