ABSTRACT
This chapter affirms the importance of vocabulary size in terms of reading success both in English and across the curriculum. It draws on research by Beck, McKeown and Kucan, promoting their ‘tiers of vocabulary’ as a useful reference point for teaching. The way children acquire a broad and rich vocabulary is applied to the secondary classroom, including the teaching of more formal vocabulary – that found in literary and academic texts and often carrying multiple meanings; subject-specific vocabulary and register; and commonly confused words, including homophones and near homophones. Teaching approaches include drawing on morphology and etymology – root words and affixes, as well as word roots – and also synonyms and phrasal verbs.
