Allow Opportunities for Wide Reading so Students Are Exposed to Words All the Time in a Variety of Books

Because we know that six to eight words a week is roughly the amount a teacher should focus on for direct instruction, reading must be counted on to help make up the difference. And independent reading is best, giving students the chance to read and use their newly acquired strategies to attack and conquer unknown words in context (Allen, 2007; Beers, 2002).