ABSTRACT
Vocabulary is the basis for the development of language. Very simply put, without knowing the vocabulary of a language, higher level language use (grammar, syntax, expository writing) is difficult, if not impossible. Each academic discipline has its own register and its own vocabulary, so developing the vocabulary of your students within their discipline is a key part of their education within the discipline. In this chapter we will explore ideas behind the development of vocabulary, and look at the research on effective strategies of vocabulary instruction. We will provide a brief inventory of sample strategies for vocabulary instruction, and finally present a model lesson plan, using it to demonstrate some of these strategies, and explain how the vocabulary instruction suggested in this chapter can help students achieve academic language literacy.
