ABSTRACT
Students with strong vocabulary knowledge make more extensive connections to words they already know, so they learn more new words at a faster pace. Students who do not possess such a vocabulary base also learn words but not as quickly or as extensively. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), considered the nation’s report card, began assessing vocabulary as part of reading passage comprehension in 2009 and conducted a further study to understand the results. Vocabulary deficits are often tied to poverty. Vocabulary knowledge in the early primary grades has been found to be a significant predictor of reading comprehension in the middle and secondary grades. Students need opportunities to explore and learn vocabulary so they can deeply learn concepts. The structure of most elementary classrooms enables teachers to provide multiple exposures to targeted words throughout the day.
