ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on making vocabulary instruction work in the abbreviated time frame so many content area teachers have. The selection of vocabulary words for instruction is a process easy to pass off onto textbook publishers/curriculum creators. Tier 1 words do not require direction instruction. Tier 2 words, polysemic or multiple-meaning words, give students power over words whose meaning changes depending on the context. Time spent in the classroom on vocabulary strategies can be used in conjunction with these words. Tier 3 words are discipline-specific for vocabulary instruction. However, these are the terms that are important for student comprehension. A generative approach to teaching vocabulary relies upon those words that are moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 that have a Greek or Latin root within. Writing with new vocabulary helps a learner move from generalizations about content to sounding like an expert about content.
