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Vocabulary
- Vocabulary development entails the development of stored information
about the meanings and pronunciation of words needed for communication.
(Snow, 1991)
(cited in the NRP Subgroup Report)
National Reading Panel (NRP) Conclusion: "Both vocabulary and comprehension involve the meaning of the text, albeit at different levels. Vocabulary is generally tied closely to individual words while comprehension is more often thought of in much larger units." (p. 4-15)
| Further NRP Findings | How My Reading Coach Gold Meets NRP Research |
|---|---|
| "It is generally believed that receptive vocabulary is much larger than productive vocabulary since we often recognize words that we rarely use." (p. 4-16) "Vocabulary is also subcategorized as oral vs. reading vocabulary, where oral refers to words that are recognized in speaking or listening while reading vocabulary refers to words that are used or recognized in print." (p. 4-16) | My Reading Coach Gold uses the student's receptive vocabulary as it instructs ESL (English as a Second Language) and LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners who are able to understand language before they are able to produce it. The program helps all learners improve encoding / decoding as well as vocabulary skills to use and vocalize language. |
| "It is clear that vocabulary should be taught both directly and indirectly. Vocabulary instruction should be incorporated into reading instruction. There is a need of direct instruction of vocabulary items that are required for specific text to be read as part of the lesson." (p. 4-24) "It also seems clear from the Panel's data set that having students encounter vocabulary words often and in various ways can have a significant effect." (p. 4-25) | My Reading Coach Gold uses a combination of methods for students to learn vocabulary including: explicit instruction, indirect acquisition through sentence and story reading, and decoding instruction. My Reading Coach Gold instructs in roots / affix analysis to help students with word meaning. My Reading Coach's supplementary oral reading passages also use the pre-instruction technique of introducing vocabulary words prior to reading material. |
| "Effective instructional methods emphasized multimedia aspects of learning, richness of context in which words are to be learned, active student participation, and the number of exposures to words that learners will receive." (p. 4-27) "…computer technology could bring to bear many different media. This is one way of adding a number of different modalities to the teaching of vocabulary and, consequently, helping ensure more effective vocabulary learning." (p. 4-26) | My Reading Coach Gold uses multimedia methods. As early as lesson 7 students match words and sentences with their graphic representation, thus building vocabulary skills at a high-interest level. Stories are presented along with inferential and literal questions to ensure students gather meaning from material within story context. |
| "Recent research studies in the area suggest that indirect learning can definitely occur, and that vocabulary can be acquired through incidental exposure." (p. 4-21) | My Reading Coach Gold comes with almost 200 reading passages that expose students to story reading. This exposure helps students build vocabulary in the context of the passages read. |
| "One trend that was strongly reflected in the database was that high frequency and multiple, repeated exposures to vocabulary material are important for learning gains." (p. 4-22) "It also seems clear from the Panel's data that having students encounter vocabulary words often and in various ways can have a significant effect." (p. 4-25) "Students should not only repeat vocabulary items in learning; they should be given items that will be likely to appear in many other contexts." (p. 4-25) | My Reading Coach Gold begins presenting vocabulary in textual context as early as lesson 9. Passage text repeats words as reinforcement and continues to expand vocabulary gradually. Many words are reused in the reading passages presented in lesson 30 and throughout the remainder of the program in different contexts. |
| "A few studies that addressed active engagement in learning all reported results consistent with conventional wisdom about learning: Active learning is best." (p. 4-26) | Students continuously interact with the emulated coach in the program to learn and expand their vocabulary skills. |
