Students who struggle with reading comprehension in middle school often lack the academic vocabulary the need to understand grade-level textbooks and other instructional materials. Research shows that to learn a new word well, students need to encounter and use it multiple times in different contexts. The authors describe Word Generation, a…

Preschoolers enthusiastically tackle reading when they get to read and share their "special" words. The author, a preschool teacher, describes a successful classroom strategy for helping students make the connection between print and meaning. As students develop word lists that have special meaning for them and then use these words in stories and…

Describes a thinking skills program in Oklahoma that has brought about a significant rise in achievement test scores. Teaching strategies are based on the premise that students learn new things based on the resemblance between new and familiar words and ideas. (TE)