This project was developed and implemented in a private school in southeastern Florida to assess whether different instructional strategies would improve vocabulary recall, comprehension, and long-range retention in third graders. The program uses three approaches to provide vocabulary development: (1) contextual use of vocabulary; (2) the use of…

A practicum was designed to help high school sophomores increase their reading competence, increase their vocabulary knowledge of foreign words commonly integrated into the English language, and motivate them to read and frequent the library more often. Students were grouped by affinity and interests. A reading corner offering a multitude of books…

A practicum used a new learning tool to enhance long-term retention of new vocabulary. Sixteen seventh-graders in Language Arts, who had a long-term retention mean score of approximately 40% of newly learned vocabulary, increased their long-term retention of new vocabulary by 25% (a new mean of 65% of new vocabulary). Additional objectives…

The practicum described in this paper used an eclectic approach to promote word meaning vocabulary growth in 14 fourth-grade students from an urban elementary school who had scored below 74% on a vocabulary pretest. Students were tutored once or twice a week for a 10-week period with direct vocabulary instruction, utilizing semantic mapping and…

A practicum aimed to improve the basic sight vocabulary of second grade Chapter 1 students by implementing poetry activities and dictionary skills. Eight students were introduced to a new poem and 2 vocabulary words each week, for 12 weeks, receiving 45 to 50 minutes of supplemental instruction, 4 days per week. Assignments were keyed to the…

Written by a counselor-teacher-program coordinator working in an urban elementary school, this practicum aimed to improve the receptive vocabulary development program for second grade students. Specific goals were to: (1) improve second grade students' receptive vocabulary; (2) use students' improved receptive vocabulary to increase their reading…

This paper describes a practicum that incorporated semantic mapping, "rich" context clue instruction, and teacher modeling into a 12-week instructional program for 18 Chapter 1 fourth-grade students in rural Georgia who had shown deficiency in vocabulary knowledge with standardized test scores below the 50th percentile in the second and…

A practicum designed and implemented a program to address the related problems of negative attitudes toward reading, low reading abiility, and poor student working vocabulary. Intervention strategies and critical thinking activities were used to raise students'"Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) scores and to improve students' attitudes toward…

This study conducted in a midwestern city, addressed problems experienced by learning disabled (LD) students in recalling specialized science and social studies vocabulary. This apparent problem was confirmed by a teacher questionnaire and analyses of types and frequency of test errors on recent exams. Students appeared unfamiliar with memory…

In a primary school in Dade County, Florida, disadvantaged kindergarten children were entering first grade without the receptive language and listening skills necessary to succeed academically. A practicum attempted to remedy this problem by stimulating kindergarten children's receptive language skills in vocabulary and listening comprehension.…

A practicum was designed to improve the oral/aural vocabulary which would eventually improve the reading vocabulary of second language learners. The practicum, implemented in a second grade by a media specialist who counted on the cooperation of the classroom teacher, consisted of a read-aloud program in which the students read daily from a…

This report describes various strategies which were implemented to increase reading vocabulary and comprehension on consistently below average test scores of first grade students. A targeted group of 25 students were selected for this process. The objectives included increasing comprehension and reading vocabulary, developing a more positive…

A practicum addressed the high percentage of students who were experiencing difficulty with reading comprehension and vocabulary retention in a fifth-grade Drop Out Prevention class by implementing a supplemental whole-language program. Subjects were 19 fifth-grade students. An informal reading inventory, an attitude survey, and academic grades…

This case study describes a project designed to improve science vocabulary and comprehension of migrant sixth-grade students in a rural farming-community middle school. The project combined intensive direct teaching of science vocabulary with the national unified curriculum implemented in 1984. The subjects of the project were migrant children…

A practicum addressing (1) elementary school students' need to increase their sight vocabulary, (2) their needs for self-esteem, (3) their individual learning differences, and (4) the practical difficulties of providing additional practice time and personnel to teach is described in this guide. The introduction of the guide discusses the community…