Describes an analogy approach to word identification which was used for two years in a resource room. Concludes with an adaptation of the compare/contrast approach for teaching decoding to other children who do not exhibit reading problems. (MG)

Exploration of the usefulness of a visual preference technique for assessing word comprehension in infants demonstrated increases in comprehension from 8 to 14 and 14 to 20 months; established longitudinal stability of comprehension from 14 to 20 months; and showed a profound effect of stimulus salience and the lack of sex differences in word…

Comparison of the effectiveness of two story selection processes for English-as-a-Second-Language learners indicated that selecting "running" stories (a story and its follow-up articles) provided more repetition of low frequency words, better reduced vocabulary load, and provided better conditions for vocabulary acquisition than did selecting…

Shares reading activities--using cereal boxes as reading material--which will energize knowledge and use of vocabulary, fortify comprehension skills, enrich understanding of critical reading, promote use of organizational skills, and encourage improved reporting and writing. (MG)

Twenty language-delayed children (age three to six) viewed a presentation incorporating object, action, attribute, and affective state words into a narrative script. In pre- and postviewing word comprehension measurements, subjects scored lower than children matched for chronological age and children matched for mean length of utterance.…

Presents two strategies (inverse cloze and building content vocabulary) designed to develop middle school students' language competency, thereby allowing them to forge the necessary connections between and among the variety of concepts contained in content material. (RS)

Single-subject studies conducted with 7 hearing-impaired students (aged 6-19) provided empirical support for determining the effectiveness of computerized versus noncomputerized instructional methods and the effectiveness of certain types of software. Drill and practice software helped students learn spelling and vocabulary, but a game-simulation…

Describes the goal-setting, assumptions, and instructional design of a metacognitive approach for using context-use strategies to develop at-risk students' vocabulary. Presents an example demonstrating implementation of the approach. Reports that both teacher and students evaluated the approach favorably. (RS)

Describes a method of increasing vocabulary recognition of Chapter 1 elementary students by using mastery words from basal programs, sight word cards, and modified cloze stories. (MG)

Four classroom activities are described: (1) one for stimulating beginning students' interest in finding evidence of French language and culture in their own environment; (2) a card game for learning grammar; (3) a letter-writing exercise; and (4) a game using lipograms in the creation of a fictional community. (MSE)

New vocabulary was taught to 147 college students, in two experiments, by 1 of 3 methods: keyword, semantic context, and no-strategy control. There was no evidence that keyword-mediated gains on learning vocabulary-associated definitions were obtained at the expense of acquisition of other information. Applications for instruction are discussed.…

As an orientation to the actual composition process, learning-disabled students should be taught methods for the development and organization of ideas. Strategies are presented for helping learning-disabled students improve composition skills by improving flexibility in vocabulary and sentence structure and by planning and sequencing ideas and/or…

Suggests creative homework assignments to teach three Spanish grammatical structures (preterite and imperfect, future, and subjunctive) and theme oriented vocabulary (food, fashion, home furnishing, and nature). Suggested homework activities include poetry and letter writing, free association, and scavenger hunts. (LMO)

Investigated the effects of cue adequacy on second language learners' ability to infer and remember the meaning of new words. Subjects who received cue-adequate sentences reported greater ease in word inference, scored higher in inferring and remembering the contextual meanings of new words, and better retained the contextual meanings of targeted…

Explores the tensions between English-as-a-Second-Language reading and vocabulary instruction. Suggestions are offered for facilitating the successful meshing of reading and vocabulary skill practice. (Author/CB)