Gives a detailed account of the lexical growth in a bilingual child (German and English) and discusses its theoretical implications. Evaluating the principle of contrast in bilingual acquisition, concludes that evidence of lexical-equivalent learning and usage of equivalents can contribute to the debate on language separation in bilingual infants.…

Describes a film poster-based activity that is designed to help students in the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom understand new vocabulary and raise their awareness of both the position of words in the structure of a sentence and their grammatical patterns and combinations. (Author/VWL)

Examined the effects of text-based tasks and background knowledge on incidental vocabulary acquisition among adult English-as-a-Second-Language-learners who received treatments involving reading and retelling text with or without generative training. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that reading and retelling promoted incidental vocabulary…

Focuses on the strategies that adolescent learners use to discover the meaning of new words in a second language and to consolidate their knowledge of such words. A questionnaire is used to probe the perceptions of students in two content-oriented French second language classrooms at the secondary school level. (Author/VWL)

Explains that absolute location refers to an exact point on the earth's surface located using the arbitrary grid formed by intersecting lines of latitude and longitude. Presents an activity for elementary students where they learn to use the grid system using a hands-on method and grasp an understanding of absolute location. (CMK)

Argues that what really matters in vocabulary development is that students come to love words, know that words have power, and develop for themselves a range of language choices. Argues that this can be brought about in classrooms with effective practice for vocabulary instruction: extensive reading, meaningful word study, and diverse…

Suggests that exposure to recurrent topics and vocabulary in authentic texts helps students develop reading competence and confidence. Approaches narrow reading from three perspectives: one employing a corpus analysis of newspaper readings to demonstrate how narrow reading lowers the vocabulary load of texts, one learner-focused, reporting…

Analyzes the design requirements of a multimedia conceptual dictionary, drawing on research identifying the role of the conceptual dictionary in native language vocabulary acquisition. The article considers both the traditional role of the dictionary in language learning and that of the conceptual dictionary and how this role can be supported by…

Describes collaborative strategic reading (CSR), a technique for teaching students, such as those with learning disabilities, reading comprehension and vocabulary skills in a cooperative setting. Covers teaching the four strategies of CSR (preview, click and clunk, get the gist, and wrap up), as well as teaching students cooperative learning group…

Describes a 14-year program of research, the focus of which was the capacity of normal infants to incorporate gestural symbols into their earliest expressive vocabularies. Explores the effects of such gesturing on vocal language development, the theoretical implications for researchers, and the practical applications for parents. (Author/EV)

Describes the Science Concept-Vocabulary Acquisition (SCVA) model which promotes simultaneous cognitive construction of science concepts and the scientific nomenclature needed to understand and communicate those concepts. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

Advocates concept-related vocabulary instruction, in which students link individual words with larger literature concepts. Outlines four steps to creating a concept-related vocabulary lesson. Offers examples of how concept-related vocabulary lessons can be conducted while reading, before reading, and after reading. Outlines web, weave, and…

Assessed word-learning skills of 19 deaf/hard-of-hearing preschoolers either with novel mapping strategy to learn new words, or after minimal exposure when reference was explicitly established. Found that 11 children were able to learn words in both contexts, 5 only in the second, and 2 in neither. The latter 7 children eventually were able to…

Using examples in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, the article suggests various activities to promote the learning of descriptive adjectives and to expand students' active vocabulary. These activities include describing oneself or a friend, finding a person who possesses certain characteristics, choosing an ideal companion, and…

Presents activities found to be useful in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, including a game in which the teacher guesses the meaning of words in students' native tongues; an exercise in which students write predictions, such as weather forecasting, in English; a game in which students explain the meaning of selected idioms in their own…