Argues that teachers can capture the minds of students in vocabulary development by regularly using ABC picture books in the secondary English classroom. Reports that teachers using these books have considerable success with low ability students and college-bound seniors alike. Describes the use of four ABC books. (RS)

Three experiments involving 128 infants studied whether and how novel words influence object categorization in 12- to 13- month-old infants. Data revealed that a linkage between words and object categories emerged early enough to be a guide in infants' efforts to map word meanings. (SLD)

These strategies for teaching spelling to gifted students focus on student choice of words, personal dictionaries, cloze passages, categorizing or word sorting, words borrowed from other languages, word etymology, multiple meaning words, and onomatopoetic words. (JDD)

Relative importance of appearance and potential function in children's object naming was examined. First, 16 children, taught novel names for unfamiliar objects, had to decide whether these applied to items that resembled the training objects in appearance or potential function. Then the name training procedure was revised so that equal emphasis…

Examines the relative effectiveness of dictionary definitions and definitions revised to address problems found in traditional definitions. Finds that revised definitions led to significantly more responses that demonstrated a characteristic use of the word. Concludes that revised definitions were more effective in helping students understand…

Investigates young children's understanding of homophones in two different linguistic contexts. Results show that the linguistic context is an important factor in young children's understanding of word meaning. (six references) (GLR)

Investigates developmental association between nonword repetition performance and vocabulary knowledge by evaluating the role of phonological memory and linguistic factors in nonword repetition. (29 references) (GLR)

Responds to criticism on research of the factors influencing nonword repetition performance in a large-scale longitudinal study of children aged between four and six years. (10 references) (GLR)

Describes two methods used in a college developmental reading class (which heighten awareness of what lies behind a word and encourage active involvement with language) to foster the skills necessary to become independent word learners. (SR)

Discusses three major differences between the vocabulary of reading lessons and content area lessons. Discusses the implications these differences make in instruction. (MG)

Interaction between lexical acquisition and acquisition of initial voiceless stops (VSs) was studied in two normally developing children by acoustically examining token-by-token accuracy of initial VS targets in different lexical items. Tokens representing the emergence of accurate VS production were restricted to certain words, largely old words…

Suggests six instructional procedures (concepts and novelty exercises pertaining to word pairs) for vocabulary development, designed to capitalize on intraword redundancy (determining possible word meaning by paying attention to familiar roots and affixes within the unknown word). (SR)

Notes that children either actively participated by asking questions or passively participated by listening to a recast containing a familiar synonym for each target word. Finds that children with higher vocabulary knowledge acquired significantly more words than did passive participants, and children with high versus low working memory did not…

Describes the Said Web, an instructional strategy that encourages students to examine clusters of words and the words' linkages to one another so that vocabulary study does not occur as lists of isolated words, but rather as meaningful groups. Outlines eight instructional steps for the Said Web, which can be used with young children and modified…

Describes how two eighth-grade language arts teachers ventured into the territory of vocabulary development. Describes several class activities and strategies they used to increase students' vocabulary and to make students into enthusiastic explorers and discoverers of words. (SR)