Using a personalized word association method, six children with persistent reading difficulties in two British elementary schools were instructed in recognizing 100 common words. All children made significant progress, with the most progress made by those who originally had the smallest sight vocabularies. Students who devised their own sentences…

Studies the effectiveness of weekly vocabulary studies on students' proficiency in using contextual analysis and students' attitudes toward words and word learning. Finds that students made a significantly greater improvement in their ability to use contextual analysis than did students in a comparison group. Notes a slight increase in student…

Lists the factors to be considered when planning an effective second-language study program in the United Kingdom. These factors include important new vocabulary words, language skills and grammatical structures; student ability; basic, core and extension material; student evaluation; timings for each activity; and extra resources and materials…

Explains the process of focusing on one critical reading strategy--questioning. Notes that the teacher first modeled questioning while reading a book aloud. Concludes that as students become full participants in questioning, they understand new vocabulary, enjoy reading, and solve their problems. (PM)

Forty-nine African American children (ages 3-5) enrolled in Head Start were assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Their mean score was significantly lower than the mean for the normative sample. Few items were systematically missed; instead, performance seemed reflective of socioeconomic and/or ethnic patterns of vocabulary usage.…

A study investigated the first words produced by 17 bilingual children (ages 1-4) speaking English and Mandarin Chinese from environments where both languages were spoken. A greater number of nouns than verbs were produced as first words in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Verbs were produced only in Mandarin Chinese. (Contains references.)…

By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and…

Investigates the relationship between observational and checklist measures of vocabulary composition in preschool children. Results indicate that while the two measures are correlated, there are systematic quantitative differences between them, reflecting a combination of checklist, maternal-report and observational sampling biases. (22…

Describes an activity designed to teach students geology vocabulary while challenging them to solve the case of the missing marble. Can be adapted to teach vocabulary for different topics. (JRH)

Lexical diversity of 53 children with specific language impairment (SLI) (ages 3-7) was compared to 91 typical peers and younger children matched for mean length of utterance in words (MLUw). Older subgroups showed higher lexical diversity. At lower MLUw levels, children with SLI showed higher diversity than the younger children. (Contains…

A study examined how 44 bilingual (Spanish-English) children (ages 4-7) used taxonomic versus slot-filler strategies in a category-generation task presented in both languages. Younger bilingual children generated approximately equal numbers of items in both conditions, however, older bilingual children were beginning to demonstrate a taxonomic…

Includes an interview with second-grade teacher Patty Taverna and computer teacher Terry Hongell. Explains that their collaboration on social studies projects yielded some remarkable activities. Outlines the first such project--the "Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad" website. (PM)

Explored relation between infants' early spontaneous imitation of novel and familiar words and subsequent lexicons in longitudinal sample between 13 and 21 months. Found marked contrasts in quantity and proportions of nouns between reported and observed lexicons. When earlier vocabulary levels were controlled, infants' early replication of novel…

Twenty-four 12- to 19-month-old children were studied to examine the cognitive basis for the emergence of verbs. Substantial increases in verb comprehension across contexts, abstract cognition, and the ability to engage in symbolic action were observed, suggesting a relationship between underlying cognitive development and increased verb…

Provides three teaching strategies that integrate technology into the curriculum: inductive teaching, cooperative learning, and mnemonics. (MG)