Reports three studies indicating that context has little effect on high school students' ability to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words. (HTH)

A program for teaching relational vocabulary in classroom settings has three receptive steps for identifying the target word and three expressive steps for using the target word. These methods focus on the systematic modification of both example presentation (including non-defining characteristics and situational distractions) and response…

Outlines an approach to teaching literature that provides a preliminary sensitization to an assigned literary work by having students invent a story using given elements. This approach involves learners in individual taping of the invented story, thematic vocabulary research, and a class exercise in reconstructing the text by asking questions…

Suggests that picture nouns are useful in teaching reading, writing, oral vocabulary, and thinking skills to all children, including handicapped students and those who speak another language. (JC)

Addresses three questions: (1) What is involved in understanding a word or concept? (2) How do we presently measure word knowledge? (3) What are some alternative formats which teachers could utilize with their students? Suggests techniques such as paired word questions, categorizing, analogies, and sentence writing as ways to evaluate vocabulary…

Comparison of two computer-assisted instructional vocabulary programs used with 25 learning disabled high school students indicated that the program utilizing smaller teaching sets and cumulative review exercises was more effective in helping students achieve mastery than the program using a large teaching set and no cumulative reviews. (Author/DB)

Describes ten practical ideas for classroom teaching at the elementary level, including "roulette" writing, story map raps, and theme cubes. (MM)

Discusses the importance of being able to describe the subjective properties of music. States that educators must develop an aesthetic vocabulary to allow articulation of musical properties. Provides examples of descriptive vocabulary taken from representative music selections. (GEA)

Argues that remedial reading programs should be included in the core curriculum where it can support and expand subject area learning. (NKA)

Four suggestions for classroom language-learning activities include a series of dot-to-dot phonetics games, small group collage making and presentation, use of magazine covers to stimulate class discussion and introduction of vocabulary, and student-written sketches based on misunderstandings. (MSE)

A vocabulary instruction program for intermediate grades is described. The program improves comprehension through use of such features as multiple exposures to words in various contexts and engaging students in active thinking about word meanings. This method of instruction is compared with instruction that offers only definitional information.…

Investigates the role of intraverbal learning (a process through which semantic knowledge is acquired from purely linguistic information) in preschool children's acquisition of semantic concepts. Shows that the relative effectiveness of pictorial and intraverbal information depends on the child's age, the type of information supplied, and the…

Reports a study of native Spanish speakers' acquisition of the ability to discriminate lexically in English between similar items with different characteristics. The study also examined the role of first-language interference in the process. (MSE)

Describes ways to integrate storytelling into outdoor education programs. Discusses use of storytelling to teach history, culture, concepts, or values; stimulate imagination; learn new words; set a mood; encourage listener participation; and foster caring attitudes about the environment. (LFL)

Describes a study which compared a traditional approach to second language vocabulary instruction with the semantic field approach, which is based on the association between five related words and a key word that could be mentally substituted in context. Findings lend support to the use of the semantic field approach. (SED)