Noting the need for vocational agriculture teachers to pre-teach vocabulary and concepts which would block student understanding, practical suggestions are offered for developing students reading and vocabulary skills. (HD)

Presents five steps within a structured plan for motivating students to read widely, thus increasing their vocabularies. (JM)

Examined young children's language productivity with newly learned forms by teaching them four new words: two nouns and two verbs. Findings indicate children combined the novel nouns productively with already known words much more often than they did the novel verbs--by many orders of magnitude and several children pluralized the new nouns,…

Reviews and evaluates some of the different ways in which the term "hedge" has been understood and defined in the literature. The article suggests that "hedge" is more usefully reserved for expressions of epistemic modality, or markers of provisionality as attached to new knowledge claims. (20 references) (Author/CK)

Reports the results of using techniques of historical-comparative linguistics to determine the extent to which American Sign Language (ASL) has influenced basic vocabulary in Modern Standard Thai Sign Language (MSTSL), and the relationship of MSTSL to sign language varieties used in Thailand prior to ASL influence. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Argues that English-speaking learners of French as a second language start with a major asset in that these two languages share a sizeable vocabulary. The article describes a seven-lesson program designed to exploit the lexical similarities between the two languages with beginning university-level learners of French. (21 references) (Author/CK)

Presents information regarding how North American teachers of Spanish can use authentic texts in Spanish to introduce some measure of cultural authenticity to their students. The article suggests that instructors need to use strategic orientation to reading tasks in order to overcome any possible cultural mismatches. (seven references) (Author/CK)

Studied effects of three conditions on fourth-grade students' vocabulary acquisition: (1) listening to stories, with brief explanation of unfamiliar words; (2) listening to stories with no explanation of unfamiliar words; and (3) having no exposure to stories or to word explanations. Found that simple word explanations in the context of an…

Describes how one elementary educator teaches word study strategies that enlarge students' understanding of phonics and vocabulary. A primary level activity has students create a thematic word wall. An intermediate level activity has students conduct a new word hunt. A reproducible student page helps students sort words by sound. (SM)

Middle-level and high school teachers must be skilled in content-area reading strategies and be able to teach their students strategic informational reading skills. Students who learn how to use background knowledge, text-feature knowledge (headings, graphics, and vocabulary), and metacognitive knowledge.skillfully will become strategic readers.…

Demonstrates how alphabet books for upper elementary and middle school readers may be incorporated in instruction. Shares titles of alphabet books for older readers and activities for applying these books in the areas of reading comprehension, vocabulary, self-interest, research, and poetry. (RS)

Lists some factors that can complicate the reading process for nonnative speakers of English. Offers suggestions and strategies that can support students as they strive to acquire skills, such as orthography, phonology, cultural background, and vocabulary. Concludes that a culturally relevant teaching approach means that students' second languages…

Explains the game of "Words of Fortune" in which students act out vocabulary words. Notes that this activity provides students the opportunity to make strong visual, aural, and kinesthetic connections with vocabulary lists. Concludes that "Words of Fortune" helps students write better sentences for vocabulary assessment. (PM)

Discusses the importance of teaching vocabulary in the content area so that at-risk readers can develop strategies to see word relationships and the importance of higher-level thinking. Examines and offers specific examples of the strategies of mnemonigraph cards, analogies, and word groupings. (RS)

Argues that English used in the Mid-Atlantic United States should replace British English as the educational standard in Europe as the English spoken by Europeans is increasingly influenced by American English. The article discusses the political aspects of learning a specific variety of English and points out that the development of Mid-Atlantic…