A study proposed a sequenced process for inferring word meaning from context in order to investigate experimentally where, within the process, differences between learners of varying skill occur, and to discover the kinds of information students need in order to acquire vocabulary most effectively. Six five-step tasks, each designed around an…

Independent reading can serve as a practical context for linking vocabulary and comprehension and is a feasible strategy that complements other instructional approaches while it expands word knowledge in a naturalistic setting. Teachers should serve as reading models while students engage in silent reading, but teachers should also be cautious…

While interest in second language vocabulary knowledge has increased, vocabulary testing remains largely confined to the quantitative measurement of discrete items. More qualitative measures are needed to assess how well particular words are known. Research has characterized word knowledge in two ways: as a set of components or aspects, and as an…

A lesson is presented that is designed to assist intermediate and advanced students of Spanish in both language proficiency and cultural understanding. Entirely in Spanish, the lesson focuses on the character of Tio Conejo, a well-known figure in Latin American folklore, offering insight into the significant contribution made to Hispanic…

Two experiments examining the "distinctiveness of encoding" hypothesis are reported. The hypothesis suggests that specific forms of processing of events may result in the formation of more exact perceptual descriptions and thus more distinctive records in memory. The two experiments reported address shortcomings in previous research on…

To test the hypothesis that a large proportion of school children's vocabulary growth occurs through incidental learning from written context, a study was conducted using 57 eighth grade students of average and above average reading ability. The subjects read a 1,000 word expository or narrative text. After reading, subjects completed two…

Designed to help the teacher introduce study skills to students in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades, this teacher's guide describes a series of 14 activity-oriented units, most of which require one period of class time. The units in the guide focus on such topics as (1) learning to listen, (2) tuning into directions, (3) putting ideas…

The 14 activity-oriented units described in this study skills guide for students in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades are designed to assist in the development of necessary study skills at most levels of competence and to reinforce already existing skills. The units in the guide also attempt to incorporate as much student activity as possible,…

The Grid Systems is a phonetic learning device designed by McGinley (1982) to develop adult vocabulary. The name is derived from the fact that the student workbook is set up on a grid, with the top of the page showing the vowel sounds and the left side the consonant sounds. Words are formed on the grid where these sounds combine (some of the…

A proposal that the English as a second language (ESL) curriculum should initially focus on psycholinguistic reading is discussed. It is claimed that effective reading is difficult to achieve using the present ordering of the ESL curriculum. This is because of the heavy focus on learning active command of grammatical detail during the early,…

This handbook (the last in a series of six) suggests many classroom activities that are interrelated with all the other areas of the language arts, particularly reading and writing, and that encourage the use of the library media center, mass media, textbooks, and audiovisual aids. The activities are designed to help pupils gain new insights into…

This monograph is based on research designed to (1) identify the vocabulary words introduced at each grade level by the basal reader series adopted by the Georgia Board of Education; (2) determine the extent of overlap among the books is the series; (3) compare these lists with other recognized word lists; and (4) generated a list of words for the…

A Tagalog reader designed for adult students beyond the intermediate level contains 30 lessons in agriculture, art, economics, education, history, language, literature, medicine, music, political science, religion, and sociology. Each unit contains four sections: (1) a reading passage with numbered paragraphs and underlined vocabulary words, for…

A guide for teachers of conversational Spanish is intended for the elementary school (grades 4-6) or beginning level. It is designed to introduce students to the sounds and pronunciation of Spanish, and uses the audio-lingual method. The guide contains introductory notes on the scope and sequence of skills and concepts, suggestions for classroom…

The use of small cards containing grammatical forms for classroom second language practice is explained, and suggestions for designing card sets are made. The technique involves pairing students, providing each with a different but related card, and requiring them to work together to answer each other's question. Cards may contain a variety of…