Given what we know about vocabulary, how do we teach it in a way that supports language acquisition and all language skills? Such findings reinforce the fundamental role that vocabulary teaching and learning play in the English classroom. In fact, research linking reading comprehension to vocabulary knowledge has shown that a reader must know 98% of the words in a text to process and comprehend the text independently (Hu and Nation, 2000). Regardless, we must remember that vocabulary is at the center of language teaching and learning.
Since teachers are tasked with teaching vocabulary in addition to the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar, vocabulary ends up getting a small amount of attention in the classroom. They do this work all while studying the other skills in a language. From such vocabulary sets, students make flash cards, list words, practice spelling, and memorize definitions in an attempt to acquire new language. Teachers may also pull vocabulary words from readings and listening materials that they see as necessary to classroom success. To create these sets of vocabulary words, teachers may use or draw from existing word lists, such as the Academic Word List and General Service List, or from content word lists presented in textbooks and materials, such as food words and neighborhood words. In any English class around the world, you’ll find learners studying new sets of vocabulary words related to a unit of study or topic of discussion.
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