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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Action Research Project:

What strategies are the most effective in improving a second grade level students understanding
of vocabulary terms?
Abby Lauren Wright
Samford University

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Initial Meeting and Documentation:

On September 24th, 2015 I met with Ms. Harris to discuss the action research project.
Throughout the next couple of days we corresponded through email to discuss various topics.
She suggested working with students on their understanding of vocabulary in text. She
mentioned that she wanted me to work with two students who did not already receive extra
attention. Ms. Harris asked if I would prefer two boys, two girls, or a boy and a girl. I told her
that the choice of students was completely up to her. Ms. Harris assigned two students for me to
work with as well as the question she would like me to address. My action research question is:
How can teachers improve a students understanding of vocabulary in text?
Students: I will be working with one male and one female student. For the sake of confidentiality
we will call the male Student P and the female Student K. Neither of these students are
considered struggling students. Ms. Harris stated that these students do not receive any additional
help in the school setting. We will discuss why she choose these exact students, their reading
levels, and what type of vocabulary she would like us to focus on a future date.

Students:
o Student K and Student P have been chosen for this action research group because they do
not receive any additional help (Student K actually does receive some sort of Math
intervention. This changed during the course of my research). Ms. Harris felt like both
students would benefit from small group instruction. Both student are grade level
students. Student K struggles with new information, but eventually catches on. Student P
has difficulty staying focused in class. This particular student does not enjoy writing
anything. This assignment will be used in order to build the students vocabulary and
deepen their word knowledge.
The Question:
o After talking with Ms. Harris we decided to address the issue of vocabulary. Neither
student is struggling with vocabulary, but Ms. Harris suggested a desire to strengthen the
students word knowledge. Working on their vocabulary will strengthen their reading and
comprehension skills. Throughout the next two months I will be showing students
strategies in order to help them understand the meaning of words. I also believe that
giving students exposure to multiple words will broaden their vocabulary.
o What strategies are the most effective in improving a second grade students vocabulary
knowledge?

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Proposed Timeline:

Initial Meeting:
Met with Ms. Harris during her break time.
We choose the focus of the action research project, vocabulary in text.
She choose the book we would be using: Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow
Moon
Ms. Harris choose two students for me to work with. Both of these students are
on grade level and do not receive any kind of special service from the school
(gifted or intervention).
Meeting One: October 1st, 2015
Ms. Harris asked me to quickly meet with the students because of time constraints. She
only wanted me to explain what we would be doing. I met with both students for 15
minutes. We discussed why we would be meeting and what we would be working on.
Gave both students an initial vocabulary screening. I used CORE Vocabulary.
Ms. Harris suggested that I work with the students each Thursday during her
intervention time (8:00-8:30)
Meeting Two: October 8th, 2015
At this point I plan to give a higher level vocabulary assessments because both students
scored over 90%. I will give a CORE vocabulary assessment on a higher second grade
level. The first was a beginning second grade.
Pre-assessment: I will pre-assess the students vocabulary knowledge from the text
Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon.
We will begin reading the book and looking at the words. (pages 1-11)
Meeting Three: October 15th, 2015
Once I have scored the pre-assessment I will know what level the students are on. I
plan to prepare 1 strategy for each meeting.
If the students did not score out of Henry and Mudge, I will use a prepared PowerPoint
to introduce the words
Read (12-27)
What is our objective? How will I assess that theyve reached our goal?
Meeting Three: October 15th, 2015
Henry and Mudge finish this book
Context Clues
What is our objective? How will I assess? How will I engage?
**Note: Our timeline will change throughout the next couple of weeks. In order to have a solid
plan, I will need to pre-assess the students more in depth. I am in the process of gathering
resources and other strategies to use to improve vocabulary skills.

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Actual Timeline with Reflection and Observations:

Meeting

Description

Observations

Initial
Meeting

Met with Ms. Harris

during her break time.
We choose the focus of
the action research
project, vocabulary in
text. She choose the
book we would be
using: Henry and
Mudge Under the
Yellow Moon. Ms.
Harris choose two
students for me to
work with. Both of
these students are on
grade level and do not
receive any kind of
special service from
the school (gifted or
intervention).

N/A

Meeting
One:
October 1st,
2015

Ms. Harris asked me to

quickly meet with the
students because of time
constraints. She only
wanted me to explain
what we would be doing.
I met with both students
for 15 minutes. We
discussed why we would
be meeting and what we
would be working on.
I Gave both students an
initial vocabulary
screening. I used the
CORE Vocabulary
Screening. I started with
level 1B, a higher 1st
grade level. Ms. Harris
suggested that I work
with the students each
Thursday during her

Students
seemed to fly
though the
assessment.
They had no
problems
completing the
level 1B
vocabulary
assessment.

Data Collected/
Assessment
N/A

Plan for Next

Meeting
Meet with
students,
discuss
purpose of
project, and
give initial
assessment.

Diagnostic
Vocabulary
Screening

Give a more
advanced
vocabulary
screening.
Choose words
from the book
Henry and
Mudge Under
the Yellow
Moon.

Create preassessment
for these
words

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intervention time (8:008:30)

Meeting
Two:
October 8th,
2015

Meeting
Three:
October
15th, 2015

Meeting

Today I gave the

Students
Core Vocabulary Begin reading
second and third initial
seemed to fly
Screening level
the Henry and
assessment, the Core
through the
2A and 2B
Mudge book.
Vocabulary Screening.
beginning
I gave level 2A.Both
second grade
Give prestudents scored as an
screening. I
assessment
average second grader. went ahead and
for Henry and
These students would
gave the higher
Mudge terms
be considered grade
level second
level students. They
grade screening.
are not high-end or low
The students
end. These test results did fairly well. I
will determine which
believe this is
vocabulary terms I
the appropriate
choose from the book
level for them.
Henry and Mudge:
Under the Yellow
Moon.
Today we will begin
Student K is not Henry and Mudge
Continue
reading Henry and
a fluent reader.
pre-assessment
reading Henry
Mudge: Under the
She seems to
and Mudge
Yellow Moon (Read
struggle with
pages 1-12)
rate and
Choose 1 skill
I have pre-selected
expression. She
to begin
terms from the book.
stumbles over
introducing.
These terms are south,
certain words.
woods, picked,
Student P is a
sniffing, chipmunk,
fluent reader.
looking, and together. I
He reads at a
will determine which
steady pace and
terms to cover based
uses the
off of this preappropriate
assessment.
expression. I
asked questions
throughout the
reading to
determine their
understanding
of certain
vocabulary
terms.
Read Henry and
Students
.N/A
Put dictionary

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Four :
October
20th, 2015

Meeting
Five:
October
23rd, 2015

Mudge pages 13-27.

seemed to have
Taught students how to
never been
use a dictionary.
exposed to a
We practiced with a
dictionary
variety of words, not
before. They
the vocabulary terms
caught on
specifically chosen
easily.
Today we put our
Students
dictionary skills to use seemed to enjoy
by doing a Dictionary
the activity.
Detective activity.
Student P does
(pictures attached)
not like to write
Standard: 38. [L.2.4]
too much. He
Determine or clarify
does better
the meaning of
when the
unknown and multiple- activity is done
meaning words and
cooperatively.
phrases based on
In order to
Grade 2 reading and
complete the
content, choosing
assignment
flexibly from an array
within our 25
of strategies.
minute time
o Use glossaries
slot, I had the
students look
and beginning
for the words,
dictionaries,
and I copied
both print and
their answers on
digital, to
to the paper.
determine or
clarify the
meaning of
words and
phrases
Objective: Students
will demonstrate their
knowledge of how to
use a dictionary by
completing a
worksheet packet with
100% accuracy.

I used the words

picked, looking,

skills to use
with some
sort of
activity.

Assessment of
dictionary skills:
Dictionary
Detective

Choose a
second
strategy:
Introduce
second
strategy

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Meeting
Six:
October
27th, 2015

Meeting
Seven:

together, and sniffing.

These words were
chosen based off of the
pre-assessment.
Today we read more of
our Henry and Mudge
book. I introduced the
Frayer Model strategy
to the students. We
used a Frayer Model in
order to look deeper at
the words. Students
came up with a
definition, sentence,
example and nonexamples, and an
illustration. I had the
students do two
graphic organizers on
their own. We did the
other two words
together.
Objective: Students
will create connects
between words and
real life situations by
fully participating a
discussion.
Standard
39. [L.2.5]
Demonstrate
understanding of word
relationships and
nuances in word
meanings.
Identify real-life
connections between
words and their use
(e.g., describe foods
that are spicy or juicy).
Today I started a
lesson on the 4

Student K
seems to be
making
progress. She is
proving that her
work
knowledge is
expanding.
When I say this,
I mean that she
can use the
words in
multiple ways.
She can provide
examples, but
has trouble
verbally explain
and presenting
non-examples.
Student P seems
to be
understanding.
He was very
distracted today.
We also
finished reading
the Henry and
Mudge book.
*Talked to Ms.
Harris about
Student Ps
behavior. She
said that there
has been
changes in his
household.
Student K and
Student P both

Frayer Models

Pave Worksheet

Choose and
present new
strategy.

Finish Lesson

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November
2nd, 2015

Meeting
Eight:
November
19th, 2015

vocabulary terms
looking, sniffing,
picked, and together.
Standard:
38. [L.2.4] Determine
or clarify the meaning
of unknown and
multiple-meaning
words and phrases
based on Grade 2
reading and content,
choosing flexibly from
an array of strategies.
We made it through the
first two words
(looking and picked) in
our allocated time. We
used the PAVE strategy
and an open sort game.

picked the
selected
vocabulary
terms out of the
text. I had them
predict what
they thought the
words meant by
looking at
context clues
and pictures.
Students
seemed to do
this very well.
These particular
students
respond better
when we take
turns writing. I
had students
work
cooperatively to
complete the
PAVE
worksheet with
me. Students
told me what to
write down. I
let each student
have a turn
writing an
answer on the
page.

Formative
Assessment:
Activity Closed
Sort,
Picture/Term
Match

We completed the
lesson by going over
the last two words
(sniffing and
together).We continued
using the PAVE
strategy. I gave the
final assessment to see

I believe that
students have
made progress
over the course
of this project.
Students
accomplished
what I had

Pave Worksheets

Give final
assessment
Based off of
the Henry and
Mudge terms
**Should I
give another
diagnostic
vocabulary
assessment?
Has the
students
overall word
knowledge
improved?

Practice Activity

Final Vocabulary
Assessment

Our Project is
now
completed.
We will not
have any
other
meetings.

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

students progress.

Meeting
Nine:
December
3rd, 2015

intended. They
now know
multiple
strategies to
help them
understand
unknown
words. They
can manipulate
words and use
them in
multiple
scenarios.

Today will be our last

meeting. I will give
both students the final
assessments

Initial Assessment Reflection

Administered on October 1st 2015 and October 8th, 2015
Student K:
I started by giving this student a vocabulary screening. The Core Vocabulary Screening has two
levels for each grade. I decided to start with level 1B, this would be an upper first grade level.
The student only missed one word, and I believe it was a careless mistake. After realizing that
the student was not below grade level, I administered the screening for level 2A. This would be
the beginning of second grade level vocabulary. The student missed three out of thirty, or ten
percent of the questions. According to the scoring sheet, any student who scores seventy-five
percent or above is considered to be reaching the benchmark. Because of time constraints, I
decided to give the level 2B test orally. Out of the 30 words, Student K only got 11 right.

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I gave two assessment in order to test for our particular topic. I started by giving a
formative assessment. I wanted to observe how strongly the student read, paying particular
attention to what types of words she stumbled over. I realized that this particular student reads
very slowly with little expression and stumbles over countless words. I also gave a preassessment for the words that I purposefully picked out of the Henry and Mudge book. The
student could easily place the words in a CLOZE passage assessment, but struggled when they
were asked to describe the word, illustrate the word, or use the word in their own sentences.
These assessments helped me design my plan for the action research project.

Core Vocabulary Screening Scores

CVS 2B

11

CVS 2A

27

CVS 1B

29

10

15

20

25

30

35

Student P:
Just like the previous student, I started by giving the 1B (upper level first grade) vocabulary
screening. This student missed two words, but still reached the benchmark. After looking
carefully at the words that the student missed, I understood why. For example, the student was
given the word over. He was to choose which word best matched the term: soon, above, or ready.

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The student could not decide between soon or ready. I believe the student was having this
problem because he was thinking about over in the context of being done or completed. The
student should have chosen above. After seeing that the student could easily pass the first grade
vocabulary screening, I moved on to the beginning second grade level. The student missed one
word in this screening, and reached the benchmark. Just like the first assessment, the student
only missed a word that could be easily confused. The word given was terrible. The student
should have chosen awful, but instead chose sorry. I believe that the student chose sorry,
because he has been exposed to the phrase I am terribly sorry. After the student easily passed
level 2A, I gave level 2B orally. The student scored a 16 out of 30, which would not be
considered proficient.
After given the diagnostic test, I decided to focus on the book chosen by Mrs. Harris. She
choose Henry and Mudge: Under the Yellow Moon. I gave a pre-assessment to see which words
this students knew. The student easily placed all words in the correct sentence when given a
cloze passage assessment. However, just like the first student, Student P could not verbally
define the word. I decided from this point on I would expand the students knowledge of certain
words and teacher them new strategies to find word meaning when reading.

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Core Vocabulary Screening Scores

CVS 2B

CVS 2A

Category 1

10

15

20

25

30

Strategies Used:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Scale

Word Card Activity Closed Sort
Word/Picture Sort
Frayer Model
Cloze Passage
Dictionary Skills
Total Physical Response
PAVE (Predict, Associate, Verify, Evaluate)

35

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9. Oral Conversations
10. Context Clues
Lessons/Assessments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Core Vocabulary Screening (Multiple Test)

Henry and Mudge: Under the Yellow Moon Pre-Assessment
Henry and Mudge: Under the Yellow Moon Final Assessment
Dictionary Detective Lesson (Learning how to use a dictionary)
Organizing Words Lesson (Frayer Model)
Direct Vocabulary Lesson (PAVE, Picture/Word sort)

Instructional Changes:
1. After the initial meeting I realized that Student K was on a different level than Student P.
Student P seemed to be a much better reader and therefore had better comprehension
skills. Student P was also familiar with more word than Student K. Student K was a less
fluent reader and stumbled over various words. The book was on Student Ks reading
level. In order to give Student K an opportunity to practice reading skills, I made sure to
give her opportunities to read aloud. She was also given opportunities to hear fluent
reading.
2. After the third meeting I realized that Student P does not like to write, at all. When
student P is presented with an assignment/activity that requires writing he completely
shuts down. I realized that if I wanted to get anything done within the short amount of
time we were together I would have to change my approach. I had two options. Either
give Student P assignments that required less writing, or make the assignments a group
task. I did both throughout our meeting times.

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3. About midway through our journey, Student P seemed to be losing control during our
morning meetings. At first, I felt like it was a mistake on my part. In general, I knew that
I struggled with discipline and needed to find new ways to manage classroom behavior.
After talking with Ms. Harris, I realized that Student P was also dealing with issues
outside of the classroom. Ms. Harris could not elaborate on these issues, but they were
obviously causing behavioral problems. Ms. Harris suggested that I use her classroom
reward system. If the students were well behaved the classroom gained a marble. If the
classroom has 16 marbles by the end of the week, they were given a Fun Friday treat. I
decided to do this, but also an individual behavioral system. Each meeting I gave the
students a sticker, if their behavior permitted. If they got 5 stickers, they earned a marble
for the classroom! I found that this worked much better for Student K than Student P.
4. Student Ps behavior continued to deteriorate. I understood that many of his problems
were caused by things out of his control. He tried to be polite and have good classroom
manners, but his situation was against him. I decided to sit down and have a private talk
with Student P. Student P apologized for his behavior and understood that he could do
much better.
5. I thought that using a Frayer Model would be helpful for these students. I believed that it
gave them an opportunity to look at the word in an in depth way. It showed them a
picture, examples and non-examples, a definition, and a sentence. At first, I taught a short
lesson on the words. I had students fill out the definition and example/non-example as a
class. I then had the students individually complete the Frayer Model. I found that this
did not help the students understand the words. These students learn more when they are
involved in an active classroom discussion or activity. The Frayer Model seemed too

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much like busy work for them. I feel like it would have been more effective for a higher
level grade.

Student Ks Progress/Work:

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Core Vocabulary Screening

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Pre-Assessment for Henry and Mudge

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Student Ks Smart Goal

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Personal Progress Charts

Example of Frayer Model

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Example of Dictionary Detective Activity

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Final Henry and Mudge Assessment

Overall Progress:
Student Ps Progress/Work:
Core Vocabulary Screening

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Pre-Assessment for Henry and Mudge

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Personal Progress Charts

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Example of Frayer Model

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Example of Dictionary Detective Activity

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Final Henry and Mudge Assessment

Overall Progress

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Group Work:
PAVE Worksheet Activity

Data Analysis & Final Reflection:

Both students seemed to have benefited from the action research process.
While we only focused on a maximum of eight words, the students were given the
opportunity to explore strategies and techniques that can help them study words in
the future. Not only can students recognize these words, they can analyze and use
the words. For a short period we focused on determining word meaning from text.
I believe that the students will now be able to use context clues when presented

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with unknown words. I know that that the strategies and techniques that I used
were effective, because students were able to prove their knowledge of the terms
covered. I believe that because of the action research, these students will be able to
use a dictionary, find synonyms and antonyms, make connections to everyday life,
create illustrations, and use context clues in order to determine word meaning.
Students were also engaged in conversation about the vocabulary terms. Each of
the planned strategies seemed to benefit the students overall vocabulary
knowledge.
Throughout the process, I was able to learn a large amount about each
student. Student K seems to struggle in the classroom. During the project I learned
that Student K is pulled by the Title 1 teacher. I also learned that she receives math
intervention from Ms. Harris. Student K did show improvement in using certain
vocabulary terms, reading aloud, and using strategies to determine word meaning.
Student K demonstrated that she could use most of the strategies presented in
different situations. Student P was already advanced when he entered into the
action research project. Ms. Harris felt like he would benefit from the extra
attention. Throughout the process Student P seemed to have major behavioral
issues, which I feel at times inhibited his growth. Once I was able to work through
some instructional changes, Student P was able to benefit from the extra
instruction. While I do not believe he made as many improvement as Student K, he

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did show overall improvement in interpreting vocabulary terms in text. He also

was able to use a variety of strategies presented when given an unknown term.

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Effective Vocabulary Instructional Strategies

Abby Lauren Wright

Samford University
Fall 2015

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Abstract:
What strategies are the most effective in improving a students vocabulary knowledge?
Vocabulary has a direct link to a students overall achievement in academics, especially reading.
Teachers can use both direct and indirect instruction in order to teach students new vocabulary
terms. This paper will discuss numerous strategies used in vocabulary instruction.
Keywords: vocabulary, instructions, strategies, student achievement

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Vocabulary has a direct connection to a students reading achievement. As a childs word

knowledge grows, so does their reading comprehension skills. When children do not understand
the words they are reading they cannot comprehend, make connections, or come to clear
conclusions about the material they are covering (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009). One scholar says it
like this, Vocabulary is the glue that holds stories, ideas, and content together, making
comprehension accessible for students. (Rupley, Logan, & Nichols 1998) Students need a
balanced approach to learning vocabulary. Most vocabulary is learned indirectly. However,
direct instruction is still needed (Arbruster, Lehr, Osborn, & Adler, 2009). You directly learn
vocabulary through specific presentation of words. Indirect instruction is receiving vocabulary
knowledge from experiences and context (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009).We know that in order for
children to learn they need to be actively engaged; the same is true for vocabulary. Students
need to be actively engaged and enjoy vocabulary instruction. Having students copy definitions
and then use the words in sentences is not active engagement. Instead, teachers should provide
opportunities for students to be involved in meaningful language rich activities (Rupley, Logan,
& Nichols 1998). Three strategies that have proven effective in enriching students understanding
of vocabulary in text are: the use of semantic maps and other graphic organizers, understanding
how to properly use context clues, and frequent language interactions. By sticking to these
effective instructional strategies, teachers can work towards improving students vocabulary
knowledge.
Research tells us that we can build a childs vocabulary through various language
interactions. These interactions start before the child ever enters into a formal education.
Experts found a correlation between socioeconomic status and a students word knowledge.
Children from professional homes are exposed to a far higher amount of words than those from

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

working or welfare families (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009). One way to expose children to these
language interactions is through meaningful conversations. While listening to adults speak,
children hear new words and repeated words. According to the National Reading Panel, the
more experiences children have with oral language, the broader their vocabulary will be
(Arbruster, Lehr, Osborn, & Adler, 2009). The second way to provide oral language interactions
is by reading aloud to students. By reading aloud to students, you are exposing them to words
they may not have ever heard before. Books provide students with information, detailed
descriptions, and pictures. It is not enough to just read to the child. Teachers should
purposefully choose words that are unknown to the students. While reading the book, teachers
should stop at unknown words, define the word, discuss the word, make connections, and ask
questions (Arbruster, Lehr, Osborn, & Adler, 2009). When the read aloud is completed, the class
should engage in a conversation about what they learned and any new words they encountered.
These language interactions will be beneficial in expanding a childs vocabulary.
While indirect instruction has been proven highly effective, direct vocabulary
instruction is still needed. Direct instruction does not mean having students copy definitions.
Instead teachers should provide specific word instruction. This can be done before reading a
certain book or covering a specific concept (Arbruster, Lehr, Osborn, & Adler, 2009). Teachers
should examine the text or content to determine which words should be taught. Students should
then be provided with a kid-friendly definition. The teacher should then make connections by
showing videos and picture representations, examples of the word in context, or antonyms and
synonyms (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009). In order to keep students actively engaged teachers can use
semantic maps and other graphic organizers. This will also help students make connections and
create a deeper understanding of the words meaning. One example of this would be the Frayer

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Model. (Rupley, Logan, & Nichols, 1998). This is the most basic form of direct vocabulary
instruction.
Another way to teach vocabulary is by showing students how to use context clues to
determine a words meaning. Context clues can be found surrounding the unknown words in
sentences, phrases, and other words. Context can include examples, descriptions, and
restatements (Arbruster, Lehr, Osborn, & Adler, 2009). There are six types of context clues that
teachers should inform students about: word parts, contrast, logic, definition, examples or
illustrations, and grammar. Teaching students to ask questions such as: what are the
surrounding words? How do these offer me clues? What does this word mean in this text?
(Zorfass & Gray, 2014) Teachers can practice working with context clues by having students
circle the clues in a text. Teaching children the importance of context clues can help the
independently determine word meaning. Eventually this skill should become an automatic
response when reading.
Vocabulary instruction should also be enjoyable for students. While you must have the
more serious direct instruction and purposeful language interactions, you can still provide
exciting ways to reinforce word meaning with group work and games. First, you can engage
students by involving them in word sorts. When covering a new topic, pick out important terms.
Having students create categories or organize the words into premade categories can give them
repeated exposure and help discover new meanings (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009). Teachers can also
play word games such as the old fashion hangman. For lower level grades the teacher will
provide the students with a word bank. Otherwise, teachers can provide a category. By giving
clues the teacher will allow students to guess a letter one by one until the word is guessed or

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revealed (Ruetzel & Cooter, 2009). Using these strategies can keep students engaged and help
give repeated exposure to vocabulary terms.
In conclusion, vocabulary is a crucial aspect to a balanced reading program and
assist students in their ability to infer meaning and better comprehend text (Rupley, Logan, &
Nichols, 1998). Teachers should utilize both direct and indirect instruction. Children should
have the opportunity to partake in various oral language activities that facilitate the acquisition of
word knowledge. We can directly teach vocabulary with specific word instruction by providing
student friendly definitions, teach the words using pictures, videos, graphic organizers, and other
resources. Covering the role of context clues can enable students with the ability to understand
words in text on their own. Teachers can also take a less serious approach with games, videos,
and word sorts. All of these methods prove that there are a variety of instructional strategies that
teachers can use in order to improve a students vocabulary knowledge

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ACTION RESEARCH FALL 2015

Reference:
Armbruster, B. B., Lehr, F., Osborn, J., & Adler, C. R. (2009). Put Reading First: the
research building blocks of reading instruction: kindergarten through grade 3. [Washington,
D.C.] : National Institute for Literacy, [2009].
Rupley, W.H., Logan, J. W., & Nichols, W.D. (1998). Vocabulary Instruction in a
Balanced Reading Program. The Reading Teacher, (4). 336.
Ruetzel, D., & Cooter, R. (2009). Increasing Reading Vocabulary. In The Essentials of
Teaching Children to Read: The Teacher Makes the Difference (3rd ed., pp. 174-209). Pearson.
Zorfass, J., & Gray, T. (2014). Using Context Clues to Understand Word Meanings.
Retrieved October 11, 2015.Readingrockets.org