Missing in Action: Vocabulary Instruction in Pre-K

The Reading Teacher, 62(5), pp. 384–392 © 2009 International Reading Association DOI:10.1598/RT.62.5.2 ISSN: 0034-0561 print / 1936-2714 online The most plausible explanation for vocabulary’s connection to better reading ability is that vocabulary is more than words. It is knowledge. To know a word’s meaning is to know what a word represents and to begin to understand the network of concepts that goes with it (Stahl & Murray, 1994; Stahl & Nagy, 2006). Research studies (Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon, 2004) suggest that it is this rich interconnection of knowledge that drives children’s comprehension. Further, knowledge of new words builds upon prior knowledge (Hirsch, 2003). It is cumulative and interactive. The more words you know, the easier it is to learn more words. Even before they enter formal schooling (Neuman, 2006), young children will need a fairly extensive knowledge network of words and concepts to successfully learn to read and comprehend. Given its substantial role in reading development and the significant vocabulary gap prior to age 4, one would expect to find an emphasis on vocabulary early on, especially in the preschool and primary grades years. Paradoxically, this appears not to be the case. Neuman and Roskos (2005) in their examination of early learning pre-K standards, for example, found that states in the U.S. rarely included specific vocabulary guidelines. Likewise, Beck & McKeown (2007) in their extensive studies reported a paucity of rich, explicit instruction in vocabulary development in the primary grades. Summarizing the research on vocabulary teaching, the National Reading Panel report (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000), as well, found little evidence of intentional vocabulary instruction in the early grades. As the Early Reading First legislation and the recent reauthorization of Head Start make clear, however, curriculum can play an important role in promoting research-based practices. Given the recent attention to pre-K and its important role in promoting vocabulary and school readiness skills, Missing in Action: Vocabulary Instruction in Pre-K