Developing Vocabulary by Integrating Language and Content

Abstract

The following article outlines an approach to the teaching of vocabulary that encourages students to apply the cognitive skills that they use in their academic tasks to the learning of new vocabulary items. The approach is described as it was used with a class of secondary students who, although many are Canadian born, lack proficiency in the use of academic language. This approach reinforces higher cognitive thinking skills by having students classify new vocabulary items they have to learn, and then having them explain the principles behind the classification system they have chosen. By doing this, students are better able to visualize the relationships that exist amongst the words they are learning. As a result, the learning of vocabulary is integrated into a larger, more meaningful unit of language.