Enhancing Vocabulary for Improved Comprehension

Ed. Hirsch

Why Hirsch Matters

Vocabulary instruction in our schools is a mess. Definitions of tier three words (those that relate to key concepts in our subject) are completely essential. These words need explicit instruction. Hirsch imagines this to be 400 such words a year for the specialist terms you might use in your subject.

Here is a small sample list for English year 7 students:

symbol, symbolise, symbolic, contrast, contrasts, syllable, meter, iambic, pentameter, stress, unstress, sonnet, rhyme scheme, rhyming couplet, signifies, thesis statement, conclusion, topic sentence, subordinate clause, tragedy, fate, resolution, flashback, parenthesis, precis …

We are explicit about these words because they are high stakes in our subject - you can’t become an English expert without them.

It doesn’t take long to make quite a list. These are rarely the words I see taught with explicit instruction. Instead, teachers focus on much more general vocabulary - democracy, disillusion, destitute - etc.

These words, like all words, can be best acquired through immersion, repeated encounters in different topics - through reading in fact.

But complex vocabulary (tier two words) are being taught in the same way. This is a waste of teaching time. Many English departments are devoting 30 minutes a week to this practice, without ever using assessments to see if it works. And, of course, they aren’t assessing the impact of how they could spend that 30 minutes teaching vocabulary in a much better way. This involves:

1. incidental acquisition

2. immersion

Hirsch’s Research

Here’s a quick summary, courtesy of ChatGPT. You can read the full paper here.

How many reasons can you find for not spending curriculum time explicitly teaching Tier Two vocabulary?

1. Emphasize Vocabulary's Impact:

   • Stress the strong correlation between vocabulary knowledge and reading (oral) comprehension.

   • Recognize the significant role vocabulary plays in students' ability to comprehend texts.

2. Address Vocabulary Disparities:

   • Acknowledge that early advantages in vocabulary can grow into substantial disparities unless actively addressed.

   • Understand the impact of socio-economic factors on vocabulary exposure.

3. Explain the "Matthew Effect":

   • Describe the "Matthew Effect" in vocabulary acquisition, emphasizing the widening gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

   • Highlight the importance of knowing a significant percentage of words in a text for effective comprehension. (90-95%)

   • (As it relates to reading, the Matthew effect refers to the idea that good readers read more, causing them to become even better readers. Conversely, poor readers shy away from reading, which has a negative impact on their growth in reading ability. This causes the gap between good readers and poor readers to widen).

4. Implement Effective Vocabulary Building:

   • Engage in explicit vocabulary instruction, especially in the early years and for students who are behind.

   • Provide an environment conducive to the incidental acquisition of vocabulary.

5. Use Explicit Instruction Strategies:

   • Explore methods of explicit vocabulary instruction, aiming to teach approximately 400 words per year.

   • Consider Isabel Beck and her colleagues' guide for effective explicit vocabulary instruction.

6. Encourage Broad Vocabulary Growth:

   • Emphasize the necessity for all students to learn many more words annually through incidental means.

   • Recognize that a well-educated 12th-grader knows between 60,000 and 100,000 words, mostly acquired incidentally.

7. Highlight Incidental Learning:

   • Recognize that most vocabulary growth occurs incidentally through massive immersion in the world of language and knowledge.

   • Understand the slow and incremental nature of word knowledge acquisition.

8. Leverage Cognitive Science Insights:

   • Stay informed about recent insights from cognitive science regarding incidental vocabulary learning.

   • Consider ways to create an environment conducive to efficient vocabulary learning through coherent language experiences.

9. Encourage Daily Exposure to Language:

   • Emphasize the importance of daily exposure to language for efficient vocabulary learning.

   • Encourage students to engage in varied language experiences to enrich their word knowledge.

10. Promote Lifelong Vocabulary Growth:

    • Instill a culture of lifelong vocabulary growth.

    • Encourage students to embrace continuous learning and exposure to new words to expand their vocabulary.

11. Immerse Students in Coherent Language Experiences:

    • Recognize the value of immersing students in extended periods of coherent language experiences.

    • Consider how such experiences can contribute to efficient and effective vocabulary learning.

By incorporating these strategies into your teaching, you can actively contribute to closing vocabulary gaps among students and improving their overall comprehension skills.