Introducing a new vocabulary word is only the beginning. Even when students understand a word during the initial lesson, they need repeated opportunities to retrieve its meaning, hear it in new contexts, and use it as they talk and write. Without this review, even a carefully selected and thoughtfully introduced word may not stick. In …Read more

As teachers, we come across far more unfamiliar words than we could possibly teach. These four categories can help us identify essential vocabulary students will encounter and use repeatedly throughout a lesson, series of lessons, or unit.