Vocabulary Handbook (Core Literacy Library)

Revised and updated reprint includes appendices now available for download online.

For the first time ever, teachers have one reference that clearly combines vocabulary research with the nuts and bolts of explicit instruction—instruction that is critical to improving students' reading comprehension and overall academic achievement.

Educators and reading specialists from elementary to high school will get in-depth, ready-to-use guidance on the three main elements of high quality vocabulary instruction: specific word instruction, independent word-learning strategies, and word consciousness. For each of these elements, four sections give teachers the what, the why, the when, and the how:

• What. Teachers will get a concise explanation of each element of vocabulary instruction.
• Why. A summary of scientifically based research (aligned with Reading First requirements) helps educators understand exactly why each component matters.
• When. Teachers will get succinct guidelines on when to introduce each element of vocabulary instruction, assess students' skills, and begin intervention.
• How. Detailed sample lesson models—complete with step-by-step instructions and explicit "what to say" scripts—make it easy to teach students new vocabulary strategies and reinforce them with guided, collaborative, and independent practice.

The book includes helpful graphics, definitions, tips for teaching English language learners, and simple charts that make the strategies immediately understandable and useful.

And the Resources section gives teachers photocopiable supplements to use with the lessons: short sample texts that introduce new words, activity worksheets that reinforce skills, and charts that summarize key concepts and strategies.

Part textbook, part practical handbook, this must-have resource from the trusted Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education will help every literacy teacher understand key research on vocabulary instruction, put best practices to work in any classroom, and improve the reading achievement of all students.

(Distributed for CORE, Berkeley, CA.)

Linda Diamond is the executive vice president of CORE, a former school principal and director of instruction, and co-author of CORE's Teaching Reading Sourcebook.

Linda is co-author and editorial director of the Teaching Reading Sourcebook, a comprehensive reference for evidence-based K-12 reading instruction that is currently used as a textbook in college education courses across the country. She is also owner of phonicFinder, software for analyzing the decodability of emergent reader texts. She has worked for more than 25 years as a reading product developer, author, teacher, and language arts consultant.