Vocabulary Matters: What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Word Learning

By Dana Gomez, Reading & Literacy Specialist

If I had to name one area of literacy instruction that’s frequently misunderstood—or under-taught—it would be vocabulary. We know it’s important, of course. We’ve all heard students stumble through unfamiliar words or find it difficult to explain what they’ve read. But when I ask during planning meetings, “How are we intentionally teaching vocabulary?”—there’s usually that long, somewhat awkward pause.

As a reading and literacy specialist, I want to make the case for vocabulary instruction as an essential (not optional) part of every content area, and give educators practical ways to integrate it into your daily routine.

What Is Vocabulary, Really?

Vocabulary refers to the words we know, understand, and use. It includes:

• Receptive vocabulary – Words we understand when we hear or read them.

• Expressive vocabulary – Words we use when we speak or write.

For students to become strong readers and thinkers, they need both. Vocabulary is not just about memorizing definitions—it’s about building a deep, flexible understanding of how words work in context.

Words are often grouped into tiers:

• Tier 1 – Everyday words (dog, house, jump)

• Tier 2 – Academic, descriptive, or precise words used across subjects (observe, analyze, fortunate)

• Tier 3 – Content-specific words (photosynthesis, peninsula, numerator)

Most of our instructional energy should focus on Tier 2 words, because they appear frequently in reading and are essential for comprehension across all subjects.

Why Is Vocabulary So Important?

Vocabulary plays a direct role in reading comprehension. If a student can decode a sentence fluently but doesn’t understand key words within it, comprehension breaks down. According to the National Reading Panel (2000), vocabulary knowledge is one of the five pillars of reading instruction. Research also shows that students with limited vocabularies tend to read less, comprehend less, and fall further behind over time (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002).

This is especially important in linguistically diverse regions like the Central Valley, where many students are developing English vocabulary alongside academic content. For these learners, vocabulary gaps can compound quickly unless we provide explicit instruction.

And here's the kicker—vocabulary isn’t naturally acquired from exposure alone. Students need repeated, meaningful encounters with words in different contexts. That doesn’t happen by accident; it happens through intentional teaching.

What Vocabulary Instruction Should Look Like

Vocabulary instruction should be explicit, engaging, and connected to meaningful reading and writing. This means going beyond “look it up and write a sentence.” Effective vocabulary teaching includes:

• Previewing and introducing words before reading
  (e.g., “You’ll see the word reluctant in our story today. Let’s talk about what it means.”)

• Using student-friendly definitions
  Avoid dictionary language and instead say, “Reluctant means you don’t want to do something, like when you have to wake up early for school.”

• Engaging students in using the word in their own way
  Have them act it out, draw it, use it in their own sentence, or connect it to a personal experience.

• Word-learning strategies
  Teach students how to use context clues, morphology (prefixes, suffixes, roots), and reference tools to figure out unknown words.

• Repetition and review
  Revisit words throughout the week—not just once. Include them in discussions, writing prompts, and games.

Final Thoughts

Vocabulary is not just the responsibility of the ELA block—it belongs in every subject. Math, science, social studies, art… every discipline has its own language, and our students need access to those words to fully participate in learning.

If we want students to comprehend complex texts, engage in academic conversations, and write with precision, then vocabulary instruction must be built into our daily practice—not tacked on as an afterthought.

Start with a few words. Make them visible. Talk about them. Use them often. And most importantly, give your students the time and tools to own those words themselves.