Word Learning Strategies
It is not possible to teach all of the words students do not know. Therefore, students also need tools to be able to figure out the meaning of words that are new to them. These strategies include:
- how to use information about word parts and word origin to figure out the meaning
- how to use context clues and language structure cues
- how to use dictionaries and other reference aids to learn word meanings
Word learning strategies for students can include encouraging them to use the dictionary, teaching them to examine word parts such as suffixes and roots (morphemic analysis), and having them look for context clues by studying the text around unfamiliar words (contextual analysis). The link below introduces more strategies (along with some lesson models) to help students learn new words and develop their vocabulary: fostering word consciousness, providing exposure in multiple contexts, and restructuring vocabulary tasks are some of these strategies. Click the following link to find out more.
