Four different vocabulary lists based on the study of children's writing were consulted to generate a basic spelling list of 850 words. The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List provides words that children most often use when writing and that are important in beginning reading instruction. (SM)

Preschoolers enthusiastically tackle reading when they get to read and share their "special" words. The author, a preschool teacher, describes a successful classroom strategy for helping students make the connection between print and meaning. As students develop word lists that have special meaning for them and then use these words in stories and…

Outlines an approach to develop a computer program that can parse beginner-level English in BASIC through input processing, word matching, and phrase structure parsing. (CB)

Describes a set of criteria for selection of core vocabulary, with examples given from English. Suggests applications for such a vocabulary in grading reading materials and analyzing stylistics. (LMO)

Describes 2 points of view about the relationship between oral-language and literacy skills: The phonological sensitivity approach posits that vocabulary provides the basis for phonological sensitivity, which then is the key language ability supporting reading, and the comprehensive language approach posits that varied language skills interact…

Explains how functional language instruction can be made useful for persons with moderate to severe handicaps who are also culturally and linguistically different. Explains how vocabulary and cultural information of the Spanish-speaking student can be included in functional language instruction. (RS)

Suggests ways to adapt basal reading instruction to content area reading instruction. Includes adaptations of three common basal procedures: (1) setting the purpose; (2) developing a vocabulary; and (3) discussing the selection. (JAD)

Children listen, act out and recite nursery rhymes and thus learn about rhyming words, absorb the rhythm of English language, and begin to develop speech sound awareness in an interactive and fun way, which can further enhance reading achievement. Encouraging children to dramatize the rhymes leads to role plays which uses basic vocabulary sight…

Suggests a methodology, based on the highly successful model of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) literacy training, for teaching non-Latin alphabets such as Arabic. A holistic communication approach, presenting the alphabet as a key to learning the target language, helps learners to assimilate vocabulary more rapidly. (CB)

An analysis of Canadian French vocabulary and an experiment in increasing the communicative ability of French learners by adding Canadian French vocabulary and rules for its use to the syllabus are reported. (MSE)

Discusses points made in a previous paper, arguing that the presence of the basic word order Agent-Verb-Patient in the Basic Variety (BV) may reflect the salience of this word order in the target language as suggested by comparable data from creoles. Although the BV may serve the communicative functions of true languages, they may not fulfill…

Describes a method of increasing vocabulary recognition of Chapter 1 elementary students by using mastery words from basal programs, sight word cards, and modified cloze stories. (MG)

A study for assessing automatic vocabulary switching from a thesaurus to Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) revealed that a maximum 61%, but a more realistic 41.5%, of the terms could be switched automatically; as long as LCSH is used for subject descriptions in online catalogs, interfaces for vocabulary switching can only be partially…

Struggling readers at the middle level need help using reading strategies effectively in order to become strategic readers. Middle level teachers need both to model and to teach how to use a variety of reading strategies that will help struggling readers become independent. This article deals with the development of the KWHHL strategy. The KWHHL…

Divides texts into two groups, the first of which teaches a selected group of words; the second teaches strategies for learning vocabulary as well as teaching a selected group of words. (EL)