Awareness of vocabulary learning strategies has been identified as crucial in supporting learners' vocabulary development. Using interview data from 21 adolescent first language speakers of English identified as gifted students in the U.S. education context, I analysed the vocabulary learning strategies that they used to learn, remember, and make sense of new words. I also analysed the strategies that students reported as what English language arts teachers employed in classrooms and encouraged them to use. The findings showed that reading was the most teacher-adopted, teacher-encouraged, and student-performed activity. In addition, a significant number of students expressed unawareness of specific strategies they used to develop their vocabulary. I discuss implications and highlight the need to re-examine the importance of the awareness of vocabulary learning strategies in learning English as a first language.