Reviews "Key Lingo" (vocabulary practice in adventure setting), "Watch Your Speech" (practice identifying parts of speech), and "WordWork" (challenging word game to stimulate reading and spelling skills). Includes computer needed, manufacturer, current price, and detailed evaluation of the software. (JN)

Reviews research indicating that presenting vocabulary in semantically related clusters may improve students' vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Describes how words from elementary school textbooks were divided into semantic clusters and makes suggestions for their use. (FL)

This booklet presents parents with 10 tips for helping their children expand their vocabulary. The 10 tips in the booklet are: read and use context; look for synonyms and antonyms; rhyming and homophones; compound words; look for related words; prefixes and suffixes; word maps; see how words are formed; mine the wealth of other languages; and use…

Presents exercises in the history of names, the origins of certain words, context clues, and creative descriptions--all designed to expand students' vocabularies. (SJL)

Three experiments were conducted that studied the effect on comprehension of words containing more than one meaning. When children were asked to choose appropriate word meanings by reading sentences that provided "disambiguating" clues, they did not effectively identify from context the less common or secondary meanings of words. (MKM)

Connects knowledge about good vocabulary instructional practices and actual practice through information, guidelines, and specific strategies. Details the strategies of semantic feature analyses; word maps; individual vocabulary cards; word webs; context-relationship procedure; the Frayer model; and word analogies. Concludes there needs to be…

Definitions by elementary students were scored for conformity with Aristotelian form and information quality. School exposure to English was correlated with quality and quantity of formal definitions given. Results of this and a similar French-as-a-Foreign-Language exercise indicate that definitional ability depends on opportunity to practice…

Assesses "theory of mind" (ToM), or social understanding, in preadolescents (N=128) and examines individual differences in the relations among social understanding, self-concept, and language competence. Results reveal positive associations between children's social understanding and self-understanding; self-perceptions of behavioral…

Recommends five process-oriented strategies for teaching vocabulary: (1) teach words in context; (2) move from known to unknown; (3) group and categorize items; (4) relate content to students' interests; and (5) provide for constant review. (ARH)

Provides an annotated book list for use by elementary school teachers. Emphasizes children's involvement in word play and word games as a means to strengthen the language arts program. Specific areas covered include word play and word games, riddles, jokes, rhymes and verse, sounds and words, and word histories. (DST)

Departs from the review-of-research model often used in this column and proposes research directions on the topic of word-level strategies. Reconsiders the growth of word-level strategies, not as an exclusive focus, but as part of authentic literacy use. (MG)

Focuses on the examination of pupil responses for grades two through four in a study that provides more recent information about the performance of pupils on the Dolch Test. Provides some observations to assist teachers in interpreting the result of pupil responses to these words. (MG)

Gives a brief overview of vocabulary instruction research and delineates vocabulary instructional guidelines based on research. Recommends ways to use physical education activities for teaching vocabulary, and suggests words that are logically associated with specific physical education activities. (RS)

Scores of 66 elementary students (referred for poor learning progress) on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) were below mean performance on all Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (SB:FE) area scores except memory. The study refutes the assertion that the PPVT-R is an appropriate screening instrument for the SB:FE.…

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)