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Based on the best practices in vocabulary development, these are 5 of the biggest mistakes people make when teaching vocabulary by Janet Caruthers, Ed. S.

#1.  The first mistake is teaching the wrong words.  Do you know what the criteria is for selecting words to teach?  There are two major criteria to keep in mind when choosing words to teach.  First, select a few words that are critical to understanding the text.  Sometimes we are tempted to teach all the new words.  Don’t do that…More

#2.  The second mistake is not formally activating the new word. It is tempting to just tell the child the meaning of the word and go on.  After all, as adults we have heard the word many times and know what it means.  But each time a new word is introduced…More

#3.  The third mistake is only telling or teaching the word one time.  Research suggests that a person must encounter something multiple times to “own” it.  In fact, this “multiple times” has been given numbers, from 6 – 12 times depending on how much the person …More

#4.The fourth biggest mistake is telling a child to “Look it up in the dictionary.”  Now don’t get riled up, that is an important skill that everyone needs to know.  In fact, it is part of one of the four research-based practices for teaching vocabulary, called “Creating Independent Learners.”  That should be your primary goal (You know, like the “teach a man to fish” story).  There are several ways to … More

#5.  The fifth biggest mistake is teaching only individual words.  In order to understand what we read, we must be able to accurately read and understand 95% of the words read.  It would be impossible to teach each word individually… there are millions.  The best thing to do is to teach your children to analyze words.  Word analysis is another part of the research-based practice of “Creating Independent Learners.” 
To analyze words a person must …More