vocabulary instruction should offer multiple
exposures of the target words, employ a
breadth of information with varying contexts
for the target words, and provide opportunities
for student to process and interact with the
word meanings actively and deeply” (p.244).
Besides these principles of instruction, August
et al. (2005) have asserted that ELLs need
augmented visual support and additional
practice time. As a result, Townend’s (2009)
intervention sought to provide multiple
exposures in multiple contexts with multiple
opportunities for practice, in addition to visual
support and more opportunities for practice
and personalization of the words.
In a nutshell, facilitating understanding of
vocabulary for ELLs is different from facilitating
understanding of vocabulary for EO students.
ELLs need much more attention to the meaning
of vocabulary and meaning bearing syntax.
Multiple exposures to important content and
close reading for meaning are required. When
students read with little or no background
knowledge as mentioned above, their
comprehension is superficial. Students can
repeat language from the text, but they are not
able to infer or answer application questions,
for example. Lack of understanding the
background of a reading cannot be overstated.
Teemant and Graham (2003) sum up the
requirements with their curriculum guidelines
which advocate for thematic learning to ensure
an in-depth exposure to a limited range of
essential content concepts:
1) Teach to the Next Text: Unlike EO
students, [EL] learners may need to learn
[the meaning of] new structures and
many new words as they also learn to
decode.
2) Provide for Broad Extensive Reading:
Extended periods of reading, when paired
with opportunities to discuss and write
responses, promote students’ general
vocabulary knowledge and build literacy
skills in word recognition, fluency, and
comprehension.
3) Support Narrow Reading of Academic
texts: Teachers need to make critical
decisions about which vocabulary,
concepts, writing, and thinking skills are
essential for students to build upon
across time.
4) Focus on Academic Vocabulary: For [EL]
students, fluency and flexibility in the use
of academic vocabulary are often
gatekeepers for academic success.
5) Use and Produce Both Expository and
Narrative Texts: Using both types of texts
helps learners develop the ability to read
and write for different purposes and
adjust strategies accordingly.
Memorizing lists of words is not effective
for ELL language acquisition. St