Vocabulary Instruction During Elementary Classroom Discourse: Observing First- Through Third-Grade Teachers' Instructional Practices

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Seventeen
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding and Promoting Oral Language and Vocabulary Development in Early Childhood (Table 13)

Abstract

Vocabulary is crucial for reading development, as suggested by models of reading and reviews of research. Despite this body of research, we know less about what vocabulary supports are implemented in lower elementary classrooms. Therefore, this study investigated how teachers implemented vocabulary instruction during language arts lessons in 1st through 3rd grade classrooms, within a low-income, rural community. Data sources were classroom observations and semi-structured teacher interviews. Results revealed that 1st grade students received significantly less vocabulary instruction than 2nd grade students. Teachers prioritized words related to standards, rather than texts or content; relied on in-the-moment instruction, rather than planning ahead; and used strategies for checking students’ knowledge of words, rather than providing direct, explicit instruction grounded in research.

Authors

• Courtney Hattan, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author

• Deborah Ann MacPhee, Illinois State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Caleb Zuiderveen, Illinois State University
  Non-Presenting Author