Investigating Effective Vocabulary Strategies in the Secondary Content Area Classroom

Abstract

Vocabulary instruction in the science classroom is a topic of challenge for both teachers and students. The level of difficulty and complexity of the terms presents many challenges for instruction. In this investigation, I explore different strategies that researchers have deemed as effective in a middle school science classroom. The methods used in study are word walls, Frayer models, vocabulary/word games and Pre & Post assessments. I find that the methods I used appeared to benefit some students, but not others.