A few parting words
Adults must be sagacious (wise) in providing exposure to, and support for, learning rare words in preschool. We must be sophisticated (complex) in our selection and consider- ation of worthy words and bathe children in supportive talk about these words. Finally, we must be sedulous (diligent) in preparation for teaching and using vocabulary across multiple contexts. If children start early to develop broad and deep oral repertoires, there is strong potential for their later reading comprehension to be robust. We can strengthen children’s literacy development by exposing preschoolers to sophisticated vocabulary, by using it in multiple contexts, and by giving helpful information about a word’s meaning through explanations and discussions. The 50-cent words are worth it.
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Children’s Oral Vocabulary Repertoires through Rich and Focused Instruction.” The Elementary School Journal 107 (3): 251–71. www. marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/75E1290D-1F33-47DA-BF20- A4CA86FA75BC/14884/VocTT.pdf.
Collins, M.F. 2010. “ELL Preschoolers’ English Vocabulary Acquisition from Storybook Reading.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 25 (1): 84–97.
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Dickinson, D.K., & M.V. Porche. 2011. “Relation between Language Experiences in Preschool Classrooms and Children’s Kindergarten and Fourth-Grade Language and Reading Abilities.” Child Development 82 (3): 870–86.
Dickinson, D.K., & P.O. Tabors, eds. 2001. Beginning Literacy with Language: Young Children Learning at Home and School. Baltimore: Brookes.
Hart, B., & T.R. Risley. 1995. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Expe- rience of Young American Children. Baltimore: Brookes.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. 2005. “Pathways to Reading: The Role of Oral Language in the Transition to Reading.” Developmen- tal Psychology 41 (2): 428–42. http://cas.lehigh.edu/CASWebAdmin/ Uploads/Documents/agn3/NICHD%20-%20Pathways%20to%20Reading %20(2005).pdf.
Pan, B.A., M.L. Rowe, J.D. Singer, & C.E. Snow. 2005. “Maternal Correlates of Growth in Toddler Vocabulary Production in Low-Income Families.” Child Development 76 (4): 763–82.
Sénéchal, M., G. Ouellette, & D. Rodney. 2006. “The Misunderstood Giant: On the Predictive Role of Early Vocabulary to Future Reading.” In Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2, eds. D.K. Dickinson & S.B. Neuman, 173–82. New York: Guilford.
Stahl, S.A., & W.E. Nagy. 2006. Teaching Word Meanings. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Storch, S.A., & G.J. Whitehurst. 2002. “Oral Language and Code-Related Precursors to Reading: Evidence from a Longitudinal Structural Model.” Developmental Psychology 38 (6): 934–47.
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