Academic Vocabulary is defined as words that are traditionally used in academic dialogue and text. Specifically, it refers to words that are not necessarily common or frequently encountered in informal conversation.
Reading A-Z's Leveled Book Close Reading Lesson Supplements feature academic vocabulary words important to the book and oral discussions. Lessons cite academic vocabulary presented in the book and words likely to be part of oral discussions.
The field of science is full of specialized content vocabulary, but students also must learn academic vocabulary terms such as analyze, compare, process, cycle, and pattern. Nearly every resource from Science A-Z contains academic vocabulary and can be used to teach these terms in context.
In Headsprout's early reading lessons, working with words is integrated into reading comprehension activities. Headsprout's reading comprehension also includes explicit instruction both in vocabulary words and strategies to derive the meaning of a word from its surrounding context.
Vocabulary A-Z allows teachers to easily build Academic Vocabulary word lessons. With the product's special Academic Vocabulary word lists, teachers can select up to 12 Academic Vocabulary words and then quickly generate a custom 5 day lesson plan with an end-of-week assessment.
Common Core Academic Vocabulary words are broken down into three tiers:
Tier 1 words: These words are basic vocabulary or common words most children will know. They include high-frequency words and usually are not multiple meaning words.
Tier 2 words: These words are less familiar, yet useful vocabulary found in written text and shared between the teacher and student in conversation. The Common Core State Standards refers to these as "general academic words." Sometimes they are referred to as "rich vocabulary." These words are more precise or subtle forms of familiar words and include multiple meaning words. Instead of walk, for example, saunter could be used. These words are found across a variety of domains.
Tier 3 words: These words are often referred to as "domain specific"; they are critical to understanding the concepts of the content taught in schools. Generally, they have low-frequency use and are limited to specific knowledge domains. Examples would include words such as isotope, peninsula, refinery. These words are best-learned when teaching specific content lessons, and tend to be more common in informational text.
See how Learning A-Z products help support teaching of CCSS academic vocabulary.