What's in a Word? Using Content Vocabulary to Generate Growth in General Academic Vocabulary Knowledge.

The article explores several strategies that can be implemented by upper elementary, middle, and high school teachers to help students develop their general vocabulary knowledge while also increasing their comprehension of content area words and concepts. Particular focus is given to methods in which teachers allow students to explore the etymology of words through an understanding of roots, prefixes, and suffixes that are common to the English language. Other topics explored include morphological knowledge, direct instruction, and spelling-meaning connections.