What Is Academic Vocabulary?

In this article, the authors address the construct of "academic vocabulary." First, they attempt to bring some clarity to a constellation of terms surrounding academic vocabulary. Second, they compare and contrast definitions of academic vocabulary. Third, they review typologies that researchers and writers have proposed to organize academic vocabulary. Fourth, they present some of the procedures scholars have recommended for identifying academic vocabulary for instruction. Fifth, they present their scheme for classifying and selecting academic vocabulary for instruction and provide an example of how a content teacher might use it. They conclude by recommending a few sources that teachers of adolescents might draw from for teaching academic vocabulary. (Contains 1 table.)