Expanding Vocabulary Helps Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary is an important part of reading comprehension. Having a wide range of words in your spoken vocabulary increases your understanding of the words you read.
For school success, vocabulary also needs to include words students might find in their science, history, math and literature classes. Without the vocabulary needed in these content areas, teenagers may have difficulty understanding their school textbooks. This can result in poor grades, a lack of motivation to read and a lack of interest in school.
Parents can help increase their teen’s vocabulary by drawing attention to words and the importance of understanding their meaning.
è  Give your teenager something to read that you know will interest her. Talk about the meaning of several words in the text and help your teen connect the words to something familiar. "Remember when you cut your finger chopping onions? You grimacedin pain. What else might make you grimace?A particularly upsetting scene in a movie could make you grimace."
è  Increase the conversation among family members in your home. Make an effort to use new and different words. For example, you might say, "John broke his clavicle" rather than "John broke his collar bone." You could expand this conversation by suggesting that you and your teen do a little research (in a school textbook, the library or through the Internet) about the names of other bones in the body.
è  Ask your teenager’s teachers what they would suggest as a way to help your teen. Let them know you are interested in trying to help at home. They may be able to provide you a list of appropriate words in each subject that are important for your teen to know.
è  Talk with your teenager about his homework reading assignment. Ask if there are words he doesn’t understand and help him make a list of them. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know or remember the meanings of some words. Suggest to your teen that you learn the meanings together. Have encyclopedias, textbook glossaries, dictionaries, or your computer handy for instant explanations. Examine the text in which the word is located to find information helpful to determining its meaning.
è  Extend meaning or provide additional information as you watch movies together. "Did you know we entered World War II on December 8, 1942, just one day after the assaulton Pearl Harbor?" Or "Winning that gold medal in ice hockey happened at the height of the Cold Warand the Russians did not seem so invincible after that." Both of these statements can lead to many other discussions.
è  Give your teenager as many experiences as you can— visit the zoo, aquarium, science museum, historic homes or other historic sites; go to a ballgame, an opera, a play, a fashion show; play word games; watch documentary movies or visit foreign lands through books, encyclopedias or the computer. Your community may offer events that are free or available for minimal cost. Each experience will bring its own set of vocabulary words for your teen to learn and know.
Written by the National Center for Family Literacy. http://www.famlit.org/site/c.gtJWJdMQIsE/b.1204561/k.BD7C/Home.htm