Developing students’ ability to learn and master vocabulary as self-directed learners is a critical part of literacy. Through its research-based methodology, Vocabu-Lit equips students to use multiple strategies to unlock the meaning of words and make them part of their everyday and academic vocabulary. Vocabu-Lit introduces word lists through excerpts from high-quality texts including contemporary and classic fiction, nonfiction, speeches, and primary sources.
The Vocabu-Lit Difference
- Easy to Use!—Every lesson includes seven exercises designed to broaden students’ word knowledge and ability to extract meaning from texts.
- Focused—Each set of exercises builds students' proficiency with the ten master words in a predictable sequence.
- Flexible Implementation—Vocabu-Lit develops word study skills in less than 15 minutes per day.
Word Study & Self-Directed Learners
Developing students’ ability to learn and master vocabulary as self-directed learners is a critical part of literacy. Through its research-based methodology, Vocabu-Lit equips students to use multiple strategies to unlock the meaning of words and make them part of their everyday and academic vocabulary.
- Words in context—All Master Words in Vocabu-Lit come from excerpts of high-quality texts including contemporary fiction, nonfiction, speeches, and primary sources.
- Close reading—Each lesson begins with students extracting context clues from the text to generate meaning for the Master Words.
- Dictionary skills—By using the built-in dictionary, students compare their definitions to standard definitions helping them identify both substantive and more nuanced differences.
- Multiple exposures—A series of exercises of increasing complexity test recall and usage of the words in multiple form.
- Writing—Short writing exercises ensure students can use the words in their writing and speaking.
- Morphology—Students use affixes and broaden their knowledge of roots from Greek, Latin, and other linguistic sources.
Full Year of Instruction
Six units (5 lessons per unit) provide a full year of instruction. A minimum of 50 percent of the lesson selections are from informational texts spanning all subject areas.
Using Close Reading Skills
Students learn multiple ways to extract meaning by reading selections two times: the first to check understanding, the second to identify context clues for the Master Words.
Multiple Exposures
Once students have the dictionary definition, each lesson then uses the Master Words in six varying settings—in context, through analogies, using synonyms/antonyms, and investigating shades of meaning and multiple meanings. A short writing exercise using the Master Words concludes each lesson.
Unit activities extend word study through activities using roots and affixes, idioms and sayings, academic language, and figurative language.