Glossary · Word parts and vocabulary
What are the three tiers of vocabulary?
Definition
Vocabulary tiers sort words into three groups: Tier 1 everyday words, Tier 2 general academic words used across subjects, and Tier 3 subject-specific words.
The framework comes from Isabel Beck and colleagues. Tier 1 words are the ones most students learn in conversation: happy, dog, run. Tier 3 words belong to one subject and are taught when the subject needs them: photosynthesis, isotope, legislature.
Tier 2 words are the target. They're the words most worth a teacher's time, because they show up in books across every subject but rarely in speech: analyze, reluctant, consequence, fortunate. Students won't pick them up from conversation, and they matter for comprehension in every class.
When choosing words from a read-aloud or a text, pick the Tier 2 words. Teach them with a student-friendly explanation, several examples, and chances to use them over the following days.
In a lesson
From a story about a fox and a hen, a teacher picks cunning, cautious and spared to teach. Fox and hen are Tier 1; the story has no Tier 3 words.
Examples
Each word with its spelling units, one per sound.
- fortunatef·or·t·u·n·a·t·e
- consequencec·o·n·s·e·qu·e·n·c·e
- precisep·r·e·c·i_e·s
Words come from our lexicon, checked against a pronouncing dictionary. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out.
Why does this matter for the record?
Track the Tier 2 words taught each week and check a few later in a new sentence. Recognizing a word is not the same as being able to use it.
Rate each skill as you teach it
Needs support, Developing, Secure. The rating schedules the review and builds the report.