Academic vocabulary: how to teach tier 2 words across subjects
In short
Academic vocabulary is the set of words used across school subjects to explain, argue and describe, such as analyze, evidence, compare and conclude. Teach a few each week with clear explanations and examples from several subjects, and make students use them in talk and writing.
What is academic vocabulary?
Academic vocabulary is the language of school, and most students pick it up only partly on their own. It includes words that show up in textbooks, tests and class discussions across many subjects, but rarely in everyday conversation. Words like "analyze", "evidence", "structure", "contrast" and "factor" are good examples.
These are mostly tier 2 words in the Beck, McKeown and Kucan framework. They're different from subject-specific tier 3 words like "photosynthesis" or "denominator". A student needs "evidence" in science, history and English, which is what makes academic words so valuable to teach.
Why do academic words cause so much trouble?
Students often know these words vaguely, from hearing them in class, but can't use them precisely. A student asked to "analyze the author's argument" may not know what analyzing involves. They might summarize instead, and lose credit for a skill they actually have.
Academic words also appear in instructions, which raises the stakes. If a student doesn't understand "infer", "justify" or "evaluate", they may misread the question entirely. Teaching these words directly is a simple fix with a big payoff.
Which academic words should you teach?
Two groups deserve attention. The first is words used in directions and questions, because misunderstanding them changes the whole task a student sets out to do. The second is words that show up across subjects in reading, in textbooks, articles and test passages alike.
| Group | Example words |
|---|---|
| Words in directions | analyze, compare, contrast, describe, explain, infer, justify, summarize, evaluate |
| Words for thinking and argument | evidence, claim, reason, conclude, predict, assume, opinion |
| Words for relationships | cause, effect, factor, structure, sequence, similar, consequence |
| Words for amount and change | increase, decrease, approximate, significant, maintain, constant |
Published lists, such as Averil Coxhead's Academic Word List, can help you pick words for older students. The list groups 570 word families common in academic texts, though it was built from university texts and needs trimming for younger students.
How do you teach an academic word?
Use the same core routine you'd use for any tier 2 word, with one extra step: show the word working in at least two or three different subjects. That helps students see it as a general tool, not a word that belongs to one class.
- Say the word, and have students say it.
- Give a plain explanation: "To compare means to look at how things are alike and different."
- Show it in two or three subjects: comparing two characters, two fractions, two countries.
- Show the word family: compare, comparison, comparable.
- Have students use the word in a sentence about something they know.
- Use the word in directions and discussion all week.
- Teacher
- Our word is "evidence". Evidence is information that shows something is true. What evidence would show it rained last night?
- Student
- Puddles. Wet grass.
- Teacher
- Good. In science, what's evidence that a plant needs light?
- Student
- The plant in the closet turned yellow.
- Teacher
- Right. Now find one piece of evidence in the story that shows Maya is nervous.
How do you get students to use the words?
Students need to say and write academic words many times before they own them. Build in short, structured chances to use them. Sentence frames help at first: "One piece of evidence is..." or "These are similar because...".
Expect the words in answers. If a student says "it's because", ask them to restate it using "the cause was". If they write a summary when asked to analyze, show them the difference with a model. Over time, the frames can be removed.
How does morphology help with academic words?
Many academic words are built from Latin parts. "Contradict" is contra plus dict, against plus say. "Structure" is struct plus ure. Showing those parts helps students remember the words and connect them to related ones.
Word families matter too. A student who learns "analyze" should also meet "analysis" and "analytical". Teaching the family together multiplies the return on each lesson.
How do you assess academic vocabulary?
Look at use, not definitions. A student who can write a definition of "infer" but can't make an inference hasn't learned the word in a useful way. Short tasks work well, such as asking students to explain the difference between "summarize" and "analyze" with an example.
Writing is the best window. Read student responses for academic words used correctly and without prompting. When you see them, point them out and praise them, which encourages more.
What does an academic word wall look like?
A useful academic word wall is short and active. Post the eight to twelve words you're focusing on this term, each with a plain explanation, a sentence from a real class text, and the word's family members, such as "predict, prediction, predictable".
Refer to the wall every day, and ask students to point to the word they used when they answer a question. A wall that nobody looks at is just decoration, while a wall that's part of daily talk becomes a tool students rely on.