Vocabulary: the words students know the meaning of.
Background Knowledge: the amount of knowledge a student has related to a particular concept, experience, or topic.
Vocabulary and background knowledge are critical to reading comprehension, as they directly influence a student’s ability to construct meaning from text. Vocabulary serves as the bridge between word-level processes and the cognitive demands of comprehension, while background knowledge supports inference-making, global coherence, and mental model development.
Vocabulary is a critical tool for meaning-making. About 90% of words in a paragraph must be known to facilitate text comprehension (Stahl and Fairbanks, 1986).
- Direct word learning involves intentional, explicit vocabulary instruction where students engage in definitional and contextual learning, multiple oral and written exposures, and deep processing of words through structured instructional routines. Beck et al. (2013) recommended sets of 6 to 10 words over a period of 5 to 9 days for direct word learning approaches.
- Indirect word learning occurs through incidental language experiences such as teacher and student discussions, read-alouds, point-of-contact teaching, and structured independent reading, fostering natural word acquisition in a rich language environment. It is estimated that educators can only teach 300-400 words directly each school year while the average student acquires 2500-3000 new word meanings per year, therefore these indirect approaches are critical to language learning.
Background knowledge plays a crucial role in reading comprehension, as it enables readers to make connections, infer meaning, and fully grasp the content of a text. To support this reading area, educators may:
- Activate or assess background knowledge before, during, or after reading. This practice encourages students to reflect on their prior knowledge and bring their understanding to the text at hand (Hennessy, 2021), and it has been shown to improve reading comprehension (Shanahan et al., 2010).. Tools may include: Anticipation guides, questionnaires, or visuals.
- Incorporate materials that build subject-matter knowledge and reinforce vocabulary through repeated exposure to key concepts (IDA, 2021). Tools may include: Thematic units, virtual experiences, or vocabulary connections.
- Facilitate connections from new learning with students’ prior experiences. Connecting to students’ background knowledge before, during, and after reading enhances comprehension by linking new information to what they already know. Strategies like connect, collect, correct, and compare, along with tools like quick writes, confirmation guides, and concept maps, help students reflect, predict, and organize their learning for deeper understanding.
