Remedial

Vocabulary
Instruction

Vocabulary is initially acquired in four ways:

1. Incidentally, through reading and conversation
2. Through direct instruction, as when a teacher or
auto-instructional program is used intentionally to
build vocabulary power

3. Through self-instruction, as when

words are looked up in a dictionary or
their meaning are sought from others in
a conscious manner.
4. Through mental manipulation while
thinking, speaking and writing.

Isabelle Beck, Margaret McKeown and Richard

Omanson (1997) characterize these levels of
knowledge of word meaning as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

No knowledge
General Information Level
Narrow recognition (usually context-bound)
Need to hesitate to remember a meaning
Easy recognition and full knowledge