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		Write about Me and Write about My World Grade 1 For emergent writers, these additions to the Just Write series introduce the writing process through child-centered activities and real-world writing applications. MORE INFO » Words Are Wonderful Books 2 and 3 Grades 4 and 5 This research-based interactive vocabulary program includes student books, teachers' editions, and standardized-format test booklets. MORE INFO » Game Plan: Building Language Skills with Games A Sourcebook for Teaching the Sentence Grade 4–8 This reproducible sourcebook provides carefully planned, standards-based lessons and games to teach grammar interactively. MORE INFO » Ten Essential Vocabulary Strategies: Practice for Success on Standardized Tests Grade 4 The first book in this new series helps students unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words they encounter—on standardized assessments and in their classroom and personal reading. MORE INFO »

		This month's free Lesson Packs are Writing Definitions for grades 3–4 and Synonyms and Antonyms for grades 5–7, focusing on vocabulary, language, and critical thinking skills. Download Writing Definitions [6 pages, 112kb Adobe PDF] Download Synonyms and Antonyms [7 pages, 116kb Adobe PDF] Lesson Packs are selections from popular EPS series, grouped together by skill. They include teaching tips, alignment with standards, and extensions for use in the classroom.

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The following items are now available for ordering online on our Web site:

•		Sounds Sensible
•		S.P.I.R.E.

•		Words I Use
•		Writing across the Curriculum

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Words are the tools we use to think, to express ideas and feelings, and to learn about the world. Because words are the very foundation of learning, improving students' vocabulary knowledge has become an educational priority. Student word knowledge is strongly linked with academic accomplishment, because a rich vocabulary is essential to successful reading comprehension. Furthermore, the verbal sections of the high-stakes standardized tests used in most states to gauge student performance are basically tests of vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Studies have shown that reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are strongly correlated, (1) and researchers have found that word knowledge in primary school can predict how well students will be able to comprehend texts they read in high school. (2) Limited vocabularies prevent students from comprehending a text.  

Poor readers often read less, because reading is difficult and frustrating for them. This means they don't read enough to improve their vocabularies, which could help them comprehend more. This perpetuating cycle can mean that as students continue through middle school and high school, the gap between good and poor readers grows wider.

Direct instruction in vocabulary can help arrest this cycle. Good readers often acquire much of their vocabulary through wide independent reading, also known as incidental learning. However, explicit instruction can help students learn enough words to become better readers (and thus acquire even more words). Direct vocabulary instruction is useful for students at all ability levels, but it is particularly useful for beginning students who have a limited reading vocabulary and little exposure to incidental vocabulary learning outside of school.

The average student learns about 3,000 words a year, or six to eight words per day—a remarkable achievement! If students are taught new words at a rate of eight to ten words per week for 37 to 50 weeks, about 300 to 500 words per year can be taught through direct instruction. (3) This leaves a large portion of words to be learned through independent reading, which is essential to acquiring word knowledge.

Although the percentage of words learned through direct instruction may seem small, it is significant. Steven A. Stahl has pointed out that for students at the lower end of the vocabulary range, who learn perhaps 1,000 words a year, a gain of 300 words equals a 30 percent increase, and that for average students a gain of even 10 percent is educationally significant—especially if it is repeated year after year. (4) Experts agree that a combination of direct instruction of word meanings, discussions about words and word parts, and encouragement of wide reading is the best way to help students develop vocabulary.

Continue to read the rest of this article and to download a free PDF version.

2. Biemiller, Andrew. “Teaching Vocabulary: Early, direct, and sequential,” American Educator, Spring 2001, p. 24.

3. Stahl, p. 9; Texas Reading Initiative/Texas Education Agency. Promoting Vocabulary Development. Austin, TX: Texas Reading Initiative/Texas Education Agency, 2000, pp. 5-6.

Educators Publishing Service, a longtime leader in vocabulary instruction, understands that a strong vocabulary helps students achieve on standardized assessments and in the classroom. We offer a wide range of vocabulary programs to increase word knowledge, teach test-taking strategies, facilitate learning in the content areas, and encourage students' creativity and confidence with words.

Meet the needs of all students with vocabulary materials from EPS.

		Ten Essential Vocabulary Strategies: Practice for Success on Standardized Tests Lee Mountain Grades 4–8 Even students with strong vocabularies are likely to encounter unfamiliar words on tests and in other reading. Ten Essential Vocabulary Strategies helps students develop critical strategies for unlocking the meaning of unfamiliar words in context, helping them succeed not only when taking standardized tests but anytime they come across a new word. MORE INFO »
		Wordly Wise 3000 Kenneth Hodkinson and Sandra Adams Grades 2–12 Wordly Wise 3000, our best-selling vocabulary series for students in grades 2–12, develops vocabulary and comprehension skills. Lessons provide dictionary-style word lists and a variety of rigorous exercises for understanding and incorporating new vocabulary, including a nonfiction narrative that uses the lesson's words in context. Reproducible tests in standardized-testing format assess students' understanding, and new Teacher's Guides provide models, detailed instructions, and the latest research in vocabulary development. MORE INFO »
		Words Are Wonderful: An Interactive Approach to Vocabulary Dorothy Grant Hennings Grades 3–5 This three-part series is a collaborative, research-based approach to building vocabulary skills for students in grades 3–5. Words Are Wonderful introduces new words through challenging reading selections in multiple genres. As students discover the joy and power of language, they learn to understand and identify the parts of words—roots, prefixes, and suffixes—and unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words. The comprehensive Teacher's Guide for Words Are Wonderful provides reduced student pages, a wealth of strategies and enrichment activities, and suggestions and activities to suit students' individual learning styles. MORE INFO »
		Vocabulary from Classical Roots Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers Grades 7–11 This unique roots-based approach to vocabulary development helps students develop a useful, transferable strategy for making sense of unfamiliar words across content areas and on standardized tests. The words featured in this program are derived from Greek or Latin roots and grouped by themes. Tests and Teacher's Guides help facilitate and assess understanding. MORE INFO »

See our materials, pick up samplers and catalogs, or speak to an EPS expert at a spring conference.

Date		Conference Name		Location
February
2/4-7		National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE)		Albuquerque, NM
2/4-7		Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA)		Milwaukee, WI
2/6		Archdiocese of SF Curriculum Conference		San Francisco, CA
2/6-7		New Jersey Reading Association		Eatontown, NJ
2/6-8		California Teachers of English (CATE)		San Diego, CA
2/7-10		National Title 1		New Orleans, LA
2/14-15		ASHA		Orlando, FL
2/20		Western Wisconsin Education Conference (WWEC)		LaCrosse, WI
2/20-22		SW Branch IDA		Albuquerque, NM
2/21-22		CA Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC)		San Diego, CA
2/26-28		GA State Reading		Atlanta, GA
2/27-28		18th Annual Southern CA Kindergarten Conference		Burbank, CA
March
3/3-5		North Carolina Reading Association		Winston-Salem, NC
3/3-6		13th Core Knowledge		Atlanta, GA
3/3-6		National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)		Montreal, Quebec Canada
3/5-6		31st Annual NY IDA		New York, NY
3/5-7		SC Middle School Association		Myrtle Beach, SC
3/11-13		CLMS Annual Conf & Exhibit (CA League of Middle Schools)		San Jose, CA
3/12		Northeastern WI Education Association		Green Bay, WI
3/15		California Association of Independent Schools		North Hollywood, CA
3/17-20		Learning Disabilities of America (LDA)		Atlanta, GA
3/18-20		Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA)		Richmond, VA
3/20-22		National ASCD		New Orleans, LA
3/20-23		MI Reading Association (Growing Readers and Writers)		Detroit, MI
3/24-26		2004 Collaboration Conference Strengthening Linkages for Student Success		Yakima, WA
3/25-26		MA Reading Assoc (MRA)		Sturbridge, MA
3/26		Archdiocese of Seattle Professional Development Day		Burien, WA
3/26-27		8th Annual Vision of the Future Conference		Las Vegas, NV
April
4/5-7		Staff Development (SDE)		Nashua, NH
4/14-16		National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)		Boston, MA
4/14-17		National Council for Exceptional Children (NCEC)		New Orleans, LA
4/21-23		31st Annual National Head Start Assoc (NHSA)		Anaheim, CA
May
5/2-6		National IRA		Reno, NV