Video Introduction

Valley Grande District/School Admin:

Vocabulary refers to the words known and remembered — and it plays a vital role in language use and comprehension. There are actually two types of vocabulary: receptive and expressive.

Receptive vocabulary includes words recognized and understood during reading or while listening to others. Expressive vocabulary consists of the words actively used in speaking and writing.

For a word to move from simple recognition to active use in speaking and writing, students must develop a deep understanding of that word. Skilled readers build expressive vocabulary through repeated exposure and meaningful engagement with language.

Vocabulary / Writing Connection

Valley Grande District/School Admin or RLS: Lori Cooper

Vocabulary instruction is most powerful when it's connected to real reading and writing experiences. When students learn new words, it’s important they don’t just memorize definitions — students need to use those words in meaningful ways. After new vocabulary is introduced, it should be revisited through activities that allow students to elaborate and extend their understanding, especially through speaking and writing. This not only reinforces the words, but also helps students make deeper connections between their vocabulary and the texts they are reading.

Research shows a strong link between vocabulary knowledge and reading and writing skills. In fact, studies have found that skilled readers and writers typically have much larger and richer vocabularies than their less-skilled peers. A strong vocabulary helps students decode text more easily, understand what they read, express their ideas more clearly, and build stronger, more detailed writing.

By weaving vocabulary instruction into both text and writing, we help students move beyond surface-level learning — giving them the tools they need to become confident, capable readers and writers.

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Valley Grande District/School Admin:

If students can read the words but don’t understand what they’re reading or can’t connect it to anything they know, they aren’t truly reading. Skilled readers are both purposeful and active — they’re constantly thinking about the text, asking questions, and making connections as they go.

These readers have the tools to understand, analyze, and use the information they read. They draw on their vocabulary, knowledge of language, background experiences, and reading strategies to make meaning from the text.

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POSSUM

Valley Grande LRS: Anne Larkin Cogle

The POSSUM strategy is a smart and structured way to help students grow vocabulary. This strategy focuses on teaching new words by breaking them down into six important components: phonology, orthography, syntax, semantics, understanding, and morphology. By exploring all six elements during vocabulary lessons, students develop a much deeper understanding of word meaning and how to use words correctly. This evidence-based approach doesn’t just boost vocabulary — the word knowledge gained leads to stronger reading comprehension. Best of all, teachers can use the POSSUM strategy across any subject area to bring systematic, explicit vocabulary instruction into the classroom!

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Dimensions of Word Knowledge / Word Webs

Valley Grande LRS: Anne Larkin Cogle

Our brains are amazing at organizing words by building networks — kind of like a web — that connect words with their associations as we learn new things. These networks don’t just include the word’s meaning, but also its sounds (phonology), parts (morphology), spelling (orthography), images, opposites, and much more! When students build these connections, they’re creating a strong mental picture, called a lexical representation, of the word.

But here’s the key: students need multiple encounters and multiple meaningful experiences with a word to really lock it into their memory. Exploring all the different parts of a word — how it sounds, looks, and fits with other words — is a powerful way to help students develop deep, strong vocabulary skills.

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Comprehension Monitoring / Metacognitive Strategies

Valley Grande LRS: Anne Larkin Cogle

Monitoring comprehension is all about thinking about your thinking — and that’s called metacognition.

Skilled readers don’t just read the words on the page — they’re constantly checking in with themselves to make sure they understand what they’re reading. And when something doesn’t make sense, they take action. They might stop to reread, look for context clues, or ask themselves questions to clear things up.

Teachers can help students develop these metacognitive habits by modeling them and giving students tools to use on their own. When students learn to monitor their comprehension, it leads to a much deeper understanding of the text — and that’s when real learning happens!

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Student Generated Questions

Valley Grande LRS: Anne Larkin Cogle

Teaching students to ask questions — both of the text and of each other — is a powerful part of comprehension instruction. And the best part? Students really enjoy it! Students love coming up with their own text-based questions to challenge their classmates.

To do this well, students have to think deeply about the key ideas and details in the text. Students learn to ask questions that can only be answered by going back to the text or by really listening during a read-aloud. This kind of thinking helps develop metacognition — that’s when students learn to monitor their own thinking as they read.

The beauty of this strategy is its flexibility — it can be used before, during, or after reading. And like any good strategy, it works best when it’s modeled first and then gradually released to students.

As students grow more confident, the questions they generate become more thoughtful and complex — and with that, their comprehension skills grow stronger too.

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Randolph Elementary School / District Admin: Hollie Tillery

A strong vocabulary—both in breadth and depth—is closely tied to reading comprehension. Research indicates that vocabulary accounts for approximately 50 to 60 percent of the factors influencing how well students understand what they read.

To support the development of skilled readers, intentional vocabulary instruction is essential. A rich vocabulary enhances not only comprehension but also decoding, encoding, and even phonemic awareness.

Expanding a student’s vocabulary strengthens the ability to construct meaning from text—an essential component of becoming a confident and capable reader.

When we grow a student’s vocabulary, we’re also growing their ability to make sense of what they read — and that’s a powerful thing!"

RLLS Pam Rackley:

To help students grow strong vocabularies, educators need to explicitly teach new words using evidence-based strategies. But that’s not all — students also need lots of chances to pick up new words! Teachers can do this by creating language-rich classrooms, sharing great read-alouds, exploring various text genres, and having meaningful conversations.

Video Introduction

Randolph Elementary District/School Admin: Hollie Tillery

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading — it's where everything comes together! To truly understand what is read, students need to make meaning at the word, sentence, and paragraph level.

But before comprehension can happen, students must first be able to decode the words on the page. Once they can do that, the real magic begins — when students not only read the words but also understand what those words are saying.

Comprehension is all about thinking, learning, and growing a reader’s understanding of the world. It starts early, through rich experiences like interactive read-alouds, thoughtful questioning, and meaningful conversations. These moments help build the foundation for strong comprehension skills.

Comprehension / Writing Connection

*Randolph School/District Admin or RLS Louise Carey or Lori Cooper (we can discuss)

Writing is an important skill for all students — it’s one of the main ways we communicate beyond speaking. But writing isn’t just valuable on its own — when we connect writing and reading instruction, something powerful happens!

Writing about what they’ve read helps students process and reflect on the text. It encourages students to think deeply, connect ideas, figure out what’s most important, and explain it in their own words. This not only strengthens their understanding — it also makes their thinking visible.

Reading and writing go hand in hand. When students write in response to a text, it gives teachers a clear window into how well they’ve understood it. That’s why writing is also such an effective tool for assessing comprehension.

By weaving writing into comprehension instruction, we help students become thoughtful readers, clear thinkers, and confident communicators — all at the same time.

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Explicit Routine for Introducing a New Word

Randolph Elementary LRS: Ashley Lawley

Before students dive into a new text, it’s important to have an explicit and consistent routine for teaching new vocabulary. When students already know key words ahead of time, it can make a big difference in comprehension of the text!

During this vocabulary routine, the teacher carefully selects words for in-depth instruction. The teacher says the word out loud, writes it down, and models how to read it. Then, talks about what the word means, gives examples and non-examples, and asks questions to help students connect with the word's meaning.

To make sure students truly own the new word, the teacher creates opportunities for use of the word — both in speaking and writing. This way, students not only understand the word but also know how to use it correctly in the context of what they’re reading and writing.

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Four-Square / Frayer Model

Randolph Elementary LRS: Ashley Lawley

One great way to help students learn and remember new words is by using a strategy called Four Square, also known as the Frayer Model. This simple but powerful tool encourages students to really engage with new vocabulary by looking at the definition, key characteristics, examples, and even non-examples. Instead of just memorizing words, students build a deeper, more meaningful understanding — and they're more likely to keep using those new words with confidence!

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Guided Visualization

Randolph Elementary LRS: Ashley Lawley

Creating a mental model of a text means turning the words and sentences one reads into ideas, images, emotions, and deeper meanings. Sometimes, that meaning is stated clearly in the text — but other times, it's implied, and the reader may have to "read between the lines" to truly understand.

Visualization is a powerful tool that helps bring meaning to life. When students picture what they’re reading in their minds, it helps them connect with the text and deepen comprehension. One great way to support this is through guided visualization. Teachers can model this strategy by asking questions that prompt students to imagine what’s happening in the text.

And when time allows, taking it a step further can be both fun and effective! Students can draw what they visualized and add captions to explain their thinking. This not only strengthens comprehension but also gives students a creative way to share their understanding.

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Summarization Strategies

Randolph Elementary LRS: Ashley Lawley

Summarizing is a powerful comprehension strategy that helps students focus on the most important ideas in a text. This strategy teaches students how to tell the difference between main ideas and key details — and how to pull all that information together in a clear, meaningful way.

This strategy gives students the tools to synthesize what they’ve learned and communicate it concisely. And while summarizing can be tricky at first, with modeling and guided practice from the teacher, students can grow more confident and skilled over time.

Even though it takes practice, summarizing is one of the most valuable comprehension strategies students can learn — and it plays a big role in helping them become skilled, independent readers.

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Graphic Organizers Aligned to Text Structure

Randolph LRS: Ashley Lawley

During a comprehension lesson, the teacher plays an important role in helping students build a clear mental picture of what the text means. One great way to do this is by using graphic organizers.

Graphic organizers, when matched to the structure of the text or the lesson’s learning goals, help students map out their thinking. They make ideas visible and give students a way to organize what they’ve understood from the text.

Not only do graphic organizers support comprehension, but they also give students a strong foundation for writing about what they’ve read. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that helps students make sense of the text — and share their thinking with others!

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RLLS Jodie Lawley:

Great vocabulary instruction lights up all parts of the brain that help students with language — sounds, spelling, word meanings, and understanding words in context.

This video will feature evidence-based strategies teachers can use to help students build rich, powerful vocabularies — an important step toward developing skilled readers and writers.

RLLS Jodie Lawley:

Skilled readers also know how to monitor their thinking. When something doesn’t make sense, they know what to do — like going back to reread or using clues from the text to clear up confusion.

Video Conclusion

Use student b-roll then cut to RLLS speaking. (Jodie Lawley)

ARI Regional Literacy Leadership Specialist: The Alabama Reading Initiative’s mission, since its inception in 1997, has been to improve literacy statewide, understanding that all components of the science of reading work together to ensure all students are skillful readers, writers, speakers, and listeners.

Visit the ARI YouTube channel for more videos that showcase student-centered coaching, model evidence-based instructional practices, and provide valuable insights for families and communities on supporting learning beyond the school day.

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Non-Linguistic Representations

RLS Louise Carey:

Using nonlinguistic representations — like pictures, objects, and movements — can make a big difference during vocabulary instruction! These strategies enhance learning for all students and provide essential support for English learners as they develop new language skills.

Nonlinguistic strategies give students different ways to show and remember what words mean. By connecting words to images, actions, and real-world objects, students can better understand and hold onto new vocabulary — and use it with confidence!

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Repeated Reading

RLS: Louise Carey

Rereading is a simple but powerful strategy that helps students really dig into a text — both for what it says and what it means. When students reread, they’re able to understand the text more deeply, picking up on both the literal meaning and the clues that lead to deeper, inferential thinking.

The more complex the text, the more important it is to have a plan for purposeful rereading. The first read helps students get the big picture — a general understanding of what the text is about. Then, a second or even third read allows them to clarify tricky parts, explore important ideas, and build a strong mental model of the text.

By rereading, students develop a richer, more complete understanding — and that’s a key part of becoming a skilled, confident reader.

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Story Retell w/Framework

RLS Louise Carey

Even our youngest readers can start building comprehension skills by learning to retell stories. A great place to start is with a simple, sequential retell using prompts like “first,” “next,” “then,” and “last.”

Teachers can take this a step further by using a story framework graphic organizer. This tool helps students move beyond just what happened and begin thinking about more complex story elements like the problem, the solution, and how the characters respond.

Retelling is also a wonderful strategy to try with peer partners. When students practice retelling with a classmate, they learn how to organize their thoughts, use oral language, and strengthen their comprehension — all at the same time!

It’s a fun, interactive way to build strong reading habits from the very beginning.

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Comprehension / Writing Connection

*Randolph School/District Admin or RLS Louise Carey or Lori Cooper (we can discuss)

By weaving writing into comprehension instruction, we help students become thoughtful readers, clear thinkers, and confident communicators — all at the same time.

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Morphological Analysis

RLS Lori Cooper:

Morphology — the study of how words are built — is important for helping students grow complex vocabulary. By learning about prefixes, suffixes, and root words, students start to see how bigger words are made from smaller parts that carry meaning. Morphology knowledge makes it easier for students to figure out new words, develop a strong vocabulary, and better understand complex text. When students recognize common word parts, and use their knowledge of morphology, they unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words all on their own! Plus, practicing morphological analysis strategies can be a lot of fun and build skills that last a lifetime.

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Shades of Meaning

RLS Lori Cooper:

Grading shades of meaning is a strategy that encourages students to explore the subtle differences between similar words. For example, they might be given words like cold, chilly, cool, and freezing, and asked to arrange them in order from least to most intense. This could be done by moving word cards around, placing words along a continuum, or using pictures and sentences to compare meanings.

This activity helps students deepen their understanding of vocabulary by pushing them to think about how similar words differ. Students begin to understand the nuance and strength of each word. As they work through these comparisons, students practice critical thinking by justifying their word choices and considering how words function in different situations.

This type of word-sorting activity also helps students make connections between related words, supporting long-term vocabulary growth through meaningful, hands-on learning.

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Structured Collaborative Conversations

RLS: Lori Cooper

Collaborative conversations are a powerful tool for learning — but for young students, especially those still developing their language skills, they need to be carefully structured.

As students learn how to have meaningful conversations, they also learn how to take turns, listen to others, and build on different ideas. These conversations help them make connections to the text and the world around them.

When students talk about academic content, they're not just practicing language — they're deepening their understanding and strengthening what they’ve learned.

Talking and learning go hand in hand!

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Comprehension / Writing Connection

*Randolph School/District Admin or RLS Louise Carey or Lori Cooper (we can discuss)

By weaving writing into comprehension instruction, we help students become thoughtful readers, clear thinkers, and confident communicators — all at the same time.

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Video Closing

Use student b-roll then cut to RLLS speaking. (Pam Rackley)

RLLS Pam Rackley:

This video will feature evidence-based strategies, aligned with the science of reading that teachers can use to support students in developing strong comprehension skills.