Topic 6 DQ 1

What is the benefit of incorporating academic vocabulary into other content areas such as math
and science? Provide three examples of how you can encourage content-based vocabulary
development in your future classroom.
Incorporating academic vocabulary into the different content areas is beneficial for young
learners to help with comprehension and their ability to understand written and verbal directions
and texts. When we incorporate the use of academic vocabulary in all of our educational
subjects, we are enhancing a student’s ability to understand more words, their meanings, and the
content that we are trying to teach. The more vocabulary that a student is introduced to through
their academic day will benefit them when they move on to different subject areas that
incorporate these terms in everyday lessons. When students already have an introduction to these
terms, they can activate prior knowledge to help with their understanding of a new concept
(Fisher & Frey, 2014).
Three strategies that I can use within my classroom to encourage content-based vocabulary is a
classroom word wall. My students can learn new words and their definitions, and we can add
them into our classroom by grouping them into their appropriate places and discuss things that
are like these terms to help with comprehension. Another strategy that can go along with my
classroom word wall, is using repetitive vocabulary introduction each day with my class. We can
point to our word wall and go over our terms, what they mean, and discuss examples of each by
connecting these terms into real life situations. Lastly, I want to implement the use of interactive
vocabulary notebooks with my students where we can go over our words, their definitions, find
examples whether that be drawings or photos to include, and create strategies with each other to
help remember terms and their definitions.

References
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Content Area Vocabulary Learning. Reading Rockets.

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/content-area-vocabulary-learning

Topic 6 DQ 2
What role does family involvement play in literacy development? Discuss how you could
encourage families to build confidence in supporting their student in developing their literacy
skills. How might this be affected if the parents/guardians are not confident of their own literacy
skills?
Family involvement plays a huge role in the development of literacy for their child. When
students are working on their foundational skills inside and outside of the classroom, that
repetition and connection to every day situations will increase their ability to learn new things
and understand the importance of literacy in everyday life. One way that I would encourage my
families to build confidence within their child in developing literacy is by using effective
communication skills with my classroom and their families. Everyone has busy schedules, and it
can seem difficult for families to set aside the time to support students in their literacy
development, so the first step is by reaching out and assessing the needs of the families and their
routines (Usable Knowledge). As a teacher, if I have a single parent home who works late and
has several things to do and who may not have the time to support their child on a worksheet, I
will search out alternative ways that this student could be supported. This could be by allowing
the child to help with a grocery list or reading a recipe at dinner. I would also encourage parents
to praise their student’s effort in literacy development and encourage them to keep trying when
they make a mistake. Young students love to hear praise for their hard work, and if the educator
and the family are creating a positive encouraging atmosphere, this can help the student in their
self-confidence and motivation to learn new things. For parents who struggle with literacy skills,
I will find alternative resources to assist them and their students in their literacy skills, such as
audio tapes, or read aloud apps that parents can use to help their child follow along or understand
their written work in a way that works for them. The key to this is building strong and effective
relationships with my families to ensure that they feel comfortable coming to me with any issues,
and that I allow myself the time to find alternative approaches for my families.

References
Usable Knowledge. (n.d.). Family Involvement and Children’s Literacy. Harvard Graduate

School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/08/05/family-involvement-

and-childrens-literacy#:%7E:text=The%20STS%20found%20that%20family,are

%20involved%20in%20their%20education.