Implementing Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards to Improve Student Academic Vocabulary
Abstract
Intentionally teaching students how to take turns talking, listening, and responding to each other’s comments improves their acquisition of academic vocabulary through sustained and purposeful conversation about subject-matter topics. This case study examines a fifth-grade classroom and the process of teaching students how to improve their acquisition of academic vocabulary using a variety of best practices. This article includes a literature review of pertinent sources as well as a demographic description of the case-study class. In addition, the study examines several practices deemed highly effective by research studies and explains how they were implemented to help students increase their academic vocabulary. The study concludes with a discussion of lessons learned in implementing these practices.