Beck et al. describes three tiers of vocabulary.
1. Tier One: the words in this category are basic, regular words that most children do not need instruction to learn. Words include “house”, “car”, “eyes”.
2. Tier Two: words in this category are the most useful, cna be widely applied in contexts and subjects, and are the most useful for instruction.
3. Tier Three: words that are rare and apply to specific domains. Words include photosynthesis, clarinet, and automaticity.
I believe that Beck et al. expand in their article different good strategies in order to teach vocabulary to students. I especially liked how they emphasized that vocabulary knowledge is related to comprehension because the two concepts cannot be separated in reading instruction.
McKeown, I. L., Kucan, M. G., & Beck, L. (2008). Creating Robust Vocabulary: Frequently Asked Questions and Extended Examples. New York: Guilford Publications.
