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Effective Strategies for Vocabulary Practice

Anne Hauth • May 30, 2024

The other day, my son asked me why blizzards are hazardous. The most interesting part of his question was the way he said the word hazardous. He pronounced it incorrectly, with a long a: HAYzardous. This told me he’d never heard the word spoken aloud before. However, when I probed him on the word’s meaning, he knew it exactly. How? 


He came across the word in a book he was reading. He didn’t know what it meant, but he figured out the meaning using context clues. Sometimes an unknown word can stop a reader in their tracks, shutting down comprehension. But if the reader has the ability to figure the word out, comprehension can continue, and the new word becomes part of the reader’s vocabulary.


According to the research, vocabulary and comprehension are strongly linked. Students with low vocabulary scores tend to have low comprehension, and vice versa. Students acquire vocabulary incidentally through exposure to words at home and at school—by listening and talking, by reading books with adults, and by reading widely on their own. 


Students, especially struggling readers, also benefit greatly if they are taught strategies for vocabulary acquisition. Vocabulary activities should aim to engage students in actively thinking about word meanings, the relationships among words, and how we can use words in different situations. Effective strategies for vocabulary practice include:


  • Student-Friendly Definitions: The meaning of a new word should be explained to students at their level, rather than just providing a dictionary definition.


  • Defining Words Within Context: The most effective time to introduce an unknown word’s meaning is often at the moment the reader meets the word in the text.


  • Using Context Clues: Students should learn to infer the meaning of a word by looking closely at surrounding text. 


  • Sketching Words: For many students, it is easier to remember a word’s meaning by making a quick sketch that connects the word to something personally meaningful to the student. 


  • Applying Words: When students are challenged to apply new words to their own experiences, they have another opportunity to deeply process its meaning. 


  • Analyzing Word Parts: If students know the meanings of root words and affixes, they are more likely to understand a word containing these word parts. 


  • Semantic Mapping: Semantic maps help students develop connections among words—for example, by writing an example, a non-example, a synonym, and an antonym.


  • Developing Word Consciousness: Students who are word conscious are aware of and interested in the words around them. Teachers can promote word consciousness by helping students use:


  • Language categories: Students learn to make finer distinctions in their word choices if they understand the relationships among words, such as synonyms, antonyms, and homographs. 


  • Figurative language: The ability to use figures of speech is also a part of word-consciousness. The most common figures of speech are similes, metaphors, and idioms.


We’ve strongly incorporated vocabulary development into One Minute Reader. If your child is using One Minute Reader, there are many ways for them to build vocabulary and increase comprehension:


  • During the Cold Read step, they should click on unknown words to hear the words pronounced immediately.


  • During the Read Alone step, they should click on highlighted vocabulary words to see and hear the definitions.


  • They can also use our free Difficult Word List resource to sketch and record words they struggled with so that they may review them later.


For targeted, game-based vocabulary practice, check out the Splat-O-Nym iPad app. With audio support and immediate feedback, Splat-O-Nym helps students learn pronunciation and enhance their vocabulary acquisition through fun activities. The app includes over 7,000 synonym questions, 1,000 antonym questions, and 600 meaning-from-context questions.


After I answered my son’s question about blizzards, I high-fived him for figuring “HAYzardous” out as he read. At One Minute Reader, we're here to help you mitigate the hazards of low vocabulary and ensure your child has the tools they need to become a successful reader.

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By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
Reading fluency is a crucial skill that bridges the gap between decoding words and understanding their meaning. One effective strategy to build fluency is repeated reading —a technique where a student reads the same text multiple times until they achieve a level of fluency that feels natural and confident. What Is Repeated Reading? Repeated reading involves selecting a short passage at an appropriate reading level--ideally at or slightly above the student's instructional level. The student reads this passage several times, focusing on improving speed, accuracy, and expression with each reading. This practice allows for mastery of the text, leading to fluent and confident reading. Fluent reading should sound like conversational speaking--natural and expressive. Why Does It Work? Research shows* that repeated reading can lead to significant improvements in reading performance. The benefits include: Improved Word Recognition : By encountering the same words repeatedly, students become more familiar with them, leading to quicker and more accurate recognition. When these words become automatic, the students no longer need to put effort into decoding them. Increased Reading Fluency : Reading the same passage multiple times allows students to build fluency--each time reading it more smoothly and with greater expression. Enhanced Comprehension : As fluency improves, students can focus more on understanding the text, leading to better comprehension. This improvement in comprehension extends to unpracticed passages as well. Increased Confidence : Repeated reading is a form of mastery learning. Many beginning or struggling readers don't often get the opportunity to hear themselves sounding like fluent readers. After reading a passage multiple times, they've mastered it--and they sound great! This is a huge confidence boost that motivates them to keep reading. Repeated Reading at Home Incorporating the repeated reading strategy into your child's home reading routine doesn't have to be complicated or boring. In fact, many kids already do it! You've probably noticed that they often want to read the same book over and over. Don't discourage this--as long as they haven't totally memorized the entire text, they're building skills each time they read it. To work on repeated reading with your child at home, here's a simple strategy: Use an Appropriate Passage : Have your child choose a new short text that is slightly challenging but still within their level. Listen to Your Child Read : Have your child read the passage aloud to you. Note any words that are difficult for them to decode. Read Aloud Together : Read the passage aloud with your child, modeling fluent reading. Do this one to three times. Identify the difficult words together, and provide definitions. Independent Practice : Encourage your child to read the passage independently a few more times, focusing on improving their expression with each reading. Celebrate Progress : Affirm how much your child improved from the first reading to the final reading. Acknowledge their hard work and progress to build confidence and motivation. Additional Tips Keep Sessions Short : Aim for 10- to 15-minute sessions at first, to maintain focus and prevent frustration. Consider Using a Timer : If your child is open to the idea, set a timer each time they read the passage. Note their improvement in time, and celebrate their fluency growth. Make the timing element a fun challenge, but emphasize that this exercise isn't about speed reading--it's about building fluency. Repeated reading is a powerful strategy that can significantly enhance your child's reading ability. If you're looking for an easy-to-use program that incorporates this research-proven strategy, check out One Minute Reader . This program uses repeated reading and gamified learning to help kids at various reading levels build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence. * Dowhower, S. L. (1987). Effects of repeated reading on second-grade transitional readers’ fluency and comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly , 22(4), 389–405. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology , 95(1), 3–21. LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology , 6(2), 292–323.
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By Anne Hauth September 23, 2025
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A young girl is sitting at a desk holding a sign that says help.
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