As I start planning for the spring semester, I find myself thinking a lot about what students need most at this point in the year…They’ve built routines, they’re more independent, and they’re ready for work that stretches their thinking in new ways.
I keep coming back to two areas that feel especially powerful right now: nonfiction and vocabulary.
When these two pieces come together, they help learners understand big ideas, talk about their learning with confidence, and make sense of the world around them. And they’re exactly the kind of focus that can spark incredible growth as we head into the second half of the year.
Let’s dig into ways we can amp up our vocabulary instruction through nonfiction texts.
Widening the World Through Words
Nonfiction texts often introduce MANY new concepts and words that have precise, context-specific meanings. In order for kids to have meaningful learning experiences with these new words, you’ll want to consider:
- How much background knowledge kids likely have around the topic
- Opportunities for kids to use these words in conversation and in writing
- Any terms or concepts that have multiple meanings
Nonfiction Interactive Read Alouds
One of the most powerful ways to teach vocabulary is through nonfiction interactive read alouds. In order to plan a read aloud that invites high levels of ‘stickiness’ with new vocabulary,
- Read the text to first decide
- Which words are central to understanding the text?
- How will students use these words to explain ideas or answer questions?
- Mark stopping points
- Planned pauses let readers think about new words, make connections, and practice using them in conversation or quick writing or drawing.
- Decide when and how to model. Once your stopping points are planned, select when you want to pause and think aloud about the vocabulary. You might:
- Make predictions about word meaning
- Draw connections
- Discover the meaning using text features and/or context clues
Let’s Get Kids Talking
By this point in the school year, kids are ready for richer, deeper conversations. These discussions are where we go from retention or receptive application of vocabulary, to expressive application.
A meaningful conversation centered around vocabulary needs:
- a shared text with key vocabulary
- a compelling question or idea to discuss
- clear norms for speaking and listening
- scaffolds such as anchor charts, word walls, sentence stems to promote vocabulary usage
Selecting The Words
Choosing the right words is just as important as how you teach them. I’ve found a few simple strategies help me pick words that really matter:
Focus on words that carry weight: Words that are key to understanding a concept, like photosynthesis, democracy, or habitat.
Look for words we will see again: Words that appear across texts, units, or subjects stick better in their brains..
Prioritize Tier 2 and Tier 3 words Tier 2: high-use academic words (e.g., analyze, predict) Tier 3: domain-specific words (e.g., volcano, civilization)
Vary the word types to invite sentence building: Pay attention to how many verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc Expert Tip: Avoid overloading your readers with a long list of words. Select a small, manageable number of words per lesson so kids can focus and practice deeply.
A Final Thought as We Slide into Spring
What excites me most about focusing on nonfiction vocabulary this semester is how much it unlocks for kids. Words give them access to ideas, fuel discussions, and empower them to think deeply.
In the spring, we’re not just helping students finish the year strong. We’re helping them grow into independent thinkers who can make sense of the world, one word at a time.
Here are some additional resources that can support you on your journey of supporting students’ vocabulary in nonfiction texts!
A Teacher’s Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day
Teaching Academic Vocabulary K-8
