1. Vocabulary: Needed if more children are to read well
Andrew Biemiller

2. Vocabulary acquisition differences in social classes
11/5 negative to positive
12/7 positive to negative
32/5 positive to negative
Welfare
Words Heard Per Hour
616
Words Heard Per Year
3.2 million
Words Heard by Age 4
13 million
Working
Words Heard Per Hour
1251
Words Heard Per Year
6.5 million
Words Heard by Age 4
26 million
Professional
Words Heard Per Hour
2153
Words Heard Per Year
11.2 million
Words Heard by Age 4
45 million
1.1 root words learned / day
2.2 root words learned / day
3.8 root words learned / day

3. Can they catch up?
After grade two, the average child learns words faster, at a rate of 2.4 root words/day
To catch up to average levels, low vocabulary children will need to start learning words at a rate of 3.5 or 4 root words/day
At this rate they could catch up in 5 or 6 years
Unfortunately there is little evidence that any primary school programs promote such accelerated vocabulary development

4. Teacher-centered approach to building vocabulary
There is evidence that reading books orally to children several times and explaining 5 – 10 word meanings while reading can be effective with primary level children
Biemiller suggests that teachers devote at least half an hour a day to developing vocabulary
For older children, Biemiller suggests that this time should include morphological analysis