ELL ELL Vocabulary Development

Question 1

Which tier of vocabulary, according to Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, is most important to explicitly teach ELL students for academic success?

Accepted Answer

Tier 2 (high-frequency academic words)

Answer

Tier 1 (everyday conversational words)

Answer

Tier 3 (domain-specific technical words)

Answer

Tier 4 (slang and informal words)

Question 2

What is the Academic Word List (AWL) and why is it useful for ELL instruction?

Accepted Answer

A research-based list of high-frequency academic vocabulary words found across disciplines

Answer

A list of slang terms ELLs should avoid

Answer

A list of sight words for beginning readers

Answer

A list of words banned from standardized tests

Question 3

Which strategy best supports ELL vocabulary development by connecting new words to known concepts?

Accepted Answer

Using cognates to link English words to home language equivalents

Answer

Memorizing definitions from a dictionary

Answer

Only using the new word in writing drills

Answer

Avoiding the home language entirely

Question 4

What does 'word consciousness' mean in ELL vocabulary instruction?

Accepted Answer

An interest in and awareness of words and their meanings and uses

Answer

Awareness of how words are spelled

Answer

Ability to decode unfamiliar words phonetically

Answer

Memorization of high-frequency words

Question 5

Which instructional tool uses visual representations to show relationships between a target word and related concepts?

Accepted Answer

Semantic word map / concept map

Answer

Phonics worksheet

Answer

Spelling test

Answer

Cloze passage

Question 6

Why is wide reading particularly beneficial for ELL vocabulary development?

Accepted Answer

It provides repeated exposures to words in varied, meaningful contexts

Answer

It eliminates the need for direct vocabulary instruction

Answer

It only helps native speakers build vocabulary

Answer

It is effective only when texts are below grade level