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According to various authorities, effective vocabulary instruction should include the following three components:

1. Definitional and contextual information about a word
To know a word, students need to see it in context and learn how its meaning relates to the words around it. An approach that includes definitions and shows how words are used in various contexts can generate a full and flexible knowledge of word meanings.

2. Multiple exposures to a word in different contexts
A word that is encountered once has about a 10 percent chance of being learned from context. (5) When students see a word repeatedly, they gather more and more information about it until they get an idea of what it means.

3. Encouragement of students' active participation in their word learning (6)
Students remember words better when they relate new meanings to knowledge they already have. Group discussion of word meanings also helps students learn new vocabulary by having to actively participate in their own learning.

Students come to school with greatly varying vocabularies. Some will know thousands more word meanings than other students in the class. A small vocabulary does not predict failure—it only highlights the need for direct vocabulary instruction in the schools. If given the opportunity to learn new words and effective instruction, most students can acquire vocabulary at rates that will improve their comprehension. This enables them to read increasingly challenging texts with fluency and betters their chances for success in school and afterward.

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6. Stahl, p. 30; TRI, p. 20