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of our EL families do not read aloud to their children at home. When questioned
by an interpreter while filling out the survey, all parents of the 14 students in this
study stated that they did not read books at home in English or their home language.
Looking at the bigger picture for the district, 80% of EL families stated that they
did not read to their children at home. This issue cannot be strictly attributed to the
language gap, however, because a study done in 1992 revealed that children from
poverty enter school knowing much fewer words, creating a gap in vocabulary that
Lori Holguin is a member causes difficulty in reading (Grabemier, 2019). Reading in the early years is one
and, currently, president predictor of how many vocabulary words a child will learn. Most of our EL families
of Delta Chi Chapter in are unable to read to their children in English because they do not understand the
North Carolina State
Organization. She has meaning of the words or the pronunciation; unfortunately, they do not read to them
also spent 4 years on in the home language either.
the state organization’s
Leadership Development The Importance of Vocabulary
Committee, as a member Reading aloud to one’s children is beneficial to their vocabulary development
for 2 years and as chair regardless of the language. Children’s picture books often have a robust vocabulary
for 2 years. Awarded
the Rising Star award that enriches the listener and provides new words in a context that is comprehensible
in 2022, Holguin is the and easy to remember. ELs with a good understanding of reading and grammar in
English as a Second the home language are better able to transfer that knowledge to a new language, but
Language Coordinator for most of the ELs in our district do not have that framework of support to build upon
Wilkes County Schools. when they enter elementary school. Unfortunately, I have heard multiple school
lholguin95@gmail.com
administrators and staff tell parents that they should be speaking English at home
for their child to learn the language. The reality is that it is much more beneficial to
language development for the student to hear correct grammar in the home language
than English that is riddled with inaccuracies and mistakes.
Teachers need to facilitate vocabulary acquisition for ELs to master the words
needed to succeed in all content areas. According to Sibanda and Baxen (2018),
“Vocabulary development can be conceived in two ways, namely facilitating
vocabulary acquisition or fostering vocabulary learning” (p. 2). The problem does
not lie solely with students, however; teachers—especially beginning teachers or
those who have no elementary background—are often limited in their knowledge of
how to teach vocabulary in a way that increases Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary. Tier
2 vocabulary involves high frequency words seen in many domains and includes
words with multiple meanings. Tier 3 vocabulary includes low frequency and
content-specific, specialized words that relate to certain subjects or topics. These
words are often encountered in academic settings. By contrast, most ELs enter
school knowing Tier 1 words—i.e., words they hear and use every day in casual
conversation. Teachers need to learn strategies that will allow students to retain new
words that they encounter in the classroom and in texts.
It is imperative that the teachers learn the importance of vocabulary—how it
relates to reading—and can impart that understanding to students to increase reading
accuracy and fluency. The problem is that, in many cases, the teachers have limited
training in teaching vocabulary acquisition and feel inadequate to teach students
how to improve their vocabulary, which is especially an issue for schools or districts
that have many teachers who have come through an alternate route and have less
education in teaching reading. These teachers may have a degree in another field,
are working on becoming certified in teaching, and have limited experience with
education. They may also include an individual who is working on a teaching degree

38 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators