Big words for little people has support in research

A growing body of research and classroom practice show that building a sophisticated vocabulary at an early age is also key to raising reading success—and narrowing the achievement gap. For those who saw Jamie Lee Curtis speak at the annual IRA convention in Atlanta, this article in the Harvard Education Letter appears to support her rationale for her new children's book, Big Words for Little People.

Unlike math, in which some skills (like addition and subtraction) must be learned before a child can master others (multiplication and division), most researchers agree that it is not necessary for children to learn simple words first. Nor does direct vocabulary instruction need to wait until children have learned to read well enough to decode the words they are learning. In fact, researchers say teaching “rich”—or rare—words orally by explaining them and using them in different contexts aids children later when they encounter those words in print. Read more in the newsletter.