Many students who struggle with comprehension also struggle with vocabulary.  These difficulties tend to go hand in hand.  If a student does not “see” a picture as he/she reads and does not comprehend the gestalt, he/she will struggle to determine the logical meaning of unknown words in a reading passage.  In addition, if a student does not know the meaning of one or several words in a passage, he/she will have difficulty forming an accurate image of the material presented.

 

Rather than teach students the rote definitions of a long list of words, as is often done in school, we teach students to associate an image with each unknown word.  The student discusses the meaning of the unknown word and then visualizes several instructor-provided sentences incorporating the word.  Then, the student makes up a sentence appropriately using the word.  The student makes index cards for each unknown word that include the word, the student-generated sentence using the word, and a picture that illustrates the sentence.  Daily practice and repetition helps the student incorporate these new words into his/her working vocabulary.  

 

The goal of this process is for the student to form appropriate mental imagery for the words.  Thus, the student should be able to understand and visualize material incorporating these words, as well as use the words in speech or writing to accurately express his/her meaning.  We use this method to treat both receptive and expressive vocabulary skills.  Many students acquire better vocabulary skills as a result of this imaged practice.