Which strategy is recommended to promote vocabulary development?

• A. Activate prior knowledge
• B. Focus only on spelling
• C. Rely only on decoding
• D. Memorize words in isolation

Answer: (A)

Activating prior knowledge helps vocabulary stick by linking new words to ideas, experiences, and contexts students already understand. When students connect a new term to what they know, they create meaningful mental hooks that make the word’s meaning, nuances, and usage easier to infer and remember. This deeper engagement supports not only knowing a word but using it correctly in speaking and writing, and recognizing it in different contexts.

Strategies that focus only on spelling, or rely solely on decoding, don’t build those meaningful connections to meaning. Memorizing words in isolation is even less effective, because without context the word remains a detached piece of information rather than a usable part of language. By starting with what students already know and building from that base, vocabulary learning becomes a durable, transferable skill that enhances overall comprehension.