Building Academic Vocabulary
Aligned to L.11-12.6 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
College and career readiness depends on a growing store of academic and domain-specific words — terms like 'analyze,' 'hypothesis,' or 'jurisdiction' that carry precise meaning. Learning and using them accurately is essential across subjects.
Worked examples
Example 1
Writing about an experiment, 'the data corroborate the hypothesis' is sharper and more professional than 'the numbers back up the guess.'
Example 2
In a research paper, the verb suggests, indicates, demonstrates and proves form a ladder of certainty, and choosing the wrong rung is a substantive error. Data from one observational study suggests; a replicated randomized trial demonstrates; almost nothing in empirical work proves. Using the exact verb tells a knowledgeable reader how much weight you are placing on the evidence.
Example 3
Common mistake: using academic vocabulary as a signal of seriousness rather than a tool for precision. A sentence like This paradigm facilitates the operationalization of stakeholder engagement uses five specialized words and states nothing checkable. Ask of every technical term whether a reader could tell if you used it wrongly. If not, it is decoration, and decoration in academic prose reads as evasion.
Practice questions
- Replace an everyday phrase with a precise academic term.
- Use a domain-specific word correctly in a sentence.
- Explain why precise vocabulary matters in a field.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Construir Vocabulario Académico
La preparación para la universidad y la carrera depende de un caudal creciente de palabras académicas y del área —términos como 'analizar', 'hipótesis' o 'jurisdicción' que tienen un significado preciso—. Aprenderlas y usarlas con exactitud es esencial en todas las materias.
Ejemplo 1: Al escribir sobre un experimento, 'los datos corroboran la hipótesis' es más preciso y profesional que 'los números respaldan la suposición'.
Ejemplo 2: En un trabajo de investigación, los verbos sugiere, indica, demuestra y prueba forman una escalera de certeza, y elegir el peldaño equivocado es un error de fondo. Los datos de un solo estudio observacional sugieren; un ensayo aleatorizado replicado demuestra; casi nada en el trabajo empírico prueba. Usar el verbo exacto le dice a un lector informado cuánto peso pones en la evidencia.
Ejemplo 3: Error común: usar el vocabulario académico como señal de seriedad y no como herramienta de precisión. Una oración como Este paradigma facilita la operacionalización del involucramiento de las partes interesadas emplea cinco palabras especializadas y no afirma nada comprobable. Pregúntale a cada término técnico si un lector podría notar que lo usaste mal. Si no, es adorno, y el adorno en prosa académica se lee como evasión.
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