Secondary 4 English vocabulary load is the amount and difficulty of word knowledge a Grade 10 reader must process in a text. Students searching for Secondary 4 vocabulary, Grade 10 vocabulary, 10th grade vocabulary words, vocabulary load, lexical coverage, reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, difficult texts, unknown words, text difficulty, vocabulary size and exam vocabulary often ask a deceptively simple question: how many words can I afford not to know?
Lexical coverage is the proportion of running words in a text that a reader knows. Research has often discussed figures around 95% and 98% coverage in relation to written comprehension, with higher coverage generally supporting better reading. But these figures are not universal pass/fail boundaries. Text type, depth of word knowledge, background knowledge, syntax, task demands, inference skill and reading purpose all affect comprehension. A Grade 10 learner therefore needs a system for diagnosing vocabulary load rather than treating one percentage as a magic threshold.
This article is the Secondary 4 owner for vocabulary load, lexical coverage and text difficulty under the Secondary 4 English Vocabulary apex. It connects with the Breadth and Depth, Vocabulary Transfer and Assessment and Diagnostic branches. Its central proposition is that reading difficulty rises when too much lexical attention is consumed by unknown, weakly known or contextually unfamiliar words.
50-second router
- If a passage contains many completely unknown words, breadth is the first problem.
- If most words look familiar but the text is still hard, test depth, multiple meanings and collocation.
- If technical terms cluster in one paragraph, pre-teach essential ones rather than every unfamiliar word.
- If the learner highlights half the page, teach word selection.
- If comprehension improves sharply after a glossary, vocabulary load is a major bottleneck.
- If a text remains difficult after lexical support, syntax, background knowledge or reasoning may also be limiting.
- If the student knows words in isolation but not in context, test sense selection and phrase knowledge.
- If reading is slow but accurate, automaticity may be the issue.
- If one subject feels harder than another at the same apparent level, disciplinary vocabulary and background knowledge may differ.
- If the learner wants independent reading, choose texts with manageable unknown-word density and repeated useful vocabulary.
What lexical coverage means
If a learner knows 980 of every 1,000 running words, surface coverage is 98%. If 950 are known, coverage is 95%. These figures describe proportion, not depth or importance. One unfamiliar decorative adjective and one unfamiliar causal verb count equally in a simple percentage even though they may affect comprehension very differently.
Coverage is therefore a useful planning concept, not a complete theory of reading.
Why 95% and 98% appear in research
Studies of second-language reading have often examined comprehension around these levels. Higher coverage generally supports better comprehension, and 98% is frequently discussed as a useful target for relatively independent reading. Yet later research and replications caution against treating coverage as a sharp universal threshold. Comprehension rises with coverage, but the relationship is shaped by text, learner and task.
The practical Secondary 4 lesson is to use coverage estimates as a rough diagnostic while asking which words are unknown and what the reader must do with the text.
Known words can still create load
A familiar form may activate the wrong sense. Function, current, issue, scale, volume and significant can look known while carrying unfamiliar technical meanings.
A familiar word can also be slow to retrieve, weakly collocated or only partly understood. This creates hidden lexical load that a simple known/unknown count misses.
Unknown-word centrality
Some unknown words can be skipped. Others carry the entire proposition.
A rare colour adjective in a narrative may be peripheral.
A technical noun naming the process being explained may be central.
A reporting verb such as concedes or contradicts may carry argumentative structure.
Good readers learn to distinguish central from peripheral gaps.
Vocabulary load and text difficulty
Vocabulary is one component of text difficulty alongside sentence complexity, background knowledge, genre, argument structure, reference chains, visual design and task demands. A text can be lexically easy but conceptually hard, or lexically dense but conceptually familiar.
Diagnosis matters because different difficulties need different interventions.
Breadth and load
Greater breadth raises the probability that more running words are known. This reduces interruption and leaves more attention for inference, integration and structure.
High-utility academic vocabulary has especially high return because it appears across subjects.
Depth and load
Depth reduces the effort needed to interpret familiar words. Multiple meanings, collocation, morphology, connotation and grammatical behaviour help a reader process efficiently.
A shallowly known word can behave almost like an unknown word in a demanding passage.
Phrase-level load
Texts are not collections of isolated headwords. Multiword units such as take into account, draw a conclusion, bear responsibility and pose a challenge may create difficulty even when the individual words look easy.
Collocation and chunks therefore influence effective coverage.
Technical vocabulary load
Subject texts often contain clusters of technical terms. Pre-teaching a small number of concept-critical words can unlock the passage, while pre-teaching every rare word may overload the lesson and remove useful inference.
Background knowledge
Knowledge changes how much lexical support context provides. A learner who understands the topic can connect partially known vocabulary to an existing conceptual network.
Without the concept, a definition may remain inert.
Reading purpose
Skimming for gist, close reading for inference and examination analysis demand different levels of lexical precision. A learner may tolerate more unknown vocabulary when seeking only the main idea than when distinguishing a writer’s stance.
Independent versus supported reading
Independent reading should preserve flow without constant lookup. Supported reading can use glossaries, pre-teaching, teacher explanation or repeated reading to make harder texts accessible.
The goal is not to avoid difficult texts. It is to match support to the lexical load.
Unknown-word triage
Classify unfamiliar words as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. This simple decision reduces over-highlighting and makes study time more efficient.
Research-informed foundations
Research on lexical coverage repeatedly shows that comprehension tends to improve as known-word proportion rises. Figures around 95% and 98% are widely discussed, but recent work cautions against interpreting them as universal thresholds. Lexical coverage, perceived difficulty, task demands and learner variables all interact.
Sources and further reading
- Cambridge Core: Lexical Coverage and Comprehension
- Cambridge Core: How Much Vocabulary Is Needed to Use English?
- EEF: Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools
How to diagnose a hard text
Read once without stopping at every unknown word. Mark only words that genuinely block the main proposition. Summarise the paragraph. Then add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension improves substantially, vocabulary load was important. If not, inspect syntax, concepts and discourse structure.
This simple before-and-after comparison is more educationally useful than counting every unfamiliar form.
Text-difficulty diagnostic laboratory
1,000-word article with 20 unknown words
Load profile: about 98% surface coverage.
What this suggests: often manageable if the unknowns are not central. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: inspect which unknowns carry the argument rather than trusting percentage alone. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
1,000-word article with 50 unknown words
Load profile: about 95% surface coverage.
What this suggests: may support general understanding but unknowns can feel frequent. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: prioritise central and recurring words. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
500-word passage with 10 unknown words
Load profile: about 98% surface coverage.
What this suggests: percentage looks favourable. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: check whether several unknowns cluster in one key sentence. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
paragraph with four technical terms
Load profile: local technical density.
What this suggests: overall coverage can hide a difficult cluster. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: pre-teach the concept-critical terms. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
paragraph full of familiar words but confusing meaning
Load profile: hidden depth load.
What this suggests: the problem may be polysemy or syntax rather than breadth. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: probe local senses and sentence structure. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
Science text with unfamiliar nouns
Load profile: technical noun load.
What this suggests: concept labels may block the entire explanation. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach essential nouns with morphology and diagrams. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
Science text with unfamiliar verbs
Load profile: process-language load.
What this suggests: verbs may encode causal or procedural relationships. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach cause, transform, regulate, inhibit, accelerate and related patterns. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
Humanities source with few unknown words
Load profile: stance load.
What this suggests: writer attitude may be the real difficulty. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach reporting verbs and connotation. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
Mathematics problem using mean and range
Load profile: technical polysemy.
What this suggests: everyday meanings can interfere. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: activate the mathematical senses before solving. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
narrative with rare descriptive adjectives
Load profile: peripheral lexical load.
What this suggests: many unknowns may not block plot. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: maintain story flow and learn only useful recurring items. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
policy article containing feasible
Load profile: high-utility evaluative gap.
What this suggests: one academic word may control the judgment. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: learn meaning, collocation and contrast with possible. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
text repeating significant
Load profile: recurring academic load.
What this suggests: repetition raises priority. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: check whether the sense is general or statistical. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
passage with many proper nouns
Load profile: apparent unfamiliarity.
What this suggests: names increase visual novelty without always increasing lexical learning needs. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: identify entities and continue. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
graph description
Load profile: data-language load.
What this suggests: trend verbs and magnitude adjectives carry the relationships. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: build rise, decline, fluctuate, stabilise, marginal and substantial. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
source-analysis question containing corroborate
Load profile: evidence-language load.
What this suggests: one academic verb may control the task. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach its procedural meaning plus collocations. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
long sentence with all words known
Load profile: syntactic load.
What this suggests: coverage cannot explain the difficulty. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: break clauses and identify reference chains. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
short sentence with one unknown key verb
Load profile: critical unknown.
What this suggests: one word can control the proposition. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: infer or look it up quickly. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
text with transparent derivatives
Load profile: morphological load.
What this suggests: forms look new although family is known. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: connect roots and suffixes. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
text with idiomatic phrases
Load profile: multiword load.
What this suggests: individual words do not predict phrase meaning. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach chunks and collocations. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
unfamiliar-topic passage
Load profile: knowledge load.
What this suggests: known words may not compensate for missing concepts. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: build a brief topic schema first. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
familiar-topic passage
Load profile: knowledge support.
What this suggests: background knowledge makes partial vocabulary easier. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use familiar topics to stretch reading. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
gist-reading task
Load profile: lower precision demand.
What this suggests: some unknowns can be tolerated. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: preserve main argument and avoid over-lookup. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
inference-reading task
Load profile: higher precision demand.
What this suggests: small lexical distinctions can matter. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: track stance, modality and connotation. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
repeated unknown word
Load profile: high recurrence signal.
What this suggests: each occurrence offers learning evidence. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: infer, verify and compare uses. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
single low-frequency unknown
Load profile: low recurrence signal.
What this suggests: deep study may have low return. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: seek temporary understanding only. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
student highlights every unknown
Load profile: selection failure.
What this suggests: attention is spread too widely. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: classify blocking, recurring, useful and ignorable. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
student never looks up words
Load profile: under-support.
What this suggests: important gaps accumulate. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach selective lookup. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
student looks up every word
Load profile: over-support.
What this suggests: reading flow is fragmented. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: delay lookup until meaning genuinely fails. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
text dense with abstract nouns
Load profile: academic density.
What this suggests: nominalisations compress ideas. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: unpack nouns into processes and agents. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
text dense with connectors
Load profile: discourse load.
What this suggests: small words control logical relationships. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach however, therefore, whereas, despite and although. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
learner knows definitions slowly
Load profile: automaticity load.
What this suggests: knowledge exists but consumes too much attention. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use retrieval and repeated reading. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
learner guesses from roots only
Load profile: over-inference risk.
What this suggests: morphology is treated as certainty. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: require context confirmation. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
strong vocabulary but weak comprehension
Load profile: non-lexical bottleneck.
What this suggests: syntax, inference or knowledge may dominate. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: do not prescribe more word lists automatically. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
weak breadth but strong reasoning
Load profile: coverage bottleneck.
What this suggests: too many gaps prevent reasoning from operating. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: expand high-utility vocabulary. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
comprehension improves with glossary
Load profile: lexical dependence.
What this suggests: vocabulary load is clearly important. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: convert glossary items into durable knowledge. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
comprehension unchanged after glossary
Load profile: broader bottleneck.
What this suggests: vocabulary is not the only problem. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: probe syntax, structure and background knowledge. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
passage with academic collocations
Load profile: phrase-level load.
What this suggests: individual words may be known. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach recurring combinations. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
passage with metaphorical language
Load profile: figurative load.
What this suggests: literal meanings may mislead. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use context and conceptual mapping. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
passage with negation and qualifiers
Load profile: scope load.
What this suggests: small words alter truth conditions. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: track not, only, partly, unless and may. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
passage with abbreviations
Load profile: notation load.
What this suggests: short forms create visual difficulty. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: decode once and maintain reference. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
learner rereads one sentence repeatedly
Load profile: local blockage.
What this suggests: a key phrase may be preventing integration. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: identify the exact lexical or syntactic bottleneck. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
learner loses paragraph main idea
Load profile: global load.
What this suggests: local decoding consumes attention. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: pause for paragraph summaries. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
texts are always too easy
Load profile: low-growth load.
What this suggests: coverage is high but lexical challenge minimal. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: increase difficulty gradually. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
texts are far too hard
Load profile: excessive load.
What this suggests: comprehension collapses and inference becomes unreliable. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use bridge texts. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
mixed-level class
Load profile: variable learner-text fit.
What this suggests: the same passage creates different load. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use optional glossaries and tiered support. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
news article on specialist topic
Load profile: domain load.
What this suggests: general vocabulary may be insufficient. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: pre-teach core domain concepts. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
literary text with archaic words
Load profile: historical lexical load.
What this suggests: rare forms may be needed only locally. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach text-specific meaning without demanding mastery. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
dense examination instruction
Load profile: instructional load.
What this suggests: command vocabulary can block correct response. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach task verbs explicitly. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
summary source with repeated synonyms
Load profile: semantic redundancy.
What this suggests: different wording may express the same point. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: group repeated meaning. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
listening passage with familiar written words
Load profile: sound-form load.
What this suggests: print coverage overestimates listening coverage. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: train auditory recognition. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
video with strong visual support
Load profile: multimodal compensation.
What this suggests: images reduce lexical burden. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: do not equate video comprehension with text-only reading. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
accurate oral reading without understanding
Load profile: decoding-comprehension gap.
What this suggests: pronunciation does not guarantee meaning. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: assess semantics separately. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
incorrect paraphrase of known words
Load profile: depth load.
What this suggests: synonym boundaries are weak. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: strengthen lexical precision. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
successful skipping of noncritical unknowns
Load profile: strategic tolerance.
What this suggests: reader preserves flow. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: reward selective uncertainty. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
skipping of central technical term
Load profile: strategic error.
What this suggests: main concept becomes incoherent. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: teach centrality detection. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
many nominalisations
Load profile: lexico-grammatical load.
What this suggests: processes are compressed into nouns. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: unpack into clauses. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
many passive clauses
Load profile: grammar-plus-lexicon load.
What this suggests: agents become difficult to track. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: identify actor action and object. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
cross-subject reading
Load profile: disciplinary load.
What this suggests: same forms may shift sense. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: use transfer maps. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
online article with constant hyperlinks
Load profile: navigation load.
What this suggests: lookup fragments attention. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: set rules for delayed checking. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
AI-generated definitions
Load profile: verification load.
What this suggests: helpful explanations still need validation. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: compare with learner dictionary and context. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
transition to post-secondary reading
Load profile: future academic load.
What this suggests: density and specialisation rise. The description is a hypothesis about why this text-reader combination feels difficult, not a permanent label on the learner or the text.
First response: build independent learning routines. Before teaching more vocabulary, identify whether the bottleneck is a completely unknown word, a weakly known sense, a multiword phrase, a technical concept or a non-lexical factor.
Diagnostic procedure: Read a short section without immediate lookup and summarise the main proposition. Add targeted lexical support and reread. If comprehension rises sharply, vocabulary load is a meaningful constraint. If comprehension barely changes, inspect syntax, reference, background knowledge and argument structure.
Word-selection decision: Rank unfamiliar items as blocking, recurring, high utility, technical essential or low priority. Learn the high-return items deeply and tolerate some peripheral uncertainty. This keeps vocabulary study connected to reading rather than turning every text into a dictionary exercise.
Transfer check: Repeat with a different genre or subject. A mature Grade 10 reader can diagnose why a new text is difficult and choose support accordingly instead of assuming every hard passage requires a larger random word list.
Lexical-load concepts
lexical coverage
Definition: proportion of running words known.
Why it matters: use as a rough reading-access measure.
Caution: do not interpret as a sharp universal threshold.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
unknown-word density
Definition: frequency of unfamiliar items.
Why it matters: helps explain interruption rate.
Caution: inspect clustering as well as overall percentage.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
centrality
Definition: importance of a word to the main proposition.
Why it matters: prioritises study.
Caution: a rare central term may matter more than many peripheral items.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
recurrence
Definition: how often a word reappears.
Why it matters: signals topic importance and learning opportunity.
Caution: repeated exposure does not guarantee mastery.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
breadth
Definition: range of known words.
Why it matters: raises coverage.
Caution: does not guarantee deep understanding.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
depth
Definition: richness of word knowledge.
Why it matters: reduces hidden lexical load.
Caution: includes senses, collocation and grammar.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
polysemy
Definition: multiple related senses.
Why it matters: explains familiar-looking difficulty.
Caution: context must select the active sense.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
collocation
Definition: natural word partnership.
Why it matters: supports phrase-level processing.
Caution: individual-word knowledge may be insufficient.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
morphology
Definition: meaningful word structure.
Why it matters: helps connect families and infer new forms.
Caution: roots are clues, not complete definitions.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
academic vocabulary
Definition: cross-curricular reasoning language.
Why it matters: offers high transfer value.
Caution: should not be confused with rare vocabulary.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
technical vocabulary
Definition: discipline-specific terminology.
Why it matters: unlocks subject concepts.
Caution: often needs explicit instruction.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
nominalisation
Definition: noun-based compression of processes.
Why it matters: common in academic prose.
Caution: can raise density and obscure agency.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
discourse markers
Definition: words signalling logical relations.
Why it matters: support argument tracking.
Caution: small forms can have large comprehension effects.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
modality
Definition: language of possibility and obligation.
Why it matters: controls certainty.
Caution: may, should and must are not interchangeable.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
quantifiers
Definition: words marking amount or scope.
Why it matters: shape proposition accuracy.
Caution: some, most and all require precision.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
negation
Definition: language reversing or limiting claims.
Why it matters: critical to meaning.
Caution: small negative forms are easy to overlook.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
reference chains
Definition: pronouns and noun phrases linking ideas.
Why it matters: support coherence.
Caution: known vocabulary can still be hard if references are unclear.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
background knowledge
Definition: conceptual knowledge about topic.
Why it matters: makes context more informative.
Caution: can compensate partly for lexical uncertainty.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
genre knowledge
Definition: expectations about text type.
Why it matters: helps predict structure and vocabulary.
Caution: argument, narrative and report load differ.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
automaticity
Definition: speed of accessing known words.
Why it matters: frees working memory.
Caution: slow knowledge can behave like partial knowledge.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
working memory
Definition: temporary processing capacity.
Why it matters: limits how many unresolved items can be held.
Caution: high lexical load competes with inference.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
inferencing
Definition: deriving meaning from context.
Why it matters: supports unknown-word handling.
Caution: requires enough known surrounding language.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
selective lookup
Definition: choosing when to consult a reference.
Why it matters: protects reading flow.
Caution: lookup should target important uncertainty.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
glossing
Definition: providing brief meanings alongside text.
Why it matters: reduces immediate load.
Caution: should not replace durable learning for useful words.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
pre-teaching
Definition: teaching selected words before reading.
Why it matters: supports access to dense texts.
Caution: select essential terms rather than everything.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
repeated reading
Definition: rereading the same text.
Why it matters: can improve fluency and notice vocabulary.
Caution: should change the focus on later passes.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
extensive reading
Definition: large amounts of understandable reading.
Why it matters: builds breadth and repeated exposure.
Caution: texts must be sufficiently accessible.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
intensive reading
Definition: close analysis of shorter texts.
Why it matters: supports depth and precision.
Caution: cannot replace reading volume.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
disciplinary literacy
Definition: subject-specific ways of reading and communicating.
Why it matters: explains cross-subject lexical differences.
Caution: general English alone is insufficient.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
text profiling
Definition: examining vocabulary frequency and distribution.
Why it matters: helps teachers estimate load.
Caution: profiling does not replace learner data.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
learner-text fit
Definition: relationship between reader knowledge and text demands.
Why it matters: determines experienced difficulty.
Caution: difficulty is not a fixed property of text.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
reading purpose
Definition: goal for reading.
Why it matters: changes needed lexical precision.
Caution: gist and close inference require different control.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
perceived difficulty
Definition: learner’s experience of challenge.
Why it matters: useful diagnostic signal.
Caution: can be influenced by anxiety and familiarity.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
semantic density
Definition: amount of conceptual meaning packed into wording.
Why it matters: raises processing demand.
Caution: often overlaps with nominalisation.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
multiword expressions
Definition: stored or conventional phrases.
Why it matters: reduce assembly effort.
Caution: may remain invisible in word-count coverage.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
proper nouns
Definition: names of people places and organisations.
Why it matters: often visually unfamiliar.
Caution: not every name is a vocabulary target.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
symbols and units
Definition: nonword meaning carriers.
Why it matters: important in technical texts.
Caution: lexical diagnosis should consider them.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
figurative language
Definition: nonliteral meaning.
Why it matters: creates sense-selection demands.
Caution: literal word knowledge may not be enough.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
word families
Definition: related inflected and derived forms.
Why it matters: reduce apparent novelty.
Caution: family knowledge varies by learner.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
contextual diversity
Definition: variety of contexts in which word appears.
Why it matters: supports flexible knowledge.
Caution: too much variation too early can overload.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
text cohesion
Definition: linguistic links among sentences.
Why it matters: supports global comprehension.
Caution: lexical knowledge interacts with cohesion.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
topic vocabulary
Definition: words concentrated around one subject.
Why it matters: supports domain reading.
Caution: may have low general frequency but high local value.
Grade 10 application: Find the concept inside a real passage. Explain how it changes reading effort, then name one teaching or self-study response. The objective is to turn technical vocabulary about reading into a practical diagnostic language that students, parents and teachers can actually use.
Lexical-load workshops
Coverage sampling
Take a 200-word passage, mark genuinely unknown running words and estimate coverage. Then inspect importance rather than stopping at the percentage.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Central-word ranking
Rank unknowns by importance to the paragraph. Learn the highest-impact words first.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Recurring-word hunt
Circle repeated unfamiliar items and compare their contexts before looking them up.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Technical-term preteach
Select a few concept-critical terms before a dense subject passage.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Hidden-load audit
Test local senses of familiar-looking words to find invisible polysemy load.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Collocation-load audit
Underline phrases whose combined meaning is not obvious from individual words.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Morphology bridge
Use roots and affixes to connect unfamiliar forms with known families.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Glossary experiment
Read once without glossary and once with targeted glossary support; compare comprehension.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Selective-lookup routine
Finish the sentence before checking unless the unknown blocks the proposition.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Reading-flow drill
Read for gist without stopping, then return for lexical study.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Coverage thought experiment
Compare one unknown in twenty with one in fifty across paragraphs and discuss distribution.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Subject-density comparison
Compare Science, Humanities and English passages for technical and general academic vocabulary.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Background-knowledge bridge
Read a short topic primer before the main text and test whether lexical inference improves.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Sentence-density unpacking
Turn dense noun phrases into clauses to separate lexical and syntactic difficulty.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Reading-speed check
Measure time together with accuracy and comprehension.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Independent-text selection
Choose texts that preserve the main idea without constant lookup and gradually raise challenge.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Post-reading selection
Choose only a small number of words for deep study using utility, centrality and recurrence.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Subject-transfer coverage
Track whether academic words learned in one subject reduce load in another.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Exam-passage triage
Mark logical connectors and central unknowns only on the first pass.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Monthly coverage audit
Repeat on comparable texts to see whether high-utility gaps shrink.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Known-but-slow audit
Time recognition of common academic words and identify slow-access items.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Polysemy notebook
Record multiple subject senses for common forms such as function, current, mean and scale.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Phrase bank
Store frequent academic collocations from authentic texts rather than isolated words.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Uncertainty tolerance drill
Read with selected low-priority words deliberately left unresolved and check whether comprehension survives.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Support-fading routine
Move from glossed text to lightly glossed text to independent reading.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Two-pass technical reading
First find the argument; second unpack terminology and sentence density.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Concept-map reading
Map key concepts and attach vocabulary after reading to strengthen word-world connections.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Pre/post comprehension test
Use the same passage before and after targeted vocabulary support to estimate lexical contribution.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Difficulty attribution journal
After hard reading, label the main obstacle as vocabulary, syntax, knowledge, structure or attention.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Independent reading portfolio
Record text title, perceived difficulty, central new words, support needed and whether the next similar text felt easier.
Success standard: The learner can explain which lexical items deserve attention, what kind of knowledge is missing and whether the text remains comprehensible without immediate lookup.
Long-term goal: Reading becomes less dependent on interruption because high-utility vocabulary grows, depth improves and the student becomes more strategic about uncertainty.
Twelve-week lexical-coverage programme
Week 1 establishes baseline coverage on several text types. Week 2 teaches unknown-word triage. Week 3 expands high-utility academic vocabulary. Week 4 works on polysemy and technical senses. Week 5 builds collocation and multiword knowledge. Week 6 uses morphology. Week 7 strengthens topic knowledge. Week 8 compares subject-specific texts. Week 9 improves independent text selection. Week 10 applies exam-passage triage. Week 11 checks delayed comprehension. Week 12 repeats coverage sampling and plans the next cycle.
Final principle
Vocabulary load is not simply the number of difficult words on a page. It is the pressure lexical demands place on comprehension. A strong Secondary 4 reader learns to identify which gaps matter, choose which words deserve deep learning, keep reading when uncertainty is tolerable and use support when the text would otherwise become inaccessible.
Reading independence clinic
Reading independence threshold
Give the student two passages on similar topics at different lexical difficulty. Read both without lookup, summarise each, then note how often support was needed. The better independent text is the one that preserves comprehension and flow while still offering useful lexical challenge.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Central-word test
Remove one unfamiliar word from a sentence mentally. If the proposition still makes sense, the word may be peripheral. If the entire relationship collapses, the word is central and deserves immediate attention.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Cluster test
Count not only total unknowns but how many occur in the same sentence or paragraph. Clustering can create local comprehension failure even when overall coverage looks high.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Repeated-term test
Track an unfamiliar word across several occurrences. If later contexts clarify the meaning, delay dictionary use until enough evidence accumulates; then verify.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Glossary-fading clinic
Read a technical passage with a full glossary, later with only key terms glossed, then without glosses. The learner should become less dependent on external support while retaining core vocabulary.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Two-pass exam reading
On the first pass, follow main argument and logical connectors. On the second, return to central unknown words and dense sentences. This prevents one unfamiliar word from derailing the whole passage.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Academic-noun unpacking
Rewrite dense noun phrases into verbs and clauses. If comprehension improves, part of the apparent vocabulary load was grammatical compression rather than unknown vocabulary.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Known-word depth test
Select ten words the student says are known. Ask for local meaning, collocation and one fresh sentence. This reveals hidden load from shallow knowledge.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Technical-sense test
Use common words such as function, current, mean, model and significant in subject contexts. Ask the learner to explain why the everyday meaning is insufficient.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Phrase-coverage test
Underline multiword units rather than individual unknown words. Estimate how many phrases are fully understood. This catches load that headword counting misses.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Background-knowledge comparison
Read a short primer before a difficult passage. If comprehension improves sharply without explicit vocabulary teaching, conceptual knowledge was an important part of the load.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Subject-density profile
Take equal-length passages from English, Science and Humanities. Count technical words, general academic words and multiword expressions. Compare which category creates most difficulty.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Lookup-cost audit
Track how often dictionary consultation interrupts reading and how long it takes to regain the sentence meaning. Use the data to set a more selective lookup rule.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Over-highlighting repair
Limit the learner to five highlighted words per page on the first pass. Force a decision about which unknowns are genuinely central, recurring or high utility.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Low-priority tolerance
Deliberately leave several noncentral rare words unresolved. Check whether the reader can still explain the main idea. This builds strategic tolerance of uncertainty.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Post-reading harvest
After finishing the text, choose a small set of words for deep study. Record why each was selected: centrality, recurrence, cross-subject utility or personal weakness.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Coverage-growth portfolio
Every month, sample a comparable passage and record unknown-word density, comprehension, lookup frequency and reading time. Growth should be visible across more than one metric.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Text-selection ladder
Keep one easy text, one growth text and one stretch text. Most independent reading should occur in the easy-to-growth range; stretch texts receive deliberate support.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Exam-instruction audit
Before solving a question, underline command words and scope words such as only, mainly, infer, evaluate and justify. Task vocabulary can create hidden lexical load before the passage is even processed.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Independent diagnosis conference
Ask the learner why a text felt hard and require evidence: unknown words, technical senses, dense syntax, weak topic knowledge or slow access. Accurate self-diagnosis is the long-term goal.
Diagnostic result: Record whether the activity revealed a breadth gap, a depth gap, a phrase-level problem, a technical-sense problem or a non-lexical difficulty. The response should target that layer rather than add random vocabulary.
Transfer: Repeat the diagnostic with a new genre or subject after a delay. The learner should become increasingly able to judge text difficulty, choose support and maintain reading flow without teacher direction.
Final reading-independence principle
Lexical coverage becomes useful when it helps a learner make decisions: whether to keep reading, infer, look up, pre-learn, simplify the text or build background knowledge. The percentage is a guide; the reader’s actual comprehension remains the decisive evidence.
Coverage cautions
Threshold caution
Coverage percentages are not certificates of comprehension. Ask two learners with similar coverage to explain the same paragraph. Differences in syntax knowledge, background knowledge and inference show why thresholds must remain guides rather than guarantees.
Teaching implication: Use the observation to refine the learner’s reading strategy. The purpose of coverage analysis is to locate the actual bottleneck, not to chase a percentage without regard to meaning.
Reassessment: Use a new passage with a similar demand and check whether comprehension improves with less support.
Critical-word weighting
Create a passage where one unknown word names the main causal mechanism and five unknown words are descriptive details. Compare comprehension after teaching only the central word. This demonstrates why all unknown tokens should not receive equal instructional weight.
Teaching implication: Use the observation to refine the learner’s reading strategy. The purpose of coverage analysis is to locate the actual bottleneck, not to chase a percentage without regard to meaning.
Reassessment: Use a new passage with a similar demand and check whether comprehension improves with less support.
Coverage versus depth
Take a passage containing common polysemous words. A reader may report high coverage while selecting the wrong sense. Test local meanings to show that surface familiarity can overestimate effective lexical coverage.
Teaching implication: Use the observation to refine the learner’s reading strategy. The purpose of coverage analysis is to locate the actual bottleneck, not to chase a percentage without regard to meaning.
Reassessment: Use a new passage with a similar demand and check whether comprehension improves with less support.
Coverage versus phrase knowledge
Use a passage built around common multiword expressions. Every individual word may be familiar while phrases remain opaque. Treat phrase knowledge as part of functional coverage.
Teaching implication: Use the observation to refine the learner’s reading strategy. The purpose of coverage analysis is to locate the actual bottleneck, not to chase a percentage without regard to meaning.
Reassessment: Use a new passage with a similar demand and check whether comprehension improves with less support.
Coverage versus automaticity
Give a passage whose words are technically known but slow to retrieve. Compare untimed comprehension with realistic timing. Slow lexical access can create practical reading load even without many unknown items.
Teaching implication: Use the observation to refine the learner’s reading strategy. The purpose of coverage analysis is to locate the actual bottleneck, not to chase a percentage without regard to meaning.
Reassessment: Use a new passage with a similar demand and check whether comprehension improves with less support.