The ReadWriteAI Series: Teaching vocabulary explicitly in secondary content area subjects

 By Christina Maurer-Smolder and ChatGPT

Explicitly teaching vocabulary across all subject areas, including social studies and science, is widely recommended for supporting adolescent readers (Hall et al., 2016; Kamil et al., 2008). Yet, many subject area teachers don’t feel confident incorporating vocabulary instruction into their lessons. If that sounds familiar, don’t worry—AI can make the process quicker and more effective. The following steps will show you how to use AI to support vocabulary teaching.

1. Identifying vocabulary to pre-teach

Choosing words to pre-teach depends on:

• Their importance to understanding the passage

• Students' prior knowledge

• The complexity of the words

• Keeping lists manageable (6–8 words max!)

Example AI Prompt:

Identify six to eight words for pre-teaching in the passage below for a Year 10 class. Choose words that are likely to be new for the students and are essential to understanding the text. Assume that students have already covered cellular respiration, the carbon cycle, and ecosystem interactions.

2. Breaking words into morphological parts

Students with low literacy often do not recognise how words break into meaningful parts (Moats, 2020). AI can help by analysing word structure automatically.

Example AI Prompt:

Break the words down into their morphological parts. Provide the meaning of these parts and of the word as a whole.

Word	Breakdown	Meaning
chlorophyll	chloro → green, phyll → leaf	The green pigment responsible for photosynthesis
chloroplast	chloro → green, plast → formed	The cell structure where photosynthesis happens
carbon dioxide	carbon → charcoal, di- → two, oxide → oxygen	A molecule with carbon and two oxygen atoms

3. Providing opportunities to practise and engage with vocabulary

Did you know that it can take 17+ exposures for a student to learn a new word (Kamil et al., 2008)? Below are just a few ideas for providing additional exposure and practice.

🧩 Crossword Puzzle

Example AI Prompt:

Create a crossword puzzle using the words chlorophyll, chloroplast, and carbon dioxide. Provide clues that reinforce word meanings and structures.

Example Clues:

• Across: (5 letters) “The part of ‘chloroplast’ that means ‘green.’” (Answer: Chloro)

• Down: (10 letters) “A molecule plants take in, made of carbon and oxygen.” (Answer: CarbonDioxide)

Use GenAI to create fun ways to expose students to new vocabulary.

🔗 Matching Activity

Example AI Prompt:

Create a matching game where students pair photosynthesis-related words with their definitions, focusing on word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes).

Word	Definition
chlorophyll	The green pigment in plants (chloro = green, phyll = leaf)
chloroplast	The plant cell structure where photosynthesis happens (chloro = green, plast = formed)
carbon dioxide	A gas made of carbon and two oxygen atoms (di- = two, oxide = oxygen)

👁 Infographic

For this one, ask students to generate prompts for AI to create an infographic showing, for example, the step-by-step process of photosynthesis. Elicit from students what it should include. Tell students that AI output for this might not be perfect and that they will need to check it.

Discussion: How successful were you at getting the results you wanted? What were some challenges? Were you able to overcome these? If so, how?

♦ Photosynthesis pairs card game

Example AI Prompt:

Create a card game or pair work game for a Year 10 class of students that uses vocabulary about photosynthesis.

• Objective: Match photosynthesis terms with their correct definitions or processes.

• Players: 2–4 students

• Materials: A deck of Photosynthesis Vocabulary Cards (print or write on index cards).

  
  

How to Play (Matching Version)

1. Shuffle the deck and place the cards face down in a grid.

2. Players take turns flipping over two cards.

3. If they match (word + correct definition/process), the player keeps the pair and takes another turn.

4. If they don’t match, flip them back over and the next player goes.

5. The game continues until all matches are found. The player with the most pairs wins!

   
   

Alternative: "Explain It!" Challenge Version

1. Each player gets 3 random vocabulary cards.

2. Players take turns picking a card and explaining the term in their own words (without saying the word).

3. If their partner correctly guesses the term, both players keep the card. If not, the card goes back in the pile.

4. First player to collect 5 cards wins!

   
   

Cards for the Game (Vocabulary + Definitions)

Term	Definition / Description
Chlorophyll	Green pigment that absorbs sunlight for photosynthesis.
Chloroplast	The organelle where photosynthesis occurs.
Photosynthesis	The process by which plants make their own food using light, water, and CO₂.
Light-dependent reactions	The first stage of photosynthesis where sunlight splits water into oxygen and energy molecules.
Calvin Cycle	The second stage of photosynthesis where CO₂ is used to produce glucose.
Glucose	The sugar produced during photosynthesis, used as energy for the plant.
Oxygen	The gas released as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
Stomata	Tiny openings in leaves where gases are exchanged.
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)	The gas taken in by plants to make glucose.
Water (H₂O)	A key reactant in photosynthesis, split into oxygen and hydrogen.
ATP	Energy-carrying molecule produced during photosynthesis.
NADPH	Molecule that carries high-energy electrons to power glucose production.

🌱Photosynthesis in the News

Example AI Prompt: Create some real-word activity ideas for exposing students to vocabulary related to photosynthesis.

• Activity: Have students find news articles about plant-based solutions to climate change (e.g., carbon sequestration, algae biofuels).

• Vocabulary Focus: carbon fixation, biofuel, sustainability, greenhouse effect.

• Real-World Connection: Shows how photosynthesis is vital in addressing environmental issues.

🕮 Story time

Example AI Prompt: Create a short [soap opera/western/gangster/funny] story that will help year 10 students remember the stages of photosynthesis.

Warning - the results may be pretty silly!

Final Thoughts

Vocabulary learning doesn't have to be boring! By combining:

✔️ Explicit teaching of word meanings

✔️ Interactive AI-generated activities

✔️ Real-world projects and experiments…

you can make science engaging and relevant for all students. With AI and your own imagination and experience you may be able to come up with even better ideas.

Tried it? We'd love to hear your ideas—drop your thoughts in the comments!

References

Hall, L. A., Burns, M. B., & Edwards, E. C. (2016). Empowering struggling readers: Practices for the middle grades. Guilford Publications.

Kamil, M. L., Borman, G. D., Dole, J., Kral, C. C., Salinger, T., & Torgesen, J. (2008). Improving adolescent literacy: Effective classroom and intervention practices (NCEE 2008-4027). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/adlit_pg_082608.pdf

Moats, L. C. (2020). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (2nd ed.). Brookes Publishing.