"Israel offers an organized resource for teaching vocabulary and provides word lists, literature connections and extensions, journal prompts, and additional resources for teachers. The book's organization allows a teacher to pick and choose where to start and what to include." -Anita Barnes, Literacy and Math Specialist Second Street School, Frankfort, KY "A valuable resource for teachers who want to increase their students' vocabulary." -Gustava Cooper-Baker, Principal Sanford B. Ladd Elementary School, Kansas City, MO Engage young children with this creative and strategic approach for building early literacy skills! Helping PreK and primary-grade educators improve young students' oral language and build strong reading and writing skills, this practical resource is the ideal tool for planning literacy instruction based on the National Reading Panel's recommendations for vocabulary development. Unique in its thematic approach to developing students' vocabulary, this book provides word lists, literature selections, and teaching strategies for building young learners' vocabulary and comprehension skills. Based on original research conducted by Susan E. Israel and Edward B. Fry, the lists are comprised of words used frequently by children in their writing, as well as additional words to enhance learning. Each thematic chapter offers: Literacy integrations for reading and writing in the classroom Writing prompts to integrate with journal activities Read-aloud suggestions from children's literature Think-alouds to enhance vocabulary Vocabulary Lists and Activities for the PreK-2 Classroom not only fills a gap in the field of reading and writing instruction but also provides a wealth of activities and vocabulary words organized around topics appropriate for primary students.