Vocabulary touches every part of communication — comprehension, expression, and even confidence. But knowing where to start with vocabulary instruction can feel overwhelming.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make word learning meaningful (and not just memorization), this week’s post is for you.
This month, we’re focusing on Tier 2 vocabulary instruction in speech therapy — the words that bridge everyday conversation and academic language.
Today, you’ll get a free evidence-based research summary from Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Beck et al. (2013).
This week, we’ve added free sample pages from our Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum (Grades 1–5) so you can see these strategies in action inside therapy sessions.
💬 Looking for More Language + Vocabulary Resources?
If you’re as excited about vocabulary intervention as we are, here are a few more research-backed tools to make language therapy easier — whether you’re planning lessons, sending home homework, or looking for new ways to boost vocabulary development.
🧠 Free Language + Vocabulary Resources
- 📋 Tier 2 Word Lists (Grades K–12) — A free printable list of Tier 2 words by grade level, ready to reference or send home.
- 💡 Know & Wonder Pre-Teaching Activity (Grades K–8) — A vocabulary warm-up that supports schema activation, contextual learning, and comprehension growth.
- 🌨️ Master List of Winter Themed Speech Therapy Resources — Seasonal vocabulary activities, articulation, language and social pragmatics resources that fit perfectly into December speech therapy themes.
- 🐻 The Mitten Book Companion and The Snowy Day Book Companion — Language-rich story units for contextual vocabulary learning, multiple meaning words, and narrative-based instruction.
🛍️ Shop Resources Perfect for your Language Goals
- 📊 Language + Articulation Baseline Tracking Tools — Track language goals, vocabulary growth, and progress monitoring all in one place.
- 🏡 Language Homework Packet (10-Month Bundle) — Weekly homework that builds expressive and receptive language, Tier 2 vocabulary, and academic vocabulary use.
❄️ Free Winter-Themed Tier 2 Vocabulary Sample for Speech Therapy
Last week, we explored the research behind Tier 2 vocabulary instruction in speech therapy — breaking down the key findings from Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Beck et al. (2013).
This week, we’re taking that evidence-based foundation and turning it into something practical you can use right away. 🎉
I’m sharing a free winter-themed Tier 2 vocabulary sample from our Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum (Grades 1–5 sample, full curriculum K–6). These pages are designed using explicit vocabulary instruction and contextual vocabulary learning — so you can see firsthand how the research translates into real therapy sessions.
Whether you’re targeting school-age language goals vocabulary, vocabulary acquisition through speech therapy, or simply looking to bring more depth to your seasonal sessions, this freebie was made to help.
🧠 What’s Inside the Free Winter-Themed Tier 2 Vocabulary Sample
Inside your free download, you’ll find Tier 2 vocabulary pages for Grades 1–5 featuring the words wilderness, explore, climate, forest, and cozy. Each activity was designed to model targeted vocabulary instruction in speech-language therapy while keeping things fun and accessible.
Every Tier 2 page includes:
- ✏️ A space to write the word for orthographic and visual reinforcement
- 🧠 Student-friendly definitions and context clues to support comprehension
- 🔄 Practice with synonyms, antonyms, and fill-in-the-blank sentences to encourage flexible thinking
- 💬 Sentence-writing opportunities to build expressive language
- 🎨 A draw-the-word box for visual learners to connect meaning to imagery
- 📖 Contextual examples to reinforce multiple-meaning words intervention and cross-curricular vocabulary instruction
- 🔍 A How to Practice sheet that walks you step-by-step through the prompts in each box
These activities are packed with expressive vocabulary strategies for children and receptive vocabulary development in speech therapy, giving students multiple, meaningful exposures to each word.
🌨️ Why We Chose These Winter Tier 2 Words
Each word in this freebie — wilderness, explore, climate, forest, and cozy — was carefully chosen for its versatility and cross-context value.
These aren’t just seasonal words; they’re Tier 2 academic vocabulary that show up across subjects like science, reading, and writing. Using words tied to a winter theme gives students something tangible and familiar to connect with while still targeting vocabulary growth in language therapy and academic language vocabulary development.
For example:
- Wilderness and forest help students describe environments and explore categorization.
- Explore supports vocabulary enrichment strategies for SLPs tied to curiosity and discovery.
- Climate builds connections between science and daily conversation.
- Cozy opens discussion about sensory experiences and emotional vocabulary — perfect for school-age language goals vocabulary related to describing feelings and settings.
These kinds of words make it easy to integrate cross-curricular vocabulary instruction while still aligning with language and literacy goals.
✏️ How to Use These Free Pages
The free sample includes a How to Practice sheet that walks you through each activity, showing exactly how to introduce, discuss, and review each word during therapy.
Here are a few easy ways to use these pages:
- 🌟 Start with the definition and picture — use contextual vocabulary learning to discuss real-world examples.
- 💬 Have students use the word in conversation or story retelling for vocabulary acquisition through speech therapy.
- 🎯 Use the synonyms and antonyms for quick warm-ups or small-group games.
- 📚 Integrate the “fill in the blank” section into targeted vocabulary instruction in speech-language therapy or as homework.
- ✍️ Encourage students to add their own drawings or examples to boost expressive and receptive vocabulary development.
Because the sample includes five different Tier 2 words across multiple grades, you can easily differentiate — making it a go-to for school-age language goals vocabulary and mixed groups.
🌿 Bringing Research to Life
When we designed these winter-themed pages using words like wilderness, explore, climate, forest, and cozy, we wanted them to do more than just fit the season — we wanted them to reflect the heart of evidence-based vocabulary instruction.
Each page was created using vocabulary enrichment strategies for SLPs that emphasize context, repetition, and meaningful discussion. Our goal was to model what targeted vocabulary instruction in speech-language therapy looks like when it’s grounded in research — giving you materials that not only teach Tier 2 words but also strengthen comprehension, connection, and curiosity.
If you’d like to see the key studies and robust vocabulary instruction findings that inspired these activities, keep scrolling to explore the evidence-based research summary from Bringing Words to Life (Beck et al., 2013) and the additional research that guided this curriculum.
✨ Bring Tier 2 Vocabulary to Life in Every Session
If you loved this free sample, you’ll love the full Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum — an easy, no-prep solution that makes vocabulary instruction simple, engaging, and evidence-based.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This is one of my favorite resources to use with mixed groups — so easy to implement and my students actually enjoy it!” — SLP Review
Designed for speech-language pathologists, special education teachers, life skills classrooms, transition programs, and push-in settings, this resource makes vocabulary instruction accessible across all learning environments — in-person or teletherapy.
Each lesson was built using evidence-based vocabulary instruction strategies and includes real-life photos and age-appropriate design for students in Grades K–6.
💬 Why You’ll Love It
- 🧠 700 Tier 2 words across Grades K–6 — 100 per grade level
- ✏️ Short, simple, grab-and-go worksheets designed for busy educators
- 💬 Covers synonyms, antonyms, context clues, and describing pictures
- 🔍 Includes defining, sentence-writing, and question-answering practice
- 🧾 Pre- and post-tests + data tracking sheets for easy progress monitoring
- 💻 Print-friendly + digitally interactive formats for any setting
- 👥 Perfect for mixed groups with multiple skill levels
- 📚 Differentiated, age-appropriate visuals with real-life photos
🎁 Free Download: Winter-Themed Tier 2 Vocabulary Sample
Download your free sample pages from our Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum (Grades 1–5 sample, full curriculum K–6)!
These activities highlight academic language vocabulary and contextual learning strategies that make word instruction engaging, meaningful, and evidence-based.
⬇️ Download Your Free Tier 2 Vocabulary Sample Below!
🪄 The All-in-One Vocabulary Solution
Save hours of prep time while giving your students the meaningful, structured practice they need to build expressive and receptive vocabulary skills.
Whether you’re targeting Tier 2 academic vocabulary, teaching contextual vocabulary learning, or addressing school-age language goals vocabulary, this curriculum has everything you need in one place.
🌿 From Practice to Research
Everything inside our Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum was intentionally designed to align with what research tells us works best for vocabulary growth — from repeated exposure and context clues to student-friendly definitions and meaningful discussion.
If you’re curious about the evidence-based research behind Tier 2 vocabulary instruction, keep reading. 👇
Below, you’ll find a summary of the key studies and robust vocabulary instruction findings that guided the creation of these materials — including insights from Bringing Words to Life and other foundational sources that shape how we teach Tier 2 words in speech therapy today.
📘 What the Research Says About Tier 2 Vocabulary Instruction
Bringing Words to Life (Beck et al., 2013) is one of the most frequently cited sources on robust vocabulary instruction, and for good reason.
The research highlights several powerful findings:
- Vocabulary development happens through explicit instruction and natural conversation — students need both.
- Tier 2 words are high-utility, cross-context vocabulary that appear across academic subjects (analyze, describe, observe, compare).
- Learning is strongest when students experience multiple, meaningful exposures to new words.
- Instruction should be interactive, visual, and contextual — using examples, real-life photos, and opportunities to apply new words through guided practice and discussion.
- Definitions alone aren’t enough; students need rich experiences with language to build deep understanding.
These findings shaped how I design every piece of our Tier 2 Vocabulary Curriculum — ensuring words are presented in context, supported by visuals, and reinforced through evidence-based vocabulary strategies.
✏️ Why Tier 2 Vocabulary Instruction Matters for SLPs
When students struggle with comprehension or expression, the root cause is often a vocabulary gap.
By intentionally targeting Tier 2 words through explicit, engaging, and context-based instruction, SLPs can help students bridge those gaps and build confidence that extends into reading and writing.
Tier 2 vocabulary instruction strengthens both academic language and everyday communication skills, helping students master curriculum vocabulary and achieve their language intervention goals.
By integrating robust vocabulary instruction into therapy, SLPs can create sessions that are both purposeful and aligned with evidence-based best practices.
🌟 Bringing It All Together
The beauty of Bringing Words to Life is its simplicity: teach quality words, teach them deeply, and teach them in context.
That approach is at the heart of our speech therapy vocabulary curriculum, where each lesson provides opportunities to hear, discuss, and apply new words across multiple settings.
Next week, we’ll add free Tier 2 vocabulary sample pages from the curriculum (from Grades 1–5) right here in this post, so you can see how evidence-based instruction translates into therapy success.
Before you go, be sure to grab your free two-page research summary below!
P.S. Don’t Miss These Highly Rated Winter Favorites from the Shop! 🤍
This brand-new WH-Questions Mega Bundle packs 1,125 questions across 45 themes (25 flashcards each) — perfect for every season. You’ll find winter-ready sets like Wintertime Fun, Winter Celebrations Around the World, Magical Creatures, Amusement Park Adventures, Community Helpers, STEM Explorers, and more. It’s a fun, flexible way to keep students talking, reasoning, and learning all year long. 💬✨ Get your WH-Questions Bundle HERE!
Looking for an easier way to write IEP goals? This completely done-for-you Common Core Standards Goal Bank includes ready-to-use, premade goals for every grade level (K–12) that perfectly align with Common Core standards. Each goal is organized by grade and skill area — from reading and writing to speaking and listening — so you can save time, stay consistent, and focus on what matters most: your students.
👉 Grab your Common Core Standards Goal Bank here!
🎁 Free Download: Tier 2 Vocabulary Instruction Summary
Download your free two-page summary from Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (Beck et al., 2013) — the evidence-based foundation behind our Tier 2 vocabulary curriculum for SLPs.
⬇️ Download the Free EBR Summary
💛 Want More Done-for-You Resources?
Love research-based speech therapy materials that save time and make therapy more effective?
The Speech Therapy Store Membership delivers 500+ interactive pages every month — all built on the same evidence-based vocabulary instruction principles you read about here.
As we created the membership, we dove headfirst into understanding the research behind vocabulary instruction, as well as multiple other speech therapy topics — studying this research as well as other evidence-based articles to guide every decision we made.
Each month’s materials are intentionally designed using key findings from speech-language research, showing exactly how evidence-based strategies can look in real therapy sessions.
Inside the membership, you’ll find:
- 🧠 Resources aligned with specific research findings — so you always know the “why” behind what you’re using
- 💬 Language and vocabulary activities modeled after robust, contextual instruction
- 🎯 Evidence-based speech therapy materials that connect theory to practice — no guesswork required
If you’ve ever wished for a library of done-for-you therapy materials that’s not only engaging but rooted in research, this is it.
👉 Learn More About the Membership
Whether you’re diving into Bringing Words to Life for the first time or simply looking to bring more purpose into your sessions, I hope this research helps you feel inspired and confident in the “why” behind what you do.
Every word you teach makes a difference — and when it’s grounded in research, that difference lasts far beyond the therapy room.