The BUSD Grade Level Academic Vocabulary List is designed to help Berkeley Unified School District systematically enhance the academic vocabulary of all of our students to better prepare them to learn the new Common Core State Standards.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) define academic vocabulary words as the words that are traditionally used in academic dialogue and text. Specifically, it refers to words that are not necessarily common or that children would encounter in conversation.

Vocabulary is key to performing well on Common Core-aligned tests for English Language Arts as well as for building literacy in social studies, science, and technical subjects. This collection features common tier-2 words that are taught and tested at every grade level.

It is essential that our students master these 55 critical Tier 2 words. Students need to understand what is expected of them as they tackle complex texts, learn to read more closely, add to their vocabularies, improve speaking and listening skills, and become well-rounded learners. (Sprenger, p. 3)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement. A vocabulary list featuring Common Core academic Vocabulary.