Since we cannot possibly use direct instruction to teach all of the words a student will encounter, teaching students to use meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic vocabulary strategies during reading will give them the practice and skills they need to grow their vocabulary and increase their reading comprehension. 

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The Word Parts and Say it Outloud strategies are effective because they take advantage of how the brain connects letters to sounds to access word meaning from stored oral language words and to examine parts of words that contain meaning.

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Further, a reading assessment should not only determine if a student knows what a word means, but should also assess the strategies they used to determine meaning.  It is only by breaking down for students what it means to read and understand and to show them how to make the connections that their brain must not only practice doing but is also wired to do, will they be able to reach the ultimate goal of reading:  comprehension.