This independent research project aimed to investigate improved outcomes in reading and writing following explicit teaching of vocabulary. A year two class and their teacher were investigated through pre- and post-test data, field notes and a semi-structured interview. The research found no noticeable improvement in outcomes of reading but showed a prominent inclusion of introduced vocabulary within writing tasks. In addition, research found a positive impact from explicit vocabulary teaching in subjects beyond English. The research concludes by highlighting the value of vocabulary in English and recommendations for its explicit teaching.