Teaching Vocabulary

Teaching Vocabulary What to Teach About an Item Techniques for Eliciting New Vocabulary Steps for Presenting Vocabulary Techniques for Checking Vocabulary What to Teach About an Item What the word meansIts form/part of speech (e.g. noun, adj) How it is pronouncedHow it is spelt (written form)If it follows any unpredictable grammatical patterns (e.g. effect on, fight against)The connotations (associations, positive or negative feelings) the item may have (e.g. DOG (friendship, loyalty, dirt & inferiority)What to Teach About an Item (con.)The situations when it is (not) used (Is it formal/neutral/informal?- in speech or in writing? Is it outdated? Wireless instead of radio)How it is related to others (syno., anto) Collocations (ways words occur together- e.g. raise your hands not lift your hands)The prefixes & suffixes may indicate the meaning Techniques for Eliciting New Vocabulary VisualsMimeRealiaSituation/ExplanationExampleSynonym/AntonymTranslation 1. Visuals Example 1: PLOUGH Example (2): PLOUGH Example (3): a plot of land Example (4): HARROW 2. MimeExample (1): to pumpT: miming pumping a balloonT asks, “What am I doing?”Example (2): transplantingT: miming transplanting young rice plants T asks, “What am I doing?”These peasants are transplanting young rice plants 3. RealiaExample: mouse T. Brings a real (computer) mouse into class.T. asks, “What’s this?”Example: off (adv), on (adv)T. turns off/on the laptop.T says, “Tell me about the laptop. It’sWhat?” 4. Situation/ExplanationExample: go off (U1) T. explains, “getting up early is the most difficult thing, and I usually set up my alarm before going to bed, so it can wake me up at 5:00.” T asks, “what does the alarm do at 5:00?” Tell me the word in Vietnamese. Now listen to it in English “go off”4. Situation/Explanation (con.)Example: crop T. says, “the amount of rice, fruits that the peasants harvest in this season is higher than that of the previous season.” T asks,” what do the peasants have? They have a good(Tell me the word in Vietnamese) Now listen to it in English “crop”5. ExampleExample (1): plan(s)T. lists examples of her plan for next year: “buying a car, having a baby, building a new houseGive me an example of your (plan) ...” Example (2): (to) chatT. says, “I have a close friend living in the United States, so every evening I can talk heart to heart with her online.” T. asks, “How can I contact my friend every day?” 6. Synonym/AntonymExample (1): contented with T. asks, “what is another word for contented with?” Example (2): fellow T. asks, “What is the opposite of fellow?”7. TranslationExample (1): bank (n)T asks, “How do you say ‘bờ sông or bờ ruộng’ in English?...Listen to it in English ’BANK’ “Example (2): peasant (n)T asks, “ How do you say ‘nông dân’ in English?Listen to it in English ’peasant’ “ Steps for Presenting VocabularyEliciting & Illustrating the meaning of the new word (by using # techniques)Modeling/Presenting the item (written/spoken)Letting Ss repeat chorallyAsking some Ss to repeat itCorrecting pronunciation (if happening)Checking L1’s equivalentChecking pronunciation (stress pattern)Checking spelling Techniques for Checking Vocabulary Bingo!Guess the pictureJumbled wordsMatchingNetworksNoughts & CrossesOrderingRub out & rememberSlap the boardWhere & WhatWord squareWordstorm 1. Bingo!Aim: to get Ss to practice listening to new words & match sounds with spellingGetting Ss to brainstorm a list of 10-15 new words & putting them on the boardSs choose 5 words to copy them in their booksReading out the words in any orderEach time the student has one of the words the teacher reads, s/he puts a tick next to that word.The first student to tick all five words shouts “Bingo!”2. Guess the pictureAim: to get a lot of Ss to practice saying the new words in a meaningful wayMake A4 pictures of new words you are going to teachPut the pictures in a fileGet Ss to come to the front & choose one of the picturesMake sure nobody else can see which picture has been chosenGet the rest of the class to guess which picture it isSs ask, “Is it a?” The 1st student to guess the picture correctly comes up to the front, chooses a new picture & the game continues.3. Jumbled wordsAim: to get Ss to practice spelling new wordsThe teacher writes 5 or 6 words with jumbled letters on the board & tell Ss what the topic is.Ss write the words correctly in their booksSs come to the board to write the correct words there to see if everyone agrees.Example: Topic SCHOOL SUBJECTSHSICPSY= THAMS=LYGIOBO= TYHOSIY=RUTELARITE= 4. MatchingAim: To get Ss to match the new vocabulary with definitions, translations of pictures. To save time pre-teachingWrite the new words in a list on the left side on the boardWrite definitions, translations or draw pictures, on the right side of the boardGet Ss to come up the board & match items in the left side list with item in the right side list by drawing a line between them4 or 5 Ss can work at the board at the same timeCheck answers by asking the class, “Do you agree?” 5.Networks Aim: to get Ss to revise lexical sets; to put words from different lessons into one context so Ss remember them betterWrite the network like in the example on the board and put some more words below it.Don’t use just concrete nouns-remember to include some verbsGet the Ss to put the given words in the appropriate circlesSs fill in the remaining empty circles with their own words.6. Noughts & CrossesAim: to get Ss to put new vocabulary in a sentenceThe teacher puts a grid on the board with 9 words in it.Ss work in pairs. ONE of the Ss copies the grid in his/her book.One student is “noughts” (‘O’), and the other is ‘crosses’ (‘X’)One student starts. S/he chooses a word & makes a sentence with it. If the sentence is correct, s/he puts her mark (“O” or “X”) in that square.The 1st student to get three-in-a –row (across, down or diagonally) wins. 7. OrderingAim: to get Ss to recognize the pronunciation of new words & give them listening practice Teach the new words & write them on the board in the wrong order.Get Ss to copy the words in their booksRead or tell the story with the new words in it. Get Ss to put the words in the correct order by numbering them.8. Rub out & rememberAim: to help Ss memorize new wordsPresent or elicit the new vocabulary & build up a list on the boardAfter each word put the Vietnamese translationGet the trainees to copy into their books & ask them to close their books.Rub out the new word once at a timeEach time you rub out a word in English, point to the Vietnamese & ask, ‘What’s this in English?’ When all the English words are rubbed out, go through the Vietnamese list and get the trainees to call out the English word 9. Slap the boardAim: to get Ss to recognize new words through listeningAsk 3 or 4 Ss to be observer & ask then to follow your steps & say why it is a useful technique Put the new words all over the board – not in a list.If you want to check understanding, put the Vietnamese translation of the new words or pictures on the boardCall out one of the new words with a loud voice. The two Ss must run forward & slap the word on the board.The one who slaps the correct word first is the winnerIf you are playing in teams, the winning team gets a mark.Then ask 2 more Ss to come forward 10.What & Where Aim: to help Ss to memorize new vocabulary or to revise vocabularyFollow the same procedure as for RUB & REMEMBER & SLAP THE BOARD (i.e. choose observers.)Elicit words to do with the classroom from the SsAs the Ss give you the word, write it on the board inside a circle.Do not write the words in a list.When all the words are on the board, rub out one of the words but do not rub out the circles.10.What & Where (con.)Get the Ss to repeat the word including the rubbed –out word by pointing Rub out another word but leave the circle.Point to the words or empty circles.The Ss read or remember the wordsContinue until all the circles are empty.The Ss now have to remember all the wordsAsk the Ss (6 or 8 at a time) to come to the board & fill in the circles with the correct words. 11. Word squareAim: to get Ss to recognize the spelling of new wordsThe teacher writes the word square on the board or make a poster of it.The teacher tells the Ss what the topic is and how many hidden words there are. The Ss come to the board & circle any words they can see. 12. WordstormAim: to get Ss to put new word into a sentenceGet Ss to work in pairs & brainstorm all the words they know on a topic, e.g. ’vegetable’Student A thinks of a word & tells student B.Both Ss write down the word.Student B thinks of another word, tells student A & both write it down.When they have thought of all words they can, put two pairs together to share their lists.One pair reads to the other pair who ticks off the same words or adds any new words. The group with the most word is the winner