(SKKN 2022) suggested activities for teaching and learning english collocations at yen dinh1 high school

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓATRƯỜNG THPT YÊN ĐỊNH 1 SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS AT YEN DINH 1 HIGH SCHOOL Người thực hiệ

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT YÊN ĐỊNH 1

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS AT YEN DINH 1

HIGH SCHOOL

Người thực hiện: Lê Thị Huyền

Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh

THANH HÓA, NĂM 2022

INDEX

1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 Reasons for choosing the research

1.2Aims of the research

1.3 Objects and methods of the study

1.3.1 Objects of the study

1.3.2 Methods of the study

2 MAIN CONTENT

2.1.Theoretic basis of the problem

2.2.Realistic basic of the problem

2.3.Solutions to the problem

2.3.1 General introduction of collocations

2.3.1.1 What is a collocation?

2.3.1.2 Types collocations

2.3.1.3 Some common collocations

2.3.2 Common way of approaching teaching and learning

collocations

2.3.2.1.How should we approach collocations in classes?

2.3.2.2.How should students Learn collocations?

2.3.3 Suggested activities for teaching and learning collocations

at high schools

2.3.3.1 Gap-fill activities

2.3.3.2 Odd one out

2.3.3.3 Bingo games

2.3.3.4 Matching games

2.3.3.5 Using flash cards

2.3.4 Some exercises on common collocations that might appear

in the English exam

2.4 Result after applying the research in teaching

3 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

3.1 General overview and enhancement of the study

3.2 Recommendations

REFERENCES

1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 6

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Reasons for choosing the research

Currently, English is the most widely spoken language in the world and it is also the popular foreign language in Vietnam Therefore, being fluent in English will be a great advantage for job application as well as grasping many start-up opportunities from today's global integration To keep up with this common progress, teaching and learning English has been paid special attention by the Ministry of Education and Training Especially the introduction of the 2020 foreign language project has put more emphasis on teaching and learning foreign languages in a communicative way that requires each student at High schools to have a certain level of English for a basic communication Among the difficulties that learners face when learning English, Vocabulary is really a big challenge With the expansion of the size of vocabulary, many problems arise concerning the proper use of a word in context, among which is collocations Every language has thousands of collocations But how do we know which ones are the most commonly used and most useful for learners? And how can

we discover the sorts of problems learners experience with collocations?

Collocations are extremely useful for the language learners to be aware of and begin using when developing their second language An advantage of teaching collocations in the language classroom is that it can assist learners in their GCSE, English exams for gifted students or for those who desire to get an IELTS certificate

This field is not only difficult for students but sometimes for teachers as well Therefore, it is really necessary to have some useful ways to help our students approach and master this challenging scope of vocabulary learning All the reasons mentioned above inspire me to do a research on this topic

1.2 Aim of the Study

As mentioned above, collocation is a big obstacle for English learners Collocations are abstract, they normally have no explanation, and the list

is endless This can be confusing and frustrating for students When writing, or when doing a Use of English task, many students ask why some of their answers were wrong Unfortunately, many times the teacher will only be able to say because that’s HOW IT IS USED It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.Therefore, this study is devoted to defining the concept of collocation, providing some common collocations, proposing some helful activities for teaching and learning collocations and fnally providing students with some exercises containing common collocations that might appear in the English exam for the GCSE

1.3 Objects and methods of the study

1.3.1 Objects of the study

- Common collocations in everyday life

- Collocations in English textbooks

- Collocations in some English materials for GCSE

1.3.2 Methods of the study

Multi-methods are integrated to conduct this research, including mainly methods of observation and analysis Beside, the research is undertaken as a result of the reality of the long-time process of my daily teaching at school

2 MAIN CONTENT

2.1.Theoretic basis of the problem

Collocation has been proven to be an important constituent of language learners’ linguistic competence It is also said that collocational competence is a central component of native speakers’ communicative competence and a very important factor that helps distinguish between native speakers and foreign language learners (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011: 378) This collocational competence enables native speakers to intuitively know which words can be combined to produce natural-sounding speech and which words cannot, whereas learners of English often fail to combine words naturally since they have less exposure to the language learned and just occasionally use it

Further, McCarthy (1990) and McArthur (1992) consider that lack of collocational knowledge is the most important sign of foreignness among foreign language learners This lack of collocation competence is also considered as the cause of more grammatical errors (Avci, 2006: 28) The errors

in collocation are even considered more disruptive to the communication than most grammar errors (Smith, 2005: 17) In short, lack of collocational competence suggests low level of the leaners’ language development

more exciting

Work on the practical issue of ways to teach collocation is still little though such work will certainly bring more benefits to the learners and yield more useful information to teachers and teaching practitioners This literature study attempts to address and shed light on the issue

2.2 Realistic basic of the problem

Currently my students stay at elementary level and they often find it dificult

to use collocations Collocations do not seem to follow any rules nor have any reason behind their existence In addtion, first language transfer is when similarities in a student’s first language interfered with their learning of a second language Furthermore, there are a huge number of collocations in English that makes it difficult for students to remember Learning vocabulary is bad enough but adding in the fact that certain words are used together adds another dimension to learning the words of a language As a rusult, students often make serious mistakes in using fixed phrases when doing English tests

As teachers, to help our students overcome the above-mentioned problems

we need to design instruction to focus on what they need That is, our instruction should help learners avoid incongruity while assisting their fluency in production At this point, it would be useful to present the rationale and activities that incorporate teaching collocation into our lessons, all designed to help our students develop collocational competence

In the school year of 2020-2021, before applying the study, I gave students somes exercises related to the use of English collocations:

For example: Choose the best answer for each of the following sentences

1 If you are not too tired we could have a of tennis after lunch

2 They’re staying in rented accommodation for the time

3 She _ a look at Alan when he made a mistake in class

4 Entering the meeting late, he tried to ……… an excuse, still, the strict

chairman of the board told him to leave the room

5 .………… rain during the night will occur in my country today

6 There are people who cannot ……a secret, either of their own or of others’

7 I think I ………… a cold

8 The new law will ……… effect in six months

A have B give C take D bring

9 As estimated in the report, the storm ……… great damage to not only the coastal cities but the mountainous areas as well

A make B cause C lead D bring

10 There are people who cannot ……a secret, either of their own or of others’.

Here is the results

Class The

number of

students

Score (%)

3 - < 5

Score (%)

5 - < 7

Score (%)

7 - < 10

10A2 42 10 (23,8%) 25 (59,5%) 7 (16,7%)

10A16 38 20 (52,6%) 15 (39,5%) 3 (7,9%)

During the teaching process, I noticed that most of the students do not recognize the combination of words in English Moreover, they tend to translate word by word, which leads to choosing wrong answers

To help students solve this problem, teachers must be flexible, learn, explore and reflect, draw from experience, and come up with the most optimal and effective solutions to apply in teaching to ensure quality and further improve

2.3 Solutions to the problem

2.3.1 General introduction of collocations

2.3.1.1 What is a collocation?

Collocation refers to a group of two or more words that usually go together

A good way to think of collocation is to look at the word collocation Co -meaning together - location - -meaning place Collocations are words that are located together A good answer to "What is collocation?" is: Collocation is a group of two or more words that like to hang out together Here are some examples of common collocations that you might know:

- make tea - I made a cup of tea for lunch.

- do homework - I did all of my homework yesterday.

- take a break - Let’s take a break

Even though it possible to use other word combinations, understanding collocations help English learners improve their fluency because they are words that usually go together

2.3.1.2 Types of collocations?

There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc Some of the most common types are:

- adverb + adjective

Eg: fully aware, blissfully unaware

- adjective + noun

Eg: bright colour, deep sleep, brief chat, major problem, key issue, …

- noun + noun

Eg: a round of applause, a sense of pride, a pack of wolves, …

- verb + noun

Eg: give a speech, make a mistake, do a research, …

- verb + adverb

Eg: speak loudly, badly damage, …

- verb + expression with preposition

Eg: run out of time, burst into tears, …

2.3.1.3 Some common collocations

Have

have a rest: nghỉ ngơi

Have a look at: nhìn vào

Have a reservation: đặt bàn trước

Have an argument: cãi cọ

have a chat: nói chuyện

have an experience: có kinh nghiệm

have fun: vui vẻ

have a cold/headache: bị cảm/đau đầu

have a bath: tắm

have a sweet tooth: thích đồ ngọt

Get

get married: kết hôn get a job: kiếm việc get divorced: li hôn get the message: nhận thông báo get started: bắt đầu

get lost: bị lạc get home: về nhà get permission: xin phép get ready: sẵn sàng

get together: tụ tập

make:

make trouble : gây rắc rối

make noise: gây ồn

make a mess: làm ầm ĩ lên

make an appointment: (đặt lịch) hẹn

make sense: có lý

make a profit: sinh lợi

make progress: tiens bộ

make an excuse: viện cớ

make a phone call: gọi điện

make friend: kết bạn

Catch

catch fire: bắt lửa catch a train: bắt tàu catch a thief: bắt trộm catch a cold/flu: bị cảm lạnh/cúm catch a glimpse: nhìn thoáng qua catch one’s breath: lấy hơi

catch sight of: bắt gặp catch a ball: bắt bóng catch one’s eye: gặp ánh mắt ai catch a movie: đón xem một bộ phim

Go

go bald: bị hói

go bad: trở nên tồi tệ

go crazy: phát điên

go abroad: đi nước ngoài

go missing: mất tích

go bankrupt: phá sản

go on a date: hẹn hò

go out of business: ngừng kinh doanh

go smoothly: suôn sẻ

go to war: đánh nhau, tranh giành

Do

do harm: làm hại

do the gardening: làm vườn

do a research: làm nghiên cứu

do damage: gây thiệt hại

do your best: cố hết sức

do your hair: làm tóc

do the ironing: là quần áo

do a course: học một khóa học

do a report: làm báo cáo

do someone a favour

take a break: nghỉ giải lao

take a chance: nắm bắt cơ hội

take a look: nhìn

take a photo: chụp ảnh

take an exam: tham gia một kì thi

take notes: ghi chú

take notice of : chú ý đến

take advantage of: tận dụng

take charge of: chịu trách nhiệm

take care: bảo trọng

break

break a habit: từ bỏ một thói quen break a leg: chúc may mắn

break a promise: không giữ lời break a record: phá kỉ lục break the ice: phá vỡ sự im lặng break the law: vi phạm luật break the news: đưa tin khẩn (xấu) break the rules: phã vỡ quy tắc

pay

pay a fine: trả tiền phạt

pay attention: chú ý

pay by credit card: trả bằn thẻ tín dụng

pay cash: thanh toán bằng tiền mặt

pay interest: trả lãi

pay a compliment: khen

pay a visit: đi thăm

pay the bill: thanh toán

pay the price: trả giá

pay your respects: bày tỏ sự kính trọng

keep

keep a diary keep a promise: giữ lời hứa keep a secret: giữ bí mật keep calm: giữ bình tĩnh keep control: giữ kiểm soát keep in touch: giữ liên lạc keep quiet: giữ trật tự keep pace: theo kịp keep sb accompany: ở bên ai keep track of: theo sát/bám sát

2.3.2 Common way of approaching teaching and learning collocations

2.3.2.1 How should we approach collocations in classes?

I have been teaching for almost 15 years and collocation has never been a subject of study in any other language program that I have used over the

years.The best way to approach collocations lessons is by keeping this topic in mind and making decisions about which collocations can be linked to a

particular topic

For example, when I am teaching a lesson about daily routine I can’t avoid telling that the expressions “I wash the dishes” and “I wash the clothing” don’t sound natural to native speakers since the most common expressions to convey that meaning is “doing the laundry” and “doing the dishes”

When I make those examples clear, I take the time to tell the students that learning a language implies making an effort to learn the standard version of it

2.3.2.2 How should students Learn collocations?

There are different approaches to learning collocations in English, you might consider that going through a list of them could be a good way to deal with them A similar approach that some people follow with idioms and slangs The problem with such an approach is that you are not necessarily learning these word combinations in context and that can make using them even more difficult

The other approach is learning these in context since that maximizes the opportunity to use them in a future The problem with this approach is that the learner has to invest a lot of time reading and listening so he or she can cross them on a regular basis It is a long process that requires that the learner thinks critically about the language

A third approach to learning collocations is by using a list of the most common collocations ranked by order of frequency, these can be studied with a degree of certainty that you will come across them

2.3.3 Suggested activities for teaching and learning collocations at high schools

We’ve spoken about collocations before and why they are useful for our learners However, now we need to look at different activities that we can utilise

in the EFL classroom to help our learners learn collocations We know that learning collocations is not easy so we need to find ways which will help our learners notice and get to grips with collocations, while also keeping them

engaged and entertained Here are our pick of our favourite games to teach and revise collocations

2.3.3.1 Gap-fill activities

- This activity is an excellent way to reinforce vocabulary, and allow students to encounter the vocabulary in a variety of contexts The exercises can be worked

on individually or in pairs in class, or can be assigned as homework to be

quickly reviewed in class the next day

- In this activitiy, teacher uses a text, creates gap-fill activities by deleting one part of a collocation Students must read the whole text and try to figure out what the missing word is to complete the collocation

For example: Fill in the gaps using the correct form of the following verbs

fall - become -grow - have - make

As you …(1)… older, you’ll begin to understand your parents better … (2)… angry with them all the time doesn’t help You may not want to go to summer camp when none of your friends will be there, but your parents know you will soon …(3) … new friends there You would all have gone on a family holiday together if your grandmother hadn’t ……(4)… ill, but surely you can understand why they don’t want to leave her You’ll feel much more sympathetic to your parents’ feelings when you … (5)… a child of your own!

Keys: 1 grow 2 becoming 3 make 4 fallen 5 have

2.3.3.2 Odd one out

- This activity helps students learn the skill of sorting as they identify how words are grouped together

- T writes a set of words on the board Each of these words except one must correlate with another word The students must decide which are the correct

correlations and which is the incorrect one For example, apply for, get, lose, do, have, make and a job

- T may put students in pairs and they have to choose the odd word from each group and also write (or say) why they chose it

For example: odd one out

1 (make) a contribution, a research, a phone call, a profit

2 (put) an effort, together, forward, aside

3 schedule, cancel, make, chair (a meeting)

4 (highly) qualified, unlikely, worried, educated

5 (do) a favor, your best, a promise, harm

6 (by) purpose, mistake, accident, chance

7 (reach) a decision, an agreement, a consensus, a choice

8 similar, in reference, the same, look forward (to)

9 primary, big, last, second (chance)

10 (tell) something, a story, a lie, the difference

Keys:

1 a research (do a resaerch) 6 purpose (on purpose)

2 an effort (make an effort) 7 a choice (make a choice)

4 worried (really worried) 9 primary (first chance)

5 a promise (make a promise) 10 something (say something)

2.3.3.3 Bingo

- This activity helps the students remember some vocabularies which are difficult to be memorized It also helps to improve the ability to cooperate with each other (if using groups) Students have to think quickly to get scores, therefore, they will become more creative and active

- For this activity, teacher creates Bingo cards and grids with collocations The teacher reads out a verb, for example, and the students can cross off a noun on their grid if it collocates with the verb The first student to cross off an entire column or row, wins

BINGO GAME