TEACHING VOCABULARY ITEMS THROUGH CONTEXT TO ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS

SEMANTICS – FINAL ASSIGNMENT SEMANTICS – FINAL ASSIGNMENT Nguyễn Thị Như Quỳnh – K18C 1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT SEMANTICS (FINAL ASSIGNMENT ) Title TEACHING VOCABULARY ITEMS THROUGH CONTEXT TO ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS Name Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh Course K18 C Instructor M A Ha Cam Tam Deadline 28072010 HA NOI – YEAR 2010 TEACHING VOCABULARY ITEMS THROUGH CONTEXT TO ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Problem.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT

SEMANTICS

(FINAL ASSIGNMENT )

TO ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS

Name: Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh

Course: K18 C

Instructor: M.A Ha Cam Tam

Deadline: 28/07/2010

HA NOI – YEAR 2010

TEACHING VOCABULARY ITEMS THROUGH CONTEXT TO

ELEMENTARY EFL STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION

1 Problem statement and background to the study

Vocabulary as a major component of language learning has been the object of numerous studies each of which has its own contribution to the field Laufer (1997) states that vocabulary learning is at the heart of language learning and language use In fact, it is what makes the essence of a language Without vocabulary speakers cannot convey meaning and communicate with each other in a particular language

Although vocabulary has been the subject of many studies, few researches have revealed the effective techniques of vocabulary teaching So it is of prime importance

to attempt to find the most effective technique of vocabulary teaching According to Allen (1983), all experienced language teachers confirm the important role of words and know that the lack of them leads to feeling of insecurity; on the other hand, the teachers’ attitude toward teaching vocabulary and the classroom techniques varies enormously Different techniques are used by teachers, such as teaching the words: through lists, translation, synonyms, antonyms, contexts, realia, and so on Some teachers believe before teaching vocabulary to their students, they should have been taught the grammar of the foreign language Therefore, they give little or no attention to vocabulary Allen (1983) also states that in many English language classes, even where teachers have devoted much time to vocabulary teaching, the results have been disappointing Sometimes, after months or even years of English, many of the words most needed have never been learned Especially in countries where English is not the main language of communication, many teachers want more help with vocabulary instruction than they used to receive

Vocabulary is an inseparable part of any language learning process It would be impossible to learn a language without vocabulary The important role of vocabulary has been emphasized in all different methods in language teaching

According to Rivers (1981), “vocabulary cannot be taught It can be presented, explained, included in all kinds of activities, but it must be learned by the individual” (p 110) She continues, “As language teachers, we must arouse interest

in words and a certain excitement in personal development in this area” (p 110) She suggests that language teachers must help their students by giving them ideas on how

to learn vocabulary and some guidance on what to learn

Poor vocabulary knowledge of elementary EFL students is a matter of serious concern among those in and around education, and their quest for finding suitable remedies is getting more and more intense If this study manages to show an effective technique in vocabulary teaching, we may get some steps closer to finding of a remedy for poor vocabulary knowledge of our elementary EFL learners Therefore, this study presents a contextualization method in order to find one of the most effective techniques of vocabulary teaching The new words are taught in the context using contextual clues and the students infer the meaning of words from the context It should be noted that the method together with the traditional way of teaching vocabulary through definitions, synonyms, and translations are mostly used by teachers to teach vocabulary items to elementary EFL students So it is of prime importance to find the most effective technique ofvocabulary teaching

DEVELOPMENT

I Theoretical background

1.1 Definition of context

There are various definitions about context I present general agreement of it by summing up the essentials stated by several experts as follow:

1 Background, environment, framework, setting, or situation surrounding an event or occurrence

2 Words and sentences that occur before or after a word or sentence and imbue it with a particular meaning

3 Circumstances under which a document was created, including its function, purpose, use, time, the creator, and the recipient

1.2 Definition of vocabulary

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1995) presents six meanings of word

“vocabulary” as follow:

- All the words that someone knows, learns or uses

- The words that are typically used when talking about a particular subject

- All the words in a particular language

- The word failure/ compromise, etc is not in somebody’s vocabulary used to say that someone never thinks of accepting failures, etc

- A list of words with explanation of their meaning in a book for learning foreign languages

- A list of the codes or terms used in a computer system

1.3 Importance of vocabulary and vocabulary learning in EFL context

In the context of learning EL as a foreign language, the vital role of vocabulary is inevitable This has been claimed by many linguists and experts in the field Wilkins (cited in Thornbury, 2002: 13) learly stated that “without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed” To be short and concise, when comparing the important of grammar and vocabulary, both mentioned statement above show that most of learner’s improvement was created when learner himself/herself learned more words and expressions It was also emphasized when it came to communicate that “you can say very little with grammar, but you can almost say anything with word” (Thornbury, p 13)

You can understand vocabulary words based on the context of the passage - the words, clauses and phrases around the unknown vocabulary word You don’t have to memorize all the vocabulary words in the dictionary! For example, you might not understand the

word, acerbity, by itself, but this sentence, “The acerbity of the lemon caused the little

girl to spit out the bite she had just taken ” makes you understand that the general meaning of acerbity must be “bitter or sour” The context clues "lemon" and "spitting

out the bite", which provide more information in the sentence, help you understand what the vocabulary word means

Context clues are words and phrases in a sentence which help you reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word Oftentimes you can figure out the meanings of new or unfamiliar vocabulary

by paying attention to the surrounding language The table below gives the types of clues, signals and examples of each clue

Type of

Antonym or

Contrast Clue

Phrases or words that indicate opposite

but, in contrast,

howeve

r, instead

of, unlike, yet

Unlike his quiet and low key family, Brad is garrulous.

Definition or

Example Clue

Phrases or words that define or explain

is defined as,

means, the term, [a term

in boldfac

e or italics]

set off with comma s

Sedentary individuals,

people who are not very active, often have diminished health

Knowledge

The meaning is derived from the experience and background knowledge of the reader; "common sense" and logic

The information

may be someth ing basical

ly familia

r to you

Lourdes is always sucking up

to the boss, even in front of

others That sycophant just

doesn't care what others think of her behavior

Restatement or

Synonym Clue

Another word or phrase with the same

or a similar meaning is used

in other word,

that is, also known

as, someti mes called, or

The dromedary, commonly

called a camel, stores fat in its hump

In addition to context clues are word parts: prefixes, roots and suffixes

1.4 Stage of teaching vocabulary through context

1.4.1 Presenting

Actually, the very least learners need to learn both the meaning and the form of a new word Therefore, one of the easiest way to help learners to understand new word is context Teachers give examples including interesting and easy situation so that learners can refer the meaning of new words through that context

For example, with beginners, teachers can present some new words through context by making sentences such as following:

1- All the family are in the living room The father is reading newspaper and the

children are watching TV.

2- Jame’s mother is in the kitchen now She is cooking lunch.

3- The boys are playing with a ball in the garden They are playing under the apple

trees

4- A: Where is your car? It is not in your house

B: I have parked it in the garage.

…

1.4.2 Practicing

In this case, the use of planned activities for recycling and reactivate the new vocabulary is of necessity

1.4.3 Consolidating and Revising

In accordance with presenting and putting words into practice, checking students’ comprehension and revising those words are a final important stage I teaching this specific field For this stage, learners can give more contexts that new words are used

to understand better

III Implications for teaching Elementary EFL students

Since vocabulary is a very important part of the language, a teacher must equip himself with up-to-date techniques and methods of teaching them So, the results of this research can be valuable for language teachers Teachers should think of ways to provide less successful learners with vocabulary learning strategies This should be done

by making them aware of the need to become independent learners by recognizing the strategies they possess and those they lack Learner’s attention should be directed toward the strategies successful learners benefit from EFL teachers should make learners practice a wide range of vocabulary learning strategies ranging from decontextualized and medical strategies to contextualized one This enable learners to deal with any unknown vocabulary they many encounter both in and out of class context

The strategy for teachers

Several of these columns this year have explored ideas for nurturing student vocabulary growth Researchers like Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2002) maintain that explicit vocabulary instruction is a significant but often missing component in developing

reading comprehension in our classrooms Vocabulary study that is embedded in

discussions of written texts is particularly valuable.

Step 1: Select a core of tier 2 words for student examination from material students are

reading in class Teachers may typically identify “difficult” words from a text, ask students to ascertain the meanings of these words, and then quiz them in some fashion, perhaps asking for definitions and demonstration of usage in a sentence

Beck, McKeown, and Kucan caution against this practice, arguing that many students merely copy a simplistic definition from the dictionary, fixating perhaps on a familiar synonym, without really gaining a solid understanding for the new word As a result, nearly two-thirds of the sentences penned by students are out of sync, as students misuse the new word or create awkward, odd, or nonsensical usages

Instead, when identifying tier 2 words from, say, a chapter or short story, focus on vocabulary that can be connected to key themes or ideas in the text These tier 2 words represent the most meaningful vocabulary to highlight for instruction, because they will naturally coincide with discussions and other activities in which students will be engaged As a result, these words become part of the discourse of learning while students explore a written text

It can certainly be suggested that all of the words in the opening paragraph could merit further study But which of these words are especially germane to the study of this work

of literature? Although we are talking about only a small sample of vocabulary from this chapter (from only a single paragraph), we can already notice some words that might be especially relevant to an understanding of “The Great Gatsby.”

Step 2: Rather than sending students to the dictionary, start with a knowledge-rating

activity Ask students to evaluate their current level of knowledge about each target word:

K - I know it; H - I have a hunch what it means; S - I’ve seen it but I don't know it; and

N - I've never seen it before today

Next produce from the story the actual contexts for each of the target words, and display with an overhead projector For example, students will meet our Gatsby words in the following contexts: “I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men” and

“Most of the confidences were unsought – frequently I have feigned sleep ”

Step 3: Now that students have taken stock of their own level of knowledge of the target

words and have been provided with further information about each word with an example of usage, ask students to begin to “explain” each word in terms of what they know or think they might know Emphasize that you are not seeking a “tidy” definition, but instead are seeking to articulate useful associations and various facets of a word’s meaning

For example, some students may note that Revelations is a book of the Bible Or that sometimes an athlete feigns injury to get out of practice Or that an outdoor toilet, such

as in state parks, is referred to as a privy by some people

During these vocabulary explanations, offer at least one additional example for each word that expands understanding beyond the original context

Step 4: Embed these target words in classroom activities and purposefully interject them

into ongoing discussions of the texts so that students are hearing them as well as reading them Provide students with multiple opportunities to “test-drive” these tier 2 words as they talk about and write about the book, story, or selection In particular, include them

in assessments For example, students could be asked: “Explain how the following words can be related to an understanding of Gatsby’s character.”

In addition, ask students to self-select other tier 2 words that can be useful in talking about each of the characters in a novel or ideas in a passage These words should be logged into their personal “word banks,” which are comprised of new words they spot in their reading Remind students to include the contexts (phrases or sentences) of these new words as they record them in a section of their class notebooks

Also, it could help those dealing with foreign language teaching, such as syllabus