Theme-based Vocabulary Building

English, particularly, requires learners to master quite an extensive vocabulary pool for understanding daily phrases as well as academic knowledge.. The purpose of theme-based vocabular

Vocabulary plays an important part in language learning It is an essential

ingredient to the richness of any language Many times in the long course of studying a language, learners seem to surrender themselves to the memorization

of vocabulary So exhausting and tedious a job it is that many fail and soon abandon what is the materials and foundations for building a good erudition of any language

English has a rich and varied vocabulary and learners should be urged to make use of this by introducing some variety into their own speech and writing Good English means having a big vocabulary! However, building vocabulary is a long job!

English, particularly, requires learners to master quite an extensive vocabulary pool for understanding daily phrases as well as academic knowledge Hence, learners often find themselves buried under tons of new words Learning these without a good plan is futile Words are better remembered if they go in groups

or relate to the same event Therefore, many try to link certain words with

certain situations or context With time, surprisingly they find a connection among those words This magical link is called theme and then born the

incredible way of learning vocabulary: studying words in themes

RATIONALE

The variety of English words enables the Englishman to fully express himself in the most appropriate way for every situation he may encounter The delicacy of

English language troubles most learners There dozens of words to describe one situation; to remember each one subjectively is painstaking Yet, putting them all in a category with a general definition makes the identification of them much more comfortable and convenient The purpose of theme-based vocabulary building is to increase learners’ knowledge of English words and expressions and so encourage them to extend the range of their own vocabulary

The use of thematic contextual passages enables students to learn more in depth into a certain topic This aids students not just in expanding their vocabulary but also that of general knowledge Information and knowledge are presented in concise sections to allow easy understanding and absorption of information Luong The Vinh high school is a school for gifted students Students majoring

in English are always have a strong desire for enlarge their vocabulary A test and a set of questionnaire were given to students in Grade 12 to investigate their knowledge and use of vocabulary related to the topic “Education”, which is included in the text book, as well as their motivation and attitude toward the innovation of vocabulary teaching and learning The result indicated that they failed to use the correct words or phrases in the right context and they were all eager for the new approach of teaching and learning

Theme-based Vocabulary Building is intended for students majoring in English

in Grade 12 at Luong The Vinh High school It is suitable for use in class and for self-study in view to developing as well as reviewing the vocabulary that students have studied in the textbook The students are asked to do the

exercises individually, in pairs or in groups It is really interesting and helpful for students to put what they have learned into practice in such a way In fact, the students are eager to take part in such activities The benefits gained from this approach are great

INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION

Education and Student Life, the theme chosen for the material, is included in the

textbook for Grade 12 Since the theme is of such important and necessary in day-to-day life, it is vital that students should acquire a working knowledge of the vocabulary involved in it

Education and Student Life was taught to students after they had finished Unit 5 – Higher Education – in their textbook The lesson was due to finish within 3

periods

The key vocabulary for the topic has been carefully selected and clear

definitions given To make sure that the students are able to use the relevant vocabulary items for the topic as well as understand them, the students are

asked to make sentences with them Some notes will be added to some of the definitions by the teacher, to extend the linguistic knowledge and word power

of the students

The topic contains a passage showing how some of the key vocabulary is

actually used The passage not only provides useful linguistic information, but it also provides interesting reading material and could perhaps be used as the basis for model essays

A variety of exercises included in the lesson aims to provide the students with words, phrases of the theme, collocation, and some confusing words

After completing the exercises, a discussion is to be held so that the students can have opportunities to use the words correctly An essay also takes effect The teacher takes advantage of the essay to evaluate the progress of the students

as well as the innovation

IMPROVEMENTS

Firstly, Theme-based Vocabulary Building assists students in distinguishing

similar words As some words can only be used in certain circumstances, good understanding of words makes essays or choices more precise Such

understanding also helps students with English multiple-choice test, in which words of similar meanings cause confusion and mistakes

Secondly, a theme-based list of words is much easier to learn than one of no similarity That is to say, when words are divided in the same category, students can easily set a good mind frame, expect what to come and comfortably absorb the words, having created links among them

Thirdly, far from a short cut to learn new words, theme-based vocabulary

studying provides an incredible tool for comparing and contrasting words

Many times during a Cambridge C.A.E test or the SAT, students are asked to pick the most suitable word from a theme Normal test-takers will face this task

as a burden while students with theme-based vocabulary studying have an upper hand in those questions Already familiarizing themselves with the theme, they can differentiate one word’s usage from another, which enables them to fulfill the task in no time

Another advantage of grouping words together is organization By sorting

words into lists, students are able to control their study more efficiently

Revising vocabulary through themes unloads the burden of exam on students somehow and learning new themes, one or two a week, sounds less

discouraging than a schedule to swallow 50-60 words That’s we called

psychology

Theme-based Vocabulary Building represents a vast resource of vocabulary

items including collocations and idiomatic expressions not easily retrievable from a standard dictionary Research has shown that learners need to meet a word at least 7 times before they know it properly Doing exercises, practicing words and expressions that learners have already encountered, is a useful way

of helping themselves to fix the vocabulary they are working on in their long-term memory

The thematic approach in the expansion of vocabulary and knowledge also benefits students in their preparation for the English examination It helps them better understand comprehension passages and enables them to tackle

composition writing more effectively Oral presentation skills will also be

enhanced by the expanded range of topics of interest

CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATIONS

In conclusion, Theme-based Vocabulary Building is a good method for

increasing and should be adopted for the above-mentioned advantages

However, as this methodology only shows its greatest usefulness when it comes

to gaining specialized knowledge, its adoption should be made only by learners

of a particular level of proficiency

Theme-based vocabulary teaching as an approach will not automatically make learners become more interested in learning English, unless teachers are able to

select a suitable theme, use interesting activities and proper materials The theme must be interesting, relevant to learners’ daily lives and close to the topics included in textbooks as well as in the syllabus The content and tasks in the theme should suit the proficiency level, wants and needs of the learners and must be challenging enough

APPENDIX

Key vocabulary

• Academic (a)

- connected with education and studying; involving a great deal of

reading and studying, rather than practical skills

- of a student, interested in and good at studying

• Academic (n) :a person who teaches or carries out research at a

university or college

• Aptitude (n) : a natural ability or skill at something

• Aspiration (n) (used in formal contexts) : a strong desire or ambition to

achieve something

• Bent (n): a natural ability, skill or interest in something

• Boarding school: a school where students live as well as study

• Career (n): a job or series of jobs in a particular area of work, especially

when regarded as a long-term or lifelong occupation, during which you usually gradually get promoted, take on more responsibility and receive more pay

• Coeducation (n): a system of education in which students of both sexes

are educated together

• Coeducational (a) = co-ed (a school which is not a co-ed school is often

referred to a single-sex school)

• Correspondence course (n): an educational course in which students

receive work and tests by post or email from their teachers, and send completed work and tests back to the teachers in the same way

• Curriculum (n) : the different courses that are taught in a school or

college

• Curriculum vitae (= CV) : a statement of a person’s educational

qualifications, training and previous employment history

• Day-release scheme (n) : a system that allows employees to take certain

days off work without loss of pay in order to continue their education or training

• Distance learning (n) : a method that involves students working at home,

and sending completed work back to teachers by post or email

• E-learning (n) : the use of electronic technology, such as computers and

the Internet, in education

• Entrepreneur (n) : a person who sets up a new business , especially

when this involves financial risk, in the hope of making a profit and

getting a lot of money

• Evening class : a class usually held once a week during a school or

college term, in a wide range of subjects which adults can study in the evenings

• Extramural course : a course of lectures given at a university or college,

intended for people who are not full-time students, and so not included in the usual courses of study available to students

• Further education: education for people who are over the school leaving

age, usually not at a university and leading to wide range of

qualifications

• Higher education (n): education provided by universities or colleges,

involving studying for a degree or a diploma

• Home schooling (n) : the teaching of children at home rather than in

school

• Learning difficulties (plu N): some kind of mental condition that affects

their ability to learn information and skills at the rate that other people of their own age do

• Nursery education (n) = pre-school education : education for children

of pre-school age, in the UK often between the ages of 3 and 5

• Open University: a university which offers degree courses to adult

students studying part-time, using correspondence courses and television and radio material; local tutoring sessions and summer schools are also available

• Postgraduate (a): connected with academic study after graduation from a

university or college

• Private school (= public school) : a school where education must be paid

for by the student’s parents, not being run or paid for the government

• State school: a school provides free education for all local students

• Qualification (n): a skill, type of training, etc which you need for a

particular job or activity; an exam or course of study which you have taken successfully

• Remedial education (n): education especially intended to help people

who have difficulty in learning something or in reaching an acceptable standard of literacy

• Student exchange scheme (n): an arrangement by which students from

two different countries visit each other’s country in order to study at a school or university

• Tertiary education : education at university or college level

• Undergraduate (n) a student who is taking courses at university in order

to get a first degree

• Unstructured play (n): play that is not organized in any complete or

detailed way and so allows for children to do what they want and use their imagination in their play

• Vocational training (n) : training aimed at giving you the skills you

require for a particular job

EXERCISES

I Answer these questions State your own reasons for your choice.

1 Do you prefer to study

2 Do you study best

a early in the morning b during the day c at night?

3 Do you prefer to work

a with friends b with background music c in silence?

II Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in the list

There may be more than one possible answer so try to use each verb once only.

concentrate – do – learn – overcome – organize – study – take – teach – review – revise

Even the most studious among you will probably have difficulty

studying at some stage in your academic career If or when this

happens, the only way to (1) - this problem is to go back to basics First, make sure you have a comfortable environment to (2) - in some students need to have a quiet space to themselves and can’t (3) - if there are too many distractions Others need some sort of background noise, such as music or the company of friends Whatever your personal preference is, you need to (4) - this first of all Next, make sure you have all of the equipment or tools that you need For example, if you are (5) - a geography course and you have to (6) - about countries and their capital cities then you will need to have your atlas to hand If you’re (7) - your

math homework then be sure to find your calculator, ruler, protractor and compass before you start Perhaps you’re not preparing a

homework assignment or project, but are trying to (8) - for an exam If so, you need to know exactly what is on your curriculum You should also (9) - your notes and make sure that you have

a clear understanding of what your lecturers have (10) - you Of course, people with a learning disorder such as dyslexia may need to work harder than others at their studies as they often struggle to read even relatively simple texts

III Read the text again and find a word or phrase to match these

definitions.

1 describes someone who studies a lot

-2 things that stop you from working

-3 a sound you can hear, but do not actively listen to

-4 two different types of homework or school task - and

-5 to study for an exam

-6 another word for syllabus

-7 to check your work

-8 to do something with great difficulty

-IV Underline the correct words in each sentence.

1 I would really like to learn about / study about the ancient Egyptians.

2 We need to find out / know where to buy the tickets for the concert.

3 I got into trouble at school because I didn’t know / find out my

multiplication tables

4 I did well in the test because I had known / learned how to spell all of

the words on the list

5 Excuse me, do you find out / know where the nearest post office is?

6 It was difficult for me to learn / study at home, because we didn’t

have a lot of space

7 I want to learn how / study how to drive a car.

8 I think you can only really learn from / learn with experience.

V What do you call a person who is a specialist in these subjects?

Complete the list Then mark the stress.

1 Physics

2 Philosophy

3 Psychology

4 Sociology