Some techniques to teach vocabulary in teaching english

As a language teacher who has been in this teaching post for a great many years, I have put much thought on these problems and have observed how students can remember and use exactly the

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ

TRƯỜNG THPT BA ĐÌNH

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

SOME TECHNIQUES

TO TEACH VOCABULARY IN TEACHING ENGLISH

Người thực hiện: Phạm Văn Trường Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc lĩnh mực (môn): Tiếng Anh

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A INTRODUCTION.

I Reason for choosing the topic.

II Aims, scope and researching methods

B CONTENT.

I Categorizing vocabulary:

1 Passive vocabulary

2 Active vocabulary

3 what vocabulary to teach

II Principles and techniques for communicating the meaning of words:

1 Principles

2 techniques

III Steps for teaching vocabulary.

IV Teaching vocabulary in each specific period.

V Tecniques for checking vocabulary:

1 rub out and remember

2 slap the board

3 what and where

4 matching

5 ordering

6 bingo

7 noughts and crosses

8 jumbled words

9 network 10.wordsquare 11.wordstorm 12.running context

VI SUGGESTED EXERCISES AND POSSIBLE RESULTS

VII Topic for further research.

C CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

REFERENCE BOOKS

A INTRODUCTION

I REASON FOR CHOOSING THE TOPIC

Words are a good place to begin a course in language teaching methodology Vocabulary words are simple enough to begin learning on the first day of a class and there are powerful enough to encourage communication from the very beginning

Words are small pieces of language which carry bits of meaning Knowing many words does not guarantee a person to be able to speak a language, but not knowing enough words can prevent a person from effective speaking or understanding a language

As a language teacher who has been in this teaching post for a great many years, I have put much thought on these problems and have observed how students can remember and use exactly the words they learnt What I found after

my observation made me pay more attention to them and I have found how effectively they work

The purpose of this present study is to investigate some effective ways to help my students find it easier to remember and use vocabulary which are of great help in their writing, listening and speaking as well as doing well in their test papers My main focus is on vocabulary that students meet in their lessons at school Here are some of my experiences gained after my teaching practice hoping to get much more correspondence from you all

With the serious importance of teaching words in teaching a language, I decide to investigate this topic Hopefully that it is useful to you and me in teaching English

1 Aims:

- To teach students vocabulary that they find it difficult to understand in their lessons

- To make the lessons easier for the students

- To help students remember the new words they have learnt longer and can use them smartly

2 Scope

- This study can be applied in teaching English for all students in preparation for English contests for students in preparation for university entrance examination, majoring in English

3 Method

- Reading reference books, test papers, discussing with other teachers, applying in teaching and getting experience from the teaching in the class

B CONTENT

I CATEGORIZING VOCABULARY

1 Passive vocabulary:

Some teachers tend to make a distinction between passive and active vocabulary

For them passive vocabulary is words which a student can recognize but not necessarily use in speaking or writing If a student sees a word in their passive vocabulary, he or she can understand what it means Passive words are especially useful for the receptive skills such as reading and listening

2 Active vocabulary:

Active vocabulary is words which students can both understand and use in communication Active words are especially useful for productive skills such as speaking and writing

3 What vocabulary to be taught?

In a given passage, the readers and teacher will find many new words Therefore, the teacher must decide which words to teach and how much time to spend on teaching them There are four types of words categorized which are presented with general guidelines for teaching below

3.1 For new words which are necessary for them to understand a text, the

students try to guess it meaning from the context or grammar first If it is impossible, the teacher should pre-teach the words

3.2 For new words that are not necessary for them to understand a text,

the teacher do one of two things

If it’s a common word which the students will likely use later, the teacher should teach the word’s meaning later, after reading the passage But if the word is strange or unusual, it’s probably not necessary to teach it at all

3.3 For the words the students have already known, certainly it is not

necessary to teach the meaning If there are too many words the students don’t know, the text is probably too difficult for their level of English

3.4 In some phrases, the students may understand all the individual words

but they still don’t understand the meaning For instance, they may understand the meaning of “stick”, “in”, “the”, “mud” But they may not understand that the idiom “ stick in the mud” means “ a person who resists change” For this case, the teacher must decide whether they are important or not Especially at the lower level, explanation for idioms

should be limited or saved for later If it is a common idiom the students probably see often, the teacher should let them guess its meaning, then teach it Otherwise, not much time should be spent on idioms

II PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES FOR COMMUNICATING THE MEANING OF WORDS.

1 Principles:

There are many different ways to teach vocabulary, but some ways are more effective than others Here are several principles for teaching words

Firstly, we should provide a context for new words If we hear a new word in isolation, we are likely to misunderstand its meaning Hence, we should teach new words in contexts There are different kinds of contexts such as grammatical, semantic, and discourse Using and presenting words in context helps students to guess their correct meaning and remember them better

Secondly, we shouldn’t present too many words at once Instead, we only teach a few words and allow students to practice and use them more Indeed, presentation will help the students understand words and practice will help them remember the words better If the students forget what has been presented, it will not be useful for them in the future

Thirdly, practicing words in contexts is more important than memorizing isolated words We can learn many new words without being able to use them in communication Students may be required to learn the meanings of words but they must also be given the opportunity to use them productively in speaking and writing

Fourthly, we should teach our students skill for guessing new words, especially when reading The meaning of words can be inferred from the different types of contexts and from looking at the affixes of the words For example, a photograph is a picture which is taken with a camera, what is a photographer? A learner can guess from the suffix “-er” that a photographer is a person who takes photographs

Fifthly, we should avoid translation as much as possible If the students are always having words translated, they are really only communicating in their own language, not in English Also, students don’t usually remember vocabulary that has been translated We only use translation as a last resort, when it would otherwise take too long to communicate in English

Sixthly, we should avoid using dictionaries as much as possible When reading or listening, students should first try to guess or ignore new words so that they can continue without stopping Moreover, using a dictionary when speaking or listening often slows down communication However, using a dictionary in writing can be beneficial since it helps students express themselves more clearly

Seventhly, we must remember that not all words are important For instance, in the sentence, “The large, maroon sedan drove away.” (“The large, red car drove away.”) The word “sedan” is important because it is the subject of the sentence But the word “maroon” is not important to understanding the sentence

Eighthly, if a word is necessary for the students to understand an activity

or a passage, we should teach it to them beforehand On the contrary, if it is not necessary or important, let the students first guess the meaning while they are reading or listening, then teach the meaning later or not at all

2 Techniques:

If we don’t always translate words or allow our students to use their dictionaries, we must find other ways to communicate the meaning of words Below is a list of techniques for communicating vocabulary

2.1 Paraphrase or define:

We can explain a word by using a different word, words, or a definition For examples:

A boy is a male child

A car is a vehicle that carries people

A jacket is also called a coat

2.2 Drawing:

On the blackboard, we can draw a picture of some words that will quickly convey the meaning For examples, body parts such as nose, elbow, and leg; A map of the world or parts of the world; Animals such as dog, horse, and a giraffe; certain actions such as touching, hitting, kissing; prepositions of location such as under, beside, and above; …

2.3 Realia or objects:

If we are teaching about nouns in semantic fields, we can bring a series of real objects to class They are not only for seeing but for holding and passing around as well For examples, household objects such as soap or detergent;

clothing such as a hat, a shirt, or socks; containers such as a bottle, a tube, a box,

a package, or a jar; …

2.4 Flashcards or charts:

On cards we can have a picture on one side and the word on the other Or

on a chart we can organize groups of words or draw diagrams For examples, cards with animals on them; cards with vehicles on them; a chart with body parts marked; a chart with an apartment map; …

2.5 Mime:

Especially for actions, we can act out a word to demonstrate its meaning For examples, Home activities such as sleeping, waking up, eating and showering; School activities such as listening, reading and writing; sports such

as basketball, tennis, volleyball, and hockey; …

2.6 Pictures:

Using photographs, prints, or paintings, we can communicate many types

of words For examples, photographs from magazines, personal photographs of family members; prints or pictures of Vietnamese culture…

2.7 Opposites:

If the students don’t know a new word but they know the opposite, we can give them the antonym For examples:

* Size words:

- tall # short

- thin # fat

- wide # narrow

* time words:

- morning # evening

- sunrise # sunset

2.8 Semantic field:

To show words in relation to other words, we can present words in semantic fields For examples:

* school: classroom, blackboard, teacher, student, study, books,…

* animals: dog, cat, horse, cow, sheep, …

* water: ocean, sea, lake, river, stream, …

2.9 Guessing from context:

The meaning of many words can be guessed by reading the whole sentence For example:

- The snake slithered through the grass

- He swiftly finished his work and went right home.

2.10 Guessing from stems and affixes:

The meaning of some words can be understood through affixes For examples:

* Undeniable: un deni able

* Autobiography: auto bio graphy

Again look at

2.11 Translation:

If we need to save much time, the teacher or a student may give a similar word in the students’ first language For examples:

- careful: cẩn thận

- die: chết

2.12 Using the dictionary:

If we need to save time or communicate about a difficult word, a dictionary might be the best option

III STEPS FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY:

1 Teacher writes the new word and its phonetic symbol on the board.

2 Teacher pronounces the word, the students repeat first in chorus, then in

individuals

3 Teacher gives its meaning by using techniques of teaching vocabulary.

4 Teacher gives an example in which the new word is used It’s better to use

the sentences in the text or dialogue which the students will learn in the period Asks the students to find out the form of the word

5 Teacher asks the students to make sentences with the new word or asks

them to use the word in speaking in various situations Teacher must choose only two or three important words

IV TEACHING VOCABULARY IN EACH SPECIFIC PERIOD:

1 Reading periods or dialogue periods:

More time should be spent on teaching vocabulary Teacher needs to use the techniques which make students have to think to guess the meaning

2 Practice or further practice periods:

Less time should be spent on it Teacher should use simple techniques such

as pictures, realia, or translation

V TECNIQUES FOR CHECKING VOCABULARY:

1 Rub out and remember

Teaching aim: to help the students memorize new vocabulary

- Present or elicit the new vocabulary and build up a list on the board

- After each word, put the Vietnamese translation

- Get the students to copy into their notebooks and then ask them to close their notebooks

- Rub out the new words one at each time

- Each time you rub out a word in English language, point to the Vietnamese and ask, “what is this in English?”

- When all the English words are rubbed out, go through the Vietnamese list and get the student to call out the English words

2 Slap the board:

Teaching aim: - to get the students to recognize new vocabulary through listening

- to check the students’understanding of the new words

- Divide the class into two teams

- Put the new words (in Vietnamese or in English) all over the board – not

in a list

- Call two students of two teams to go to the front of the class

- Asks them to stand at an equal distance from the board

- Call out one of the new words in a loud voice

- The two students must run forward and slap the word on the board

- The one who slaps the correct words first is the winner

- if you are playing in teams, the winning team gets one mark

- Then ask two or more students to come forward

3 What and where:

Teaching aims: to help students memorize new vocabulary or to revise vocabulary

- Follow the same procedure as for “Rub and remember” and “slap the board”; choose observers

- Elicit words to do with the classroom from the students

- As the students give you the word, write it on the board inside a circle

- Don’t 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 circle

- Get the students to repeat the words including the rubbed-out word by pointing at the empty circle

- Rub out another word but leave the circle

- Point to the words or the empty circles

- Continue untill all the circles are empty

- The students now have to remember all the words

- Ask the students to come to the board and fill in the circles with the correct words

4 Matching:

Teaching aim: + to get students to match the new vocabulary with

definitions, translations, or picture

+ to save time pre-teaching

- Write the new words in a list on the left hand side on the board

- Write definitions, translations, or draw pictures on the right hand side on the board

- Get students to come to the board and match items in the left hand list with items in the right list by drawing the line between them

- Four or five students can work at the same time

5 Ordering:

Teaching aim: to get students to recognize the pronunciation of new words

and give them listening practice

- Teach new words and write them on the board in the wrong order

- Get the students to copy the words in their books

- Read or tell a story with the new words in it

- Get students to put the words in the correct order by numbering them