Passive vocabulary are words which a student can recognize but notnecessarily use in speaking or writing .If a student sees a word in their passivevocabulary ,he/she will understand what
Trang 1THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENTTHO XUAN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
* Reason for choosing the topic:
In the time of rapid developement of technology and industry, foreignlanguages have really become “a golden key” for the exchange and cooperationbetween countries all over the world In Vietnam nowadays, the demand of
Trang 2foreign languages, expecially English increases higher and higher English hasbecome a compulsory subject at school as well as universities But it seems thatteaching and learning English at many secondary school in Vietnam is not veryeffective One of the most important reasons is unsuitable methods in teachingand learning The teachers of English often meet difficulties in approaching newmethods of teaching foreign languages communicatively.
However, Foreign language is a new subject for students who live in thecountryside, so they have wrong understanding Some students think that thissubject is an addition, so they don’t need to study, others are afraid of it Most ofthem think that foreign language is difficult to learn
For students’ parents they also have diffirent ideas Most of them don’trealize that foreign language plays an important role in a morden society
From the truth mentioned above, it caused for the teachers many difficulties The important thing is that they have to overcome from those wrong thoughts to take over this noble task The teachers step by step explain so that the students can understand that this is a basic subject It’s the key of the outside knowledge
Besides that the teachers have to find out the best teaching methods whichhelp students to expose not only active but also thoughtful ability Realizinghave both basic and flexible steps in teaching methods
Vocabulary words are simple enough to begin learning on the first day of aclass and they are powerful enough to encourage communication from the verybeginning Words are small pieces of language which carry bits of meaning.Knowing many words does not guarantee a person will be able to speak alanguage, but not knowing words can prevent a person from effectivelyspeaking or understanding a language That’s why vocabulary must be taughtfrom the very start
In the new text book series (English 6 – English 9 ), vocabulary isenlarged so much to provide four main skills : Listening , Speaking , Readingand Writing Therefore, teachers must have the most effective metthod ofteaching vocabulary to present vocabulary effectively A good method ofteaching vocabulary will get more students’ attentions I’ve chosen this topic inthe hope of finding out some useful measures and I also get good rusults
B PROBLEM SOLVING:
I Theoretical background:
More importantly, the new English curriculum has combined all the skills ofwords from the beginning and been developed systematically during theprogram from grade 6 to grade 9 Whether in the form of individual and groupactivities or at all levels from grade 6 to grade 9, all the exercises in the unitshave combined all the skills if necessary, depending on the contentcharacteristics of each lesson
II Real states of problem :
1 To students:
Trang 3Teaching according to renewed methods at present emphasizes on activeness,creativity of students Students spend most of the time of communication inthinking and actively practicing their English To have a good lesson, thestudents have to prepare thoroughly at home It can be said that mostly thequality of teaching and learning is not high, has not attracted the passion ofstudent’s learning It is evident, because they are lazy to learn new words,grammatical structures, have no preparation before going to class.
2 To teachers:
Besides the fact of the students, the teacher’s role can not stop mentioning Thequality of teaching has improved, but slowly In the program, reading skills isintegrated with the listening, speaking and writing ones Some teachers readingclasses still apply the old teaching method
3.Result of prior reseach situation :
Words in the topic : “ food and drink ”.
apple (n) ; orange(n) ; banana(n) ; vegetables(n) ; rice (n) ;water ……
Student results showed that students’ reading skill is limited
III Solutions and implementation:
1 What vocabulary to teach ?
As you know,there are two types of vocabulary They are : Passive vocabularyand active vocabulary
Passive vocabulary are words which a student can recognize but notnecessarily use in speaking or writing If a student sees a word in their passivevocabulary ,he/she will understand what it means Passive vocabulary words areespecially useful for receptive skills of reading and listening
Active vocabulary are words which students can both understand and use incommunication Active vocabulary words are especially useful for theproductive skills of speaking and writing
*The process of vocabulary expansion looks something like this:
Unknown - > Passive vocabulary -> Active vocabulary
A teacher should expect his/her students to understand words in reading andlistening before they can use those same words in speaking and writing Whenteaching , it is best to first train students to recognize words Later the teacherwill find the students can actively use those same words in communication
2 Principles for teaching vocabulary :
There are many different ways of teaching vocabulary , but some ways are moreeffective than others
2
Trang 42.1 Provide a context for new words : We will help the students guess the meanings of the new words and remember easilier.
2.2 Do not present too much new words at once Teach a few words and allowstudents to practise and use them a lot This will help them remember newwords easily
a Practising new words in context is more important than memorizing
isolated words Students may be required to learn the meanings of words butthey must also be given the opportunity to use them productively in speakingand writing
b. Teach your students skills for guessing new words , especially whenreading .The meaning of words can be inferred from the different types ofcontexts and from looking at affixes (parts) of the word
c 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 do not usually remember vocabulary that has beentranslated Only use translation as a last resort , when it would otherwise taketoo long to communicate in English
d Avoid using the dictionary a much as possible When reading or listening,
students should first try guessing or ignoring new words so that they cancontinue without stopping Also using a dictionary when speaking or listeningoften slows down communication .In writing ,using a dictionary can bebeneficial It helps students express themselves more clearly
e Practise the new words in context first, practise in chorus, and then
individually
f Active words are needed to teach first , ignore the passive words.
Those are the priciples Have you taught vocabulary follow those principles ? In
my opinion , If all of us follow those principles strictly, we will get the bestfeedback from our students
3 Steps for teaching vocabulary :
3.1.Presentation:
a.Present pronunciation : By reading words in context , emphasise it by some
receptions
b Present dictation : Write new words on the board and then helps students
copy them in their notebooks
c Present the meanings of new words : There are 12 techniques for
communicating the meanings of words
c1 Paraphrase and define : We can explain a word by using a different
word,words or a definition
c2 Drawing : We can draw a picture of some words on the board that will
quickly convey the meanings
c3.Realia and objects : When we teach about nouns in semantic fields , We can
bring a series of real object to class
c4 Flash cards or charts: We can use flash cards or charts on which we have a
Trang 5picture on one side and words on the other side
c5 Mime: We can act out to demonstrate its meaning ( of course,without
saying )
c6 Pictures : We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words c7 Opposites : When students know a word we can give them the “ antonym” c8 Semantic field : To show words in relation to other words , we can present
words in semantic fields
c9 Guessing from context : Have students guess the meanings by reading the
whole sentence
c10 Guessing from stems and affixes : Meaning of some words can be
understood through affixes
c11 Translation : This will save much time , teacher will give a similar word in
the students’ first language
c12 Using dictionary : If we need to save time or communicate about a difficult word, the dictionary might be the best option.
Period 7 th : A - Come in (1,2,3 ) ( P.20- 22)
* Pre- teach vocab:
- We can act out to demonstrate its meaning
- Come(in) (v) : ( mine) ; - Sit (down) (v) ;
- Stand(up) (v) ( mine) …
* When we teach about nouns in semantic fields , We can bring a series of realobject to class T opens and closes the door
T says, “ Tell me about the door: it’s what ? ”
- Open(v ): ; - Close (v): ; - door (n): ; - book(n) : ;
- Close your book: ; - Open your book: ….
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words :
* When students know a word we can give them the “ antonym”
- Sit down >< standup ; - Open > < close
4
Trang 6Unit 2 : AT SCHOOL
Period 10 th : C- My school ( C1 ) ( P 26 – 27)
* Pre- teach vocab:
E.g: My mother teaches at Xuan Thang school
What is a teacher ?( Students can guess from the suffix “- er ” that “ a teacher is a person who
teaches student ” ) - ( a)student (n) : ; - (a) teacher (n) :
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
- (a) teacher (n) - ( a)student (n) - ( a) school (n) :
- ( a) class (n) : - ( a) desk (n) :
Period 11 th : C- My school ( 2 ,3 ) (P.28-29)
* Pre- teach vocab:
* When we teach about nouns in semantic fields , We can bring a series of realobject to class
- ( a) door (n) : ; (realia) ; - (a) window (n): ; -( a) board (n):
-( a ) clock (n): ; -( a) wastebasket ( n) : ; -( a) school bag (n):
- (a) pen (n): ; -(a) ruler (n): ; - (an) eraser (n):
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
Trang 7( a) door (n) - (a) window (n) -( a) board (n)
-( a ) clock (n) -( a) wastebasket (n) -( a) school bag (n) - (a) pencil (n)
- (a) pen (n) -(a) ruler (n) - (an) eraser (n)
A- My house A1-2 (P 30-31)
Period 12 th :
* Pre- teach vocab:
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
- ( a ) house (n) ( picture) : ; - home (n): ; - (a)
living room (n):
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
* We can draw a picture of some words on the board that will quickly conveythe meanings
Period 23 rd : C- Getting ready for school C 4, 5, 6, 7 (P.50-51)
* Pre- teach vocab: Elicit from Ss
6
Trang 8* When students know a word we can give them the “ antonym”
- past : >< to : ; - start >< end
* Have students guess the meanings by reading the whole
sentence late ( for) …
The class starts at 7 o’clock You go to school at 7:15 You are late for school Classes start at 7:00 and end at 11:15.
Period 49 th : grammar practice (page 93 )
* Revise and practise using prepositions of position : on, in, beside, between
on
n
Period 55 th : A - Parts of the body ( A1,2)
* Pre- teach vocab:
* We can act out to demontrate its meaning ( of course, without saying )
This is my head
This is my shoulder
Head ( n ) : ; Shoulder( n ) : ; Arm ( n ) : ;Chest ( n ) :
Hand ( n ) : ; Finger (n): ;Leg ( n ) : ;Foot ( n ) : ;Toe ( n ):
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
Period 56 th : A - Parts of the body ( A3,4)
* Pre- teach vocab: Elicit from Ss
Trang 9Big ( a ): ; small ( a ): ; tall ( a ) : ; fat (a) : ; thin ( a ) : ; heavy (a):;
light ( a ) : ; weak (a) : ; strong ( a ) : ; short ( a ) :
* We can draw a picture of some words on the board that will quickly convey the meanings
tall > < short
* When students know a word we can give them the “ antonym”:
happy > < sad ; big > < small Short > < long
; Fat >< thin Ugly > < nice
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words:
Period 58 th : B Faces (1,2,3)
* Pre- teach vocab: Elicit from Ss :
* We can act out to demonstrate its meaning :
Hair(n); Lips(n);Eye(n); Ear (n); Teeth(n); Face (n); Nose (n); Mouth(n) …
This is my lips
* We can draw a picture of some words on the board that will quickly convey the meanings
Trang 10* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
Unit 10 : STAYING HEALTHY
Period 60 th : A- How do you feel? ( A1, 2, 3,4 )
* Pre- teach vocab: Elicit from Ss
hungry: ; thirsty: ; full: ; hot: ; cold: ; tired: ; empty :
orange juice: ; noodles: ……
When students know a word we can give them the “ antonym” :
Cold (a)>< cold (a); hungry(a) >< full (a) ; full (a) >< empty(a)
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words :
Trang 11Unit 10 : STAYING HEALTHY
Period 62 nd : B Food and drink ( 1, 2, 3 )
* Pre- teach vocab:
* When we teach about nouns in semantic fields , We can bring a series of realobject to class
apple (n) : ; orange(n) : ; banana(n) : ; vegetables(n): ; rice (n) : ;
water (n) : ; meat (n) : ; milk(n) : …
* We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words
Unit 10 : STAYING HEALTHY
Period 64 th : C My favourite food ( C1,2,3,4,5 )
* Pre- teach vocab: Elicit from Ss
* When we teach about nouns in semantic fields , We can bring a series of realobject to class
10
Trang 12carrot(n): ; tomato(n) : ; lettuce(n): ; potato(n): ; bean(n) : ;
onion (n) : ; cabbage(n): ; pea (n): …
3 2 Practice the new words:
a, Have students repeat the new words in chorus and then individually
b, Have students use new words to make sentences
Eg : “market” Do you live near a market?
Does your mother go to the market?
Eg: “bike” Do you have a bike?
Do you go to school by bike?
Eg: “read” Do you read after school?
Does your father read a book?
4.Checking vocabulary :
4 1 What to check?
After teaching vocabulary , every teachers should check their students onvocabulary of pronunciation , dictation , using and meaning If their studentsgive good feedbacks , it means they are successful in teaching vocabulary
Therefore , vocabulary needed to check It means pronunciation ,dictation , using and meaning are needed to check Do you think those are allwhat to check vocabulary ?
4 2 When to check ?
In my opinion , After teaching vocabulary ,we can check our students’understanding vocabulary , or we can check in the end of the lesson as freestages But some teachers check vocabulary while students are practisinglanguage skills In short , we can check vocabulary at any stages of the lesson ,provided that our students can understand and use vocabulary to make sentencesand practise language skills
4 3 How to check ?
There are many ways of checking vocabulary,They are considered asgames such as : noughts and crosses , slap the board , wordsquare , networks ,