Using games and songs to revise and test pupils vocabulary

- investigate the current situation of vocabulary teaching and learning, the use of games and songs in classrooms and teachers' and pupils' attitude towards this... The second chapter is

I am also deeply indebted to Mr Christopher Staples whose useful materials and advice help me a lot in doing this thesis.

I must acknowledge my debt to those who have lent me a lot of useful books for my study, especially Ms Ngoc_ a teacher from Junior Teachers Training College, Ms Hoai _a friend who I always love as my sister, Ms Tu_the librarian of Foreign Language Department and Huyen _ my best friend

I also wish to thank all the teachers and pupils at Ha Huy Tap high school and Nguyen Du high school for giving me an opportunity to carry out the survey

Part a: introduction

1 Reasons for the Study

English has always been considered as an international language It is spoken everywhere and it is becoming more and more important subject in schools and colleges In our country, it is taught and learnt in almost schools especially high schools English helps pupils open the door for a wider knowledge of the world Vocabulary is an important dimension of a language " when most of us think about language , we first think about words It is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language It is in words that sounds and meanings interlock to allow us

to communicate with one another and it is the words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds".(Pyles and Algeo,

1976 :70)

In English classes in Vietnam , vocabulary seems to be ignored Most of pupils hate learning new words as they find it difficult to remember them A few minutes teaching in class cannot help them remember the words Thus, it is necessary to revise and test them regularly

There are several ways of revising and testing vocabulary having been applied

A good teacher should not use the same technique everyday , which makes pupils feel bored Games and songs are interesting activities They can make the lesson exciting and motivate pupils Though, not many teachers use them in their teaching or some like those activities but do not know how to organize them the most effectively

I myself will be a language teacher in the future Like many other teachers , I want my pupils to learn well and love learning English especially vocabulary

Therefore, I have decided to choose the topic "Using games and songs to revise

and test pupils' vocabulary" as my study.

2 Aims of the Study.

This study is carried out with the attempt to get the aims:

- investigate the current situation of vocabulary teaching and learning, the use of games and songs in classrooms and teachers' and pupils' attitude towards this

-give some suggestions on how to use games and songs in language teaching -give some suggested games and songs that can be used to revise and test pupils' vocabulary

3 Methods of the Study

In order to accomplish this thesis ,I have used several methods as follows:

- statistic analysis : Collect figures and analyse how these figures show the state being searched

- observation: Observe and point out the facts

- explanation: Collect information from references and explain in another way-synthesis and analysis: Collect information from references and the survey and analyse the results

4 Scope of the Study.

Games and songs can be used in a lot of activities such as teaching and practising grammar points , structure, writing, speaking, intonation and vocabulary In my study, I will not cover all those things What I focus on is vocabulary However , I will not discuss about teaching vocabulary , I only focus on revising and testing pupils' vocabulary through games and songs

5 Design of the Study.

Apart from acknowledgements, table of contents, references and appendixes, the thesis consists of three main parts:

Part A: Introduction talks about the reasons for the study, the aims, the scope,

the methods and design of the study

Part B: Contents is made up of 3 chapters The first chapter is ‘Theoretical

Background’ which tells about the background theories on vocabulary, revision and testing, games and songs The second chapter is ‘Using games and songs to revise and test pupils' vocabulary’ which discusses

on how to use games and songs in vocabulary revision and testing and gives some suggested games and songs The last chapter is‘ The Survey’ which is about the situation of revision and testing vocabulary and the use of games and songs in high schools in Vietnam

Part C: Conclusion

PART B: ContentsCHAPTER 1: Theoretical Background.

1.1 What is vocabulary?

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary.

According to Ur (1996: 60): “Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language”

For example: - red, green, nice, ugly, etc (adjectives)

- house, flat, book, etc (nouns)

- see, want, hope, etc (verbs)

However, an item of vocabulary may be more than a single word For example: 'shop-keeper', 'daughter-in-law', 'short-sighted', etc Such vocabulary items are made of two or three words but express a single idea

Moreover, there are a lot of multi-word idioms whose meanings can not be deduced from the meaning of each component word, exemplified by

- kick the bucket (= die; used humorously)

- as hard as nail (= no sympathize for others)

- out of this world (= outstanding/superb)

Therefore, vocabulary should be seen as ‘items’ not just ‘words’

1.1.2 Aspects of vocabulary

1.1.2.1 Spelling and pronunciation

Ur, (1996: 60) says that the pronunciation of a word is what it sounds like and its spelling is what it looks like There are fairly obvious characteristics and one or the other will be perceived by the learners when encounting the item for the first time In teaching we need to make sure that both these aspects are accurately presented and learned Therefore, the first thing learners should notice when learning an item of vocabulary is how to write and how to pronounce it as

“part of learning a word is learning its written and spoken form” (Harmer, 1994: 157) Yet English pronunciation in relation to spelling causes a big problem to its learners because there is no one to one relation between how the word is written and how it is pronounced

For example: Letter ‘a’ can be pronounced /æ/ as in ‘hat’, ‘cat’, /ei/ as in ‘shade’,

‘paper’, / / as in ‘extra’, ‘ordinary’, etc Another example, letter ‘g’ can be

pronounced /g/ as in ‘group’, ‘ground’, ‘go’, etc ; /dz/ as in ‘general’, ‘gender’,

‘gin’, etc

The problem of pronunciation on its own is even more complicated especially stress interchange

Eg: a record / ‘rek d/ (n)  to record /rI kJ:d/ (v)

a present / ‘prez nt/ (n)  to present /prI zent) (v)

desert / ‘dez t/ (n) (adj)  to desert /dI ‘z :t/ (v) (n)

The different places of stress may have different meanings Thus, it is very important to know and pronounce correctly in the right situation

Spelling also has its own issues Pupils need to know not only how to write

a word but also how to add other morpheme to the word because there are various ways of adding morpheme in each type (inflectional and derivational morphemes and their subtypes);for example, we add a plural morpheme

of Roman Jokobson should be mentioned:

“Language without meaning is meaningless”

There are two main types of meaning found in words They are grammatical meaning and lexical meaning

1.1.2.2.1 Grammatical meaning

Grammatical meaning, as we often think, is related to function words only These words have little meaning on their own and show grammatical relationships and in and between sentences For example: article (‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’), conjunctions (‘and’, ‘but’, ‘although’, ‘because’, etc.), preposition (‘in’, ‘on’,

‘up’, etc.), interjection (‘oh’, ‘ah’, etc.)

According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993:53)

Grammatical meaning is what unites words with different lexical meanings It is the meaning recurrent in identical sets of different words It divides words in to groups with their own grammatical features

Thus, content words also have grammatical meaning The grammatical meaning of ‘house’, ‘glass’, ‘window’, ’bicycle’, etc is that they are concrete nouns The grammatical meaning of ‘love’, ‘happiness’, ‘hope’, ‘passion’, etc is that they are abstract nouns The grammatical meaning of ‘beautiful’, ‘tall’,

‘bright’, ‘blue’, etc is that they are adjectives; ‘wanted’, ‘cooked’, etc are regular verbs in past tense, and ‘went’, ‘gave’, ‘brought’, etc are irregular verbs

in past simple tense

1.1.2.2.2 Lexical meaning

It is clear that lexical meaning is only concerned with content words

Lexical meaning is the relation of concept or emotion when we hear or see the word ‘house’, for example, our concept is realized and the picture or image of a house occurs to our mind There fore, this realization is called lexical meaning

(Hoang Tat Truong, 1993: 53)

Therefore, a word which has lexical meaning can be identified in order to be realized For example: ‘a ruler’ is “a straight strip of wood or plastic or metal used for measuring or for drawing straight lines"; ‘a mirror’ is “a shiny surface usually of especially treated glass or metal that reflects images" ‘Love’ (n) is "a strong felling of deep affection for somebody/something" ‘To love’ is "to have a strong affection or deep tender felling for somebody/something" Lexical meaning can be seen under the following aspects

1.1.2.2.2.1 Denotation, connotation, appropriateness

The denotation (denotational meaning) of a word is ‘what it refers to in the real world’ (Ur, 1996 : 61) It denotes or points out things, concepts etc This meaning can be easily found out in a dictionary For example, ‘cat’ denotes a small animal with soft fur, often kept as a pet or for catching mice; ‘mother’,

‘mum’ and ‘mummy’ denote female parent

The connotation (conotational meaning) of a word is ‘the associations, or positive or negative feelings it evokes’ ( Ur, 1996:61) This means that it shows

us how things, concepts, etc are denoted This meaning conveys the speaker’s attitude, emotion etc and may or may not be found in a dictionary For example:

‘mother’ ‘mum’ and ‘mummy’ share the same denotation but they have different connotations Whereas ‘mother’ has the neutral meaning, ’mum’ and ‘mummy’ are more informal Another example, the word ‘dog’, as understood by most British people, has positive connotations of friendship and loyalty whereas the equivalent in Arabic as understood by most people in Arab countries, has the negative meaning of dirt and inferiority

Appropriateness is how we consider and decide which words to use in certain context It is, therefore, related to denotation and connotation Take an example of denotation first We know that ‘see’ and ‘look (at)’ are semantic synonyms They both denote the action of eyes However, we use ‘see’ to say that something ‘comes to our eyes’ whether or not we are paying attention We use ‘look at’ to talk about concentrating, paying attention, trying to see what is there You can 'see' something without wanting to but you can only 'look at’ something deliberately as exemplified in the following:

Suddenly I saw something strange

I look at the photo but I didn’t see anyone I knew

According to Ur (1996:62) the main relationship are as follows:

- Synonyms are items that mean the same or nearly the same

For example, ‘plain’ is served as a synonym of ‘ugly’; ‘clever’ is a synonym of

‘intelligent’

- Antonyms are items that mean the opposite

For example, ‘rich’ is an antonym of ‘poor’; ‘good’ is an antonym of ‘bad’

- Hyponyms are items that serve as specific example of a general concept

For example, ‘dog’, ‘lion’, ‘tiger’, ‘mouse’, ‘cat’ are hyponyms of ‘animal’

‘Lily’, ‘rose’, ‘tulip’, ‘violet’, ‘daisy’ are hyponyms of ‘flowers’

- Co-hyponyms or co-ordinates are other items that are the ‘same kind of thing’ For example, ‘red’, ‘blue’, ‘green’, ‘brown’ are co-hyponyms

- Superordinates are general concepts that ‘cover’ specific items For example,

‘Animal’ is the superordinate of ‘dog’, ‘lion’, ‘tiger’, ‘mouse’, ‘cat’, etc

‘Flower’ is the superordinate of ‘lily’, ‘rose’, ‘tulip’, ‘violet’, ‘daisy’,etc

- Translation: words or expression in learners’ mother tongue that is more or less equivalent in meaning to the item to be taught

1.1.2.2.2.3 Polysemy

As studies have shown, the majority of English vocabulary is polysemantic (having more than one meaning) Harmer (1994:156) stated that the first thing to realize about vocabulary items is that they frequently have more than one meaning In a dictionary, the verb ‘to set’ has 126 meanings, which is a maximum number Many other words also have different meanings For example: the word ‘fast’ when it is an adjective or adverb it means 'quick'or 'quickly', also when it is an adjective, it means ‘firmly fixed’ or ‘attached’ ‘Fast’ when it is a verb, means “go without certain kind of food especially for religious reasons” Some more meanings of ‘fast’ are recorded in dictionaries

Because of the polysemy of words, when we come across an item we will have to look at the context in which it is used

family, with reddish-brown fur, a pointed face and a thick heavy tail” But we stretch its meaning to describe a cunning person.

Idioms are set expressions, short sayings usually characterized by the fact that their meaning can not easily be deduced from their components (Hoang Tat Truong, 1993: 97) as exemplified by:

- kick the bucket (= die)

- let the cat out of the bag (= reveal carelessly or by mistake)

- put the cat among the pigeons (= introduce somebody/something that is likely

to cause trouble or disturbance)

The collocations typical of particular items is another factor that makes a particular combination sound ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in a given context That is which words go with each other in order to make sense Some verbs only accept limited objects, some adjectives can only modify some specific suitable noun and so on.For example:

We say ‘make a mistake’; ‘make an arrangement’; ‘make a cake’, etc and ‘do homework’; ‘do house work’; ‘do the washing up’,etc but not ‘do mistake’; ‘do

a cake’, etc or ‘make homework’; ‘make the washing up’, etc

We have ‘headache’; ‘stomachache’, but we can not have ‘throatache’ or

‘legache’ Instead we have a ‘sore throat’ and ‘a pain in the leg’ In the same way

we have ‘throw a ball’ but ‘toss a coin’

When using words, learners have to notice the ‘style’ and ‘register’ they are in, as words are often used in certain social and typical contexts When we say to a person that we are angry, we have to choose carefully between the neutral expression ‘I’m angry’ and informal and rude expression: ‘I’m really pissed off’

In short, for word use, learners need to recognize metaphorical language, need to know how words collocate, and also need to understand what stylistic and typical contexts words and expressions occur in

1.1.2.4 Parts of speech

Words belong to different parts of speech Different parts of speech take

up different places in structures and function differently For example: verbs often function as predicator in a clause; adjectives often occur before noun and modify noun in a noun phrase

According to Quirk and Greenbaum (1975: 18) parts of speech items are divided into two sets: close-system items and open-class items

1.1.2.4.1 Close-system items

Close-system items are the sets of items that are closed in the sense that they can not normally be extended by the creation of additional members There are parts of speech as follows: articles (a/an/the), demonstratives (this/that/these/those), pronoun (they/he/she, etc.), preposition (in/on/at, etc.), conjunction (and/but/or, etc.), and interjection (oh/ah, etc.)

It is obvious to realize how rarely in a language we can invent or adopt a new article or pronoun, for example

1.1.2.4.2 Open-class items

Open-class items are items belonging to a class in which they have the same grammatical properties and structural possibilities as other member of the class The class is ‘open’ because we can extend it by adding or creating some items No one can invent all the nouns in English, for example and be sure that not any other noun will be added.The parts of speech belong to open-class items are noun, adjective, adverb, and verb.Learners should know which part of speech the word he/she is learning is in order to make a successful production

1.1.2.5 Word formation

Word formation is the process of building new words from the material already existing in the language according to certain structural and semantic patterns and formulae (Hoang Tat Truong, 1993:15)

Vocabulary items, whether one word or multi-word can often be broken down in to their components And it is very useful for pupils to know how a word

is formed as they can enlarge their stock of vocabulary themselves by forming new words

There are several ways of forming words, yet the two most popular ways are affixation and compounding.

Happy  un + happy  unhappy

Honest  dis + honest  dishonest, etc

Examples of suffixation

Comfort + able  comfortable

Child + like  childlike, etc

A good knowledge of word formation enables pupils to guess and retain in their memory the meaning of new words on the basis of their motivation or by comparing and contrasting them with the previously learnt elements and patterns

1.1.2.6 Word Grammar

The grammar of a new item will need to be taught if this is not obviously covered by general grammatical rules Pupils need to be taught how a word change its form in different grammatical context For instance, with the case of noun, we must distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns A countable noun can be both singular and plural We can say ‘one book’ or ‘two books’ This does not happen in an uncountable noun, thus we can not say ‘two

chocolates’ or ‘two furnitures’ ‘Book’ when pluralized can collocate with plural; verbs whereas ‘chocolate’ and ‘furnitures’ never can.

There are also some nouns that have the form of plural but never be used with plural verb Eg: news, mathematics, pragmatics, etc Also, there are some countable nouns that have irregular forms of plural

Mouse (sing.)  mice (pl.)

goose (sing)  geese (pl.)

sheep (sing)  sheep (pl.)

With regard to verbs, a verb can be transitive (must take an object or two) or intransitive (take no object) The past form of verb can be regular or irregular

It is also very useful for pupils to know the use of verb For example, the verb

‘tell’ is followed by an object and to-infinitive (I’ve told him not to come here

again) and so is ‘ask’ But ‘say’ does not work in the same way ('say + object'

or 'say +that clause') We may present the verb ‘want’ as ‘want +to V’ or

‘want + O + to V’ and ‘enjoy + V-ing’

We may consider the matter of adjectives or verbs together with their following prepositions, E.g responsible for, to remind somebody of, etc

1.1.3 Concrete and abstract vocabulary:

1.1.3.1 Concrete Vocabulary:

Concrete vocabulary denotes things, concepts that can be touched, felt, or seen, therefore, it is quite easy to introduce a concrete item of vocabulary For example: a watch is a concrete word We can teach this word by showing pupils a watch and asking them what it is

1.1.3.2 Abstract Vocabulary:

Abstract vocabulary denotes things , concepts that can not be touched , felt, or seen , e.g.: ‘happy’ , ‘happiness’, ‘imagine’, ‘think’ , ‘thought’ , etc These words cannot be introduced by visual aids They can be only introduced by the situation, explanation or translation This also affects the revision process

1.1.4 Active and Passive Vocabulary:

It is quite difficult to decide which words in pupil‘s stock of vocabulary are active and which ones are passive This varies from pupils to pupils and from lessons and lessons

According to Harmer (1994:159) active vocabulary “refers to vocabulary that students have been taught or learnt and which they are expected to be able to use” while passive vocabulary “refers to words which the students will recognizes when they meet then but they will probably not be able to produce” Thus, active and passive vocabulary items are just like productive and receptive ones

However, these two concepts can be distinguished in another way Active words are the ones related to the topic of the lesson pupils are learning while passive items are the ones that are not related to the lesson, but pupils still can use For example, the words 'biscuit', 'potato', 'tomato', 'milk', 'sugar' are active

in lesson 18, (10th form ) but passive in other lessons

Harmer (1994:159)has given his idea or this as follows:

“At beginner and elementary levels, it certainly seems a good idea to provide sets of vocabulary which students can learn Most of these early words will be constantly practised and so can presumably , be consider as ‘active’ But at intermediate levels and above the situation is rather more complicated We can assume that students have a store of words but it would be difficult to say which are active and which are passive A word that has been ‘active’ through constant use may slip back into the passive store if it is not used A word that students have in their passive store may suddenly become active if the situation or the context provokes its use In other words, the status of a vocabulary item does not seem to be a permanent state of affairs”

1.2 Vocabulary Revision and Testing:

1.2.1 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

1.2.1.1 What is CLT?

In the traditional language teaching method, the teacher’s role is very dominant and pupils are very passive Pupils do as the teacher says, so they can learn what he/she teaches them CLT, which has been used in early stages nowadays, is different Pupils are no longer passive They are seen as active participants in teaching and learning process

CLT is an approach that aims at making communicative competence, the goal of the language teaching and developing procedures for the teaching of the four language skills that acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication.According to Larsen - Freemen (1986: 131) when saying about CLT, the teacher is a facilitator of his/her pupils’ learning He/she is also a manager of classroom activities who establishes situations likely to promote communication During the activities he acts as an advisor, answering pupils’ questions and monitoring their performance At other times,

he might be a ‘co-communicator’ engaging in the communicative activities along with the pupils Pupils are communicators They are actively engaged in negotiating meaning, in trying to make themselves understood, even when their knowledge of the target language is incomplete Pupils are seen as responsible managers of their own learning Pupils’ native language has no particular role The target language should be used not only during communicative activities but also in explaining the activities to pupils or assigning homework

1.2.1.2 CLT s effects on vocabulary revision and testing‘

Revision and testing stage is when pupils have to work harder to show what they have got and how they are progressing Many techniques have been used by the teachers to carry out this stage The question is which techniques make pupils do the best of their ability CLT has been trying to do this CLT always takes advantage of pupils’ ability

We all are aware that vocabulary revision and testing is not an easy stage and it often makes our pupils bored Thus, the result of this stage is not always effective Communicative activities such as games, songs, role-plays can help

to solve this problem As these activities are very interesting and pupils are often excited about them, then they care more about what is being done Therefore, if teachers use these techniques to revise and test their pupils’ vocabulary, their pupils will be more interested, and can remember the words revised better

These communicative activities not only affect in the short term but also in the long term The words revised and tested are sticked with the activity that interests pupils, then pupils whenever think of the activity they think of the words revised and tested Moreover, as pupils have to do the revision themselves (under teacher’s management), they have to use their mind much more than usual Thus, what they’ve done stay in their mind forever

1.2.2 Revision and Testing

1.2.2.1 Definitions of revision and testing

Revision is an action of teachers carried out to check pupils’ understanding, remind them the main points of the lesson learnt and evaluate his/her teaching (English language teaching, 1998: 3) David Cross (1992: 180) has another definition on revision as follows: “revision is the term used

to describe the process of reactivation that helps assimilation and learning”

“ Testing is a procedure of measuring ability, knowledge and performance” (Hughes, 1974: 4)

1.2.2.1 The roles of revision and testing

Revision and testing have always been seen as a very important part in teaching and learning process and they really are for its own reasons

For teachers, revision and testing help them to check pupils' understanding According to Doff (1989: 257), revision ard testing tell teachers what pupils can and cannot do and then how successful the teaching has been and they show what areas need to be taught in the future

Revision and testing also remind pupils of the main points of the learners learnt Unless the textbook has a clear language recycling policy, there is a real risk that pupils will forget what they covered in earlier lessons Thus, revision and testing need to be done regularly to make sure that pupils do not forget what they have learnt and this also helps teachers to teach the future lessons successfully.In addition, revision and testing can help teachers evaluate their teaching Through them, the teacher will know what they have done well and what have not The teacher can adjust their teaching in order to have a more effective lesson next time.

Besides all the above, revision and testing is the time for teachers to relax for a moment because it is pupils who work themselves this time Teachers can also take this chance to encourage pupils to study harder by complimenting on pupils’ good results

For pupils, revision and testing tell them how well they are progressing and where they need to focus their attention as learners, see what they have done well and what they have not Hence, better strategies of learning can be achieved Through revision and testing, pupils are reminded of main points and of course can remember better Regular revision and testing also encourage pupils to take their learning seriously and give them a definite goal

to aim towards When being tested, the positive competition among pupils can motivate them in learning , which is a very important factor of a good pupil

On the whole, revision and testing assist the teaching and learning process They need to be done regularly

1.2.2.3 When and Why Vocabulary Should be Revised and Tested.

1.2.2.3.1 When vocabulary should be revised and tested.

Revision and testing should be done regularly during the teaching process but where should we put them in a 45- minute lesson? Normally, vocabulary

is revised and tested at the beginning of the lesson The teacher uses different techniques to do the checking-up This can be done during the lesson when the teacher introduces the new grammar point or let pupils do exercises

themselves but it is less direct The teacher can revise and test pupils’ vocabulary in the revision lesson and also at the end of the term Any way, it

is better if revision and testing are done more often

1.2.2.3.2 The reasons for vocabulary revision and testing

Pupils’ vocabulary needs to be revised or tested frequently The reasons for this are very clear This can be treated as a warm-up activity and helps pupils get into the new lesson easier This also helps pupils recall what they have learnt as a basis of the next activities and, of course, pupil can remember better Second, we know that, new words are always very difficult to remember, if they are introduced once only, it is likely that pupils will forget all or remember very few Revision and testing remind them what they need

Games are seen a little bit different by Hadfield (1984: 3) “A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun”

Above are different definitions of games developed by different linguists However, they all tell us about the characteristic of games: 1) Rules; 2) Objective and goal; 3) Co-operation or/and competition; 4) Fun

Guessing games are those in which the teacher gives clues or pupils use questions to ask and guess a word, a word phrase, a sentence, an object, a picture being hidden by teacher or another pupil E.g ‘Guessing objects’,

‘Guessing a word’, etc

1.3.1.2.3 Memory games

Memory games are those in which pupils have to remember things, words that they are exposed previously,e.g ‘Do you remember?’, ‘Observe and Remember’, ‘Kim’s game’,etc

1.3.1.2.4 Other games

There are many other games that can not be put in a specific type such as

‘noughts and crosses’, ‘lucky number’, ‘networks’, ‘magic squarewords’, etc

1.3.2 Songs

1.3.2.1 Definitions of Songs

It is a little bit odd to give a definition of songs as everyone knows what they are Yet I’d like to give some according to some dictionaries:

-A song is a usually short piece of music with words for singing

(Dictionary of English Language and Culture –Longman )

-A song is a word set to music for singing

(The Australian Little Oxford Dictionary-Oxford University Press)

-A song is a poem set to music and intended to be sung

(English- English-Vietnamese Dictionary Informatic and Cultural Publisher)

1.3.2.2 Classification of Songs

1.3.2.2.1 Songs for Children

Songs for children are those whose words are very simple and the music is easy to sing along, e.g ‘Sing a song of ABC’, Shalala months of a year’ ‘wake

up wake up’, ‘colour song’, ‘five little ducks’, etc

1.3.2.2.2 Songs for Adults

Songs for adult are those whose words are more complicated and so is the music

For instance: ‘How can I tell her’ by Lobo

-‘I have a dream’ by Abba

-‘If we hold on together ‘by Diana Ross

1.3.3 Benefits of Using Games and Songs in Language Teaching

Using games and songs brings many benefits to the lesson itself and to the teaching process as well Games and songs at least create enjoyment of a moment of relaxation after some hard drilling or create motivation and interest for the lesson following

Language learning should be enjoyable Games and songs help make it so

It should not be thought that playing language games or singing an English song is a waste of learning time Much of our mother tongue competence was gained through using language in play and songs Games and songs deserve to have a place in the lesson They also help to change the atmosphere in the class and make lesson less predictable Mc Callum ( 1980: ix) states that pupils, when playing games or singing a song, are less self-conscious and therefore participate in using foreign language more freely Moreover, games and songs automatically stimulate pupils’ interest

Using songs and games can bring numerous benefits for both teachers and pupils They focus pupils’ attention on specific structures, grammatical patterns and vocabulary items, they can function as reinforcement, review and enrichment Both slow and fast learners are equally involved in the activity Games and songs help provide immediate feed back for the teacher They also ensure maximum pupils ‘participation, for a minimum of teachers’ preparation

We can easily see that through playing and singing, motivation is enhanced and positive competition is carried out Pupils acquire language unconsciously

in much the same way as they acquire their mother tongue These activities can also “help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work”(Wright,Betteridge,Buckley:1) In addition, games provide intense and meaningful practice of language, pupils use language naturally and like living communication For songs, when singing, pupils automatically assume command of the prosodic features of the language which are difficult aspects

of language for pupils to master Songs and rhymes also give insights into target culture Music creates a happy and relaxed environment but even so a great deal of worth while work is accomplished

In conclusion, games and songs offer a welcome change of diet in the classroom, enhance pupils’ sense of achievement, motivate pupils in study and lots of language points are achieved Though, there are several drawbacks that games and songs may result

1.3.4 Disadvantages of using games and songs.

Beside the benefits, games and songs can bring the disadvantages to the teaching and learning First, games and songs are noisy activities This may affect the class around and some pupils take this opportunity to chat or do other things that is not related to learning Second, games and songs may take

a lot of time and sometimes it is difficult to control the time limit for the playing or singing Because they are less predictable activities, it may take more time than we expect.Last but not least, many pupils regard games and songs as entertainment, they do not take them serious and therefore the learning attitude become worse or the effectiveness of lesson reduces

Anyway, all the disadvantages above can be solved if the teacher knows how to conduct the activity and how to make the activity the most effective for pupils’ learning

Chapter 2: the survey2.1 The approaches applied in high schools in Vietnam

Grammar-translation Method is the traditional method widely used

in high school in Vietnam since English started to be taught in our country As the time went by, the method has changed Yet Grammar-translation Method is still the main one in almost high schools Most of the teachers especially old teachers seem to like this method as it is more simple than others Moreover, with this method, the lesson is predictable and teachers will not be worried about the lesson plan Pupils only listen and take notes After doing my training at Nguyen Du high school ,Ha Tinh and asking for information from my friends doing their training at other schools in Ha Tinh and other provinces, the situation of using the Grammar-Translation Method can be said as follows: In Ha Tinh province, the Grammar-translation Method seem to be neglected and rarely used but

in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa province, it is still the dominant method

Communicative language teaching is not a new method for language teachers in other parts of the world However, it has only been used in our country recently and of course, only in some schools It is for its good points, CLT started to be used However,teachers who have been using Grammar-Translation Method find it difficult to control the class and get pupils to talk and it also takes time

As I experienced, CLT is used quite widely in Ha Tinh province Although this method has been applied for a short time, it has got certain results A language lesson becomes very interesting and pupils are very active Teachers love the way of teaching and pupils love this way of learning After two months training as a teacher in Nguyen Du high school-Ha Tinh province, I realize that CLT is used very effectively here and both teacher and pupils get benefits from this Nevertheless, in almost schools in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces, CLT does not get much interest as the dominant teaching method is Grammar-Translation In some schools there, several teachers use communicative approach to some extent, yet it is still treated as something unusual In a lesson, if the

teacher use new method to teach, pupils seem not to understand or cannot get the point that teacher wants to make CLT is still strange for both teachers and pupils Anyway, it should be applied in high schools step by step.

2.2 Pupils attitudes towards vocabulary learning ’

English is an important subject in schools and it is taught systematically in high schools in our country However, teachers often find

it very boring to teach vocabulary and pupils also feel bored when learning vocabulary In the schools where the Grammar-translation Method is still used, vocabulary does not gain much interest Pupils seem not to be afraid

of learning vocabulary as it is difficult to remember all the words presented When teachers teach items of vocabulary, pupils write and learn them since their teacher ask them to do so They do not learn new words because they want to, but because they are forced to Pupils in these schools do not care much about vocabulary and they regard it as a less important part in a language lesson Thus, the teaching and learning of vocabulary is not easy or interesting.In the schools where CLT is used, e.g Nguyen Du high school, Dong Loc high school,etc.pupils are interested in learning vocabulary Different techniques are used to help teachers teach interestingly Most of the pupils think vocabulary is important and take it

as an important part On the whole, vocabulary has been considered a minor aspect of language learning and has not got much interest from pupils or learners Actually, vocabulary is very important, and as teachers

we should make pupils realize this and make vocabulary presentation as much interesting as possible

2.3 Pupils stock of vocabulary in relation to different ’

aspects of vocabulary

Since the Grammar-Translation Method has been used for many

Therefore, when learning a new word, what pupils mostly care is meaning Other aspects are neglected Yet they also care how to write it (spelling) and how to say it (pronunciation) then when to use it, how it is formed or what its grammatical features are Thus, when they meet a word learnt, pupils often mention the meaning, what they have in their mind is meaning It is not enough when learning an item of vocabulary Pupils need to know other aspects of vocabulary It is still a problem in teaching and learning vocabulary that should be solved sooner or later.

2.4 Ways of revising and testing vocabulary in high schools

in several high schools in Vietnam.

2.4.1 Ask pupils to write the English words

This way has been used in many schools for a long time Today, when most teachers have not used it anymore , some teachers still use it It

is not a good way as the teacher can only test pupils’ spelling, not any other aspects

2.4.2 Read the Vietnamese words and ask pupils to write the English ones.

This way appears as a reaction to the first way By using this way, the teacher can check both spelling and meaning Teachers in Nghe An like this way and therefore it is used widely there

2.4.3 Ask pupils to make sentences with the words learnt

Almost teachers say this is a good way of revising and testing vocabulary as learning a word means learning how to use it It is true that teachers can test the use of words , but sometimes pupils make sentences mechanically without understanding Yet, many teachers in Ha Tinh province use this way

2.4.4 Ask pupils to fill in the blank with words learnt

This is a good way since all the aspects except pronunciation are revised and tested Most of teachers in Thanh Hoa use this way quite often

2.4.5 Using games and songs

Games and songs are very interesting for pupils Therefore, some teachers like using them in their lesson This is a good way since games and songs interest pupils and motivate them Teachers can also test every aspect of vocabulary by using different games or songs at different times Pupils find it exciting and then remember words better

2.5 The use of games and songs in revising and testing vocabulary in several high schools and its effects

Games and songs are new concepts in language teaching in Vietnam In several schools, they are used in early stages but most of the other schools they are still something unrelated to the lesson Getting information from

my friends and observing the situation in Nguyen Du high school-Ha Tinh province, I’ve come to the conclusion as follows:

 Songs have not been used in any schools

 Games are used mainly by young teachers

 Games are used in some schools where CLT is used

 Some teachers do not like games and songs as it takes time to carry out

 Many teachers hate games and songs as it makes noise

After doing my own teaching training and observing other teachers’ teaching, I realize that any lesson in which game is used, is more motivating and exciting, and pupils seem to pay more attention to the lesson I also find that pupils remember the words revised better This was shown by the result of the tests that I myself marked Then I have to say that games and songs make pupils more active, creative and interested in the lesson Pupils also love learning vocabulary more and used words learnt more flexibly and correctly

2.6 The survey questionnaires

2.6.1 Aims of the survey

The survey was carried out in order to search for the attitudes of teachers and pupils towards teaching and learning vocabulary, towards the use of games and songs in classrooms and the situation of using games and songs in high schools in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces.

2.6.2 Informants

The survey was conducted among teachers and pupils from two schools: Ha Huy Tap High school , Vinh city and and Nguyen Du High school, Nghi Xuan - Ha Tinh

2.6.2.1 The teachers

Twenty-two teachers were involved in the survey, 10 from Ha Huy Tap High school and 12 from Nguyen Du High school where I spent 8 weeks doing my teaching practice Most of the teachers are young,having

1 to 5 years of teaching experience and some of them have been teaching more than 10 years

2.6.2.2 The pupils

The survey was conducted among a large number of pupils of 10th, 11th,

12th form 253 pupils were involved in the survey 93 out of them are learning at Ha Huy Tap High school, class 12C (51); 12 H (42) and 160 at Nguyen Du High school, class 10A12 (54); 10A15 (56) and 11A2 (50)

• Teachers’ attitudes towards vocabulary teaching

_ Most of the teachers are aware of the importance of vocabulary in language acquisition but they find it difficult to get pupils notice vocabulary

_ Most of the teachers think that meaning and pronunciation are the two aspects that should be paid most attention

_ Almost teachers appreciate revising and testing vocabulary

• Teachers’ attitudes towards games and songs in classrooms

_ Young teachers seem to like using games and songs in class more than old teachers

_All the teachers think that games and songs help pupils to remember words better.

• Pupils’ attitudes towards vocabulary learning

_ Most of the pupils are aware of the importance of vocabulary in language acquisition _ Quite a lot of pupils regard vocabulary as the most important aspects of a language

_Almost pupils in Nguyen Du high School and Ha Huy Tap high School like learning vocabulary

• Pupils’ attitudes towards games and song in classroom

_ Nearly all the pupils like playing games and singing English songs in class._ Almost pupils think that they will remember words better if games and songs are used to revise and test their vocabulary

• The use of games and songs in high schools

_ Not many teachers use games and songs in their teaching process even in schools where CLT is used

_ Some of the teachers use games but none of them use songs

• Reasons why pupils can remember words better if games and songs are used ( collected from pupils )

_ Games and songs stick the words learned in their mind

_ Games and songs make pupils feel relaxed , enjoyable and excited so that vocabulary can go to their mind more easily

_ These activities encourage them to learn harder and are good lead- ins of new lesson

_ They motivate pupils to take part in the competition , try their best in studying and become more self- confident

_ Games and songs make the lesson more interesting

_ Games and songs give them more knowledge about the country

_Games and songs make pupils love learning English more

_Games and songs are very impressive to pupils, then they pay more attention and remember words better

In short , if games and songs are used to revise and test pupils’ vocabulary,

it is likely that pupils will be remember words better and love learning English especially vocabulary more

Chapter 3: Using games and songs to revise and test

pupils vocabulary’

3.1 Difficulties for pupils in memorizing new words

3.1.1 The number of new words

In almost high schools, the presentation of new words is unbalanced The number of new words presented is very large on one period About 10 to 15 new words are introduced in one period and other periods, no word is introduced This makes pupils find it difficult to learn many new words one at

a time They cannot remember all the words or they may mistake one word for another Therefore, the number of new words should be divided among periods of one lesson So that pupils can memorize better

3.1.2 Difficult and abstract words

Difficult and abstract words are long words, words related to things that do not exist in pupils’ country and culture, words whose meanings are similar and words whose spelling are similar For these words, pupils have a lot of troubles when memorizing They may make mistakes in spelling; failing to remember the meaning since they never really know what it is; using the wrong word when there are synonymous words; mistaking one word for another as they look similar to each other, etc It is teachers’ responsibilities

to make it easier for pupils to remember

3.1.3 Large classes

The number of pupils in one class, on average, in Vietnam is about 45 to

50 It is too large for a language class, and only a small number of pupils can concentrate on the lesson when a new item of vocabulary is introduced, the teacher cannot get all pupils to notice it Thus, it must be revised but for a large class which is noisy and over controlled, it is always difficult (for both teachers and pupils)

3.1.4 Teaching time

In a 45-minute lesson, vocabulary presentation takes maximum of 10

that pupils cannot memorize new words is understandable In a short time, teachers can not make each word clear for pupils Words need to be revised and tested And time should be added for each word This means the number

of words shoooulld be reduced and teachers have to think how to help pupils remember new words faster and better in such a short time

3.2 Suggested Games and Songs to Revise and Test Pupils’ Vocabulary

3.2.1 How to use games and songs in revising and testing pupils’ vocabulary

3.2.1.1 Preparation and implementation

3.2.1.1.1 Preparation

In order to make the use of games and songs the most effective, teachers should prepare carefully Firstly, teacher has to consider how to choose the most appropriate games and songs for his/her class Is the class large or small? Is the game suitable for the class level? Does it fit the teacher's aims?

Is it easy to prepare and carry out? Does it take a lot of time?, Will the activity disturb the classes around,etc Secondly, teachers have to prepare some equipment or materials needed for the games or songs such as flash cards, small easily identifiable object, stopwatch, blindfolds, pencils, sheets of paper, flip charts, pictures, etc If it is a game, teachers has to prepare a short and clear instruction He or she has to know well how to play the game and how to manage it The teacher also decides which type of activities will be used during the game, group work, pair work, team work, individually or in the whole class

If it is a song, teachers have to prepare a cassette recorder, a good tape (if he/she can not sing very well), large-sized paper with the song on, worksheets for pupils The teachers should also know the rhythm of the song well

Finally, teachers should write a plan for conducting the activity in class well and the most effectively

3.2.1.1.2 Implementation