How to present vocabulary

If we are to introduce new vocabulary, teachers need to bear in mind lots of factors. In this post, you will find:                                                                                             

- ways of getting meaning across;                                                                                               

- what students need to know;                                                                                                     

- ways of teaching vocabulary;                                                                                                     

- ways of renewing and recycling vocabulary

They say that 7 is the maximum that a learner can take in at any one setting. For elementary learners it's probably 4 or 5 maximum.

In a 50-minute lesson we can only teach 5 or 6 new words to 7-year-olds, but we can teach 10 or 12 new words to 15-year-olds.

If we want to introduce new vocabulary, first of all, we need to understand whether this word is for production or for receptive purpose.

• Is it a useful word that students need to know how to say in the right context? - then, it is for production and we need to focus on pronunciation and drill it.
• Do they need to be able to recognise it and understand it but not necessarily speak it - then, it is for receptive purpose and students can record it in their vocabulary books.

Ways of getting meaning across:

• Illustration

It is especilly advisable for concrete words and for students who are visual. ​

You can: draw on a board, show flashcards, show pictures, show a part from a video etc.

• Mime

These can be verbs or words describing people's emotions. Such way of presenting vocabulary may be fun and enjoyable.

• Translation

Some words can be difficult to explain using L2 and that's why a teacher may resort to the studetns' L1.

• Using word-building/ examples/ definitions/ synonyms/ antonyms

Be sure that it is easy to understand.

• Context

Think of an easy context, give your students sentences where the meaning of the word is clear.

  

The student may need to know:

• The meaning of this word

It is crucial to bring home to your studetns the meaning of the word and be sure that students understand it. It’s a good idea to ask them questions to check their comprehension

• The form

If it is a noun / a verb / an adverb etc

• The pronunciation

English pronunciation can be tricky and some words need to be drilled.

• The spelling

The same thing as with pronunciation. Pay attention to some letter combinations and, perhaps, you can explain the spelling by the rules pronunciation in some case.

• Grammatical patterns in which it is usually used

For example, if it is a verb, it may require a particular preposition.

• The connotation it may have

For example, "slim" is a positive word, whereas "thin" has a negative connotation.

• The situation when it is used

The word can be formal / neutral / informal; it may used mainly in speech or in writing.

• How the word is related to others

Are there synonyms, antonyms?

• Collocations

To prevent students’ mistake it is essential to point out that people “do the shopping” and not “make”.

  

Ways of teaching vocabulary

• You can give your students a word and ask them to find its definition. Apart from it, they can search for the pronunciation, the spelling, its synonyms/antonyms. And don’t forget to ask them to make a context in which they can use this word. This can teach them to work with dictionaries as well;

• Ask your students to match words and their definitions;
• Ask your students to highlight new or difficult words that they come across while doing homework;
• You can have a special place in the classroom (or a special section of the board) where you can put words that appear during a lesson;

   

Renewing and recycling vocabulary

• When new words come up in class, write them on slips of paper and put them into a box. Whenever you have a spare minute in class, take a word and see if the students remember it;

• Renew food or clothes vocabulary by sitting in a circle and starting “I went to the store and I bought…”. Each student adds a word to the list, so that by the end of the circle, the last person has to remember all the words;
• At the beginning of the class, put students into teams. Challenge them to remember new words from yesterday’s clas;
• Play “Word Snake” with your students. The process is simple. For example: cat -> tiger -> rabbit ->r…
• Ask one of your students to mime a word that is written in the card and other students are to guess it;
• Use a name of one of your students and make up words which start with each letter of the name. For example:

Mother

Apple

Role​

Yellow

  

Links:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/presenting-vocabulary?utm_source=twitter google+&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc-teachingenglish