How to Teach Vocabulary

Sources:http://www.eslflow.com/vocabularylessonplans.html

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• Teaching Tips:– Step One: presenting new words – Step Two: helping students remember

new words – Step Three: making sure students make

the new words their own

• Online resources

Step One: presenting new words

Using visual images

Using gestures and actions

Showing lexicial relations

Words in context

Guessing/predicting

Other techniques

using visual images

• realia

• pictures

• masking

• drawing

• scales

using gestures and actions

• mime

• gesture

• facial expression

• action

showing lexical relations

• synonyms• antonyms• collocation• prefixes and suffixes

words in context

• dialogues

• role play

• drama

• stories

• songs

• rhymes & poems

• videos

guessing / predicting

• Example 1

• Example 2

Sample 1- Guessing

• Eiko is eating using hasami. It is made of wood or bamboo

Sample-2

Dody is not punctual. He often come to the class late

Other techniques

• Using a dictionary

• Explaining

• Describing

• Defining the context

• Translating

Step Two: helping students

remember new words

Using review games

Using memorizing games & activities

Learning with friends

usinge memorizing games and activities • giving directions• picture dictation• matching words• labeling words• searching words• sequencing words• guessing words• eliminating words• classifying words

Review Games• wordsearch games • picture labeling • crosswords • Bingo• dominoes • puzzles• charts or survey for their peers• Example 1 • Example 2

Socio-affectively, students can

• practice words with a classmate or in a group

• teach a word to a member of the family or peer

• make and play word game with friends

• peer test

Step Three: making sure students

make the new words their own

Vocabulary record system

Personalizing the new words

Vocabulary record system-1

• Vocabulary books– in an alphabetical order– by topic or situation– by grammatical groups– by color sets– by story features

Vocabulary record system -2

• personal dictionary (word notebooks) – marking word stress– adding pictures– putting an L1 translation– putting the word into context– adding a synonym– mapping a word family – Example

personalize the new words

• Keeping a learning log (blogs)• Keeping a diary (blogs)• Creative writing by using newly-learned words

or phrases• Looking for recently learned words in

storybooks, the Internet, the newspapers, etc., and noticing how they are used.

Meta-cognitively, learners learn how to

• self-test• look for patterns in words • plan and organize a vocabulary record keeping

system• Learn words in their preferred ways• reflect on learning and reviewing regularly • monitor vocabulary learning

Online Resources• Teaching Vocabulary:

Two Dozen Tips and Techniques• English Vocabulary Word Lists

with Games, Puzzles and Quizzes• LearnEnglishKids• An authoring tool: HOT POTATO– Example 1– Example 2

• A Collocation Tool: iWiLL

End of this session