Teacher! I Need More Words!Effective Vocabulary Instruction for All
Students
Casey M. BarnesProfessor, Kyung Hee UniversityEPIK/GEPIK Teacher TrainerKOTESOL Presenter
Objectives:Evaluate techniques and activities for
vocabulary delivery
State the role of form, meaning, and use in vocabulary teaching.
Choose strategies to incorporate into your classroom.
Effective Vocabulary InstructionWhy teach vocabulary?
Experience and Challenges
Ideas for a variety of levels
Talk to your neighbor…What are the benefits of teaching
vocabulary?
What are the challenges of teaching vocabulary?
What have you done that has been effective in the past? Why was it effective?
“Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” ~ D. Wilkins
Talk to a different colleague…What is the best way to teach vocabulary?
What do you want to improve about how you teach vocabulary?
What are the stages of vocabulary acquisition?
First, students notice a new word with help
Second, they recognize the word with help
Third, they recognize the word aloneFinally, they are able to produce the
word
What kinds of activities suit each of these stages?
Process Approach to Direct Instruction1) Provide target words with pictures and
annotations (definition/synonym/L1, when common)
2) Students complete a “Fill-in” task3) Students complete a “post-reading” production
activityExample: 1) Write a letter to a friend about how to save
water.2) Retell the reading in your words. You must use
the target words. 4) Additional/Follow-up – Crossword Puzzle, Taboo
Instruction of Vocabulary “in context” Significantly higher retention when meaning
is inferred from task based activities than from learning definitions/synonyms
Context cluesDifficult to teach to low level students.Students need to be comfortable guessingStudents use high levels of cognition as they
discuss how they came to conclusions. That is, what clues did they use from the text.
Retention and ProductionGreater retention from composition/production
than from reading comprehension tasks.
Using Word Walls1) High-utility Words (Language used daily)2) Topical Words (Content Specific)3) Classroom Words/ Expressions4) Mobile Word Wall (Vocabulary Journal)
Word Wall ExamplesGood for:
•High Utility Vocabulary
•Topical Vocabulary
•Classroom Vocabulary
Personal Word Wall
New Words Old Words with New Meanings
Science Words
Environmental Words
Greeting Words Making Plans Words
Past Experience Words
Slang Words I like
Word webs and word banksCooperativeProvide a wider range of accessible wordsGenerate higher order thinking.Students can choose what they learn
Word Web for Clothing
Clothing
Fashion
Changes
Gender
Season
Fabric
Style
Word Webs allow students to choose which words they learn.
Studies show retention rates are higher when students have input into what vocabulary they learn.
Word Webs can be used for a:List – Group – Label ActivityStudents think about, discuss, and categorize
Students try to group the words into 3-4 categories
Students tlabel the categories
Concept Circles
trail
difficult
travelling
settlers
wagon
Travelling west was very difficult for settlers. The trail was very difficult. They had to live in a wagon for a long time. It was very difficult.
Create your own! Choose a topic, choose four – seven words.
Vocabulary JournalsProduction activityProvides more than one kind of definition
= High retention
Vocabulary Journal StylesWord Is like Is not Illustrati
on
Word Definition Example Artifact
Word Definition Form Use
Vocab-o-gram 2 birds, 1 stone approach –
Pre-teaches vocabulary (front loading)Acts as a pre-reading prediction making
activity
Highly motivating Try not to make it a spoiler.
“Vocab-o-gram”
Setting
Plot
Characters
Conflict
ResolutionMystery Words
Word Bank
appointment
threatening
death astonish horse
city trembling market Baghdad jostle
master flanks spurs crowd merchant
Appointment in SamarraThere was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to
market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? ” “That was not a threatening gesture,” he said, “it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”
Mini-presentationsWord websVocab-o-gramsVocabulary Journals
Pretty much anything can be followed up with a mini-presentation of the work.
Create your own…Can you think of additional ideas that would
suit your students and school environment?
Differentiating Vocabulary Instruction:Consider your students’ learning profilesProvide a variety of receptive and productive
activites
Process Approach to Vocabulary Instruction1) Establish a Daily Routine2) Establish Word Walls – decide if students
can write on them.3) Vary activities4) Use production/task based activities5) Reinforce with games, crosswords, etc.
Great Reinforcement Game:Pictionary meets Charades meets Taboo
Instead of doing just one, do them all!
Use a point system so the more difficult task is worth more points.
Give students choice, differentiates, and it is fun!
Questions?
Casey M. BarnesFB: Casey Barnes Email: [email protected]: caseyengteacher.wordpress.com