UNIT 5: TEACHING VOCABULARY
1. Introduction:
This unit explores the different aspects of vocabulary in more detail and provides you
with some techniques for teaching vocabulary in the classroom. You will also find a
series of top tips, plus links to further reading. By the end of the unit, you will have
learnt about:
• The three different elements of vocabulary (meaning, form, pronunciation).
• Presenting vocabulary.
• How to check students understand what you are teaching them.
• Supporting students in remembering and producing vocabulary.
As we saw in unit 3, when introducing new language, we present three different
elements:
• Meaning
• Form
• Pronunciation
2. Meaning:
2.1 Meaning of words:
Concrete words:
These are the easiest to teach, as you have a specific object, animal or
person to refer to. For example, if you are teaching the word table you can
point to the table. Or for dog, you could show pictures of dogs.
Abstract words:
Abstract words require a bit more thought to convey the meaning – and may
call on your acting skills. For example, to teach the word happiness you might
start by showing a happy face, or for exaggerate you could show actions or
objects which are exaggerate.
Words with more than one meaning:
Many words have more than one meaning. At beginner level, you are unlikely
to teach different meanings of words to your students. However, once you
move up the levels, it is important that students are aware of the different
meanings. You will need to help them to work out the meaning from the
context.
Generic terms:
Some words can have a more general meaning than others. For examples,
the word vehicle covers a wide range of vocabulary items, whereas car and
bus are more specific. You will need to teach students both generic and
specific words and help them understand the difference between each.
2.2 Different meanings
3. Form:
The form of a word is the way it is set out or structured. You are more likely to use
the form when you are teaching grammar. However, it can impact on vocabulary too.
There are two main aspects to consider.
1
, 3.1 Position and use in a sentence:
The meaning of a word changes depending on its position in a sentence and
the way it is used. For example, the word cross could be used as an adjective
(“ he’s a cross man”) or as a verb (“cross over the road”) or as a noun (“put a
cross beside the item you want”). As you can see, the meaning of the word
varies, depending on its position and use within each sentence.
3.2 Prefixes and suffixes:
Adding a prefix (at the start of a word) or a suffix (at the end of a word) will
alter the meaning of a word. For example, the word employ can be changed
to re-employ by adding the prefix re- or employer by adding the suffix -er.
Within form, we can also think about spelling, e.how the spelling can change
between American and British English.
3.3 Spelling:
Teach the students how to spell the word by giving them a written record. In
subsequent lessons, you can have a spelling test/quiz.
4. Pronunciation:
The way we say a word can help by showing its meaning. Reflecting on how you say
a word can improve your ability to teach its corrects meaning to a class. There are
two main ways in which pronunciation impacts on meaning:
4.1 Stress:
The meaning of a word changes based on the part of it that is stressed. For
example, read the following sentences out loud and listen to how you stress the word
“record”.
1. He has a large record collection.
2. Can you record this programme for me?
Did you notice how you changed the stress to convey a different meaning in each
sentence? In the first, where “ record” is used as a noun, you stressed the ‘re’
syllable. In the second, where ‘record’ is a verb, you stressed the ‘cord’ syllable.
4.2 Sounds:
A word can have different meanings based on the sounds we use to say it. For
example, read the following sentences out loud and listen to the different sounds you
use to say the word “minute”.
1. That is a really minute particle.
2. Can you wait a minute? I’m almost ready.
Did you notice how you used different sounds in each case, to convey the different
meanings of the word?
4.3 Phonology:
There is a whole science built around phonology, including a phonetic alphabet.
5. Structuring your lessons:
A vocabulary lesson could have the following stages:
5.1 Introduction and warmer:
Use or adapt the examples in Unit 3, structuring your lesson – but ensure the topic of
your warmer is linked to the topic of the vocabulary.
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