How to teach Vocabulary

Module 2

Amke Loose

Ulatino-COBAY (2009)
Today‘s Outline

I. Unit
a) Review
b) What does it mean to know a word?
c) How to present new vocabulary
d) Vocabulary acquisition guide
II. Unit
a) What is the difference between vocabulary and lexis?
III. Unit
a) Contextualizing language and language awareness
b) Vocabulary acquisition through authentic materials
IV. Unit
a) Teaching idioms
a)
Review

Traditional material as well as traditional teaching

usually work with word lists and isolated vocabulary

Why is this not appropriate anymore?

Nevertheless, course books still do not provide

sufficient guidance in how to study or work with
vocabulary
What does it mean to know a word?

Do you remember this?

How to present new vocabulary

Students need to learn the meaning and the

form of the word

The greater the gap between a word‘s
meaning and form, the less likely a mental
connection between the two

How many words should be presented?
How to present new vocabulary

1. Depends on level

2. The learners‘ likely familiarity with the words
(might have seen the word before)

3. difficulty of the item (abstract vs concrete meaning
and the difficulty of the pronunciation)

4. ‘Teachabilitiy‘ (easy explanation possible)

5. Is the item learned for production or for
recognition (listening or reading). Former number of
items probably fewer
How to present new vocabulary

Often used as a rule of thumb in courebooks: 12 items -> decide on
number

Sequence: a) meaning first then form

Or b) first form then meaning

Hold up the object (e.g. it is an apple – meaning)

Form first: repetition of the word apple by the students

Presenting 1. the meaning creates the need for the form

How to present new vocabulary

Context: form first students have to find out meaning

Translation

Real things

Pictures

Actions/gestures

Definitions

Situations

Presented spoken or written
How to present new vocabulary

Translation:

Very direct

Learners might fail to develop L2 lexicon only
looking for equivalents

Probably less momorable, easy access

Monitor the meaning and then as a last
question: how do you say … in Spanish?
How to present new vocabulary

Ilustrating meaning

E.g. clothes (real objects)

Use of realia, pictures and demonstration

Total physical response:

point to the orange

Put the orange next to the apple

Give the apple to Tom

Offer the orange to Janine

How do you work with flashcards?
How to present new vocabulary

How to explain meaning:

Providing an example situation (explain the
word embarressed)

Giving several example sentences

Giving synonyms, antonyms, or
superordinate terms

Giving a full definition
How to present new vocabulary

How to highlight the form:

Similar sounding words are often confused

Syllables and stress very important (let them
find out, Where is the stress?)

Listening drills: repetition, students get used
to the phonological features
How to present new vocabulary

How to involve the learners:

Ask students for a definition – maximises speaking
opportunities, keeps the learner alert

Personalize new words:

Ask learners to use a true sentence using the new
word

Learners write questions for other learners using the
new vocabulary

Association network (mind map)

Story technique
What is the difference between
vocabulary and lexis?

Computer, water

stock market

Stock market= fixed expression, single lexicon item

Go off

cannot be translated by through go and off, meaning
is not guessable

Swim against the tide = idiom, specific meaning

What on earth…
What is the difference between
vocabulary and lexis?

Vocabulary typically referes to single words

e.g. apple, cat, white etc.

Or to tightly linked words: stock market,
compact disc

Concept of lexis more complex

Referes to our “internal database“ of words
and fixed/typical combinations
What is the difference between
vocabulary and lexis?

Lexis includes:

A) traditional single-word vocabulary items;

B) common ‚‘going-together‘ patterns of
words (blonde hair, traffic jam) –
collocations

C) longer combinations: I‘d rather not say…-
chunks or mulitword items
Contextualizing language and
language awareness

Follow the video guidelines in your resources

Answer the questions

Reflect on your own teaching
Vocabulary acquisition through
authentic materials

Follow the outline of the video guide in your

resources

Answer the questions

Reflect on your own teaching
Teaching idioms

Think about common idioms

Idioms cannot be understood outside the
context

A good resource for idioms is:
– http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/
References

Thornbury, S. 2002. How to teach vocabulary. Pearson.

Longman. U.K.

Scrivener, J. 2006. Learning Teaching. Macmillan. U.K.

Redman, S. 2003. English vocabulary in use. Cambridge. U.K.

McCarthy, M & O‘Dell, F. 2001. English Vocabulary in Use.
Cambridge. U.K.