Teaching Vocabulary

Helping ESL Students Learn Vocabulary

For Educational Purposes Only © American TESOL Institute

What is Involved in Teaching Vocabulary?

Vocabulary should be integrated with subject matter.

Activities should be cooperative and non-threatening.

Helpful to pre-introduce words before they are encountered in text.

Background knowledge should be tapped.

Students to become independent learners.

How can Students Become Effective at Learning Vocabulary?

Students are actively involved in their own learning.

Students self-monitor their progress.

Students are given multiple exposures to new words.

What Can Teachers Do?

Integrate vocabulary learning within content.

Offer various vocabulary-building activities.

Build background to elicit student prior knowledge.

Foster development of “word bank.”

Pre-Teach

Pre-teach vocabulary words before student reads.

Preview reading material for unfamiliar words or terms.

Define and discuss new words to build understanding.

Teacher receives feedback from student to determine depth of understanding.

Background Knowledge

Teacher introduces new vocabulary, terms, definitions, or concepts.

Teacher asks students to share prior knowledge during whole class discussion.

This prepares students for new learning.

Students are able to relate new information to personal experience.

Repeated Exposure:

Repeat exposure to new words.

Students need to hear and use words.

Provide multiple opportunities to use new word in written and spoken form.

Key Words

Introduce key words before reading text.

Teach students “word clue” to help understand.

May be definition, example, or image that helps make connection.

For example; “peninsula” is a piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with the mainland by an isthmus.

Today we will be learning about the Iberian Peninsula.

Create link to facilitate memory of new word when reading in text.

Word Maps

Student previews reading material to find unfamiliar words.

Student creates graphic organizer.

New word is placed at top or center of map.

Branching off of word may be examples, qualities, or classification.

Example

Vocabulary word: debate

Definition: To discuss opposing reasons; argue

Synonym: discuss

For example: “Joe’s mother said that the decision to buy a new car was not open to debate; she had already chosen a Ford Focus as the family vehicle.”

Context Clues

Words may also be defined within a text.

Context Clues such as the following are used to learn meaning while reading.

He ate as ravenously as a bear.

A machete, like a sword, can be very dangerous.

Artificial respiration was applied to the nearly drowned man.

A cockroach has two antennae, or feelers, on its head.

Word Level Analysis

Examine the word for prefixes, suffixes, and/or root words.

This will reveal meanings embedded within words according to their structure.

Teachers can focus on the most common prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

Prefix

The prefix “mis” means wrong, bad, no, or not. For example, “misapply” means to use

badly or incorrectly.

The prefix “pre” means before, in front of, or prior. For example, “prejudice” means a

judgment or opinion formed before the facts are known.

Prefixes

Some common prefixes include:

re again replay, resend, replace

hyper over hyperactive, hypersensitive

un not unclear, unsure

tri three triangle, tricycle

pre before prepay, prepackage

sub below subway, submarine

Suffix

The suffix “ist” means a person skilled in or occupied with; expert.

For example; pharmacist, biologist, mentalist

The suffix “ness” means state of being.

For example; heaviness, happiness

Common Suffixes

-ship position held fellowship

-er,-or one who trainer

-ity,-ty quality of formality

-en become enlighten

-al pertaining to regional

-ive nature of creative

-less without endless

Root Words

The root word “form” means shape, structure, or arrangement. For example, formation, formative, formula.

The root word “flex” means to bend or to tense by contraction. For example, “inflexible” means unable to bend.

The root word “masculine” means male, or having qualities regarded as manly. For example, “emasculate" means to deprive of

strength; effeminate.

Cognates

Cognates are words that are similar in students’ native language and English.

Teaching cognates is a way to relate words in English to the students’ first language. For example; “possible” is a cognate of the

Spanish word “posible.”

“Apple” is a cognate of the German word “apfel.”

Summary

Vocabulary development is important in learning to speak, listen, read and write English.

Teachers can help students master new words in a variety of ways.

Ultimately students learn how to become responsible for their own learning.

Learning new words becomes a life-long endeavor.

Sources

http://www.k12reader.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-vocabulary/Article by Joelle Brummitt-Yale

Stahl, Norman and Boylan,Hunter. Teaching Developmental Reading. Boston, New York; Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. Print