1

Topic 5

Techniques for Teaching Vocabulary


SYNOPSIS
Topic 5 provides you with an array of techniques for teaching vocabulary. The different
ways of tackling vocabulary provide insights to the different ways pupils can learn
words.
FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS

4a





4b










Techniques for teaching vocabulary

word
attack
skills
contextual
clues
dictionary mime,
action &
gestures
visuals games
Selecting, adapting and producing activities and
materials for developing vocabulary
Techniques for teaching vocabulary

context

frequency


2

All languages are made of words. Without words, there will be no languages and words
are coined in various ways: from borrowing from other cultures to blending parts of two
words to adding meaningful parts to existing words. In fact, as you are reading this line,
new words are being coined somewhere. So is the acquisition of new words. We are
constantly learning new words and learning new meanings for old words. For example,
the rapid evolution of ICT in the last twenty years has brought forth new meanings to
otherwise common everyday words. A mouse is no more the pest that we screech when
we see one nor cookie is the flavourful crunchy snack we have with a nice cup of coffee.
Similarly, familiar words are also adapted and expressed with specialized meanings.
Wine connoisseurs will be able to distinguish the quality of the liquor and describe it as
being dry or smooth. But for someone who is unfamiliar with wine-tasting terminology
may find the terms perplexing. Learners learning a new language will experience similar
bewilderment when they are confronted by words that are totally unfamiliar or being
used in ways that for them are novel and obscure.


So, learning a new language is learning the vocabulary of that language. Imagine how
frustrating it is for someone learning a new language not being able to find the words in
that language to express himself or herself. And learning vocabulary is a rather complex
process. A teacher teaching vocabulary needs to bear in mind some principles of
learning and teaching vocabulary. Among these principles are:

developing word attack skills
frequent exposure and repetition
meaningful presentation
presentation in context
inferring meanings from context




Let us go through some of these principles.



1. Developing word attack skills

Developing word attack skills is necessary to help the pupils to become
independent and fluent readers. Knowing word attack skills enables the pupils to
make sense of an unknown word while reading. Word attack skills rely on the
ability to recognize the sounds that make up words and to put those sounds
together (phonemic awareness). More advanced word attack skills involve using
context, prefixes or suffixes or a dictionary to determine what a word means.



3

Here are some examples of word attack skills:

Segmenting the component parts of words
Blending these parts into new words
Recognizing syllable patterns
Recognizing symbols for consonant sounds
Recognizing symbols for vowel sounds
Recognizing symbols for tone and other suprasegmental features
Recognizing capital letters (upper case) and knowing when to use them
Recognizing punctuation and how it affects reading for meaning and
expression
Recognizing the use of space to mark word breaks and paragraphs
Using the above skills simultaneously with comprehension and critical
reading skills


Lets look at some examples of these word attack skills.

a) segmenting the component parts of a word:


Oral segmentation helps pupils to separate words into sounds. These exercises begin
with a focus on syllables, which are easier to distinguish than individual sounds.
Segmentation activities prepare children for spelling, for which they segment words into
individual sounds in order to write them out.

Example:
sat = /s/ /a/ /t/

Developing this phonemic awareness skill will have significant impact on the childs
development in reading.





4

At a higher level, segmentation is breaking up the components of a word according to
its meaningful parts or adding prefixes and suffixes to a root word.
For example, the word movers can be broken up into three meaningful parts or
morphemes as illustrated below:
movers = move + er + s, where move is a verb, the er changes the verb to a noun
(person) and the addition of s indicates plurality.

b) Blending

Blending is when individual sounds are combined to make words. This phonemic
awareness skill helps children to hear how sounds are put together. Developing this
important skill will lead children towards decoding words independently when they read.


For example, when you blend the sounds /b/ /a/ /t/ , they become the word bat. And
when you blend the syllables /ba/ /na/ /na/ together, they make the word banana.



Blending and segmentation form the two most essential phonemic awareness
instruction activities that provide children with engaging opportunities to discriminate
sounds.





















5

c) Common syllable pattern

For beginning or emergent readers, it is a good idea to introduce words that have
similar syllable patterns. Repetition of the same pattern will help the learners to
consolidate the concepts of word patterns and at the same time help them to develop
phonemic awareness.

Below are some examples of common syllable patterns.

Syllable Patterns Examples:
1. A closed syllable ends in at least one consonant;
the vowel is short.

pan
shot
magnet

2. An open syllable ends in one vowel; the vowel is
long.
so
tiger
he
3. A vowel-consonant-e syllable ends in one vowel,
one consonant and a final e. The final e is silent and
the vowel is long.

make
pipe
shine
4. A vowel-r syllable has an r after the vowel; the
vowel makes an expected sound.
(Vowels that are followed by r do not make the
common long or short sound)
car
dirt
turtle
5. A vowel pair syllable has two adjacent vowels. Each
vowel pair syllable must be learned individually.

sail
boat
feet
moon
boy
6. A final stable syllable has a consonant-l-e
combination or a non phonetic but reliable unit such
as tion. The accent usually falls on the syllable
before the final syllable. Final stable syllables have
unexpected but reliable pronunciations.
puzzle
bubble
candle
contraction
projection




6

d. Recognizing symbols for vowel sounds

The following is a procedure you may use to develop recognition of symbols for vowel
sounds.

This activity could be conducted as board work for the vowel sounds : ea and oa.


Procedure:

1. Write the following words as a column on the board. Highlight the target sounds.
rear
leaf
mean
ears


2. Point to rear. Pause and ask what the word is.

Expected response : rear.

Repeat for leaf, mean, ears.


3. Replace ea with oa in each word
roar
loaf
moan
oars



4. Point to roar. Pause and ask what the word is.

Expected response : roar.

Repeat for loaf, moan, oars.



5. Change the list to:
rear
loaf
mean
ears


7



6. Point to rear. Pause and ask what the word is.

Expected response : rear.

Repeat for loaf, mean, ears.)



7. Change back to the original list:
rear
leaf
mean
ears

Repeat steps 26 until pupils are competent with distinguishing the two vowel sounds.


2. CONTEXTUAL CLUES
Contextual clues are hints that the author gives to help define a difficult or unusual
word. The clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it
may follow in a preceding sentence. Because most of our vocabulary is gained through
reading, it is important that teachers teach pupils to recognize and take advantage of
contextual clues to assist them to decode challenging words when they read.
Types of contextual clues.
There are at least four kinds of contextual clues that are quite commonly found in a text.
Synonym Using a word with the same meaning that is found in the same
sentence.
e.g.
My opponent's argument is fallacious, misleading plain wrong.

Antonym Using a word or group of words that has the opposite meaning
which reveals the meaning of an unknown term.
Although some men are loquacious, others hardly talk at all.


8

Explanation The unknown word is explained within the sentence or in a
sentence immediately preceding it.
The patient is so somnolent that she requires medication to help
her stay awake for more than a short time.
Example Specific examples are used to define the term.
Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are governed
by predictable laws.

3. Visuals
A picture speaks a thousand words. As a teacher you have great armory of materials
around you to help your pupils learn new vocabulary. What other way can it be more
effectively learnt if not through visuals.

Here is a list of some of the possible visuals you have around you to teach vocabulary:

carrier bags, wallets and other kinds of containers, mobile phones, items of jewellery,
bank notes, items of clothing, cigarette packets, sweet wrappers, parts of the body,
family photographs, reading materials and items of furniture, brochures, menus, recipes,
catalogues, comics, videos, TV, CDs, DVDs, etc.

Using flash cards as visuals

Flash cards are versatile visuals usually used for drills. They can be used to introduce
nouns, new words or used as substitution word cards in different contexts. Flash cards
used can be displayed in the word wall to facilitate and reinforce further learning or used
as references.
A word of caution on the use of visuals:
Don't over-use them; use them just enough to achieve your aim.
Know exactly why you are using them.
Plan exactly how you are going to use each one.
Vary the kinds of visuals that you use, to bring as much variety as possible in the
lesson.
Flashcards must be seen by everyone in the class
Avoid 'confusing' or 'cluttered' pictures with the vital detail somewhere in the
middle.

9



Word Walls

Designate a part of the classroom wall as the word wall. On this wall the teacher can
display words taught each week. These words may help children to learn rhyming word
families (at, hat, fat, cat, that, etc.), while others do not follow phonetic spelling patterns.
The purpose is to help children learn to spell high frequency and vocabulary words and
begin to use them in their writing

4. Mimes, actions and gestures
A lot of teaching English is about acting.
Keeping your energy high and being creative with your lessons will make your pupils
more attentive. Outside of role-play activities, you can use gestures and mime in many
different ways to teach vocabulary. These can aid your pupils in communicating,
understanding, and participating during your lessons.
The use of teacher's gestures in the learning of English can have an effect on
memorisation; but to make the most of this effect, teachers should make sure that the
pupils reproduce the gestures while repeating the words. Thus, they will be more active
in their repetition and reinforce its trace in memory. Also, the three ways of learning will
be solicited: auditory modality will be provided by the teacher's voice and the repetition,
visual modality will be exposed through the visualization of gestures, and kinesthetic
modality will appear thanks to the reproduction of gestures. All this will enable every
pupil to make the most of the three modalities proposed to reinforce their memorisation.

Below are some examples of activities.

4.1 Giving Directions
Using particular gestures or expressions in the classroom will lead your pupils to
associate them with a particular thing or action. For example, if you always use the
same gesture when you say Please stand up. The pupils will become accustomed to it
and stand up when you use that gesture even if you occasionally leave out the oral
instruction. You can have gestures when you want the pupils to repeat something after
you, make groups, or sit down too. This can be especially handy when you want to
communicate something to your pupils in a noisy setting. For instance, if you say

10

Please turn your desks to make groups of four. The pupils will begin moving around
and making noise as they rearrange their desks so they may miss your verbal
instructions to sit down but if you also gesture for them to sit down, at least some pupils
will see it and react accordingly which will cause the remaining pupils to follow suit.

4.2 Word meaning
Using gestures and mime is important when it comes to words too. You can use them to
elicit certain words and phrases from students. If you teach very young pupils, it is also
common to associate gestures with words to help pupils remember vocabulary better.
Using the same gesture every time you say a particular word or phrase will help these
pupils associate the two.

4.3 Mime games
Activities and games which use gestures and mime can be fun for the whole class. If
you have just finished a section on feelings, make a list of feelings on the board and
have the pupils choose a slip of paper from a hat. Each slip of paper should contain a
sentence such as You are happy. The pupils should keep their sentences a secret.
Have one volunteer at a time mime his/her sentence while the rest of the class
tries to guess it. This would be a good review activity. To check individual
comprehension, you can use the same basic idea but instead turn it into an interview
activity where the pupils have a sheet of paper with all the emotions listed as well as
their secret emotion. The idea is that the pupils go around the classroom miming and
guessing emotions in pairs and getting a pupil signature for each emotion. When you go
through the worksheet as a class you can have some pupils read aloud from their
worksheets sentences
5. Dictionary
Exploring dictionary entries can be one important and effective component of
understanding a word deeply. The entries can also help pupils determine the precise
meaning of a word. Dictionaries can also provide helpful information about the history of
a word and reinforce the interrelationships among words in the same meaning
families. For example, a discussion of run-on entries illustrates how one words entry
can include information about related wordsthe entry for entrap also includes entraps
and entrapment. The usage notes in dictionaries often explain subtle but important
differences among wordsusually the appropriateness of one word over another in a
particular context. Words for which the dictionary is essential may be entered in a
students vocabulary notebook. Dictionaries can also contribute to an interest in and
attitudes toward words that teachers and the students explore. The usage notes in

11

dictionaries reflect a powerful and consistent research finding: every word/concept we
know, and the degree to which we really know it, depends on the relationship of
that word/concept to other words/concepts. The thesaurus, another resource for word
learning, also helps learners make fine distinctions among concepts and words. This
differentiation of learners conceptual domains is the essence of vocabulary
development and growth.

Example 1:
You can ask pupils use dictionaries to complete grids or spidergrams of word families,
to show common derived forms:

person crime verb
robber robbery rob
_______ _______ murder
hijacker _______ _______
_______ rape _______



Example 2:
The pupils can use dictionaries to decide which word or expression in a group is the odd
one out, in terms of style:

word meaning
flee run away retreat turn tail
occur crop up happen take place
supervise monitor keep an eye on oversee


6. Games
Learning new vocabulary words can be a challenging task for many pupils. One way to
overcome this challenge is to play games that will make learning new words fun by
creating a competitive environment. When pupils compete with one another they tend to
put forth more effort and, as a consequence, learn more.

12


You can find out more on how you can utilize games for teaching vocabulary using the
link below.

The following are some examples of games to teach vocabulary.

6.1 Taboo (aka Hot Seat)
Divide the class into Teams A and B. Team A sits in a group on one side of the
classroom, Team B sits on the other side. Bring two chairs to the front of the room so
that when seated, a student is facing his or her respective team and their back is to the
blackboard or white board. One member from each team sits in their team's chair. The
teacher writes a word, phrase, or sentence on the board. The pupils in the chairs
mustn't see what's written on the board. Once the teacher yells 'go', the teams have one
minute, using only verbal clues, to get their seated teammate to say the item written on
the board. The only rule (or taboo) is that they MUSTN'T say the item written on the
board, in full or part. The first pupil in the hot seat to utter the word scores a point for
their team. When the round is over, two new team players are rotated into the hot seat
and a new item is written up. The team to score the most number of points wins.

Variation: To ensure a slightly quieter and less chaotic game, the teams can take it in
turns. Rather than two pupils in the hot seat, only one member from each team plays at
a time. The teacher as usual scribbles a word on the board and gives the team one
minute to get their teammate to say the item. If the hot-seated player manages to say
the word, the teacher quickly writes another item on the board and so on until the
minute is up. The team scores a point for every item they manage to say within one
minute.

6.2 Memory Challenge
Put the pupils into pairs or small groups. Give them a time limit (e.g. 3 minutes) and ask
them to write down as many words, phrases, and/or expressions as they can from the
last lesson on topic X. The pair or group that can remember the most items wins.

Variation: To add a spelling accuracy component, teams can also earn an extra point
for each correctly spelt item.


13

6.3 Last One Standing
Give the class a topic (e.g. food, clothes, animals, things in a kitchen) and ask them to
stand up, in a circle if possible. Clap out a beat and say, one, two, three, followed by a
topic-related word. After the next three beats, the next student in the circle gives a word
related to the topic, and so it continues. Anyone who can't think of a word or repeats a
word already said has to sit down and it's the next person's turn. The winner is the last
one standing.

6.4 Pictionary
Divide the class into Teams A and B. Team A sits in a group on one side of the
classroom, Team B sits on the other side. One member from each team goes to the
board. The teacher flashes them a word, phrase, or expression written on a piece of
paper. The students have one minute to get their respective team to say the item only
by drawing pictorial clues on the board. Written words, verbal clues, or gestures are
forbidden. The first team to say the word scores a point.

Variation: The teams review their notes from prior lessons, and collectively come up
with a list of items the other team will have to draw.

6.5 Bingo
The teacher writes up 10 words, phrases and/or expressions on the board. Each pupil
chooses any 5 of the items from the board and writes them down. The teacher then
selects one of the items at random (bits of paper from a hat, for example) and offers a
brief definition or synonym of the item but does not say the word itself. If a pupil thinks
they have the word the teacher described, they tick it. When a pupil ticks all of their
words, they shout BINGO!! The first pupil to shout BINGO wins the round. Additional
rounds can be played with different sets of words.

6.6 Outburst
Divide the class into Teams A and B. The teacher assigns each team a particular topic
(e.g. sports, vehicles, things in an office) which is to be kept secret from the other team.
Each team meets for 5 minutes in private and collectively draws up a list of ten items
related to the topic. After the lists are made, the game begins. The teacher tells Team A
the name of Team B's topic. Team A then has one minute to try to guess the items on
Team B's list (hence producing a noisy outburst). The members of Team B must listen
and tick the items which Team A manages to guess. For every word Team A guesses

14

correctly, they score a point. For every word they miss, Team B gets a point. After the
points are recorded, it's Team B turn to guess Team A's list. Additional rounds can be
played with different topics assigned by the teacher. The first team to score X number of
points wins.

6.7 Concentration
Divide the class into small groups. Each group is given a set of cards which are spread
out on the table face-down. The sets are made up of two kinds of cards: word cards +
definition/picture cards. Pupils in turn pick up a card, turn it over, and try matching it to
its corresponding card. If there's no match, the cards are returned to their original place
on the table and play passes to the next pupil. If a match is made, the pupil keeps the
pair and tries to make another match. Once all the cards are matched, the winner is the
player who has matched the most number of cards.

Variation: Rather than using word + definition/picture cards, pupils can match the first
and second half of common phrases, expressions, idioms or other multi-word lexical
items; e.g. "have" on one card, "a good time" on the other card.

6.8 Scrambled Letters
Write up eight words with their letters shuffled (e.g. eicscen for science) on the board.
When the teacher says 'go', the pupils, individually or in pairs, endeavor to untangle the
words as quickly as they can. The first pupil or pair, to do so wins. The teacher can then
quickly run through each of the scrambled letter groups on the board, eliciting
information about each word or concept. Tip: Don't make them too difficult.

Variation: Phrases, expressions, and idioms larger than 2 words can also be used (e.g.
"you're having when time flies fun" for "time flies when you're having fun".)

6.9 Q & A
Write up two separate word lists on the board; an A list and a B list. Assign half the
class the A list and the other half list B. Each pupil takes each word from their list and
contextualizes it into a coherent question. Ideally, the question should demonstrate
some understanding of the word (e.g. Is your family very hospitable?, NOT What does
hospitable mean?). If pupils need help, they can consult the teacher, their notes, or their
textbook. When the pupils have finished writing their questions, As and Bs pair up and
exchange their list of questions. The pupils read each question and write an answer to
the question on the same piece of paper. In their answer, they need to use the same

15

word that is underlined in the question. After the answers are written, the papers are
exchanged again and read by the original pupil.

Example:
Student A's question: Are there any skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur?
Student B's answer: Yes, Kuala Lumpur has several skyscrapers.

6.10 Categories (aka The Alphabet Game)
Divide the class into 3 or 4 teams and assign a secretary for each group. On one side of
the board, write down six categories related to the current topic you are teaching (e.g.
countries, sports, jobs, movies, furniture, verbs, things that are round). To start the
game, the teacher randomly selects a letter of the alphabet and scribbles it onto the
board. Each team must then work together to quickly find a word for each of the six
categories that starts with the chosen letter. The first team to complete all six categories
shouts "stop!" The class then stops writing, and a member of the team goes to the
board to fill in the categories. The teacher then checks each word with the class and
also elicits what other teams had for each category. If the quickest team has filled in
each category correctly, they earn one point for their team. The teacher then chooses a
different letter and another round is played. The first team to score X number of points
wins.














16

5b.

The first things to think about when teachers select, adapt and produce activities and
materials for developing a vocabulary lesson, are the who and the what. That is who
your pupils are their level of English (or whatever the second language is), level of
content knowledge, and their requirements. What refers to what vocabulary you will
teach, and what materials to use. The who feeds into the what.
There are two types of vocabulary, core and fringe. Core vocabulary is composed of
high frequency words that are very versatile. In contrast, fringe vocabulary is composed
of words that occur infrequently and lack versatility. Let's compare and contrast core
and fringe vocabulary:
Characteristic Core Vocabulary Fringe Vocabulary
Number of words Small number of words Very large number of words
Frequency of use High frequency Low frequency
Applicability across
environments
Applicable to all
environments
Applicable to limited
environments
Applicability across topics Applicable to all topics Applicable to limited topics
Types of words Includes a variety of parts
of speech
Includes mostly proper
names and other nouns
Usefulness in a single
message
Approximately 80% of the
words in a sample of 100
total words will be core, but
many of the core words will
be used repeatedly, so the
number of different words is
small.
Approximately 20% of the
words in a sample of 100
total words will be fringe.
The number of different
words will be large, as
fringe words are repeated
with much lower frequency
than core words.
1. Frequency
High-frequency words are the words that appear most often in printed materials. The
word to be learnt should appear in various context to reinforce understanding the
meaning to be stored in the long term memory.
Ideas for Teaching High-Frequency Words
Have students create rebus sentences, using high-frequency words such as the,
is, and in.
Write high-frequency words on cards. Have students form sentences using a
pocket chart.
Selecting, adapting and producing activities and materials for
developing vocabulary

17

Have students keep lists of words they can read and write. When they have
trouble with a word, they can refer to their notebooks.
Point out similarities between new words and those students can already
decode.

2. Context
For meaningful learning, vocabulary must be taught in context, whether spoken or
written. If it is written, the context should preferably be an authentic text and where the
content is fully exploited. Why is contextualized learning so important? Simply because
when we come across a new word in a text, it is often in an appropriate context and
there are often other clues in the text that are provided by the author to help the reader
work out the meaning of the word.

Sometimes the clues given are explicit while at times it might need the reader to infer
meanings. In such a situation, there will be sufficient clues provided to enable the
reader to figure out the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

However, research has shown that sometimes contextual clues can pose a problem in
learning a new word against direct instruction (Fukkink and de Glopper in Dymock and
Nicholson, 2010). Yet, all agree that having contextual clues are a lot more helpful than
an absence of them.

Before we leave this topic, lets take a look at some effective teaching tips to expedite
the learning of vocabulary.


Teaching Tips for Effective Instruction
Teach words in a meaningful context, using authentic literature.
Teach only a few words per reading selection.
Relate each word to students' prior knowledge.
Group each word with other related words.
Have students use the word to express their own ideas and experiences.
Expose students to the word in a variety of contexts.