Didáctica de la Lengua Inglesa – Resumen parcial 3

UNIT VI: TEACHING VOCABULARY

Students need to see words in context to see how they are used. The best way, perhaps, of
introducing new words is for sts to read texts or listen to audio tracks and see or hear those words in
action.
A major reason for reading texts in class is to give sts new language input. We may as them to say
what a word means, or ask them which word in the text is the opposite of a given word, etc.

Introducing vocabulary
When we introduce new vocabulary, there is always a chance that it is not new to some of the sts in
the class. That is why elicitation is so important.

Practicing vocabulary
Word maps are an extremely engaging way of building up vocabulary knowledge as well as
provoking sts into retrieving and using what they know.

Vocabulary games
There are many games which are appropriate for use with collections of vocabulary items.
Sometimes games which are not designed especially for language students work equally well in the
lessons. These include Pictionary, Call my bluff and Charades.

Using dictionaries
Dictionaries are perhaps the greatest single resource sts can have at their disposal. However, they
are sometimes the least widely-used resource that learners wok with.

Reference and production dictionaries

Reference dictionaries need to be distinguished from production dictionaries, a comparatively new
type of dictionary which has recently emerged.
A reference dictionary is one where a student looks up a word to see what meaning it has, how it it
used and the way it is spelt and pronounced. In today´s dictionaries there is a good chance that there
will also be extra information about:
 Differences between British and American usage
 Similar words
 Frequency in different media
 Levels of formality
 Connotation
Dictionaries are generally used when sts have already come across a word and then look up to
check that they know how to use it.
Production dictionaries are designed for sts to use the other way round, starting with a meaning
they wish to express and looking for the word that expresses it.
In a production dictionary sts look for a general word that the already know, and which is a bit like
the concept they wish to be able to express in English.
Sts need to know when dictionary use is appropriate and acceptable and when it is less useful. It
will be useful to talk to them about how, for example, it is a good idea to try to read a text for gist
before later, perhaps, using dictionaries to check the meaning of words they do not know. They need
to understand theta if they overuse dictionaries when they should be listening, they lose the benefit of
hearing English spoken naturally and the opportunity this gives them to practice their listening skills.

HOW THE LEARNER DISCOVERS MEANING

Traditional approaches and techniques used in the presentation of new vocabulary items
Most of these are means which tend to be associated with a more teacher-centred approach and
consequently the items taught through these means are usually selected by the teacher rather than
the learner.
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VISUAL TECHNIQUES VERBAL TECHNIQUES TRANSLATION

Visuals (flashcards,
photographs, blackboards
drawings, wallcharts, and
realia)
Mime and gesture
Use of illustrative situations
(oral or written)q
Use of synonyms and
definitions
Contrasts and opposites
Scales

Translation
It can be a very effective way of conveying meaning and it can save valuable time that might
otherwise be spent on an unsuccessful explanation in English. If teachers rely too heavily on the use of
translation and deliver most explanations in the mother tongue, their sts are surely losing some of the
essential spirit and atmosphere of being in a language learning classroom.

Student-centred learning
There has been a trend in recent years to develop more self-access materials, and in the classroom a
desire to shift the focus away from the teacher and concentrate on more student-centred activities.
Attention to individual needs is not the only reason for encouraging different approaches to
vocabulary teaching.
Recent developments have emphasized the importance of equipping sts with the necessary
strategies for dealing with skills activities. In the learning of vocabulary this involves:
1. Asking others.
2. Using a dictionary.
3. Making use of context to deduce meaning and guessing from the item itself.

USING VISUAL AIDS

Visual aids are a very useful basis for language practice.
Using pictures as a guide to meaning Using pictures for further practice
Word field diagram Using a wallchart
Visual + text Information exchange visuals
Picture cards Cue cards
Scales and clines
Graph

USING AUTHENTIC READING TEXTS

Written texts are often one of the major sources through which language learners meet new
vocabulary. They have the great advantage of contextualising new language items for the learners, and
an interesting text also serves to make that language more memorable.
Nevertheless texts are not always the ideal vehicle for vocabulary development in the classroom.
One practical problem is length: interesting texts are often far too long f intensive study and can lead
to considerable vocabulary overloading.
Types of exploitation of texts
 Focusing on key vocabulary in a text
 Contextual guesswork
 Predicting and activating vocabulary
 Contextual guesswork and word building

Teacher designed contexts and the use of the dictionary

Didáctica de la Lengua Inglesa – Resumen parcial 3

Designing your own vocabulary activities has the great advantage that you can exercise complete
control over the input. However, it can be very time-consuming.

Tasks:
 Definitions and pictures
 Words easily confused: “false friends”
 Word building
 Verb patterns
 Phonemic exercise
 Jumbled sentences: partial synonyms
 Lexical connectives
 Adjective-noun combination: “opposites”
 Non-gradable activities: “extremes”
 Word building

Games, questionnaires and problem solving

Many of the following activities would be useful as warmers or end-of-class activities:
o Pyramid game
o Common features
o Noughts and crosses
o Pelmanism
o Questionnaire- “make” versus “do”
o Marriage quiz
o Hair problem solving activity

Pictures and the teaching of meaning

Pictures have been used to help sts understand various aspects of foreign languages. The pictures
have motivated the sts, made the subject they are dealing with clearer, and illustrated the general idea
and forms of an object or action which are particular to a culture.
Pictures have a role to play in the teaching of meaning even in traditional grammar translation
method.

Contexts, pictures and meanings

When we try to understand someone speaking we normally take into account not only their verbal
language but their appearance, the sound of their voice, their behavior, their relationship to others,
the situation, and the setting. The non-verbal information helps us to predict what the text might be
about. Pictures can represent these non-verbal sources of information.
The teacher has the task of creating a context within which communication that takes into account
both verbal and non-verbal factors can take place.

Establishing meaning
The teacher is responsible for introducing “new” language at a considerable place. The use of
suitable picture in the introduction of language can speed the process by which sts assimilate
meaning.

Bringing the outside world into the classroom

If the representation and reference to the outside world are understood by the sts in the way
intended, then it is hoped they will understand the “new” language associated with them.
Activities may include:
 Using one example
 Using several examples
 Comparing examples
Didáctica de la Lengua Inglesa – Resumen parcial 3

 Contrasting examples
 Diagrammatic pictures, among others.

VOCABULARY, LEXIS and GRAMMAR

Vocabulary typically refers mainly to single words (dog, red) and sometimes to very tightly linked
two- or three- word combinations (stock market, compact disc).
Lexis is a bigger concept. It refers to our “internal database” of words complete “ready-made”
fixed/semi fixed/typical combination of words that we can recall and use quite quickly without having
to construct new phrases and sentences word by word from scratch using our knowledge of grammar.
Lexis includes:
 Traditional single-word vocabulary items
 Common “going together patterns” of words =collocations (traffic jam, blonde hair)
 Longer combinations of words that are typically used together as it they were a single
item (someone you can talk to, on-the-spot decisions)
Grammar refers to the generalisable patterns of the language and tour ability to construct new
phrases and sentences out of word combinations and grammatical features to express a precise
meaning.

Lexis in the classroom

Lexis is a powerful carrier of meaning (meaning is conveyed by lexis alone).
An important consideration for planning lexis work is the distinction between productive and
receptive lexis. Our receptive lexis is the set of lexical items that we recognize and understand, but
tend not to use ourselves in everyday speech.

Devote lesson time

Practise using the lexical items
Find ways that help stsmemorise the lexical items
Recall and use the lexical items appropriately
Before planning lexis work
First: RECEPTIVE LEXIS
Second: PRODUCTIVE LEXIS
Lesson procedures
1. Pre teach lexis
2. Written practice of lexis
3. Oral practise of lexis
4. Reading to find specific information
Lexical practice activities and games
After sts have seen and heard a new lexical item for the first time, they will need opportunities to
become more familiar with it, to practice recognizing, manipulating, and using it. Many simple practice
activities are based around the following ideas:
*Discussions, communicative activities and role-playing requiring use of the lexical items;
*Making use of the lexis in written tasks.
There are many published exercises on lexis. These include:
∞ Matching pictures lo lexical items
∞ Matching parts of lexical items to other parts (beginnings and endings)
∞ Matching lexical items to others (collocations, opposites)
∞ Using prefixes and suffixes to build new lexical items from given words
∞ Classifying item into lists
∞ Using given lexical items to complete a specific task
∞ Filling is crosswords, grids, or diagrams
∞ Filling in gaps in sentences
∞ Memory games.