Suggestions for Teaching Vocabulary |
In his book "Vocabulary Myths," Keith Folse notes that "[ESL students] see acquisition of vocabulary as their greatest source of problems...[However], vocabulary is not dealt with sufficiently...some teachers cover some vocabulary, but this is hardly ever done very systematically. Vocabulary is something that everyone assumes that learners will somehow pick up, much the same way everyone assumes that students will just pick up good pronunciation." (Folse, 2004)
It is therefore essential that vocabulary which is introduced in class be reviewed and reinforced repeatedly. The following are some ideas for recycling vocabulary both inside and outside of the ESL classroom, using Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher.
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Gap-Fill Exercises - Various Techniques |
Gap-fills are an excellent way to reinforce vocabulary, and allow the student to encounter the vocabulary in a variety of contexts. The exercises can be worked on individually or in pairs in class, or can be assigned as homework to be quickly reviewed in class the next day.
The Standard Multi-Word Gap-Fill |
Gap-fill exercises can take various forms; the most common is the standard multi-word exercise with a number of
sentences and words to choose from. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.
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The Gap-Fill with Clues in Root Form |
A challenging variation is a gap-fill exercise in which the words which are gapped are presented in their root form.
In this way, students have to choose the correct word from the context given, and supply the appropriate form of the word,
such as a different derivation or different tense. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.
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Multiple Contexts for One Word |
Another variation which can help students to understand the various derivations for a word is a gap-fill exercise with
several different contexts for 1 word, each showing a different form or derivation. A short example exercise with 5
sentences is shown below.
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Listening Practice with Gap-Fills |
Gap-fill exercises can be presented as language lab exercises. In this exercise, students hear the sentence
rather than reading it, and have to choose the appropriate answer. A short example exercise with 6 sentences is shown below.
The next day in class, students can be shown the sentences that they heard in the language lab. At this time,
they can see if what was said is the same as what they thought they heard. It also offers an additional opportunity
to review and learn the target vocabulary.
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Crossword Puzzles with Gap-Fill Clues |
Finally, gap-fill exercises can be presented as crossword puzzles. Rather than presenting dictionary definitions
as clues, use gap-fill sentences in context! Crossword puzzles are an excellent way to review vocabulary, as students
will immediately know their answers are incorrect if they do not fit the puzzle. In addition, if the students can't
figure out the answer, they can simply count the squares in the puzzle, find words of equal length and then
try to deduce the correct answer. Students who use this strategy should be encouraged to then go back to the
puzzle and re-read the context to see if they now understand. An excellent crossword puzzle program is available
free of charge from eclipsecrossword.com. The program allows you to make a crossword puzzle within minutes.
All you have to do is type in the answer and the sentence clue, and the computer will generate the best
configuration to fit all the words into the puzzle.
A variation on the standard crossword puzzle gap-fill review is the partners' puzzle. Two puzzles are created –
puzzle A and puzzle B. Students get the clues for their partner's puzzle. Student A figures out the answers and
tells them to Student B, who fills in the blanks in her puzzle. Student B figures out the answers to his clues
and gives them to Student A to fill in the blanks in his puzzle. This prevents the students from counting the
number of squares in the puzzle to match up with the appropriate answer. This activity can be done in class
as a race between groups.
Interactive Web-Based Gap-Fill Exercises |
Using Hot Potatoes formats JCloze and JMatch, Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher will automatically generate interactive web-based gap-fill exercises for posting on a class or institutional website.
Web-based exercises are an excellent way of reviewing vocabulary, as students can receive
immediate feedback on their responses, and can review the material at any time from any computer
with Internet access. Short example exercises created using JMatch and JCloze are shown below.
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Using Target Vocabulary in Speaking Activities |
It is equally important that students use the new vocabulary in speaking activities. Two interesting and
effective techniques are described below.
With Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher, you can choose topics for 3-minute warm-up discussions using vocabulary
under study. The students are in pairs and change partners after each topic. In this exercise, the students are
using the vocabulary in a meaningful context. For example, to practise the following vocabulary: torture & subsidize, our class had the following discussions:
Is it acceptable for the police to use torture to get information from prisoners?
Should the government subsidize university education?
Quick discussions can cover a variety of topics, including those relating to experience, culture, opinion
and personal questions. See the examples below.
Experience - What things have you found it difficult to adapt to in this culture?
Culture - What is the most common symbol of your culture, and what does it represent for you?
Opinion - Is violence justifiable in the fight for human rights?
Personal - How do you expect learning English will be of benefit to you in your future?
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The old Find someone who…activity can also be used to effectively review vocabulary, using questions
found in Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher. This exercise is helpful in having the students relate the new vocabulary
to themselves and to their own experience. If someone answers yes to a question, they should be encouraged
to talk about it. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.
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Proverbs and quotations can provide a memorable and thought-provoking review of target vocabulary. Students can
be given a variety of quotes and/or proverbs from which to choose their favourite and can then explain
what is means and why they chose it. Examples of quotes and proverbs found in Gerry's Vocabulary
Teacher are shown below. The square brackets indicate words which the software program could remove
for a gap-fill exercise using the sentences.
Mother Teresa once noted that kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their [echoes] are truly endless.
As Mickey Mouse once said, [mathematics] is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes.
James Matthew Barrie once remarked that God gave us [memory] so that we might have roses in December.
There is a Chinese proverb which states that he who seeks [revenge] should remember to dig two graves.
A Portuguese proverb notes that visits always give pleasure - if not at the [arrival], then at the departure.
There is a French proverb which observes that children have more need of models than [critics].
There is a Haitian proverb which observes that poor people [entertain] with the heart.
Using the techniques described above, teachers can review and reinforce vocabulary in a variety of ways, help the students develop a greater understanding of vocabulary, and meet with the students' various verbal and non-verbal learning styles.
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Do you have a good vocabulary review technique which makes use of Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher that you would
like to share with your fellow ESL instructors? Send it along and we'll be happy to add it to our list and credit you for the idea.
The following texts are highly recommended.
RESEARCH: The following texts offer excellent information regarding recent research into vocabulary acquisition, as well as practical suggestions for techniques and strategies to teach vocabulary in the ESL classroom.
TEACHING: The following texts are excellent resources for helping students to understand and use vocabulary contained in the Academic Word List.
MY FAVOURITE DICTIONARIES! In my opinion, these are simply the best dictionaries I've seen, with excellent information regarding frequency of usage of both written and spoken English, simple, clear definitions, example sentences in context, highlighting of the most frequent 3000 words, highlighting of vocabulary contained within the Academic Word List, and concise collocational information.
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