TeachingEnglish
Reviewing vocabulary
Submitted by TE Editor on 23 September, 2009 - 17:12
I usually have a section on my board or flip chart where I write up new words as they come up during a lesson. If there are no classes in the room after me I often leave the vocabulary on the board. When I come back to the room with the learners for the next class I spend a few minutes reviewing the vocabulary, often by asking the learners to explain the words. This is also useful if people have missed the class before, and especially effective in dedicated classrooms in offices and businesses.
By Paul Kaye
How do you review vocabulary? Tell us - leave a comment below.
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Comments
Vocabulary needs to be viewed in and out and across contexts at least 20 - 30 times before that piece of vocabulary is known and likely to be in the student's personal lexicon. My tip for helping students learn vocabulary is to develop a 'language box'. Each day at the end of the lesson students write new words on a piece of paper. This then goes into the 'language box'. Next day, as a warmer or an activity further into the lesson, any number of activities are created.
Students choose a word from the box. They can ask their neighbour what it means, or give the meaning and ask their neighbour to provide the word. They can play part word game - show only part of the word and students try to guess what the rest of the word is. In the meantime, they are reviewing other words around it, they can write sentences with the word. They can decide on a synonym, or an antonym, they can work on collocations. They can also say what connotation this word has, discuss this with their neighbour and see if the neighbour agrees.
Another way is to make the word negative or positive by using prefixes. Most of these activities involve, reading, listening, speaking and more than likely a lot of thinking and last but not least writing. This is the optimum lesson for a warmer - students learning how to use new vocabulary. An example of task, but also using the lexical approach.
Excellent idea, Margaurina! I will definitely use it with my students. The question is how long must words be kept in this "language box", and when you replace old pieces of paper with words on new ones , do you keep them somewhere or just throw out?
Thanks
Irina
One good way to review vocabulary is to ask the students to study the word list for 2-5 minutes. Then you hide the word list or they close their books. You ask them to get a blank sheet on which they try to list all the words that they studied in 2 minutes. Then they exchange sheets for 1 minute and get their sheet back to continue listing more words. After that, they ask each other about words they dont know in their partner's list. And finaly, they open their book or the whiteboard for the wordlist to check their spelling.
It was a good idea, Paul. And I also agree with what Margaurina wrote about how to 'load' some new words into students' mind so they can be yours forever. Most words often don't have a single meaning, so it is very important to show the different meanings by asking the students to write their own sentences in different situation using the word.
The idea of finding (showing) the synonym and antonym and the derivations is also very great. I often show these to my students, and how to use them in different context.
I've been studying in the U.K for almost 5 months specifically in Cambridge, during that time I was writing the words in a piece of paper and I was always looking for a free time to review all the words that I've got, even if I didn't do that, my communication with the others in everywhere would be enough to keep the words in mind, nowadays, I went back home, and facing some problems in communicating, I don't speak English continuously, so, I started to forget some words and I got thousands of words, it's pretty hard to go over them all from time to time.
My question is:
Is there any good idea would help me getting my words back?
Hi, Seso it's nice to read your problem. If you've got no one to speak English why don't you arrange the words you used to write on pieces of paper into a funny song? Take the familiar melody and put the words as lyrics. You can sing it whenever you want. The other way is to keep reading English materials. I always bring in any English book wherever I go. It keeps your mind refresh at all time. Even the same book which you've read many times. Sending sms is one of the best way I think. Good luck !
Very good tips Paul and Margaurino. I have used language box but not in a school. I used to use it when I was working with American adults. They used to bring new words that they have learnt from their host families and present it others describing this word or giving synonym, antonym or just drawing it. But unfornately I didn't make activities . I'll keep it in mind. In order to review vocabulary I do some vocabulary games that I posted here in my blog in my classes. Next year I am planning to use either language box or writing the words on a flipchart. Thank you for these useful tips.