Ministry of education and science of ukraine

1.2 Introduction of the Vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary skills requires vocabulary instruction that is understood in terms of the following:

Reading vocabulary - words are imperative in understanding the context and the content in reading materials from flyers, books to school textbooks.
Verbal/Speaking vocabulary - children from pre-school to secondary school have an accrued vocabulary list of words that are used in generic conversation and more directed communication.
Writing vocabulary - students learn how to start with the basics of writing sentences to the complexity of constructing research papers and reports.
Listening vocabulary - in earlier grades, students are engaged in active listening skills that contribute new words to their vocabulary. As students transition from grade level to grade level, vocabulary words gained from active communication increases or decreases dependent on the student's intention to learn new words and use them and the teacher's ability to facilitate the learning of new worlds [8, p.221].
Teachers can use specific vocabulary learning objectives in teaching reading vocabulary to students from elementary to secondary grade levels. Teaching strategies can range from simple activities to more complicated project collaborations for students.
Pre-reading vocabulary lists - teachers can have students create pre-reading vocabulary lists when new material is introduced in the classroom or during prescribed reading times during class.
Spelling assessments - assigning students weekly or daily vocabulary lists for assessments not only increases the student's vocabulary, but also their ability to spell words correctly.
Comprehension word walls - teachers can assign each student a word of the day and have each student look up the definition of the world and post the word and its meaning on a designated word wall. Building comprehension increases a student's ability to understand what they're reading.
Multiple word contexts - when students can see words used in a diversity of contexts, then it will enhance their ability to retain the world and use them in different reading experiences.
Journaling vocabulary words - having students put a word a day in their journals is great, but having them use the word in active writing assignments is even better for word usage and retention.
When students are taught new words, they need to understand these essential principles:
Meaning of the word - what's its definition?
Context - how can this word be used in real life? What situations can it be used in and what are the facts that surround this word, phrase or sentence?
Spelling - make sure they spell the word correctly by holding spelling tests and spelling the words out loud. Don't let them confuse homonyms i. e.: bare and bear, see and sea, cell and sell etc.
Pronunciation - how will they say this word? Will the sound they produce be stressed correctly and to the standard of speech?
Grammar - where will this word fit in sentence structure? What role will it play in parts of speech ie: verb, noun, adjective, adverb etc?
Stress - is the word broken into syllables properly when being expressed? un-for-given, dream-er, wa-ter, smi-ling etc.
Accent - are the edges of the word soft or hard? Is the pitch, tone and length of the word said correctly?
Purpose/Register - what purpose does this word have in the occasion it is being used in? Is it being used at a formal event like a wedding, in a more relaxed setting with friends or is it being used casually as slang?
Collocation - These are often two or more words that are often used together by native English speakers. Does the arrangement of the words make sense when placed in a sentence? ie: sleep tight, table of contents, heavy burden, heavy smoker, heavy drinker etc.
Cliché - is this word or phrase so overused that it's lost its original meaning? When an expression becomes so common it takes on a life of its own eg: there's no business like show business. A cliché has a literal meaning whereas idioms have figurative meanings e. g.: let the cat out of the bag.
The key is finding teacher’s personal way of teaching vocabulary. You have to find what works for you and your students. Everywhere we look we see people, places, things and ideas. Everything is called something and has a name.
Words are the life blood to speaking, reading, writing and listening - the four main skills of any language. Communication in any form requires the understanding and use of words. We can't function without vocabulary knowledge and understanding.
Without understanding words, students will essentially drift without focus and be overwhelmed and lost in the English language. The four main skills are the roadmap of life. They need to be able to use vocabulary in all practical situations:
Speaking - at work, school, home, travel, daily conversations, shopping, telephone, plays, debates, reading aloud etc.
Reading - books, magazines, newspapers, journals, online literature, daily situations, maps, road signs, instructions etc.
Writing - stories, notes, essays, letters, applications, medical forms, lists, email, texting, work, school, home, travel etc.
Listening - speeches, events, radio, TV, songs, announcements, games, movies, travel, instructions, conversations etc.
The vocabulary introduction is usually started with the following topics:
Alphabet - discuss both upper and lowercase, proper names, vowels and consonants. Be sure that each student knows and understands the sound that each letter produces.
Colours - talk about primary, secondary and tertiary colours. Mix colours and talk about what they produce. Discuss tints, shades and moods that colours induce. Examples of objects and pictures is always key to give the lesson reality, interest and focus.
Shapes - give examples of all the main shapes and use objects and pictures to display the principles of shape.
Numbers - teach numerical order, placing things in first, second and third place, cardinal numbers and how critical numbers are in everyday life.
Telling time - discuss clocks, watches, how to tell time, o'clock, hours, minutes, seconds and a. m. and p. m. Use a real clock to talk about the aspect of numbers and the different meals or chores of the day and when they occur.
The calendar - talk about special dates like birthdays, holidays, events, days of the week and month names. Create a special calendar in the classroomand first thing in morning talk about the date and stick a themed picture on it if the day is a special occasion.
Seasons - Create scenes, draw and show pictures and get the students to really discuss every aspect of each season. Talk about clothing, weather and nature and how everything changes with each new season. Have a large chart where pictures can be added that reflect all these seasonal ideas and themes.
Thus, we can see pictures of many types and colours can be used successfully to show the meaning of words and sentence. Handmade pictures can also be used as there is no need to be very artistic.
Drawings can be used to explain the meaning of things, actions, qualities, and relations. A line drawing of a head, for example, provides many useful nouns and verbs.
The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that most vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words. Students can acquire vocabulary incidentally by engaging in rich oral-language experiences at home and at school, listening to books read aloud to them, and reading widely on their own. Reading volume is very important in terms of long-term vocabulary development.
Kamil and Hiebert reason that extensive reading gives students repeated or multiple exposures to words and is also one of the means by which students see vocabulary in rich contexts. Cunningham recommends providing structured read-aloud and discussion sessions and extending independent reading experiences outside school hours to encourage vocabulary growth in students [12, p.18].