sở giáo dục đào tạo lào cai trờng thpt số thành phố lào cai Sáng kiến cảI tiến kỹ thuật đề tài: How to TEACH new words to high school students ( PHơng pháp Dạy từ cho học sinh THPT ) Ngời thực hiện: Lê Thị Xuân Hơng Tổ: Văn- Sử- Địa- Ngoại ngữ- GDCD Năm học: 2013- 2014 TABLE OF CONTENT Chapter I: Introduction Reason for the choice of the study Object of study Field of study Method of study Chapter II: CONTENTS The place of vocabulary in language teaching and learning Some of Vietnamese pupils problems in learning English vocabulary Techniques for teaching new words Showing the meaning of words Using new words Checking new words Active and passive vocabulary Chapter III: Conclusion Chapter I- introduction Reasons for the choice of the study English learning and teaching become a great social demand Pupils when finishing school are required to be able to communicate But in fact, many pupils who have finished school can not satisfy this requirement They find it difficult to learn and remember new words, especially they dont know how to use them in contexts So, teachers task is how to tesch new words effectively so that pupils are able to achieve the aim of fearing language teaching and learning To deal with this problem is not simple I have been very interested in the subject and found it necessary to present some of my techniques to teach new words effectively I hope that it would be of some help to the teaching Aims of the study - To show the place of vocabulary in language teaching and learning - To show some techniques for teaching new words - To show how to give the meaning of new words and how to use them Study method Reading reference books, discussing with other teachers, applying in teaching, observing and drawing out experiences Subjects of the study The subjects in this study are pupils in Lao Cai High Chool No They have to acquire English well enough to be able to communicate in that language as well as to pass the final exam This is the reason why we think they really need the help from teachers Chapter II- content The place of vocabulary in language teaching and learning New vocabulary is one of the basic building blocks in our students' learning Words are important because they are one of the three language components Without words nothing can be conveyed in communication We cant communicate effectively and successfully without words But have we ever put much thought into how to introduce new words? Learning long laundry lists of words can be very tedious for students On the other hand, introducing words in students' native language and then translating them into English or vice versa is not very effective, either We have to start training them to think in English right from the start Needless to say, the language we are teaching should be spoken at all times, even if students are absolute beginners Its impossible to learn words only We teach vocabulary in combination with other language components: pronounciation, grammar, and the four l;anguage skills: listening, writing, reading and speaking Most of English words are polysemantic, i.e a word has more than one meaning, and the meaning of the word depends on the situation No word can have a full meaning when it stands alone Eg.: - Give me a ring tonight Ill be home at 7.00 My boyfriend presented me a gold ring - Ive bought a desk fan Hes a football fan Many English words are polysyllsbic that is having more tha one syllable of which one is stressed Eg.: teacher, continue, dictation, An English word may have different grammatical function in sentence it depends on its position It may be a subjects, object, predicate,An English word may have different forms depending on its part of speech It may be a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, article,.Eg: I have a sister pron v art n Some of Vietnamese pupils problems in learning English vocabulary Because of the interference of the mother tongue, when learning English vocabulary, Vietnamese pupils often make the following mistakes: - They confuse the meaning of the same word - Fail to use the words in the right situation - Fail to spell the word correctly - Fail to pronounce the word correctly, especially stress and intonation - Fail to predict the meaning of the new words Below is the result of the test after the lesson ( Lesson 3) done by pupils from class 11A1 when new techniques are still not applied: No of pupils 32 Excellent Good 10 Average 12 Underaverage 4 Techniques for teaching new words a/ The principles of teaching and learning vocabulary To know a word in a target language, it may mean the ability to: - Recognize it in its spoken and written form - Relate it to an appropriate object or concept ( understanding the meaning) - Use it in the appropriate grammatical form - In speech, pronounce it in a recognizable way - In writing, spell it correctly - Use it with the words it goes with in order to make sentences in real life ( pholology, lexical meaning, grammatical structure, spelling, use,) b/ Techniques for presenting new words Learning a new language doesnt mean learning by heart as many words as possible The most important in teaching is how to use it in the right communicative situation When we teach the new words to the pupils, we try to develop in them two abilities: - To understand the new word as it is used in the situation - To use it for their communicative purposes We teach vocabulary in combination with other language components: grammar, pronunciation and four language skills In teaching new words, we can use a lot of techniques ( remember a word should be introduced in spoken form first) Here are some techniques for teaching new words: - Say the word clearly and write it on the board ( give transcription if necessary) - Show the meaning of the new word ( by using one of the four above techniques.) - Get the class to repeat the word in chorus - Give the word in its appropriate grammatical form and its combination with other words - Give an example to show how the word is used - Ask questions using the new word to check comprehension - Leave the class to make their own sentences with the new word * Vocabulary expansion: When pupils come across a new word, they are likely to be interested in learning other related words, and this presents a natural opportunity for vocabulary development, this is sometimes called vocabulary expansion We could give related words, write them on the board and use the new words in questions to involve the class Showing the meaning of words a/ Showing meaning visually * Visually aids such as pictures, objects, things for the pupils to look at are important - Showing visual focusses attention on meaning and helps to make the language used in the class more and alive - Having something to look at keeps the pupils attention, and makes the class more interesting * This is the list of visual aids: The teachers themselves, the blackboard, real objects, flashcards, pictures, charts, + The teachers themselves: The teachers can use gestures, facial expressions, and actions to help show the meaning of words and to inllustrate situation Most action verbs such as: sit, stand, open, write, ; some adjectives such as: happy, ill, worried , can be taught using mime Example: Presenting the word sneeze T: Look! ( mime sneezing) Atchoo! Ive just sneezed Sneeze Can you say it? P: Sneeze T: Again P: Sneeze +The blackboard: The teacher or pupils can use it to draw pictures, maps,diagrams,etc Words such as: tree, cow, tractor, can be presented in this way + Real objects: Many words can be presented in this way Anything that is already in the classroom such as furniture, parts of the body, clothes Also many objects that can be brought into the cl;assroom: other items of clothing (hats, ties, ), food ( oranges, rice, eggs, ), small objects from home ( cups, keys, bags, ) Example: We can show the meaning of the words such as: watch, window, elbow by siply pointing at them and saying: Look! This is a watch T: Look! This is a watch ( pointing to the watch) A watch P: A watch T: (gesture) What is it? P: A watch + Flashcards: cards with single pictures which can be held up by the teacher They can be used for presenting and practising new words The teacher can draw a picture on the flashcard, or stick on a picture from a magazine Flashcards can also be used to show words or numbers + Charts: Larger sheets of card or paper with writing pictures or diagrams, used for more extended presentation or practice In a word, for suitable vocabulary, it is a very effective method: it is direct, interesting and it makes an impression on the class Of course, not all words can be presented visually if it can be done quickly, easily and clearly b/ Giving examples Another way to show what words mean is by giving examples, using a word in a context It is not necessary to give a complicated explaination, the meaning can be shown by simple sentences This can be done by making statements using the word, or by imagining an example Example: - Presenting the word building: T: Houses are building This school is also a building In big cities there are many buildings- there are hotels, offices, and cinemas They are all buildings of different kinds Building P: Building T: Good What does it mean? ( Pupils give translation) - Presenting the word lazy: T: Some people work hard Others dont work hard For example, I have a brother Hes very lazy He gets up late, and then he does nothing all day I say to him: Dont be so lazy, some work! Lazy P: Lazy T: What does it mean? ( Pupils give translation) A good example should clearly show the meaning of the word to someone who does not know it already Examples are especially useful for showing the meaning of abstract words, e.g : love, happinees, imagine, quality, impossible, etc Traslating a new wordis in itself a useful technique- it is often the simplest and clearset way of showing what a word means But if we only give a direct translation, pupils can not see how the word is used in an English sentence; to show this we need to give an example Instead of telling the pupils what the word means, we can give examples and then ask them to give a translation This checks that they have understood, and encourages them to listen to the word being used in English c/ Substitution This technique can be used with students of all levels and works best with concepts and ideas that can't be easily seen or touched, like abstracts, or anything that is not a real object There are different ways to use substitution: - Synonyms Teacher substitutes one word students are familiar with for another new one When you call someone, you sometimes have to wait? You have to hold Do trains usually run on time? They are on schedule - Antonyms Teacher substitutes one word they are familiar with for its opposite Is a Ferrari a cheap car?(No) Its an expensive car Substitution works very well with phrasal verbs, which usually have a one-word equivalent: Do you put off going to the dentist? You postpone seeing your dentist However, we should be careful when using words that are not exact synonyms or antonyms Remember to imply that the connotation may be different in some cases d/ Using media ( using video) Almost any video can be used to teach English: commercial films, TV programmers, home-made dramas and holiday films Live television programmers are NOT recommended Your method should vary according to the language point you wish to teach and the level of your student(s) Although a handset is ideal, it is not essential Position yourself near the front of the class, to one side - close enough to the video player to work the controls if you not have a handset If the video player is independent of the TV, turn it so you can work the controls easily without interfering with your students' view of the TV screen This medium can be used to pratise consolidate range of language points to introduce subject(s) for debate to encourage conversation amongst students to improve writing skills to introduce new vocabulary to develop listening skills (with visual aid) Few lessons would involve continuous viewing - even with speech-free films Strategic stopping is essential The teacher controls what students see and hear: Films, with excessive bad language, can be shown without sound If the majority of film is good, unsuitable sex or violent scenes can easily be avoided as follows plan in advance how to exploit the remainder of the film knowing the exact counter positions of scenes to be omitted e/ Combining different techniques A combination of techniques can be used frequently to show the meaning of a word Example: Presenting the word smile: Teacher draws a picture on board first T: Look! Hes smiling Now look at me Im smiling ( show by facial expression) Smile We smile when we are happy Smile ( gesture) P: Smile T; Good What does it mean? ( Pupils give translation) Teacher uses different techniques in the demonstration: - Drawing the picture on board ( interesting, pupils remember it) - Facial expression ( to give meaning clearly) - Example ( to show how smile is used as a verb) - Translation ( to make sure everyone understands) Each tecnique is very quick ( a few seconds) and they all reiforce each other Using new words Teacher can use a new word to ask a few simple questions round the class 10 These questions help the teacher to be sure that pupils really understand the word They give the pupils more examples of how the word is used, in a way that involves the class They give a chance to practise other languages Questions using a new word should be simple and require only short answers Example: Teacher has just presented the word market Now he/she is asking questions using the new word, such as: Do you live near a market? Does your mother go to the market? When does she go there? What does she buy? What they sell there? When pupils come across a new word, they are likely to be interested in learning other related words, and this presents a natural opportunity for vocabulary development Checking vocabulary a/ What to check? After teaching vocabulary , every teachers should check their students on vocabulary of pronunciation , dictation , using and meaning If their students give good feedbacks , it means they are successful in teaching vocabulary Therefore , vocabulary are needed to check It means pronunciation , dictation , using and meaning are needed to check Do you think those are all what to check vocabulary ? b/ When to check ? In my opinion , After teaching vocabulary ,we can check our students understanding vocabulary ,or we can check in the end of the lesson as free stages But some teachers check vocabulary while students are practising language skills In short , we can check vocabulary at any stages of the lesson ,provided that our students can understand and use vocabulary to make sentences and practise language skills c/ How to check ? There are many ways of checking vocabulary,They are considered as 11 games such as : noughts and crosses , slap the board , wordsquare , networks , hang man , shark attack , jumbled words , rubout and remember , what and where, matching , teachers should use some of those games to check vocabulary With new text book series, If teachers use games to check vocabulary as well as other skills , they will not onlyget the best feedbacks from their students but also make classroom climate always merry Active and passive vocabulary We not need to spend the same amount of time and care on presenting all new vocabulary, some vocabulaary will be more important to pupils than others In general, we can distinguish two types of vocabulary: - Words which pupils will need to understand and also use themselves We call this active vocabulary In teaching active vocabulary, it is usually worth spending time giving examples and asking questions, so that pupils can really see how the word is used - Words which we want pupils to understand ( e.g when reading a text), but which they will not need to use themselves We call this passive vocabulary To save time, it is often best to to present it quite quickly, with a simple example If it appears as part of a text or dialogue, we can often leave pupils to guess the word from the context Pupils should understandfar more words than they can produce- so we should not try to treat all new words as active vocabulary 12 Chapter III- conclusion Applying techniques above in teaching new words, my pupils findeasier to remember and understand new words More pupils can use new words in contexts These techniques involved pupils much and made them more interested in learning English I have asked 32 pupils at 11 th grade the question: Are you afraid of learning new words?, most pupils said that they had few problems while learning new words Only few find rather difficult to remember all new words and their spelling Below is the result of the test after the lesson ( Lesson 16) done by pupils from class 11A1 when new techniques are applied: No of pupils Excellent Good Average Underaverage 32 17 10 That means I find it necessary to continue these techniques as well as to apply new effective methods Therefore, I have been very interested in the subject, and find it very necessary to present some of effective techniques to teach new words as mentioned above This study is hoped to supply something to the current litarature on methodology As a result, this study is also hoped to be some practical value in teaching English Mistakes and errors are inevitable in this study, therefore, I would like to receive comments and remarks from colleages Lào Cai, ngày 25 tháng 04 năm 2014 Ngời viết 13 Lê Thị Xuân Hơng REFERENCE BOOKS Practical handbook of language teaching (David Cross) A course in language teaching - Practical and Theory (Penny Ur) - Cambrige university press Giao trinh giao hoc phap (Tụ ngoai ng Khoa ngụn ng va hoa Anh - Mi - Uc Trng hoc quục gia Ha Nụi) 4.Phng phap day tiờng Anh Trung hoc phụ thụng (Nguyờn Hanh Dung) 14 Ph lc 1: BAè KIM TRA KHO ST Lp 11- H nm ( Sau bi 3) I Chn t cú phn gch chõn phỏt õm khỏc vi cỏc t cũn li: 1) A report B sorry C reason D coffee 2) A section B question C population D nation 3) A school B kitchen C teacher D watch C drove D is driving C more clear D more clearly C tall D tallest C small D smallest C stupid D most stupid II Chn ỏp ỏn ỳng : He dangerously last year A drive B drives Helen speaks English _ than David A clear She is the most A beautiful B clearly girl in our class B more beautiful That T-shirt is the _ we have in stock A big B bigger A dog is than a cat A as intelligent B more intelligent She cooks well A She is a good cook B She is good at cook C She is a good cooker D A & B are correct My / brother/ read/ fast/ now/ last year A My brother read faster now than last year B My brother reads faster now than last year C My brother reads fast now than last year D My brother read fast now than last year 15 Ph lc 2: BAè KIM TRA KHO ST Lp 11- H nm ( Sau bi 16) Câu 1: Chọn từ có phần gạch chân đọc khác từ lại Khoanh tròn vào chữ A, B, C, D đáp án em chọn A sorry B reason C sport D some A sunny B supper C sure D suburb A teacher B mechanic C school D chemistry A July B my C fly D happy Câu 2: Chọn câu trả lời điền vào chỗ trống sau Khoanh tròn vào chữ A, B, C, D đáp án em chọn Many accidents by dangerous driving A is caused B was caused C are caused D causes Jane peacefully when a loud noise woke her up A sleeps B is sleeping C was sleeping D slept I enjoy Sundays, but I now A wasnt use to B didnt use to C not used to D didnt used to These cars are exported many countries A from B to C for D at Nobody seeps this street very often This street A doesnt swept B isnt swept C isnt sweep D doesnt sweep There areeggs in the fridge A few B little C much D a little What she .at this time yesterday? A is / doing B were / doing C did / doing D was / doing I used to stamps when I was a child A collecting B collect C collected D collects Last night when I to Janes house, she was watching TV A come B was coming C came D comes 10 .his homework done every night by him? A Is B Does C Are D Was 11 When Lan was a student, she used to go to school bike A on B by C from D in 12 The village fair is held a year A one B two C once D second Câu 3: Trong câu sau có lỗi sai Tìm lỗi sai cách khoanh tròn vào chữ A, B, C, D (1 điểm) The cattle is driven out to the field every morning by the farmer A B C D If flowers are not water every day, they will die soon A B C D My brother had only a little days to prepare for the party A B C D My father was drinking tea when my mother was watching TV A B C D 16 [...]... read fast now than last year 15 Ph lc 2: BAè KIM TRA KHO ST Lp 11- H 3 nm ( Sau bi 16) Câu 1: Chọn một từ có phần gạch chân đọc khác các từ còn lại Khoanh tròn vào chữ cái A, B, C, hoặc D đáp án em chọn 1 A sorry B reason C sport D some 2 A sunny B supper C sure D suburb 3 A teacher B mechanic C school D chemistry 4 A July B my C fly D happy Câu 2: Chọn câu trả lời đúng nhất điền vào các chỗ trống... 14 Ph lc 1: BAè KIM TRA KHO ST Lp 11- H 3 nm ( Sau bi 3) I Chn t cú phn gch chõn phỏt õm khỏc vi cỏc t cũn li: 1) A report B sorry C reason D coffee 2) A section B question C population D nation 3) A school B kitchen C teacher D watch C drove D is driving C more clear D more clearly C tall D tallest C small D smallest C stupid D most stupid II Chn ỏp ỏn ỳng : 1 He dangerously last year A drive B drives... Last night when I to Janes house, she was watching TV A come B was coming C came D comes 10 .his homework done every night by him? A Is B Does C Are D Was 11 When Lan was a student, she used to go to school bike A on B by C from D in 12 The village fair is held a year A one B two C once D second Câu 3: Trong mỗi câu sau có một lỗi sai Tìm ra lỗi sai đó bằng cách khoanh tròn vào chữ cái A, B, C, hoặc ... Câu 1: Chọn từ có phần gạch chân đọc khác từ lại Khoanh tròn vào chữ A, B, C, D đáp án em chọn A sorry B reason C sport D some A sunny B supper C sure D suburb A teacher B mechanic C school D chemistry... Conclusion Chapter I- introduction Reasons for the choice of the study English learning and teaching become a great social demand Pupils when finishing school are required to be able to communicate... drawing out experiences Subjects of the study The subjects in this study are pupils in Lao Cai High Chool No They have to acquire English well enough to be able to communicate in that language as