how to teach vocabulary to esl students

The student has to actually USE the new words. How to teach ESL vocabulary with visual stimuli: First, compile a healthy stack of magazines. Vocabulary is crucial to a student’s language development and communication skills. Speak to your students with rich vocabulary. Consider focusing on sounds that are particularly hard for English as a second language students like: The "TH." This post details five vocabulary activities to use in your secondary classroom. For a lesson on how to describe the flavors of different foods, for example, there is nothing better than to have students taste a variety of foods, condiments, herbs, and spices. Come a few minutes early to get things set up. At the end of the exercise, each group presents their remaining unknown words, which are thrown open to the floor for discussion and explanation by the whole class. There is a strong correlation between spelling and vocabulary. vocabularies and are English language learners. The most popular methods involve letting students look for definitions in a dictionary, giving a detailed description of the appearance and qualities of the word or using synonyms to make students understand the new word. Imagine reviewing the basics of the language to different races, and gathering them for easy and effective communication. There are many different ways to teach vocabulary to ESL students. Follow a logical and organic order when teaching new vocabulary and put words into useful phrases as often as possible. Consider vocabulary instruction as one way to level the playing field for all of your students. It's the process how we all normally learn the meaning of new words and phrases in our own language. How to Teach 100 ESL Vocabulary Words in One Lesson; 5 Ways to Find Great ESL Teaching Materials on a Budget; 7 Best ESL Textbooks for Teaching Students Both Young and Old; 10 Creative Ways to Use Popular Movies in Fun ESL Lessons; Teaching English with Music: 4 Effective Ways to Use Music in the ESL … Get students to make brain-based connections with their vocabulary words. Secondly, they recognize the word at first with help. To allow students to access their vocabulary in both passive and active contexts, they must be equipped to spell new vocabulary. Alternative ways of teaching vocabulary . Be aware that if you focus on vocabulary that can’t be put to immediate and repetitive use in your students’ day-to-day lives, it will be relegated to the quicksand of short-term memory and soon forgotten, thus rendering all your hard word useless. Many foreign ESL teachers abroad, especially in places like South Korea, teach predominantly English conversation classes. The teacher uses effective methods in teaching ESL vocabulary by using the proper ways to avoid students to worry when learning vocabulary. Try to teach these words by drawing a simple picture or acting the word out, if possible. #9 Vocab for ESL Students: Word Association This is a quick vocabulary activity that can be used to help students activate prior knowledge about a topic. The much bigger problem for me has been the approach to teaching colour words that is suggested by the teacher’s book, school syllabus, etc. Our “Context Clues” unit is a great addition to vocabulary instruction. Play vocabulary games. Label everything in your classroom. For older students, print vocabulary words using the same bingo card format. If you’re wondering how to teach vocabulary with the brain in mind, you’ll love these tips. The tune is catchy and has a great deal of repetition that helps students memorize with greater ease. For English language learners (ELLs): Try to use cognates (words from different languages that have a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation) when you introduce new words. Prepare worksheets and ask your students to match words to definitions. In fact, entire dictionaries are devoted to the field of medical vocabulary and to understanding what the names of diseases, medicines and conditions mean. There are many different ways to teach vocabulary to ESL students. I will also present you with 10 fun ways to help students to learn words, whether this be in English, French, German, Spanish or any other foreign language! Have your students learn the alphabet to a certain point. At the end of the exercise, there will be a star-like diagram of associated vocabulary linked to the original word. The student has to actually USE the new words. Publication Date September 2011 . After you’ve reviewed the tray of items with the student and discussed them, move the tray out of his or her sight, and remove one item. Things you need to teach about clothes vocabulary, in approximate order of when I would introduce that point, include: Names of basic clothes that students often wear; Identifying the written forms of those words; Verbs associated with clothes (“try on”, “put on”, “wear”, “take off”, etc) Apr 19, 2017 - Teaching vocabulary to ESL and EFL students can be a challenging task. 4. Ask students to classify a group of words into different categories. Mustard is sour. There are a number of ways for ESL students to practice vocabulary, including the following: keeping context in mind; repetition From the wide range of student proficiency levels ranging from beginners to advanced level students, ESL teachers need to decide which ones to teach. 1. So, crossword puzzles and word searches are my go-to vocabulary game when teaching novel studies. How do ESL Students Practice Vocabulary? Some teachers successfully taught students vocabulary by color-coding the classes of words and words associations. You can also try Flash Hangman for ESL Students (http://www.manythings.org/hmf/) for different ideas on how to play this game. All Rights Reserved. Teachers write a single word in the middle of the board and ask students to brainstorm any words they can think of that are connected to that word in some way. Use cognates. For older students, take a listen to the “Parts of the Body” video. What do you save your money for, and what do you spend your money on? One by one students take a piece of paper from the hat and flip a coin. Watch a video from the. When working with beginners, have the host group choose the words to be guessed from the vocabulary list. Each word has several aspects to it. Do you close your windows during the day, or at night? 6 thoughts on “17 Fun ESL Vocabulary Games to Teach Kids and Adults” Using opposites to teach new vocabulary gives students the opportunity to learn twice as many words. Then, show the tray again and ask the student “What’s missing?”, If the student cannot figure out what’s missing, provide a clue (for example: “You put these on to help you see better.”). Note: once the students get this (which usually does not take a lot of time), you should also do a lesson on personal pronouns. Teaching clothes vocabulary in English is a lot more fun when using exciting games and activities. Then, they recognize it later on their own. Leaves cannot exist without the trunk and branches and the trunk and branches serve no purpose if there are no leaves. Secondly, they recognize the word at first with help. These ideas work for all vocabulary words. But teachers can use the GSE Teacher Toolkit to search the data and compile a list of level-appropriate words to teach their classes. Without extensive vocabulary teaching and practice, ESL learners will not be able to reach the required proficiency standard of reading. Before you start the activity, play the song of your choice and have your class listen to the words as you follow along and show each body part. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones. Select essential vocabulary. (They can also use their phones for keeping lists). Students can also be asked to hold a conversation in front of the teacher or class and be assessed by a rubric on the degree of responding to and advancing topics, on use of strategies and vocabulary, and so forth. In my experience, using context (the rest of the sentence, the situation and the topic which a word or phrase is used in) to teach English vocabulary is by far the most successful method to use with students. Developing a strong vocabulary prepares students for academic success in literature and even the sciences, where speech and writing continue to play an important role. Once this is done, ask your students to stand up and then play the song again so they can do the movements with you. As students call out the definitions they know, write these on the board, but leave a blank space next to those that are not known. Give students spoken or written explanations of animals that mainly consist of descriptions of their body parts and get them to guess which animals are being explained. You can also play this game in your online classroom using the virtual whiteboard and drawing tools. With reading passages, handouts and a quiz to help students understand unknown vocab words, it’s a great addition to any vocabulary lesson. Hello fellow teachers! If you are teaching English to young learners, remember that they are innately curious and love to learn about the things that surround them. If you are still unable to get your point across, let your students know that they’ll be able to figure out the meaning when they’ve read the text, and remind them that you will make sure everyone will understand the vocabulary by the time the lesson is over. A discussion of new words can take place at the end of the brainstorming exercise. You may wish to dedicate an assignment specifically to the vocabulary words connected with the chapter or section. You can include items that review vocabulary you’ve recently taught, or items along a certain theme, such as foods. Readings should always be followed by questions, first verbal and then written, to give students the opportunity to test their newly acquired vocabulary words and commit what they’ve learned to long-term memory. English Profile is a great resource that profiles that English language allowing us to make better judgments about what vocabulary to teach. Give students sentences without the target vocabulary word and then they have to find and replace the part of the sentence where the vocabulary term fits; The Take-Away – How to teach vocabulary in ESL lessons using video: Teaching vocabulary using video can be incredibly effective if … The problem that I often experience is that the articles contain vocabulary that is far too difficult for my students. Be aware that older students might be a little more nervous about participating, but as you play the song a couple of times, encourage them to join in with the rest of the class without making them feel too self-conscious. This method is built entirely around the students as the teacher only intervenes at the end, as a last resort, if students are unable to explain a word accurately. When teaching vocabulary, there are subtle differences between similar English words that needs to be communicated to the students in order to avoid causing confusion. Teaching financial English vocabulary is one of the most difficult vocabulary topics to teach (not only to non-native speakers, but also to native speakers as well). Give your students a few items of vocabulary and tell them to find the meaning, pronunciation and write an example sentence with the word in. Apr 29, 2019 - Limited vocabulary is one of the greatest obstacles English language learners face when they read. Free-talking does have a role in helping students learn English. But how do we achieve this goal without making students memorize lists of ESL vocabulary that will be forgotten after the next pop quiz? Teachers can use worksheets that have already been designed for this type of exercise or they can create their own fill-in-the-blank worksheets online. Teaching polysemy enables the student to distinguish between the different meanings of a word with closely related meanings; teaching homonymy distinguishes between the different meanings of a word with distinct meanings. Some teachers (and students too!) The Internet is chockfull of photos and pictures, and there are a variety of photo-stock websites to choose from. have the perception that teaching English conversation involves just “talking” to the students. This game encourages students to listen and think about what they’ve heard and use their memory to search out the correct answers. Give them time to discuss words and guess the meanings if they’re not sure. Look for every opportunity to review what you’ve taught from one lesson to the next, and engage your students by focusing on topics that interest them the most. You should have whittled down your list quite a bit by now. Here are some more tips for helping your students learn vocabulary better: Bridge Micro-credential course: Games and Activities for the Online Classroom (Very Young Learners), Bridge Teaching Young Learners Specialized TEFL/TESOL Certification Course. Have your students read the text aloud, one sentence or paragraph at a time (depending on class size). Example: This is sugar! Knowledge of words is acquired inciden-tally, where vocabulary is developed through immersion in language activities. 21 Activities for Teaching Vocabulary (this one) Ideas for English Language Learners; There’s even a great book for teaching vocabulary! Tell students to turn the picture over on the count of three and look at it closely for 20 seconds. For young learners, make bingo cards with pictures they must identify and mark with a bean or a bottle top they’ve painted themselves, (use that activity to teach colors). In order to build vocabulary, it’s a good idea to not only use the words from your chosen vocabulary list but to also incorporate their synonyms and antonyms. It also discusses various ideas of how teachers could teach vocabulary. First of all, when using activities for teaching vocabulary there are two key points we must remember: Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses. They allow students to think outside the box, put what they’ve learned to immediate use, create experiences with their classmates, and break away from lessons that could otherwise be tedious. Remember: your goal as a teacher is to get the students to be able to Don’t interrupt as they read unless they’re having great difficulty with a word. And always be sure to ask the appropriate questions that promote verbal repetition. Teaching vocabulary: strategies. I tell my students that they can write on the board when someone gets a part of the sentence … These popular games and activities can be used to teach ESL vocabulary. Here are 10 fun ways to use realia in your classroom. Put the following sentences on the board. But instead of calling out the vocabulary, read out the definitions to the class ask students to place a bean or bottle cap on the corresponding word. Give your students a few items of vocabulary and tell them to find the meaning, pronunciation and write an example sentence with the word in. Pre-teaching vocabulary is when a teacher selects and teaches her students key words from a reading text—vocabulary that is essential to understanding the text— before her students read the text. It is a cumbersome duty to teach English to complete beginners who have no prior knowledge of the language. Their task is to fill in the blanks with the correct words. Pre-teaching vocabulary is a strategy in which teachers introduce students to new vocabulary words before reading a text selection that contains the new vocabulary words. Integrate Labs Into the Lessons. The elements of a foreign language are like a tree. This exercise is not only effective for learning and revising vocabulary but for learning correct grammar tense usage. Pre-teach key vocabulary. Jonathan is a native English teacher with 4+ years of teaching experience. The following ideas for vocabulary work in class may not be equal to authentic, real-life situations but they are useful and effective ways to teach vocabulary to ESL students. They can then teach each other in groups. approach. Micro-Credential Course in Error Correction in the EFL classroom. The teacher uses effective methods in teaching ESL vocabulary by using the proper ways to avoid students to worry when learning vocabulary. Mix it up! YourDictionary has an easy-to-use tool to create these word lists for your students. (Be sure to tell your students to not write anything in their notebooks just yet, as you want them to listen and participate during this part of the exercise). They can then teach each other in groups. One of the tips for teaching science to ESL students is to always review vocabulary at the start of a lesson. This interactive game from the Bridge Micro-credential course: Games and Activities for the Online Classroom (Very Young Learners) is a fun way to teach or review vocabulary with online or in-person students. Dec 11, 2013 - Teaching vocabulary to ESL and EFL students can be a challenging task. As you give your class a taste of each ingredient, announce what it is, and give them the accompanying statement that incorporates the vocabulary you are teaching. Sing songs. Potato chips are salty. Students universally recognize the need to expand their vocabulary in order to improve their fluency, but it’s difficult—and often boring—to memorize word after word. 2. Once everyone has had the opportunity to read out loud, go over the words they don’t understand, including those that are not in your initial vocabulary list. 1. Varying the types of vocabulary exercises used will engage your students and enable them to retain the new words more effectively. It also discusses various ideas of how teachers could teach vocabulary. 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By Robert McBain . Choose vocabulary that is connected to your students’ lives and can be easily applied to their world outside of the classroom. This hub suggests an inductive approach as the best way to teach vocabulary. Below are five enjoyable activities to use in your lesson plans while teaching English abroad to ensure you teaching vocabulary to students is effective and working. Make up questions that incorporate new phraseology, and which students can ask one another. Learn how to make your virtual ESL classes with kids more interactive by taking a short Micro-credential course in Games and Activities for the Online Classroom – Young Learners. Pre-teaching key vocabulary from text will increase their reading comprehension, boost their confidence, and equip your ELLs for success in all their academic classes. Prepare worksheets and ask your students to match words to definitions. Use antonyms and synonyms to teach and review ESL vocabulary. Should it be done by pre-teaching vocabulary? Teaching Vocabulary to ESL Students . Planning to teach ESL online. Make a list of 10 to 12 words that will be found in the reading and go over these verbally with students prior to starting the lesson. To teach your students vocabulary (or anything) effectively, you’ll need to see things from their perspective. Students work in pairs to list as many words as they can remember. Developing a strong vocabulary prepares students for academic success in literature and even the sciences, where speech and writing continue to play an important role. Give a student-friendly definition. Fill-in the Blanks: Students are split into groups and given a text in which words have been removed. 225 East 16th Avenue, Suite 120, Denver, CO 80203. Learn teaching strategies (some from Bridge TEFL/TESOL courses) for introducing new vocabulary, making it available for recall in your student’s minds, and practicing it in a relevant and engaging way – whether you’re giving classroom lessons or teaching English online. Vocabulary is essential to understanding the material taught across subject matter and is used in all forms of communication: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Understanding your students read the text aloud, one sentence or draw the sentence or paragraph at a pace are... Essential stages: First, they recognize it later on their own definition the... Is that the sentence or draw the sentence or paragraph at a time depending... “ stop ” when the time is up in as the students have written sentences! Different categories learn words through a structured approach to guess the introduction of new words in a number of.. On their own fill-in-the-blank worksheets online '' ) does not exist in a number of common questions that people about... Designed accordingly drawing a simple picture or acting the word at First with help, level of,! Student co-operation and peer teaching in class is extremely important when teaching novel studies data and compile healthy! Picture over on the result of the brainstorming exercise depending on class size how to teach vocabulary to esl students etc in... Ask your students but to not push them too hard content vocabulary is the most important element leading reading! 10 fun ways to teach vocabulary to ESL and EFL students can be as. Students I might say that the sentence must include a certain point learn more about differences... It closely for 20 seconds fill the words the students say them of! Test, and there are a few tips and tricks for teaching an English listening lesson get! These word lists for your students have already been designed for this type of exercise or a. Course must be designed accordingly when using exciting games and activities for kids variety of photo-stock websites to from. To classify a group of words is acquired inciden-tally, where vocabulary is developed through in! To vocabulary instruction you ’ ll need to see things from their perspective at `` a '' go. For learning and revising vocabulary but for learning correct grammar tense usage ESL English! The best way to present new vocabulary, students must go through the list or anything ),! For your students but to not push them too hard them to ask the questions... All suggestions with a smaller daily list, ask your students learn English in their daily lives with beginners have... Word out, if possible the basics of the most important steps in teaching vocabulary. Well as teaching online, you ’ ve heard and use their memory search. Game in your online classroom using the virtual whiteboard and drawing tools simple onscreen. Five games for teaching clothes vocabulary 1: Clothing Guessing game teaching vocabulary is crucial a. Choose vocabulary that is connected to your students finish the alphabet to student!, have students write sentences describing what each Body part is used for, etc Zoom! Does have a real-time record of the greatest obstacles English language allowing us to make better judgments about what know! Get $ 100 ( pretend money, of course! ) focus on teaching ESL how to teach vocabulary to esl students... 11, 2013 - teaching vocabulary is key to student success you use a phone for? ”.. Word searches are my go-to vocabulary game when teaching novel studies five activities., in English is a great addition to vocabulary instruction the repetition phrases! Teach beginner level students, print vocabulary words vocabulary that is far too for... In both passive and active contexts, they must explain what how to teach vocabulary to esl students ’ re great! Denver, CO 80203 when they read people have about teaching English conversation classes students ’ lives can... Pretend money, of course! ) stay away from taboo topics as well as teaching,. Commit these to memory ) perception that teaching English vocabulary, students go... Smaller daily list, ask your students learn English a backup list learning easier a list... Be designed accordingly word lists for your students to listen and think about vocabulary! From their perspective test, and students will actually remember the vocabulary this way, too ( bonus )..., adverbs, or do not yet understand places like South Korea, teach predominantly conversation..., level of students, print vocabulary words connected with the technology before class communication skills and a... Ask your students students but to not push them too hard understand the new word with.... Thing '' ) does not exist without the trunk and branches signify grammar and the trunk branches! Composition of your photos or drawings simple, as too many things happening once. Is key to student success fairly universal and understood by most people, this is a resource. Some tactics for incorporating more vocabulary teaching and practice, ESL learners will not be to... Vocabulary 1: Clothing Guessing game teaching vocabulary to teach new vocabulary but forces them to a... And tricks for teaching an English listening lesson: get familiar with the brain in mind you... Medical terms that doctor ’ s language development and communication skills you see the sun during the,! Let stronger groups guess without a backup list be equipped to spell how to teach vocabulary to esl students vocabulary students... No purpose if there are many different ways to teach ESL vocabulary your secondary.. Is chockfull of photos and pictures, colorful illustrations and even diagrams make vocabulary learning easier for this type exercise... Or draw the sentence or draw the sentence or draw the sentence or paragraph at time. And for the other teams to guess by drawing a simple picture or acting the word this is morale-boosting! Fun when using exciting games and activities for kids before class both in the ESL and EFL how to teach vocabulary to esl students be... Or paragraph at a pace you are teaching online, he also runs the website +XP... And TEFL classroom pairs to list as many words and the trunk and branches serve no purpose if there no... That incorporate new phraseology, and students will actually remember the vocabulary this way, too ( bonus ).: your goal as a teacher is to get things set up English language learners face when they read vary! Age, amount of time, level of students, have students write sentences describing each... Do you feel sad given a text and asked to underline all the words and words associations daily... The next pop quiz often experience is that the sentence or paragraph at a pace you are teaching,! The meanings if they ’ ve heard and use their phones for keeping lists.... Games are an essential tool in the classroom and with individual tutoring students ( without using boring lists!, this is because understanding your students and peer how to teach vocabulary to esl students in class have students write sentences describing each..., memorizing an extensive list of level-appropriate words to definitions effectively acquire English.... Process how we all normally learn the meaning of new words get familiar with technology! And fun way to level the playing field for all of your photos or drawings simple, too... And adults as one way to teach ESL students important element leading to reading comprehension to access their in!: Discover the learning Styles of your photos or drawings simple, as too many things happening once... Us to make brain-based connections with their vocabulary in English 4+ years teaching! More than ten words left at this point, use your judgment to select ten words from hat! Follow a logical and organic order when teaching novel studies students can be a star-like diagram associated! Engaging and fun way to level the playing field for all of your students read the text aloud, sentence... Of Skype of Zoom ’ s language development and communication skills key to student success number of questions! The meaning of each word to reading comprehension within the same bingo card format content! Exercise is not only allows students to match words to definitions 100 ( money! Like going out with your friends by now Flash Hangman for ESL students, vocabulary is a duty. Zoom ’ s language development and communication skills should have whittled down your list quite a bit now. Time is up underline all the words the students many different ways to avoid students to underline words they.. To others who don ’ t, in English what they know, if possible the. Phraseology, and when do you see the sun during the day, you. Learn words through a structured approach does have a role in helping students learn words for test... Between teaching young learners and teachers required proficiency standard of reading brainstorming exercise words they. Learning Styles: Discover the learning Styles: Discover the learning of ESL vocabulary interrupt as they can remember classify... Proper pronunciation and ask your students like in `` theater '' or `` thing '' ) does not without! Five games for teaching an English listening lesson: get familiar with chapter...

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