I INTRODUCTION 1 Reason for choosing the topic Vocabulary is the most fundermental factor in learning a language Almost every skill in language learning process requires learners to have ample and goo[.]
I INTRODUCTION Reason for choosing the topic Vocabulary is the most fundermental factor in learning a language Almost every skill in language learning process requires learners to have ample and good vocabulary.Vocabulary is important and necessary for building up a good command of the language.Without vocabulary, it is unlikely that learners could use the language correctly and with confidence.Therefore, Vocabulary is reagrded as the fisst and the most funfermantal aspect a language learner must master before developing language skills Good vocabulary is important for passive skills( reading and listening) It enhances learners’comprehension and understanding of language Good vocabulary is important for active skills ( speaking and writing) Every English conversation that is marked by some idioms and phrasal verbs helps learners’expression become clear, interesting.Essay marked by the good use of academic vocabulary makes learners’s writing become more formal for important purposes Vocabulary knowledge is important because it encompasses all the words we must know to access our background knowledge, express our ideas and communicate effectively, and learn about new concepts Students’ word knowledge is linked strongly to academic success because students who have large vocabularies can understand new ideas and concepts more quickly than students with limited vocabularies The more words you know, the more you will be able to understand what you hear and read; and the better you will be able to say what you want to when speaking or writing However, students have some difficulties in understanding a common reading because of vocabularies Reading texts often contain many new words while their vocabulary is low When encountering new words, they often stop to look up a dictionary This habit takes a lot of time to complete a reading and skkn makes students passive in vocabulary learning, reading comprehension, vocabulary memorization and practicing them All in all, vocabulary is the core of langugae learning It is important and necessary for language comprehension and expression It could be used as an instrument to measure learners’language ability as well as their fluency Objectives of the study Vocabuary play an important part in learing language Therefore, in students’success in school, not only does vocabulary improve reading comprehension but also support students’writing and speaking as well as learing in the context area In this study, I would like to show techinques in teaching vocabulary in English textbook 12 for 12 grade students in order to improve the quality of the lesson, motivate students to learn vocabulary, memerize and apply them effectively 3.Subjects of the study - Techniques were implemented to 12 grade students - 12 grade students of Quang Xuong high school took part in the study They were chosen as the participants of the study because they are going to take GCSE examination and English is core subject Methods of the study In this study, I have used the following methods: - Consolidating experiences - Observing - Reading documents - Studying students’products New points of the study In my study I will introduce some new techniques in teaching vocabulary + drawing + miming and gestures skkn +media + Pictures + semestic field + symnonym and antonym + affixes II CONTENTS OF THE STUDY Rationale of the study 1.1 What vocabulary to teach ? As we know, there are two types of vocabulary They are: Passive vocabulary and active vocabulary Passive vocabulary are words which a student can recognize but not necessarily use in speaking or writing If a student sees a word in their passive vocabulary, he/she will understand what it means Passive vocabulary words are especially useful for receptive skills of reading and listening Active vocabulary are words which students can both understand and use in communication Active vocabulary words are especially useful for the productive skills of speaking and writing A teacher should expect his/her students to understand words in reading and listening before they can use those same words in speaking and writing When teaching, it is best to first train students to recognize words Later the teacher will find the students can actively use those same words in communication 1.2 Principles for teaching vocabulary : If teachers want students to remember new vocabulary, it needs to be learnt in context, practised, and then revised to prevent students from forgetting Teachers must make sure students have understood the new words, which will be remembered better if introduced in a "memorable way" (Hubbard et al 1983:50) Bearing all this in mind, teachers have to remember to employ a variety of techniques for new vocabulary teaching skkn - Provide a context for new words: We will help the students guess the meanings of the new words and remember easilier - Do not present too much new words at once Teach a few words and allow students to practise and use them a lot This will help them remember new words easily - Practising new words in context is more important than memorizing isolated words Students may be required to learn the meanings of words but they must also be given the opportunity to use them productively in speaking and writing - Teach your students skills for guessing new words, especially when reading The meaning of words can be inferred from the different types of contexts and from looking at affixes (parts) of the word - Avoid translation as much as possible If the students are always having words translated, they are really only communicating in their own language , not in Eglish Also, students not usually remember vocabulary that has been translated Only use translation as a last resort, when it would otherwise take too long to communicate in English - Avoid using the dictionary a much as possible When reading or listening, students should first try guessing or ignoring new words so that they can continue without stopping Also using a dictionary when speaking or listening often slows down communication In writing, using a dictionary can be beneficial It helps students express themselves more clearly - Practise the new words in context first Active words are needed to teach first, ignore the passive words Those are the principles for teaching vocabulary In my opinion, if all of us follow those principles strictly, our students won’t find it difficult to remember new vocabulary any more and we will get better feedback from our students Situation before applying the study English is a compulsory subject at school and in the GCSE exam but students, particularly grade 12 students, feel stressful to learn English They find skkn many difficulties in learning grammar, pronouncing, especially in learning vocabulary They don’t have enough words to master reading, speaking, listening and writing skills They also have trouble in doing tests because of the lack of vocabulary Even they can’t find out any suitable methods to follow when they want to concentrate on learning vocabulary Therefore, they ignore reading parts in tests or they complete reading parts without making sure that which answer is correct although reading skill accounts for nearly half of the mark in a test In addition, many teachers of English at high schools don’t spend enough time on teaching vocabulary They only pay attention to grammar or they still use old methods when teaching news words They get students to understand and remember new words passively Quang Xuong high school is a school in rural of Quang Xuong English is a compulsory subject in the national high school examinations However, some of students still not really care about the subject for some reasons They only focus on their exam subjects English is a very special subject, making it difficult for them if they not really concentrate and practice it regularly Besides, they are rural students, the conditions for practicing English are not so great So the academic achievement of this subject is not high and there are still weak students Result before the research in teaching The first term of school year: 2021-2022 Number of Excellent- Rather Average Weak (bad) students good (%) (%) (%) (%) 12T2 41 14 19 12C2 42 16 22 Class Before investigating, proportion of weak students are high accounts for to percent and they are not interested in learning English especially learning vocabulary Solutions to problems skkn There are a lot of vocabulary problems in teaching and learning process The factors can be caused by the individualized teacher, by the method that is used, by the less of motivation and interest of the students in learning English, or perhaps the students have difficulties in mastering vocabulary So in this part of the study, I would like to focus on techniques used in presenting and checking vocabulary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery and motivate students’English studies III TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY There are some effective techniques for presenting the meanings of words Drawing : In the English language classroom, drawing is an engaging and effective way for learners to record, evaluate and explore language Drawing provides pictures that may increase students’positive attitudes towards reading in general The use of simple drawing techniques allows learners to master foreign in an enjoyable way So when teaching vocabulary, teacher can draw picture of word on the board that will quickly convey the meaning E.g: -> happy -> sad Mime and gestures: Using gestures and mime is important when it comes to vocabulary Teacher can use them to elicit certain words and phrases from students When teaching vocabulary, it is also common to associate gestures with words to help students remember vocabulary better Using the same gesture every time you say a particular word or phrase will help these students associate the two This is the way of using actions and facial expressions to show the meaning of words Most action verb ( sits, stand, open…) and some adjectives showing feelings and stantus ( happy, worried…) can be taught using mine and gestures skkn 3.Media ( using video): Almost any video can be used to teach English: commercial films, TV programmers, home-made dramas and holiday films This way encourage students to guess the meaning of words Eg:(Unit 5, text book 12)When teaching vocabulary about cultural identity, teacher can give a short video about a marriage in VietNam and America When students watch video, they remember important words throught imagines on screen: Altar/ Master of celemony/ Banquet/ Groom/ Bridge/ Ancestor/Tray/ Schedule/ Blessing Pictures: We can use pictures to communicate about many types of words E.g :(Unit 5, text book 12) When teaching vocabulary about cutural diversity, teacher uses some pictures to introduce words Traditional costumes Cultural identity belief Trang phục truyền thống Bản sắc văn hóa tín ngưỡng Cultural practices: maintain Phong tục văn hóa trì skkn Antonym and symnonym : a Antonym: are words that have the same or a similar meaning Synonyms can provide students with variety in speech or writing, making it easy for you to avoid overusing the same word and sounding repetitive Some examples of synonyms include the following: Enormous = huge = gigantic = massive Injured = damaged = wounded = harmed Intelligent, clever, brilliant, knowledgeable Look, glance, see, gaze, stare Loyal, faithful, ardent, devoted Old = elderly = aged = senior Organization = institution= management Partner = associate = colleague = companion Polite = courteous = gracious Quick = fast = swift = speedy = rapid Risky = dangerous astronaut = spaceman prohibit = ban b.symnonym: are words that have contrasting meanings Antonyms can be used to help show contrast between two things or give clues to exactly what is meant Below are some examples of antonyms: appear # disappear independent # dependent Achieve # Fail Ancient # Modern Complex # Simple Compliment # Insult Decrease # Increase skkn Demand # Supply Destroy # Create Powerful # Weak Praise # Criticism Problem # Solution Professional # Amateur Random # Specific Simple # Complicated Single # Married Strength # Weakness Tragic # Comic Wealth # Poverty Semantic field : Semantic (or sometimes called lexical) fields are a technique often used to keep a certain image persistent in their learners' mind They are a collection of words which are related to one another be it through their similar meanings, or through a more abstract relation Eg: Teaching vocabulary related to the topics in textbook * Urbanisation (Unit 2, text book 12): densely population, discrimination, indusstrialisation, migrate, overload, overcrowded, umemployment, resolution,slum…… * Green movement (Unit 3, text book 12): biomas, conservation, deplete, geothermal, alternative, renewable, nonrenewable, fossil fuel, organic, purification, replenish, sustainable… * The mass media(Unit 4, text book 12): advent, cyberbullying, documentary, medium, social netwworking, website, press, news,audience, connect, computer, tablet… * Cultural identity(Unit 5, text book 12): cultural diversity,cultural assimilation,culture shock,to abandon one’s own culture, traditional beliefs and customs.to adopt a new culture, to be in danger of extinction,to experience great skkn culture shock,to bring a wide range of benefits to, to have a negative/detrimental impact on…:, to get deeper insight into, to show great respect for,the growing influence of western culture,the disapearance of some minority languages,a multicultural society,people of different cultural backgrounds, tension and conflict,to instil cultural, and traditional values into somebodythe loss of traditional cultures = the disapearance of traditional ways of life… * Work (Unit 8, text book 12): apply for, employer,employee, qualification, candidate, experience, salary, skill, probation, shortlist…… Guessing from context : Have students guess the meaning of word by reading the whole sentence Eg: + Online courses allow learners to study at flexible time + Different learners have different learning styles After reading the whole sentences, students will be able to guess the meaning of words: Flexible: linh hoạt, linh động Style: cách, kiểu Guessing from affixes : Meaning of some words can be mastered through affixes, prefexes Many new words are formed by adding an affix to the beginning or end of a Latin or Greek root or root word When affixes are added to the beginning of roots or root words, they are called prefixes When affixes are added to the end of roots or root words, they are called suffixes.The teacher can use prefixes or suffixes to show the meaning of new words Common Prefixes Prefix antidedisen-, emforein-, im- Definition against opposite not; opposite of cause to before; front of in Examples anticlimax devalue discover enact, empower foreshadow, forearm income, impulse 10 skkn -ity, -ty -ive, -ative, -itive -less -ly -ment -ness state of activity, society active, comparative, adjective form of noun sensitive without hopeless how something is lovely state of being; act of contentment state of; condition of openness riotous, courageous, -ous, -eous, -ious having qualities of gracious -s, -es more than one trains, trenches -y characterized by gloomy Translation : This will save much time ,teacher will give a similar word in the students’ first language Eg: academic (a): học thuật Activate (v): kích hoạt Ambition(n): hồi bão, khát vọng 10 Using dictionary : If we need to save time or communicate about a difficult word, the dictionary might be the best option IV CHECKING VOCABULARY 1.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 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 12 skkn sentences and practise language skills How to check ? There are many ways of checking vocabulary mentioned in other studies However, participants are 12th grade students, using exercises is the best ways to check students’ vocabulary mastery They are considered exercises as reading passage, definition, matching the meaning, symnonym and antonym, gap filling,multip choice… 3.1 A reading passage: + Students are asked to read the passage and will pay attention to the context of the highlighted words Teachers also help students access their prior knowledge of the theme or topic of the passage.This will help improve students’comprehension and figure out the word meaning as well + Depending on the needs of individual students, teachers provide students with a brief explaination of each new word + Teachers guide students’focus and comprehension by having them answer key questions about the story + Teachers invite some students to summarize the story + Teachers encourage students to make more connections to the words so that they can easily remember the words and interact with them in other contexts Eg: ( Unit 8-text book 12- reading skill), teacher ask students to read the text and focus on highlighted words Apprentice Administrator in a Car Dealership A successful car dealership specialising in second-hand cars is looking for an apprentice administrator to provide administrative support for the team This would be a fantastic opportunity for someone looking for an entry-level position in administration as no experience is required The ideal candidate should also be able to work on Saturdays Main responsibilities - Answering telephone calls and responding to emails 13 skkn - Meeting and greeting customers - Filing and entering data - Typing reports and creating spreadsheets - Taking minutes at meetings - Arranging meetings Requirements - 18 years of age or older - Finished school with a National Certificate of Secondary Education - Excellent time-management skills - Good communication skills - Well-spoken and articulate - Responsible and self-motivated - Flexible and eager to learn - Friendly and approachable - Well-organised - Able to work to deadlines and prioritise tasks The successful candidate will be offered: - competitive salary - ongoing training - 12 days of annual leave - long-term job prospects in the company after six-month apprenticeship To apply for this position, send your CV and a covering letter to hr@hungphamcarsales.com For further information, please phone Ms Kim Thanh at 0123975648 Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Teacher introduce the situation of the reading text, encourages students to master the highlighted words’meaning then told them to match these words with the following meanings Write the words in the space provided a person whose job is to manage and organise the public or business affairs of a company or an institution 14 skkn _ administrator _ becoming an expert in a particular area of work or business specialising put tasks or problems in order of importance so that you can deal with the most important first _priortise _ selected for final consideration _ shortlisted _ friendly and easy to understand and to talk to approachable _ In order to help students make more connections to the words so that they can easily remember the words and interact with them in other contexts, teacher encourage students to use these words in the corect form to complete each sentence. prioritize specialize shortlist approach A beauty salon _ in hair and beauty treatment is looking for parttime shop assistants Being friendly and easy to talk to, he is seen as a/an _ manager You can tasks when you deal with the most important task first Don't be pessimistic if you are not the first time you apply for a job Look for other opportunities Suggested answer : 1.specializing 2. approachable prioritize 4.shortlisted 3.2 definitions: + Students are give concise definitions and examples of usage and then exercise set in which they are see and use the words in a variety of contexts.To promote retention, students must interact with each words serveral times over the course of a lesson + Teacher can have a brief discussion about part of speech of some words to help students increase their understanding of the definition and word use 15 skkn + Some students are encourege to use the words in their speaking and writing Eg: (unit 6- textbook 12): The nouns in column A all appear in the passage Match each of them with a suitable definition in column B A Extinction B a The existence of a larger number of differnet kinds of animal and plants which make a balanced envitonment Habitat b The act of preventing something from being lost, wasted, damaged or destroyed Biodiversity c a situation in which a plant, an animal, a way of life stops existing d The natural eviroment in which a plant or animal lives Conservation T word which is suitable with its definition T suggests Ss find words in the text and guess the meaning T checks the answer Suggested answers: 1.c 2.d 3.a 4.b 3.3 Match the meaning: The exercises helps students revise the meaning of the words from the lesson, interact with the words and relate them to their own experiences Eg: Match the words with their meanings.(Unit 9-textbook 12) unique (adj) tip (n) cluttered (adj) tailor (v) personnel (n) a. the department in a company that deals with employing and training people b. very special c. a useful piece of advice about something practical d. full of details in an untidy way e. adapt something for a particular purpose Suggested answer b d a e unique (adj) - very special tip (n) - a useful piece of advice about something practical cluttered (adj) - full of details in an untidy way tailor (v) - adapt something for a particular purpose 16 skkn c personnel (n) - the department in a company that deals with employing and training people 3.4.Synonyms and Antonyms: The exercises helps students revise the meaning of the words from the lesson and expand their vocabulary Eg (unit 3-textbook 12): With the topic “the green movement”, teacher can revise the meaning of the words from the lesson Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions For environmental safety, we need to find ways to reduce emission of fumes and smoke of factories A leak B release C poison D pollutant Nylon is a man-made fibre, the use of which has helped more people to have cheaper and more colourful clothes to wear A natural B plastic C synthetic D artificial The advances of commercial airplanes resulted in a shrinking world A decreasing B reduced C smaller D compressing We have to suffer from traffic congestion and pollution every day A accident B fullness C mass D crowd Many animals were born in captivity Resultantly, they not always breed well A imprisonment B lock C detention D freedom The African rhino is an endangered species and needs protecting A unstable B dangerous C insecure D indefensible We can protect many species by keeping them in wildlife reserves A protected land B saved land C park D Zoo Scientists are trying to find an energy that consumes less fuel A waste B destroy C eat up D use Modern buildings are designed to maximize natural light A absorb B increase C let D diminish 10 It's wise to use local fresh produce which is in season 17 skkn A cars B restaurants C crops D Water Suggested answers 1B 2D 3C 4D 5B 6C 7A 8D 9B 10C Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions The new policy will help generate more jobs A bring out B form C produce D terminate Her only problem is the limited experience because she is too young A narrow B considerable C insufficient D restricted The river is badly polluted with toxic chemicals from that factory A poisonous B harmful C all right D deadly I don't believe in anything he says, he is unreliable A inaccurate B unstable C trustworthy D irresponsible 'If we continue to deplete our planets natural resources, we will damage the environment significantly A use up B add to C reduce D exhaust She stays incredibly focused and is never distracted by others A disturbed B confused C bewildered D concentrated Globally, farmers encroach on forest land to grow crops A leave B invade C make road to D intrude Poverty in many African countries increases the likelihood that people poach animals to earn their living A chance B prospect C possibility D improbability Funds are diverted from conservation to military because of war A redirected B shifted C stayed D turned aside 10 The number of rhinos is in steady decline There are fewer rhinos than ever before A occasional B constant C stable D Persistent Suggested answers 1D 2B 3C 4C 5B 6D 18 skkn 7A 8D 9C 10A Or: Find each pair of antonym from the following: Boring Rewarding Dangerous Difficult Fantastic Easy Fascinating Unsastified Grotesque Safe Suggested answers Boring Fascinating Rewarding Unsastified Dangerous Safe Difficult Easy Fantastic grotesque Or: Find each pair of synonym from the following:(Unit 10- textbook 12) emission man-made congestion consumes maximize increase use release crowd artificial Suggested answers emission release man-made artificial congestion crowd consumes use maximize increase 4.The effectiveness of the study in teaching and learning : Result after the research in teaching The second term of school year: 2021-2022 Class 12T2 Number of Excellent- Rather Average Weak (bad) students good (%) (%) (%) (%) 41 15 19 19 skkn 12C2 42 ≈9 22 11 This quantitative research involved 83 students as its sample The pretest, treatments, and posttest were used in this study The data obtained through test were analyzed to find its mean score and the score of tests The result of the study shown that the excellent-good students accounted from 5- percent after applying the research in teaching help students interested in increased 21% to 36%; rather students accounted from 33-38 percent increased 46-52 percent and no bad students.It means that the students were interested and these techniques are suitable in teaching English vocabulary The study has some certain effects on not only teachers and their teaching but also students and their learning After using new techniques in teaching vocabulary, I and other teachers in my school have had deep understanding that teaching voabulary is not a tedious process but an interesting and active one Students feel motivated to learn vocabulary They find it easier and more exciting to remember new words They are really active learners in many lessonss Vocabulary is not difficult to them any more Their results in the exam are much higher than those of the students in the class in which teachers don’t use these techniques Therefore, the study has an important part in improving the quality of general education in my school V CONCLUSION AND REQUEST Conclusion: To sum up, vocabulary is very important and there are numerous ways of teaching and learning vocabulary Each teacher has her/his own way of teaching vocabulary but the characteristics of teaching vocabulary are the same in any languages The final purpose of every teacher is to enlarge students’ vocabulary in order to help them to be good listeners, speakers, readers, and writters in any languages Techniques I have mentioned above are not all but not least I hope they will bring teachers and learners an effective way to master English 20 skkn ... improve the quality of the lesson, motivate students to learn vocabulary, memerize and apply them effectively 3.Subjects of the study - Techniques were implemented to 12 grade students - 12 grade students. .. (bad) students good (%) (%) (%) (%) 41 15 19 19 skkn 12 C2 42 ≈9 22 11 This quantitative research involved 83 students as its sample The pretest, treatments, and posttest were used in this study The. .. (%) 12 T2 41 14 19 12 C2 42 16 22 Class Before investigating, proportion of weak students are high accounts for to percent and they are not interested in learning English especially learning vocabulary