Rationale for the study
Vocabulary constitutes a cornerstone of language proficiency, enabling learners to effectively absorb and communicate in a new language Researchers like Schimitt (2000) underscore its centrality to communicative competence Laufer, Nation (1999), Maximo (2000), Read (2000), Gu (2003), Marion, and Nation emphasize the significance of vocabulary for English language learners (ELLs), as limited vocabulary hinders successful communication.
(2011) realised that absorbing vocabulary is a necessary process to use the second language successfully and plays an important role in creating a complete oral discourse or a writing text However, there are several reasons why English vocabulary is very difficult for learners One of the reasons is that English has a difficult system of pronunciation For examples, the words “dough”, “tough” and
“bough” are having a same way of writing but they are pronounced differently. Additionally, students find it difficult to remember all the English phrase/collocations Because they are very diverse and unpredictable.
It is very important to find out a effective way to teach English vocabulary,especially for young learners The speed of learning vocabulary in Vietnamese school is quite low Maybe the reason is that the method of the teaching is not suitable The traditional method that the students have to write down new words many time and learn them by heart That method make the lesson become boring.The application of sense relations make the teaching English more effective and interesting From the reasons above, I will carry out a research about “Using sense relations to improve vocabulary learning for 8th grade students at a secondary school in Ha Noi”.
Aims and objectives of the study
The primary goal of the study is to determine whether sense relations can increase eighth-grade students' understanding of English vocabulary in a secondary school. Its inter-related objectives are:
- Determining whether or not sense relations can enhance eighth-grade students' English vocabulary at a secondary school.
- Providing some possible suggestions on the use of sense relations in teaching vocabulary.
Research Questions
In this study, the researcher attempts to answer the following questions:
Do sense relations improve students‘ English vocabulary at the 8 th grade students at a secondary school?
What feasible recommendations are there for using sense relations in vocabulary instruction?
Scope of the study
To determine the impact of sense relations on vocabulary acquisition, a comprehensive study was conducted within an eighth-grade English curriculum at a secondary school in Hanoi's Cau Giay district This focused investigation aimed to ascertain whether incorporating sense relations into teaching practices enhances students' vocabulary comprehension.
2 effects of sense relations on other aspects of English learning and other types of students in other institutions are out of the scope of the study.
Significance of the study
The study aims at determining if sense relations improve learners‘ English vocabulary Therefore, it can be useful for both theoretical and practical contributions In terms of theoretical contributions, this thesis will be served as a reliable and useful reference material about using sense relations in teaching vocabulary for other readers and researchers in their further studies on related subjects For the practical contributions, the findings and results of the research are significant to both teachers and students because using sense relations helps learners acquire vocabulary effectively and easily This is one of the most useful techniques that teachers should make use of to facilitate their students‘ learning.
Methods of the study
To achieve the aims of the study, action research was applied The study was conducted in 8 weeks In the first week, students‘ questionnaire and the teacher‘s pre-interview were used to investigate their opinions on ways of vocabulary learning and teaching At the same time, a pre-test was given to 40 students of a class to find out the students‘ vocabulary knowledge before the experiment was conducted Then, the researcher asked the teacher to implement sense relations to teach vocabulary from week… to week … After that, in the last week, a post- test was delivered to the same population to measure the improvement of the students‘ vocabulary after the treatment After the post-test, a post-interview was carried out with the teacher who participated in the experimental teaching in order to investigate the difficulties she had in applying sense relations to teach vocabulary as well as suggestions for the use of sense relations to teach vocabulary.
Organization of the study
The study is divided into three parts as follows:
This part is a brief description of the research including the rationale for conducting the research, the aims of the study, research questions, scope
3 of the study, significance of the study, and outline of the study
This chapter deals with the theoretical framework of the subject and related studies.
This chapter presents the research context and methodology of the study including the context, the subject, data collection instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis.
This chapter presents the major findings and discussions from the students‘ pre-test and post-test, the questionnaire and interviews.
This part provides a summary of the key findings, implications, limitations, and future suggestions for further study.
DEVELOPMENT
Part 1 presented the overview of the study, its aim and structure To provide a background of the study, this part describes a theoretical framework for designing and analyzing data.
We use words to express our thoughts and feelings in daily life Words are necessary for everything, and these words are referred to as vocabulary Our vocabulary has a big influence on how fluently we can speak English It becomes one of the elements that contribute to improving communication skills Lack of vocabulary will lead to awkward communication circumstances and make it difficult for kids to build on their phrases or ideas As a result, it's crucial that English teachers help their students grow their vocabulary There are a variety of definitions of vocabulary Pyles (1970) asserts that vocabulary is the focus of language with its sounds and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another What is more, vocabulary can be defined as words in a specific language or freestanding items of language that have meanings (McCarthy, 1990). According to Ur (1996), vocabulary is generally defined as "the words we teach in the foreign language." The four language abilities of reading, listening, speaking, and writing are supported by vocabulary as one of the language components. Vocabulary instruction needs to be done correctly because it is a part of language. Additionally, a broad definition of vocabulary is the understanding of words and their meanings (Lehr et al., 2004) Vocabulary, according to Lehr and his colleagues, is more complex than this definition First of all, words exist in both written and oral forms Second, there are two types of vocabulary: receptive and productive Words that can be recognized through reading and listening are referred to as receptive words Words employed in writing and speaking are considered productive.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Vocabulary
We use words to express our thoughts and feelings in daily life Words are necessary for everything, and these words are referred to as vocabulary Our vocabulary has a big influence on how fluently we can speak English It becomes one of the elements that contribute to improving communication skills Lack of vocabulary will lead to awkward communication circumstances and make it difficult for kids to build on their phrases or ideas As a result, it's crucial that English teachers help their students grow their vocabulary There are a variety of definitions of vocabulary Pyles (1970) asserts that vocabulary is the focus of language with its sounds and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another What is more, vocabulary can be defined as words in a specific language or freestanding items of language that have meanings (McCarthy, 1990). According to Ur (1996), vocabulary is generally defined as "the words we teach in the foreign language." The four language abilities of reading, listening, speaking, and writing are supported by vocabulary as one of the language components. Vocabulary instruction needs to be done correctly because it is a part of language. Additionally, a broad definition of vocabulary is the understanding of words and their meanings (Lehr et al., 2004) Vocabulary, according to Lehr and his colleagues, is more complex than this definition First of all, words exist in both written and oral forms Second, there are two types of vocabulary: receptive and productive Words that can be recognized through reading and listening are referred to as receptive words Words employed in writing and speaking are considered productive.
As discussed above, vocabulary can be seen in many different ways In this study, vocabulary refers to the words, compounds and idioms in a language that can be used to conveyed and received information in oral and written communication.
Vocabulary is fundamental for language proficiency Without a sufficient vocabulary, language users cannot convey their thoughts and ideas Vocabulary proficiency is essential for second language learners, as it enhances communicative competence and language acquisition As Krashen (1989) states, "a large vocabulary is, of course, essential for mastery of a language." Without vocabulary knowledge, second language learners face significant communication barriers, highlighting the critical role of vocabulary acquisition in successful language learning.
Nation (2001) further describes the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language use as complementary: knowledge of vocabulary enables language use and, conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabulary knowledge.
The importance of vocabulary is demonstrated daily in and out the school In classroom, the achieving students possess the most sufficient vocabulary.
Researchers such as Laufer and Nation (1999), Maximo (2000), Read (2000), Gu
Vocabulary acquisition is crucial for effective second language use, as it enables learners to form coherent spoken and written texts (Marion, 2008; Nation, 2011) An adequate vocabulary underpins all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) (Nation, 2011) Without an extensive vocabulary, learners cannot fully utilize learned structures and functions for comprehensible communication (Rivers & Nunan, 1991) As Wilkins (1972) notes, "There is not much value in being able to produce grammatical sentences if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what one wishes to say While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed" (p 97).
(1980) and Krashen (1989), as cited in Maximo (2000)state many reasons for devoting attention to vocabulary “First, a large vocabulary is of course essential for mastery of a language Second language acquirers know this; they carry dictionaries with them, not grammar books, and regularly report that the lack of vocabulary is a major problem’’.
Vocabulary poses significant challenges for L2 learners, primarily due to its open-ended nature and the absence of explicit rules like those found in syntax and phonology This lack of structure can make vocabulary acquisition difficult, as learners lack clear guidelines to follow in expanding and developing their lexical knowledge.
In other words, it is not clear in L2 vocabulary learning what rules apply or which vocabulary items should be learned first Oxford (1990) also claims that vocabulary is “by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language, whether a foreign or one’s mother tongue, because of tens of thousands of different meanings” Despite these difficulties that language learners face in L2 vocabulary, they still have to deal with it in their examinations as ‘‘vocabulary has traditionally been one of the language components measured in language tests’’ (Schmitt, 1999, 189) Furthermore, many learners see second language acquisition (SLA) as essentially a matter of learning vocabulary and therefore they spend a great deal of time on memorising lists of L2 words and rely on their bilingual dictionary as a basic communicative resource Nguyen and Khuat (2003) also assert that vocabulary knowledge plays an important role in learning a foreign language.
In fact, vocabulary is a means to help learners communicate well Actually, knowing words and how to use them in suitable contexts are more important than grammar rules "When students travel, they do not carry grammar books, they carry dictionaries"(Krashen as cited in Lewis, 1993:25) As discussed above, vocabulary plays a crucial role in language learning to sustain other language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Vocabulary can be categorized into four types: listening, speaking, writing, and reading Montgomery (2007) defines listening vocabulary as words we understand when spoken, while speaking vocabulary encompasses words utilized in daily speech Writing vocabulary comprises words employed in written communication, and reading vocabulary refers to words we identify or decode in printed text (Elfreida and Michael).
(2005) claim that vocabulary can be delivered in many forms for a variety of objectives In general, the definition of vocabulary is the understanding of word meaning in all of its various (print or oral) forms or varieties (receptive or productive) Print vocabulary refers to the words recognized or used in writing or silent reading, whereas oral vocabulary comprises the words used in speaking or oral reading Receptivity and production are additional vocabulary distinguishing criteria Words in our receptive vocabulary are those whose meanings we understand from reading or listening While speaking and writing, productive vocabulary refers to a group of words Although the term "vocabulary" has many definitions, it typically refers to the understanding of words and their meanings.
Vocabulary teaching
Vocabulary learning involves memory, while grammar emphasizes rules (Thornbury, 2004) Understanding the "mental lexicon"—an organized system in long-term memory—is essential for effective instruction (Thornbury, 2004; McCarthy, 1992; Gairns, and Redman, 1992) This system stores and connects word meaning, form, collocation, syntax, and cultural connotations, allowing for efficient retrieval through multiple channels A crucial task for language teachers is to guide students in effectively integrating new vocabulary into their mental lexicon and maximizing retention (Thornbury, 2004).
Because it requires teachers who are conscious of the significance of target language features, teaching English is not a simple process The process of teaching foreign languages is thought to include teaching vocabulary
A large sight of vocabulary, integrating new words with old ones, providing multiple encounters with a word, promoting deep level processing, facilitating imaging, making new words "real" by connecting them to the student's word in some way, using a variety of techniques, and encouraging independent learning strategies are some of the key principles of vocabulary instruction listed by Sửkmen
Vocabulary instruction involves six steps: introducing new terms, providing multiple exposures, and promoting understanding through sense relations These steps align with Marzano's (2004) instructional processes and effectively enhance student vocabulary comprehension.
Step 1: Explain—Provide a student-friendly description, explanation, or example of the new term.
Step 2: Restate—Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.
Step 3: Show—Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representation of the term.
Step 4: Discuss—Engage students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their vocabulary notebooks
Step 5: Refine and reflect—Periodically ask students to return to their notebooks to discuss and refine entries.
Step 6: Apply in Learning Games—Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with terms.
Commonly, there are several techniques concerning the teaching of'
Effective vocabulary instruction requires educators to prioritize memorization techniques To ensure student retention, new lexical items must be thoroughly introduced, practiced, and regularly reviewed This iterative approach helps prevent rapid forgetting and fosters long-term acquisition.
Concerning with the visual techniques, Gairns and Redman(1980) as cited by Marla, et al (1999:12) says that "there are there form visual techniques; “relia,pictures, and mime or gestures.” Relia means using a variety of real-object brought by the students in the classroom It can be also applied to remember written material Students can act out what they read, or associate physical Ittihad Jurnal Kopertis Wilayah XI Kalimantan, Volume 7 No.11 April 2009 sensation with specific words found in reading passages.
Referring to ideas mentioned above, Klippel (1994:115) implies that
"mime or gesture is useful if it emphasizes the importance of gestures and facial expression on communication At the essence it can not only be used to indicate the meaning of a word found in reading passage, but also in speaking activity as it stresses mostly on communication
This technique pertains to the use of illustrative situation, synonims, opposites, scale, definition and categories More specifically, Marla, et al
1990:3 classifies verbal techniques into four categories: defining a word using synonyms or antonyms, presenting related words in a scale (combining visual and verbal elements), and using synonyms and antonyms to enhance vocabulary Synonyms share the same meaning as the unfamiliar word, while antonyms contrast with it Signals like "and," "or," and "commas" indicate synonyms, and "but," "however," and "although" suggest antonyms.
Ittihad Jurnal Kopertis Wilayah XI Kalimantan, Volume 7 No.11 April 2009 d Explanation; This technique explains the meaning and the use of a foreign word in the foreign language itself.
Taking into account the points of technique presented earlier, it seems that there are several similarities of program for teaching vocabulary development skills to be recognized by Brown (1994:367) He offers some techniques for teaching vocabulary skills, among other are :
1 Determine the goal of teaching, such as: a To improve the reading vocabulary skills of ESL students b To teach ESL students word-building skills c To teach ESL students to guess word meanings from context clues
2 Get student to make word building; that is derived from suffixes, prefixes, and roots.
3 Definition clues, which comprises the parentheses and footnotes, and synonyms and antonyms.
4 Inference clues; These clues have three types, such as example, summary, and experience.
Based on the quotation above, it can be said that the English teachers, before applying those techniques, should know the level of students' competency and the goal of teaching in advance, particularly on teaching vocabulary Also, they should be able to lead the students to learn a new word or some words clearly In relation to the employment of verbal techniques, of course, the English teachers have to regard the length of time and the English textbooks used.
In addition to the previous two techniques, the use of dictionary is another
Ittihad Jurnal Kopertis Wilayah XI Kalimantan, Volume 7 No.11 April 2009 technique in finding out the meaning of unfamiliar words and expression In this respect, the Students can make use a variety of dictionaries, such as bilingual, monolingual, pictorial, and thesaurus.
By Allen, using dictionaries is "passport to independence and use them is one the students-centered learning activities.” (1993:83) Meanwhile, Gerald and Laura (1989:120) state that "dictionaries are more easily used to determine word meaning.” Moreover, Readence (1995:35) adds that "the dictionary definition is shared with a discussion when the words are presented both in isolated form and in the context In conclusion, the use of dictionary is an effective way for the students in finding out the meaning of words.
THE TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING VOCABULARY
Ittihad Jurnal Kopertis Wilayah XI Kalimantan, Volume 7 No.11 April 2009
Vocabulary learning
Acquiring the vocabulary of our first language is not an easy task However,acquiring the vocabulary of a second language especially if the second language learners are young is even more complicated Young learners of a second language are still building up their first language vocabulary, and this development is closely tied up with their conceptual development In fact, young language learners begin the task of first language acquisition without the cognitive maturity or metalinguistic awareness that older second language learners have Although young second language learners have begun to develop these characteristics, they still have far to go in these areas, as well as in the area of world knowledge, before they reach the levels already attained by adults Therefore, in planning and teaching a foreign language, we need to bear in mind this first language background to know what will work and what may be too difficult for children Vocabulary development is not just about learning words, it is also about learning more about those words, about learning formulaic phrases or chunks, or finding words inside them Learning words is not an easy task that is done and finished in a short period of time It is complex since learning words is a cyclical process of meeting new words, followed by meeting those words again and again, each time extending knowledge of what the words mean and how they are used in the foreign language As Cameron points out
―every time children meet familiar words, they have changed and will bring new first language and conceptual knowledge to the vocabulary‖ (Cameron, 2001:74). According to Locke (1993), the acquisition of the word meanings takes much longer than the acquisition of the spoken form of the words so children use the words in
11 their speech long before they have a full understanding of them The vocabulary development is a continuous process in which, children do not only add new words to their existing vocabulary bank but also build up knowledge about words they already know partially Learning a word requires a long time and plenty of exposure to the word used in different situations.
Nation creates a broad categorization of vocabulary learning techniques for vocabulary learning (Nation, 2001) Planning vocabulary acquisition, or selecting words, is the first step Learners should be aware of their vocabulary goals and pick the vocabulary to concentrate on based on those goals They should also have a clear plan for choosing which vocabulary to concentrate on and where to locate it. The learning process can be improved by focusing on specific facets of a word when learning vocabulary (typically the meaning, but it's also important to pay attention to the word's form for hearing and writing) Sources are the second method for acquiring vocabulary Learners must be able to gather information about the words in order to acquire unfamiliar vocabulary and to deal with new vocabulary when it arises Understanding the stems and affixes of words can help you see connections between related words, confirm your assumptions based on context, strengthen the links between form and meaning, and, in some instances, determine the meaning of a word Additionally, using parallels and correctly referencing sources can aid in vocabulary development.
Establishing vocabulary information is the third method for learning new words It entails strategies for retaining language and making it accessible for use Noticing is a common method of keeping track of vocabulary, and it can be a very helpful first move toward more thorough word processing Retrieving improves the bond between the cue and the information that was found To notice is inferior to it Word creation is referred to as generating It represents the next stage in the learning process.
Sense relations
Word and meaning relationships are displayed by lexical semantic relations, also known as "sense relations." (one type of meaning with each other) According to meaning, there are two categories that can be made: the first is "reference," which illustrates the external meaning of a word (what the term refers to in the physical world), and the second is "sense," which illustrates the internal meaning of a word. (its content)
Sense relations show the relationship between words and their meaning `to Kess
(1992), Miller (1996) and Cruse (2004), sense relations can indicate many kinds of relations as follows:
A group of words that have a similar general meaning and can therefore be used interchangeably in a few specific situations are said to be synonyms According to Palmer (1976:88), synonymy alludes to a word's similarity in meaning, so we say that a group of words has the same meaning as another word or that they are synonyms of one another For instance, we can state that word pairs with the same meaning, such as big/huge and rich/wealthy, are synonyms Synonyms, according to Saeed (1997:65), are distinct phonological words with the same or very similar meanings.
Despite the fact that synonyms are described as words with similar meanings, they cannot actually be synonyms However, according to Palmer (1976:89), there are no true synonyms because no two terms with the exact same meaning would endure in the same language For instance, big and huge are synonyms, but in some contexts they cannot be used interchangeably because of distinct collocations.
Antonyms are words within the same part of speech that exhibit opposite meanings, forming the concept of antonymy John Lyon categorizes antonymy into four distinct types, highlighting the diverse nature of this semantic relationship.
Complementary antonymy arises when antonyms do not exist on a continuous spectrum but instead represent mutually exclusive states These word pairs, such as "dead-alive," "male-female," or "on-off," lack intermediate degrees of meaning and express only opposite possibilities (Zhou, 2001).
Gradable antonymy denotes the relationship among pairs of antonyms One antonym of that pair refer one end of a scale while the other antonym denotes the other end, such as long and short etc
This type of antonyms present opposite directions of motion such as come-go and arrive-depart.
Converse antonymy denotes the same situation but from different points of view, with a reversal of the order of participants and their roles; for example : borrow- lend, sell-buy, employer-employee….
Hyponymy refers to the relationship of inclusion When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another, the relationship is described as hyponymy. When we consider hyponyms, we should look at the meaning of words in some types of hierarchical relationship as in figure 1.1.
Clothes shorts trousers T-shirt skirt jacket coat
Figure 1.1: Example of hyponymy relation
Looking at this diagram, we can say that words such as “shorts” and “skirt” are the hyponyms of “clothes”, while “clothes” is the superordinate term; words such as
“shorts” and “skirt” are called co-hyponyms.
Linguistic semantics involve distinguishing between similarities and differences in meaning While identifying differences may seem straightforward, understanding similarities can be challenging This is due to words possessing multiple meanings (polysemy) and the need for learners to differentiate between similar terms For instance, the word "good" can convey different meanings depending on context, as illustrated by the example sentences.
- We had a good time yesterday (good= Pleasurable, enjoyable, or satisfying)
- Bring me a good banana (good= Suitable for an intended purpose)
- That ticket is good for travel on any flight.(good= Generally valid and acceptable)
- It’s a good ten miles to the next gas station (good= Emphatically full or complete)
Another example of polysemy is the word –“fair” Some following examples will show many meanings of the same word – “fair”.
- I thought it was a fair price that my mother was offering {fair (adj) = reasonable}
- Fair weather was forecast for the following day {fair (adj) = dry and pleasant}
- Her knowledge of English is fair {fair (adj) = average, neither very bad nor very good}
- There is a fair on at the park {fair (n) = a public event with games}
Homonymy describes a word that has the same spelling or pronunciation as another word but a distinct meaning Saeed (1997:63) made a distinction between homophones (senses of the same spoken word), homographs (senses of the same written word), and homonyms (the same phonetic word).
Knowing a word entails understanding both its definition and pronunciation It is clear that some words have identical spelling and/or pronunciation but distinct meanings Homonyms or homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but distinct meanings For instance, the terms “right” and “write” are homophones because they sound the same but mean different things.
Moreover, Palmer (1976:101) suggested that ―there are some complications in the fact that we do not make the same distinction in writing and speech Thus “record” (verb) and record (noun) are spelt in the same way but pronounced differently, while “night” and “knight” are spelt differently but pronounced in the same way. There is a problem with words having many meanings, for example: can we say that
―”fan” is a one word having more than one meaning {polysemy} or there are two different words having the same form {homonymy}?
O‘Grady (1987:270) stated that ―polysemy and homonymy create lexical ambiguity in that the single form has two or more meanings For example, the word
Ambiguity in language can arise when words have multiple meanings For instance, "match" can refer to a sporting competition or a fire-starting tool, while "bank" can denote a financial institution or the side of a river This ambiguity can lead to confusion and misunderstandings To avoid this, writers should use precise language that clearly conveys the intended meaning.
Another kind of semantic relations is that the relation between the parts of things and the wholes which they comprise The word "meronymy" refers to a part-to- whole relationship between lexical items For example, “collar” and “button” are meronymys of a “shirt” Relationships which are expressed either with the term
“part”, or which by their position in a part-whole expression signal “part”, are considered to be meronymic and to ‗structure semantic space in a hierarchical fashion‘ (Winston et al 1987: 417 & 418) Sometimes meronymy is a little similar to hyponymy, but they are different in transitivity Hyponymy is always transitive, but meronymy may or may not be A transitive example is that nail is a meronym of finger, and finger of hand We can see that nail is a meronym of hand, because we can say ―A hand
Chapter summary
In summary, this chapter reviews literature related to the subject It is an overview
19 of vocabulary teaching and learning: vocabulary definitions, its importance, types and techniques in teaching vocabulary Moreover, it also provides a review of sense relations that contains the definition and different types such as synonyms, antonyms or hyponyms, their advantages and a review of previous studies related to the present study.
METHODOLOGY
The research setting
A study was conducted at a secondary school in the densely populated Cau Giay District of Hanoi City, established in 1987 The school employs over 100 teachers and staff, including six English teachers, and educates over 1,000 students in 32 classes across grades six to nine.
The researcher selected the specific secondary school for her study due to her existing connection with a friend teaching English there, facilitating the research process The collaboration proved fruitful, as the headmaster's approval and the assistance of the school's educators enabled the researcher to execute the study effectively.
The textbook used in teaching and learning English is ―Tieng Anh 8 published by the Ministry of Education and Training The book is complied with theme-based approach with twelve units which are taught in about 84 periods with three periods per week Each unit mentions one topic and it is combination of Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus Four skills and language focus are often taught in five or six forty-five minute periods Grammar is often taught in language focus whereas vocabulary is not a particular lesson, but is taught within lessons of four skills (i.e., reading, speaking, listening and writing) Therefore, it often takes from 5 to 10 minutes to teach vocabulary in each lesson In the experiment of this
21 study, the students in the class were taught vocabulary in unit 5 and 6 in the textbook “Tieng Anh 8” In addition, ―”Bài tập Tiếng Anh 8” and ―”Bài tập thực hành Tiếng Anh 8” are also used as workbooks for students.
Participants
The study was conducted in a class with the support of an English teacher She joined in the process of experimental teaching for ten weeks She is 28 years old and has 5 years of teaching experience She has taught English since she graduated from Hanoi National University of Education She was energetic and in charge of assisting the researcher with the experiment.
In order to collect data, 40 students from class 8A1 in the academic year 2022-2023 at a secondary school were chosen based on non-random sampling method They were asked to take part in the process of experimental teaching which lasts for nine weeks The student participants are learning English as a foreign language at this school They are fourteen years old, of both genders, with similar backgrounds andEnglish proficiency.
Methods of the study
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative research are adaptably adjusted to be suited for the setting and study goal The researcher uses the student questionnaire and the teacher's pre-interview to learn more about how students learn vocabulary and the teacher's teaching methods in order to aid her in developing the right activities for the experimental teaching Using a pre- and post-testing procedure, the efficacy of using sense relations to teach vocabulary to students is also assessed To learn more, a post-experiment interview was conducted with the English teacher who had taken part in the seven weeks of experimental training.
Action research is the method that is applied in this research The aim of the research was to increase students' vocabulary understanding, and the researcher chose this methodology in order to provide pedagogical implications for both teachers and students in their vocabulary teaching and learning After careful analysis, it was decided that action research was the best methodology for the study. Due to the idea that teachers are the best judges of their own teaching abilities, action research has recently become more and more prominent Many academics have offered definitions and goals for action research; here are some of them:
Firstly, action research, according to its definition, is “small- scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such intervention"(1994; Cohen & Manion) In the educational context where the research is being conducted, the goal of the action researcher to improve the current situation In other words, it entails "small-scale intervention" when a specific issue is discovered; particular measures are taken to bring about the desired adjustments and answers The students' poor vocabulary skills in this study are the specific issue. Secondly, the study's primary goal is to determine whether using sense relations to teach vocabulary to grade 8 students is appropriate and successful “Action research is the name given to a series of procedures teachers can engage in either because they wish to improve aspects of their teaching, or because they wish to evaluate the success and/or appropriacy of certain activities and procedures”
(Harmer, 2002:344-345) Action research, then, is a form of research that is "self- reflective, critical, and systematic" and that aims to identify and thoroughly comprehend the teaching and learning context Additionally, action research, according to Tsui (1993), is a very successful tool for assisting instructors in reflecting on their instruction and developing original solutions to enhance their practice.
Thirdly, as defined by Mills (2003), action research is ―any systematic inquiry‖ conducted by teacher researchers to gather information about the ways that their particular school operates how they teach, and how well their students learn The information is gathered with the goals of gaining insight, developing reflective practice, effecting positive changes in the school environment and on educational practices in generals, and improving student outcomes.
Last but not least, action research is defined as a mixture of the terms "action" and
"research" by Kemmis & Mc Taggert (1982) In order to enhance oneself and understand more about curriculum, teaching, and learning, it puts concepts into practice The goal of action research is to enhance what takes place in the classroom and at school.To sum up, an action research is carried out to improve the current affairs by identifying and addressing a problem in a specific context and with a scientific way Thus, the action research is a truly suitable research method for this study Various writers and academics have developed and recommended various action research models Nunan (1992), who also discussed action research, proposed the following seven steps for a typical action research:
Figure 1: Action research cycle (Nunan, 1992)
As diagram a, the process starts with the initiation, means that the researcher attempts to identify the problem area This is followed by
Action research is a transformative approach that seeks to solve practical problems in educational settings by bridging theory and practice It begins with collecting data to identify the problem, followed by developing and implementing an intervention to address it The intervention is then evaluated to determine its effectiveness Once the study is complete, the researcher disseminates the findings, which can lead to improvements in teaching and learning practices Practitioners then follow up on the findings to ensure their ongoing impact, ultimately enhancing student progress.
According to the above action research cycle of Nunan (1992), this study is carried out based on these following steps in an action research:
The author had previously found that the fact that “ the students’ vocabulary was not very good" based on her experience teaching English at a secondary school. They frequently struggle greatly when learning vocabulary For instance, individuals struggle to remember new words, forget the words they have just learned easily, or struggle to recollect the words when they are needed In actuality, students typically learn new words by writing them in their notebooks, reading them out repeatedly, and then attempting to memorize them.
The researcher used her teaching experiences, the results of the students' questionnaire, the pre-test, and the teacher's pre-interview to study the origins of the aforementioned issues These findings suggest that students had low levels of
25 vocabulary knowledge Moreover, students‘ difficulties, habits and favorite ways of vocabulary learning are identified in the study.
After reviewing initial data, the researcher formed the hypothesis that students' vocabulary is improved after applying sense relations.
Based on the hypothesis above, the researcher suggested using sense relations in the hope of solving the problem In order to help pupils in grades 8 enhance their vocabulary within a span of seven weeks, the researcher urged the English teacher to implement the technique of using sense relations Seven different forms of sense relations were used in three units, "Environmental protection," "Shopping," and
"Natural disasters," according to the language and lesson topic According to Marzano (2004), there were six instructional phases put into practice In the first three steps, a new vocabulary term is taught to the class using sense relations The next three steps provide students with a variety of experiences that they should encounter over time to aid in the development of their phrase understanding The six steps are as follows:
Step 1: Explain—Provide a student-friendly description, explanation, or example of the new term.
Step 2: Restate—Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.
Step 3: Show—Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representation of the term.
Step 4: Discuss—Engage students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their vocabulary notebooks
Step 5: Refine and reflect—Periodically ask students to return to their notebooks to discuss and refine entries.
Step 6: Apply in Learning Games—Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with terms.
The tests and the interviews were the two tools the researcher used to gauge the success of her intervention during the implementation of sense relations.
STEP 6 and 7: DISSEMINATION AND FOLLOW- UP
The researcher stated that the use of sense relations in teaching vocabulary has positive effects on students‘ vocabulary learning For example, students can remember words more quickly and easily, avoid some traditional ways such as translation from the mother tongue to English or using a dictionary Moreover, the researcher gives some suggestions for teachers who want to use sense relations to improve their students‘ vocabulary knowledge.
Data collection instruments
The researcher used three main instruments to collect data They are tests, students‘ questionnaire and the teacher‘s interviews.
Tests are essential tools for assessing an individual's knowledge or skills In the context of education, pre-tests and post-tests are commonly used to measure students' vocabulary proficiency The pre-test, conducted before the implementation of any intervention, establishes a baseline for vocabulary knowledge, while the post-test, administered after the intervention, evaluates students' progress and the effectiveness of the teaching method The tests typically consist of a mix of multiple-choice and gap-filling questions, with content derived from relevant textbooks By ensuring equivalence in terms of content, task types, time allocated, and number of questions, the pre-test and post-test provide a valid means of assessing students' vocabulary mastery and tracking their development over time.
In other words, the items on the pre-test and post-test are identical Students are not given the pre-test answer keys in order to ensure the validity and reliability of the post-test In addition, they are not informed beforehand that they will take another test The test's general objective is to compare student pre-test and post-test scores in order to ascertain the impact that applying sense relations has on students' vocabulary acquisition.
The pre-test is followed by the questionnaire Its goal is to discover more about the students' perspectives on the value of acquiring English vocabulary, as well as on their experiences with and learning habits in this area, as well as about the challenges they face and the methods they choose to use In order to create appropriate and successful vocabulary teaching activities, the researcher uses this tool to gather some useful information The questionnaire has ten (10) questions total, divided into three primary categories: multiple-choice, ranked, and open- ended The survey is broken into the following five sections:
Purposes The number of Question types questions
Students‘ vocabulary learning 2 Multiple –choice time length and levels of questions vocabulary Ranked questions
The importance of learning 2 Multiple –choice vocabulary questions
Ranked questions Students‘ difficulties in learning 2 Ranked questions vocabulary Open-ended questions
Students‘ habits of vocabulary 2 Multiple –choice learning questions
Students‘ favourite ways of 2 Ranked questions vocabulary learning
Table 2.1: Summary of the questions in the students’ questionnaire
Interviews enable thorough discussions on specific areas, providing insights into individuals' perspectives Despite questionnaire limitations in capturing comprehensive responses and clarifying certain answers, interviews were employed to gather additional information Prior to the experiment, the English teacher participated in a pre-interview to assess her pupils' vocabulary growth and usage of sense relations in teaching This pre-interview consisted of four questions inquiring about her teaching experience (Q1), evaluation of students' linguistic abilities (Q2), teaching methodologies for vocabulary (Q3), and frequency of incorporating sense relations (Q4).
Following the 7-week treatment, a post-interview was conducted to assess the challenges faced by the instructor in implementing sense relations and to discuss recommendations for other educators seeking to utilize this approach in vocabulary instruction This post-interview aimed to gather additional insights to inform the researcher's assessment of the effectiveness of sense relations in vocabulary teaching.
Data collection procedure
The table below summarizes the procedure of collecting data for the study.
Week 1 - Conducting the pre-test of vocabulary knowledge
- Conducting the teacher‘s interview before the experiment
- Delivering the students‘ questionnaire Week 2- - Applying sense relations in teaching vocabulary
Week 7 - Administering the post-test of vocabulary knowledge
-Conducting the teacher‘s interview after the experiment
Chapter summary
In this chapter, the research setting, methods of the study, data collection instruments, the procedure of collecting data and the participants of the study were presented in details This chapter includes a detailed presentation of the research setting, study methods, data collection instruments, the procedure of collecting data and the participants of the study The study was conducted in 7 weeks Three data collection instruments in this study are test, questionnaire and the interview The participants are 40 grade-8 students and one English teacher at school Through the pre- test, students‘ questionnaire and the teacher‘s interview in the first week, the researcher determined the problem and decided to implement sense relations in teaching vocabulary to know whether this application was effective or not.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The tests
The pre-test and post-test were given to a class which consists of forty students In the pre-test, the scores of seventeen students (60%) clustered between
27 and 40 out of one hundred The frequency curve of the scores is bell shaped but it is skewed to the left reflecting a very weak level for the students The scores of the students clustered below the pass mark Chart 3.1 shows the frequency distribution of the pre-test scores.
Chart 3 1: Frequency Distribution of Pre-test
In the post test the scores of more than twenty three students (about 80%) range between 78 and 91 The frequency curve of the scores is skewed to the right which indicates far better results than those in the pretest.
Chart 3 2: Frequency Distribution of Post-test
The questions of the tests were set with the aim of measuring students‘ improvement in vocabulary acquisition The mean of the students' scores of the pre- test was (39.17) This indicates a poor achievement The mean was far below the pass mark (50) In contrast, the mean of the scores of the students in the post test was (80.28), which is twice as high as the mean of the pre-test scores It means that the mean score of both tests are significantly different.
In short, the result of the test indicates that the mean score of the pre-test and post- test is 39.17 and 80.28 respectively It is clear that the mean score of the post-test is much higher than that of the pre-test Based on the findings above, it can be concluded that the use of sense relations can help students learn vocabulary better It is also supported by the previous research conducted by Hashemi and Gowdasiaei
(2005) who states that lexical sets help students learn vocabulary more effectively than semantically unrelated ones It is because using lexical semantic relations is a good way in teaching and learning vocabulary.
Section 1: Students’ vocabulary learning time length and levels of vocabulary
The first question in the questionnaire concerned time that students started to learn English The statistic showed that students‘ time length of English learning was the
32 same 100% of the students have learnt English for seven years (since grade 3) It was obvious that students were trained with the same English curriculum and syllabus implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training, so they share the similarity in their acquisition of English vocabulary The majority of students think that they have a low acquisition of vocabulary.
Section 2: The importance of learning vocabulary
About 80 % of the students assume that vocabulary is more difficult to study than other elements like grammar and phonetics Nearly all the students (96 %) are also aware that vocabulary is necessary and important to master a foreign language because without vocabulary, they cannot communicate with other people well.
Section 3: Students’ difficulties in learning vocabulary
Approximately 90% of students consistently experience challenges in vocabulary acquisition, while only 3.4% rarely encounter difficulties Common obstacles include retention struggles with multi-syllable or phonetically complex words, rapid forgetting without frequent repetition, and occasional inability to recall recently learned vocabulary.
Section 4: Students’ habits of vocabulary learning
Writing new words on some 10 34.48 pieces of paper
Sticking new words on the 7 24.14 wall
Learning new words and 11 37.93 their meanings by heart
Table 3.1: Students’ habits of vocabulary learning at home
The table above provides some methods of vocabulary learning that students often used Most of them learn vocabulary by writing new words on some pieces of paper or try to memorize the words and their meanings by heart, while only one student learns new words by reading English-Vietnamese stories.
In this section, the researcher also asked the students about the amount of time that they spend learning vocabulary at home It is indicated that most students (over 80%) spent little time on vocabulary learning On average, they only spend less than
10 minutes every day learning new words It means that they lack motivation for learning vocabulary.
Section 5: Students’ favourite ways of vocabulary learning
The researcher provided some ways of vocabulary learning and asked them to choose the ways that they like learning vocabulary It seems that they prefer learning vocabulary by using pictures and synonyms or antonyms (80%) to learning vocabulary by using translation or definition (5%).
Section 1: Teacher’s evaluation of students’ vocabulary acquisition
Before the treatment, the teacher was asked about the level of her students‘ vocabulary She stated that only 5% of students have high acquisition of vocabulary. The percentage for students who achieve average level in acquiring vocabulary is 40
%, while the figure for students who have low acquisition of vocabulary is 55 %. This means that most students do not have good vocabulary knowledge.
Section 2: Teacher’s techniques to teach vocabulary
The techniques that she often uses to teach vocabulary are translation, definition and visual aids such as picture She also uses some other techniques such as synonyms, but she thinks that they are not very effective Sometimes in order to save time, she writes a list of words on the blackboard instead.
“… Some technique I usually use to teach vocabulary translation,
34 definition and visual aids like pictures Besides, I use some other techniques such as synonyms, but I think that they are very effective. Sometimes, I choose to write a list of words on the blackboard to save time.”
Section 3: Frequency of using sense relations in teaching vocabulary
In order to gain insight into the use of sense relations in teaching vocabulary, the researcher asked her how often she used sense relations in teaching vocabulary She said that she sometimes used sense relations such as synonyms or antonyms to teach vocabulary However, it took a lot of time to use sense relations in teaching vocabulary because the time of a lesson was limited and she thought that teaching grammar was more important than teaching vocabulary That was the reason why she often focused on spending more time on grammar teaching than vocabulary teaching.
Chapter summary
In summary, this chapter analyzed the data collected from the students‘ test, the students‘ questionnaire and the teacher‘s interview Major findings of each section were presented as follows: students‘ vocabulary improvement before and after the treatment, the teacher‘s evaluation of the effectiveness of sense relations in vocabulary teaching and learning, difficulties that the teacher encountered in applying sense relations in teaching vocabulary and some possible suggestions for other teachers who want to implement sense relations in teaching vocabulary.
This chapter presents recapitulation, pedagogical implications, limitations and suggestions for further studies.
Recapitulation
Considering that vocabulary is of great importance in English language learning, the researcher conducted this study to determine the positive effect of the use of sense relations in students‘ vocabulary mastery Three main instruments used in this study are pre-test, post-test, students‘ questionnaire and the teacher‘s interview In this study, two research questions were answered clearly Through the result of the pre- test and the post-test, it is indicated that there is a significant difference between the scores of the students before and after the experiment Specifically, the mean score of the pre-test was 39.17 and the post-test was 80.28 This meant that the result of the post-test is far better than that of the pre-test It proves that the use of sense relations has a positive impact on students‘ vocabulary acquisition and the use of sense relations could significantly contribute to enhance vocabulary learning process of students in terms of understanding and memorizing vocabulary In addition, the result from the teacher‘s interview reveals the advantages and the difficulties of applying sense relations in teaching vocabulary as well as provides teachers with some possible suggestions for the use of sense relations in teaching vocabulary.
Pedagogical implications
The results of this study have several important implications.
Vocabulary plays an important role in learning English, so students need to find the best ways of vocabulary learning They should find out which methods of learning are suitable for themselves Sense relations can be an effective way to help them master vocabulary more easily, so they also should be familiar with the use of sense relations in learning vocabulary at school as well as at home to
39 make vocabulary learning better They should do more exercises related to the use of sense relations to improve their vocabulary.
Firstly, since vocabulary is a very important part of the language, teachers must equip themselves with various techniques and methods of teaching Using an appropriate technique in teaching vocabulary is important because it can affect their students' level of progression They should provide students with not only vocabulary knowledge but also the strategies to access, to memorize and to consolidate the knowledge They should know that choosing a technique to teach a word can depend on some factors such as the topic of a lesson. Secondly, the present study showed that the use of sense relations can be a useful technique in vocabulary learning and teaching, so teachers should use this technique more to facilitate vocabulary learning for students Since vocabulary is not a random collection of lexical items but a systematic network of interrelated items, it seems more reasonable to present and interpret words to students in a systematized way which will exemplify the systematic nature of vocabulary Thirdly, teachers should examine students‘ favorite ways of vocabulary learning with the aim of designing lesson plans appropriately This will help teachers achieve educational outcomes Finally, teachers should design more exercises related to sense relations in order that their students can practice doing them both in class and at home because the time for teaching vocabulary in class is limited.
Limitations of the study
Although the researcher has made efforts to carry out this study, there were some unavoidable limitations due to many reasons such as time limitation and the researcher‘s experience.
Firstly, the time limit resulted in a small size of population involved in the study It was restricted to one class with the sample of 29 students to represent the whole population of a secondary school Therefore, in order to generalize the results for larger groups, the research should be extended its time and the study should have been involved more participants at different levels The second limitation is that the researcher only conducted the study about the use of sense relations in general, not covering kinds of sense relations individually Finally, student‘s vocabulary knowledge was only measured in a short-term period.
Suggestions for further studies
Some topics can be suggested for further studies in the future in order to cover other areas in the same study The field of sense relations had been discussed as a whole, so further studies can be done to cover these sense relations individually For example, some detailed titles such as the role or the effect of synonyms and antonyms in learning vocabulary or the importance of polysemy and homonymy in vocabulary learning can be discussed in the next studies Besides, it is necessary for further studies to consider students‘ vocabulary acquisition by using sense relations in the long-term Also, this study only focused a small sample with 29 students, so other future studies can be conducted with a bigger sample with the same or different contexts to make them more reliable.
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APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Students,
You are kindly invited to fill in the following questionnaire as a part of a Master‘s thesis entitled ―The effects of using sense relations on learning English vocabulary of 9 th grade students in a secondary school in Hanoi.‖ I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions which will be very necessary for my study That you answer these questions does not affect your academic performance.
Please put a tick in the box next to the answer of your choice or write in the space provided as the case may be.
1 How long have you studied English?
Under 3 years 3- 4 years 7 years Over 7 years
2 What do you think about your acquisition of English vocabulary?
High Above average Average Below average Low
3 Which of the following language elements is difficult to study?
4 Do you think that vocabulary is important in learning English language?
Very unimportant Unimportant Neutral Important Very important
5 To what extent do you face difficulties in learning new vocabulary?
Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never
6 Can you tell any difficulties that you often face in learning new words?
7 Besides learning vocabulary in class, how do you learn vocabulary at home? Writing new words on some pieces of paper
Sticking new words on the wall or somewhere in the house and try to memorize them
Learning the words and their meanings by heart
8 How much time do you spend learning English vocabulary every day?
9 To what extent do you like implementing the following techniques in learning vocabulary?
Very Disinterested Neutral Interested Very disinterested interested
Thank you for your collaboration!
APPENDIX 2 PRE-INTERVIEW AND POST-INTERVIEW FOR THE ENGLISH
1 How long have you taught English?
2 What do you think about the level of your students‘ vocabulary acquisition?
3 What techniques do you use to teach vocabulary?
4 To what extent do you use sense relations in teaching vocabulary?
1 In your opinion, what are the advantages of using sense relations in teaching and learning and learning vocabulary?
2 Do you have any difficulties in implementing sense relations to teach vocabulary?
3 How do you evaluate the effectiveness of sense relations in teaching and learning vocabulary?
4 Do you have any suggestions for teachers who want to use sense relations in teaching vocabulary?
1 A dump B bin C junk-yard D throw
II Choose the word that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word or phrase
6 The Internet has some disadvantages.
7 We should use public transports to preserve the environment.
8 You should leave home early to avoid traffic congestion.
A traffic lights B traffic jams C traffic police D traffic circle
10 I‘m disappointed that people have spoiled this area.
III Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase
12 You should turn off the lights to save electricity when you leave the room.
13 We should minimize the amount of rubbish that we create every day.
14 If you throw rubbish onto the water, you will make water polluted.
15 We should burn trash to reduce the amount of garbage.
IV Put the following words in the correct box channel - deforestation – remote control - spraying pesticides- dynamite fishing
5 A dump B bin C junk-yard D throw
II Put the following words in the correct box channel - deforestation – remote control - spraying pesticides- dynamite fishing
III Choose the word that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word or phrase
11 I‘m disappointed that people have spoiled this area.
12 The Internet has some disadvantages.
13 We should use public transports to preserve the environment.
15 You should leave home early to avoid traffic congestion.
A traffic lights B traffic jams C traffic police D traffic circle
IV Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase
16 If you throw rubbish onto the water, you will make water polluted.
17 You should turn off the lights to save electricity when you leave the room.
18 We should minimize the amount of rubbish that we create every day.
19 We should burn trash to reduce the amount of garbage.
APPENDIX 5 SYLLABUS FOR APPLYING SENSE RELATIONS TO TEACH
Topic Competences Lesson Vocabulary SR
Unit - Agree and Getting crier (n), magazine (n), Hyponym 5:The disagree started – newspaper (n) remote Synonym media - Ask for and Listening control (n), channel (n) Antonym give opinions and Reading interactive (adj),
Focus 2 informative (adj), Synonym boring (adj), like (v), prefer (v), love (v), enjoy (v),…
Listening + telegraph (n), Attributive Language assignment (n), viable relation Focus 1,3,4 (adj), journalism (n) Synonym
,commercial (adj), Place relation drama (n)
Reading convenient (adj), Antonym communicate (v), surf CollocationVIII
(v), purpose (n), costly Synonym (adj),limitation (n), get Antonym access to, information leaking (n.p), time- consuming (adj), useful (adj)
Writing advantage (n), Hyponym drawback (n), a source Synonym of education, a source Collocation of entertainment, means of education, … Unit 6: - Persuade Getting garbage dump (n.p), Collocation
The - Complete a started deforestation (n), Hyponym environ questionnaire + Listening pollution (n), dynamite Attributive ment - Write a letter and Reading fishing (n.p), spraying relation of complaint pesticides (n.p), disappointed (adj), shore (n)
Speaking bin (n), trash (n), save Polysemy
(v), traffic jams (n.p), Collocation reduce (v), polluted Synonym (adj), recycle (v), Antonym exhaust fume (n.p) Place relation Listening + sewage (n), pump (v), Synonym Language drop (v), oil (n), vessel Collocation Focus (n), marine life (n.p), Place relation deliberate (adj), waste (n)
Reading junk-yard (n), foam Synonym
(n), hedge (n), folk (n) Polysemy treasure (n), rubbish Antonym (n), minimize (v)
Writing electric shock (n.p) Polysemy prohibit (v), complaint Synonym (n), smell (n), fly (n) Collocation authority (n), catch (v)
APPENDIX 6 SOME ACTIVITIES IN THE EXPERIMENTAL TEACHING
PROGRAM drama news romantic film film sport action film horror film cartoon soccer tennis detective film
Name of the programs Adjectives to describe Verbs to describe
A source of information music Benefits of the Internet
A source of education game self- online lessons online schools
SKILL SPEAKING + LANGUAGE FOCUS 2 (Period 28)
I Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to:
- Ask and answer questions about favorite programs.
- Talk to their friends about the programs they like or dislike.
III Teaching aids: Textbook, chalk, blackboard, handouts, posters
Ss may not have enough vocabulary to talk about the topic, so T should be ready to provide help.
Time STAGES AND TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES Work arrangement
5ms Activity: Brainstorming Group work
- T elicits the topic by asking Ss some questions:
+ What kinds of programs do you like best?
+ Why do you like it?
To practice more about the media, we continue Unit 5- The media, speaking part
II PRE-SPEAKING T – Whole class
15ms - violent (adj): bạo lực (synonym)
- documentary (n): phim tài liệu (hyponym)
- informative (adj): giàu thông tin (attributive relation)
- boring (adj): nhàm chán (antonym)
- opposite (adj, n): trái ngược (antonym)
Steps to present the vocabulary:
+ T elicits the new word with a technique
+ T asks Ss to repeat the word 2 times chorally.
+ T asks some Ss to repeat the word 2 times individually.
+ T writes the word on the board.
+ T asks Ss to give meaning of the word in Vietnamese.
+ T asks Ss to copy all new words.
Nam: You like watching sports, (1) ………… ?
Mai: Not really, Some sports are so violent, and I don‘t
Nam: I‘m the opposite I (3) …… watching sports, and documentaries seem quite boring to me.
Mai: But you (4) ………the news, (5) …………?
Trung: Yes, every day It‘s very (6) ………….
Mai: I enjoy it too You don‘t like foreign films, (7) ……… ?
- T asks Ss to complete the dialogue between Nam and Mai.
You like watching sports, don‘t you?
You don‘t like foreign films, do you?
III WHILE- SPEAKING Pair work
10ms - T asks Ss to read the dialogue in pairs
- T checks their pronunciation/ intonation of tag question
- T asks Ss to pick out sentences showing agreement and disagreement and has them practice.
- Documentaries seem quite boring to me.
IV POST- SPEAKING Group work
10ms Activity: Talk about favorite programs.
- T divides the whole class into 4 groups.
Work in your group and discuss about your favorite programs in
3 minutes After 3 minutes, the leader of each group comes to the board and presents the group’s result.
- T asks Ss to work in pairs, basing on the model to talk about your own music taste.
- T moves around to give help if necessary.
- T calls on some groups to present their work before the whole class.
- Learn by heart the new words.
- Rewrite the last activity in a short paragraph.