How to deal with unfamiliar words in enlish tests for high school students

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT THACH THANH HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE “HOW TO DEAL WITH UNFAMILIAR WORDS IN ENGLISH TESTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS” Written by: Le Thi Huong Position: Teacher Field: English THANH HOA 2021 THE BRIEF OUTLINE OF EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE Content Page I Introduction 1 Rationale of the topic Aims of the study The object of the study Scope of the study Method of the study II Content Definition or explanation 2 Surrounding words Synonym 4 Antonym 5 Cause and effect Illustration Purpose or use Groups or examples III Conclusions The results of the study 1.1 Results of the first test 1.2 Results of the second test 1.3 The chart compares the results of the tests Conclusions from the study Limitations of the study Recomendations 10 10 I INTRODUCTION Rationale of the topic For language learners in general, and for English learners in particular, learning vocabulary is an important and decisive part of learners' success or failure When it comes to learning English, vocabulary is always the first thing that comes to mind It is the basis, the foundation from which learners can continue to build and develop other language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing Therefore, learning vocabulary is always considered by learners as the starting point and the most important task during the learning process Vocabulary is the medium we use to convey our thoughts, ideas and feelings, and the means by which we know about the world around us Because vocabulary is the basis for developing other language skills, besides practicing skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar, vocabulary development for students, especially High school students so that they are able to pass important exams is always the main task of the teacher Actual observations show that most students learning English often read in English very little, because vocabulary always interferes with the reading process and makes them not understand Insufficient vocabulary has made students find reading comprehension extremely difficult, leading to psychological phenomenon of avoiding reading Through initial survey data for 12th grade students, more than 85% of our students are currently afraid of reading comprehension the most As a result, the reading comprehension section of the test is the part that students least effectively Based on the theory that language learning strategies can be taught to students, I bravely spent a number of periods to teach students some strategies to guess the meaning of words based on the context when encountering new words During reading comprehension, avoid interruption because students have to stop many times to look up the dictionary or ask teachers and friends, which takes a lot of time For all the reasons, I would like to conduct my research on the topic: “How To Deal With Unfamiliar Words In Enlish Tests For High School Students” Aims of the study The main aims of the research are: - To be able to develop reading comprehension skills for 12 grade students to help them the reading part of tests and exams most effectively through teaching and guiding them to practice skills and strategies, guess vocabulary through context - To provide teachers and students with some interesting and helpful strategies so that they can apply them to Reading Parts or Closest/ Opposite meaning Parts in English tests in order to get the best results for their English exams - To help students to realize their talent and abilities through each activity - To improve my teaching skills and fulfill my career passion The object of the study The objective of the study is some useful strategies that can be used in teaching students some strategies to guess the meaning of words based on the context when encountering new words Scope of the study - Research topic for grade -12 students at Thach Thanh High School - Number of classes (90 students) Which includes: + 30 students of class 12 A + 32 students of class 12 C + 28 students of class 12 D - The duration of 12 periods Including: + 04 theory periods + 08 practice periods - The study period was weeks (November 2020) The results of the study were compared and analyzed through two tests The first test was administered before the students participated in the study, the second test was administered weeks after the students participated in the study Method of the study - In order to have complete and highly reliable data to answer the question, I used a combination of two research methods: + Analyze and compare students' scores on the Comprehension Reading Test before and after participating in the study + Using a questionnaire (Questionnaire) - The research topic is divided into phases: + Stage 1: Providing theory and illustrative examples + Stage 2: Practice + Stage 3: Testing II CONTENT HOW TO DEAL WITH UNFAMILIAR WORDS In order to understand what you are reading from an English text, you need to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words (words you not know) from the context This will help you read faster and easier There are many ways that we can use to guess the meaning of unknown words Let’s examine some: Definition or explanation A writer might give the meaning of a difficult word in the passage itself The explanation might follow a comma or a dash after the difficult word This is especially used for place names, technical terms, and other words that even native English speakers might not be familiar with For example, in the sentence “New and knew are homophones—words that sound the same but have a different spelling,” “words that sound the same but have a different spelling” is the meaning of homophones In the following sentences, find the words that mean the same as the underlined word Ex: a We visited Narvik, a town in the northern part of Norway b When she fell, she broke her ulna, a bone in her arm c When I was in Germany, I enjoyed Schweinebrauten, which is a type of roast pork Note: Pay attention to some key words that are often used by writers: Key words is/are means/mean is/are called what this means is is/are known as consist of is/are defined as refer to is/are described as may be seen as Ex: a Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices you pay for things you buy an unfamiliar word = inflation signal word = is the definition = a rise in the general level of prices you pay for everything you buy b Someone who explores and studies caves is known as a spelunker an unfamiliar word = spelunker signal words = is known as definition = someone who explores and studies caves Surrounding words Another way you can guess the meaning of a word is through the relationships of the words around it For example, in the sentence, “After the heavy rain, the ground was saturated with water,” you should be able to guess that the word saturated means “completely wet,” because that’s what happens to the ground after a heavy rain Ex: a The company lures workers with high salaries and good working conditions A organizes B fires C attracts D angers b In the United States, the transition from one President to the next one is generally smooth A payment B understanding C search D change c The swimmer dived into the pool at one end and swam under water to the other end, where she emerged from the water A came out B dried off C sank to the bottom D injured herself Synonym The writer may refer to the same thing using a different word in another part of the sentence, or in a later sentence In that case, if you know the meaning of the second word, that will help you understand the meaning of the word that you don’t know “That vase looks very fragile With young children in the house, I have to be careful with breakable things.” In these two sentences, breakable and fragile seem to mean something similar Therefore, you can guess that something that is fragile must break easily Ex: a Gary is being paid more than $400,000 per annum This yearly salary allows him to live very well A in cash B for his services C during the summer D each year b The company president’s veracity has been questioned, but we not doubt his truthfulness A honesty B ability C luck D finances c Ms Aaron showed a lot of strength after her daughter died Everyone admired her fortitude A sadness B courage C niceness D appearance Antonym A writer might also contrast the word that you not know with a word or idea that you already know In that case, since you can see the opposite of what the word means, you can guess what the word means “That statue is in a precarious position Please move it somewhere that it won’t fall.” Here, precarious is contrasted with “somewhere that it won’t fall.” Therefore, a precarious position is a position in which something is in danger of falling Ex: a Most Americans are monolingual, but I don’t think that’s good Everyone should learn a second language A speaking one language B very quiet C happy D traveling overseas b At first, our problems seemed insurmountable However, now I think we’ll be able to find solutions A not able to be explained B not able to be solved C not able to be understood D not able to be discussed c Though the artist has died, her art will be immortal A forgotten B beautiful C eternal D damaged d The writing style I used in my report was too colloquial, so my boss asked me to write it in a more formal manner A casual B repeating too much C unusual D simple Cause and effect Your knowledge of cause and effect is useful in helping you understand words that you not know “Your statement of purpose is ambiguous, so we don’t understand what you intend to do.” If the result is that the reader does not understand, the cause may be that the statement was unclear, so ambiguous means “unclear.” Ex: a The journey across the mountains was perilous, and several people were killed A long B unnecessary C beautiful D dangerous b Dean forgot to turn off the water in the bathtub, and the bathroom was inundated with water A flooded B baked C melted D boiled c The insects are so microscopic that you can hardly see them A ugly B dangerous C small D quiet Illustration A writer might give an illustration related to the word that might help you understand the word For example, in the sentence, “Harry is so parsimonious that he won’t spend an extra penny if he doesn’t have to,” not spending an extra penny is an illustration of being parsimonious You can see that parsimonious means “too careful with money.” Ex: a After his long illness, Dave was so frail that he could hardly get out of bed A fearful B weak C unhappy D thankful b Glen belongs to a pacifist religious group, and he is not allowed to join the army A with many members B with strict rules C opposed to war D well known c Please replenish the supply of stationery I want you to buy letter paper and large envelopes A replace B use up C write on D send d I really enjoy the solitude of the mountains—being alone with nature A closeness B height C beauty D privacy Purpose or use In some cases, the writer will mention the purpose or use of an object , and this tells you what the object is For example, in the sentence “I used a cherry pitter to remove the seeds from the cherries,” the writer tells you that a cherry pitter is something used to remove seeds from cherries In the following sentences, find the words that tell what the underlined object does Ex: a The pilot used the altimeter to see how high the plane was b With a whisk, I stirred the eggs c Use a spatula to turn over the pancakes Groups or examples The writer might give groups of things or examples that tell you about the meaning of the unfamiliar words Ex: They marvelled at our dishwasher and dish-dryer They fell in love with the automatic coffeemaker, the microwave oven, and the food blender They wanted to take our rice cooker and toaster home with them They had never seen such appliances before III CONCLUSION The results of the study 1.1 Results of the first test Total: 90 students The Number of students Percentage Score or more 61 67.78 % Score less than 29 32.22 % According to the table above, a total of 90 students participated in the test reading comprehension before participating in the study Of which, 61 students got points or more, accounting for 67.78%; 29 students have below average scores, accounting for 32.22% 1.2 Results of the second test Total: 90 students The Number of students Percentage Score or more 87 99,67 % Score less than 03 3,33 % According to the above table, a total of 80 students participated in the reading comprehension test after participating in the study Of which, 87 10 students achieved points or more, accounting for 96.67%; there are only students with below average scores, accounting for only 3.33% 1.3 The chart compares the results of the tests 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 87 61 points or more Less than points 29 Before participating After participating According to the chart above, we see that before participating in the study, students were weak in reading comprehension skills The number of students who not achieve the average score is still very high But after weeks of participating in the study, we see that students have made significant progress From only 61 students scored average or higher (67.78%) increased to 87 students (96.67%) Meanwhile, the number of participating students with scores below decreased significantly, from 29 students (32.22%) to only students (3.33%) Conclusions from the study Basing on the results obtained in the above study, we draw the following conclusions: - Teaching word guessing strategies for high school students in order to overcome current students' weak vocabulary helps them improve their reading comprehension in tests, exams, has brought about positive effects, and should be widely adopted - High school English teachers should strengthen teaching and training students more reading comprehension strategies, strategies to guess words through context, encourage them to boldly guess semantics according to logic Therefore, they should not try to provide a lot of vocabulary in the form of lists of many words like a dictionary when they find students weak in vocabulary 11 - The reason students not well in the reading comprehension part of the tests and exams is partly because they are weak in vocabulary, not know how to rely on context to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words Limitations of the study - The number of students and teachers participating in the research topic is limited, not completely reliable enough to be able to draw comprehensive and extensive conclusions in teaching and learning English - The sample of students and teachers participating in the study is limited, not representative of all students and teachers today - The results and conclusions of the research are for reference only, there should be more similar studies in other high schools for further testing and consolidation - Limited research ability of the researcher, the researcher is also the teacher who directly implements to find the answer to the research question, so it is difficult to avoid subjectivity This is my personsal study, so some mistakes are unavoidable I hope to get any comments from kind-hearted colleagues so as that my research will be better Recomendations: Because the research topic is conducted in a limited and not typical context, in order for the conclusion of the topic to be applied more widely, I suggest that more similar research topics are needed in various locations in the province Thank you so much! THE CONFIRMATION OF THE HEADMASTER Thanh Hoa, May 17th 2021 I hereby declare that this is my experience initiative and that no parts of the initiative have been copied or reproduced by me from any other’s work without acknowledgement Writer Le Thi Huong REFERENCES 12 Brown, H D (1972) Cognitive pruning and second language acquisition The Modern Language Journal, (pp 218-227) Coady, J (1997) L2 vocabulary acquisition through extensive reading In J Coady & T Huckin (Eds.), Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition (pp 225-237) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Denning, K, & Leben, W (1995) English vocabulary elements Oxford: Oxford University Press Gough, P (1984) Word recognition In P D Pearson (Ed.), Handbook of reading research (pp 225-253) New York and London: Longman Johnson, D., & Bauman, J (1984) Word identification In P.D Pearson (Ed.), Handbook of reading research (pp 583-608) New York and London: Longman Kenji Kitao (1994) Developing Reading Strategies Eichosha Liu, N & Nation, I.S.P (1985) Factors affecting guessing vocabulary in context RELC Journal Nation, P & Coady, J (1988) Vocabulary and reading In R Carter & M McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary and language teaching (pp 97-110) London and New York: Longman DANH MỤC 13 CÁC ĐỀ TÀI SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG ĐÁNH GIÁ XẾP LOẠI CẤP PHÒNG GD & ĐT, CẤP SỞ GD & ĐT VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: Lê Thị Hương Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Giáo viên Tiếng Anh Trường THPT Thạch Thành TT 2 Tên đề tài SKKN Một số phương pháp khích lệ học sinh nói tiêng Anh trường THPT Ten games stimulate students’ interest of learning Language Focus Some attractive games for the grammar of unit 8,10,12,13,14,15- English 10 Cấp đánh Kết giá xếp loại đánh giá xếp loại Sở GD&ĐT C Năm học đánh giá xếp loại 2010-2011 Sở GD&ĐT C 2013-2014 Sở GD&ĐT C 2016-2017 14 ... lot of time For all the reasons, I would like to conduct my research on the topic: ? ?How To Deal With Unfamiliar Words In Enlish Tests For High School Students? ?? Aims of the study The main aims of... Stage 3: Testing II CONTENT HOW TO DEAL WITH UNFAMILIAR WORDS In order to understand what you are reading from an English text, you need to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words (words you not... in teaching students some strategies to guess the meaning of words based on the context when encountering new words Scope of the study - Research topic for grade -12 students at Thach Thanh High