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Vocabulary is important in teaching as without it a young person would not be able to understand others or be able to express their ideas. Wlikin (1972) stated that '...while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, NOTHING can be conveyed.'
Teaching vocabulary was explored in Understanding Vocabulary
Some young people can simply have a delayed/reduced vocabulary or a Word Finding Difficulty (WFD) - Young people with WFD know what items are called, but cannot retrieve the correct word easily from the ‘word memory bank’ when they want it. This results in the ‘tip of the tongue’ feeling that we all get from time to time.
What does it look like?
What does it look like?
Children with reduced vocabulary / WFD may:
Use non-specific terms e.g. ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘thing’, etc.
Have a disrupted flow of speech due to hesitations, repetitions and circumlocutions (talking about a word rather than using the word because they don't know it or can't recall it)
Say incorrect productions of the target word i.e. giving a word related in sound e.g. ‘plate’ for ‘played’ (Phonological error) or giving the name of a related item e.g. ‘socks' for ‘gloves’ Semantic error).
Use a description instead of the target word e.g. ‘temperature thing’ for thermometer
A child with WFD may say they can’t remember a word, this is often accompanied by signs of frustration and 'oh what's it called now?'
Strategies
Strategies
Let the child hear new words many times in different ways / situations
Encourage the young person to predict a word or guess it's meaning from the context rather than give them the definition (this makes them more active in their learning)
'Hook' new words to things the young person already knows to encourage connections between new and previous knowledge e.g.'this looks like a melon but it's actually a mango'
Set up tasks that encourage using the words to help add words into their expressive vocabulary, allow them lot of opportunities to repeat the word
Help young people develop their categorisation skills
Make a visual vocabulary book for each lesson that can be referred to
Use word walls in the classroom
Reinforce the use of the word through games
Involve the parents (encourage them to use the games at home)
Use the word maps/wheels when teaching vocabulary to establish good 'storage'
If a young person struggles to access a word use cues - it is better to allow them to find a route to access the word themselves rather than simply tell them the word;
- Phonemic Cues: These cues use sounds. For example, if the missing word is science you could cue that word by making an extended "S" sound, “It starts with Sssssss”.
- Semantic Cues: Try using category clues. For example, if the missing word is cat, you could cue that word by saying, "It's a pet", “It has fur”, "it meows". Give examples of what the object is used for e.g. if the missing word is hammer, you could say, "It is used to hit nails."
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