Teaching Tips on Dictionary Use

Dictionary Skills

In order to help learners find the information they need when using a dictionary, Schofield (1982, as cited in Peregoy & Boyle, 2013) suggested a seven-step procedure which is shown below on the left. Also, Terban (2007) developed a series of dictionary skills which are described in the PDF document on the right.

Using a Dictionary for Comprehension Schofield 1982.pdf

Dictionary Skills Terban 2007.pdf

The following video clip is an infomercial that promotes the use of The Oxford Picture Dictionary For Kids English-Spanish (Keyes, 1998) as a resource for young learners and newcomers whose native language is Spanish. The price suggested in the video is not the real one. This infomercial was made as an assignment for one of the courses at Greensboro College.

Where do new words come from? - Marcel DanesiThere are over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language. Yet every year, about a thousand new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Where do they come from, and how do they make it into our everyday lives? Marcel Danesi explains how new words enter a language.

This video summarizes what learners should take into account when using a dictionary. Some of the features presented in this video clip are also introduced in Terban's (1997) guide (Dictionary Skills).

References

Danesi M. (n.d.). Where do new words come from? TEDEd. (Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-new-words-come-from-marcel-danesi)

Help teaching (2016, February 11). Vocabulary lesson: Using a dictionary. YouTube. (Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=26s&v=DxLh4dpARj8)

Peregoy, S. F. & Boyle, O. (2013). Reading, writing, and learning in ESL. A resource book for teaching k-12 English learners (6thEd.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Schofield, P. (1982). Using the English dictionary for comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 16(2), 185-194.

Terban, M. (2007). The ultimate spelling & vocabulary reference. Easy-to-use guide. Lutherville, MD: Flying Frog Publishing, Inc.

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