Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary instruction is a topic that's important for all teachers to think about. I think we would all agree that ALL of our students, not just the English learners, could benefit from an increase in vocabulary, particularly in academic terms. Vocabulary is one of the most important aspects of language development, because if you don't know what a word means, you simply can't understand what is being said or written.

Imagine reading a paragraph about a treaty that ended a war, and not knowing what the word treaty meant. Even if you knew every other word and the text was written at a level that was comprehensible to you, you wouldn't be able to understand the paragraph until you learned the meaning of that one specific word. That's why it is so important for ALL teachers, not just English teachers, to focus on vocabulary needed for their academic subject.

So we know that vocabulary is important and that it needs to be explicitly taught in all subjects. But how do we do it other than giving students a list of words and a dictionary? Below is a list of vocabulary instruction strategies and tips that you can incorporate in your classes with both ELs and native English speakers.

  • Choose what words you teach carefully
    • Don't teach words they already know
      • Have students rate words -- never seen it, have seen it but don't know it, know it well
    • Teach words that will be useful to students beyond the lesson/unit
    • Limit the number of words taught at a time
    • Consider teaching figurative language and connotative meanings of words (such as how "stool" and "throne" have different connotations)
  • When introducing new vocabulary:
    • Have students say the word out loud. If they don't know how to say it, they're not going to use it!
    • Discuss word parts--prefix, suffix, ROOTS (tie in to The Word Within the Word!)
    • Consider making a word wall or even word poster for each unit
    • Have students act out or illustrate the word
    • When possible, allow students to experience the word--show pictures or bring in an example
  • Pre-teaching vocabulary is very important
    • Define important terms prior to reading a text
    • Teach terms that are important for upcoming concepts although they may not be in a particular text. For example, if you're doing a debate, teach words like rebuttal, argument, claim, etc.
    • Go over terms BRIEFLY before reading. Don't take too long or students will lose interest!
    • After reading, go back and highlight the pre-taught vocab and discuss how each was used
    • One method for pre-teaching involves giving a worksheet with 4 parts per word: the word, the meaning, related words, and a picture
  • Oral language practice is the best way to reinforce vocabulary so that students remember
    • Encourage students to use academic vocabulary when they speak. "Pour that stuff in there" --> "Pour the solution into the beaker." "Draw a dot on the line" --> Draw a single point on the y-axis." "Does it say that?" --> "Can you show me some textual evidence?"
    • Explicitly teach academic language such as identify, summarize, predict, etc. A good way to do this is to provide sentence frames. "As a result of ___________, ____________ occurred." "_______________ was significant because ________________."
    • Have students work with the words. Put them in groups and have them sort words. You can tell them "sort it in a way you think makes sense," or give them guidance, such as sort by vowel sound, part of speech, category, etc. You can also have students choose a set number of words and create a story using them.
  • Games are always a hit with students, and vocabulary practice lends itself well to games!
    • Use vocabulary words in a sentence
    • Write down words that rhyme with vocab words
    • Write synonyms/antonyms
    • Make new words from the letters in a vocabulary word
    • Alphabetize vocabulary words
    • There are lots of online vocabulary activities and games, but I know most of us have very limited computer access, so email me if you want some good websites!
  • I recently learned about the Picture Word Induction Model (PWIM). In a nutshell:
    • Show a picture that relates to the unit topic (for example, in my ESL 1 class we just did school vocabulary, and in ESL 3 the unit topic was "First Impressions")
    • Have students identify words they know and label them
    • Teach words they don't know and have students label them
    • Categorize words
    • Do cloze (fill-in-the-blank) activities with the target vocabulary to describe the image
    • Have students turn their sentences into paragraphs
    • More information on the PWIM can be found here
  • Other strategies for teaching vocabulary
    • Have students translate the word, either into their native language or as a definition in their own words. If you want bilingual dictionaries in your classroom, let me know and I can get you some!
    • For higher level students, have them do a search on a news website for a vocabulary word and explore how the word is used in different articles
    • Connect vocab words to words students already know, such as with a KWL chart
    • Discuss context, such as when words are usually used. For example, "essential" is often used in lists of requirements, or "essential personnel," "bide" is really only used in the phrase "bide your time", "modest" is often used with salary or clothing
    • Use vocabulary words in personal questions. "Are you optimistic or pessimistic?" "Do you enjoy reading didactic articles?"
    • Have students create personal dictionaries of words learned
    • Four-word sheets: students must identify 4 words they've learned in English that week. They include the word and definition in English, the word and definition in their native language (if possible...if not, then a definition in their own words), a picture, and a sentence using it

There are a lot of ideas here, and even more available on the Internet! Start slow--try out one or two at the beginning of your next unit or lesson. Your students may complain about more work but at least they will understand what they're reading!