THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING POETRY TO TEACH VOCABULARY FORM FORM TWO STUDENTS IN SMK RAJA MUDA MUSA, KUALA

KANGSAR : AN ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract This attempts to investigate the use of poetry in teaching vocabulary among the form two students in SMK Raja Muda Musa, Kuala Kangsar. The subjects in the sample were the form two students. In this work, some issues and concerns related to second language vocabulary teaching and learning were analyzed and interpreted. Data were gathered by means of class observations, field notes, teaching activities, and surveys. The results obtained in this study revealed that, after the implementation of this project, the teacher found out that poetry is an effective in teaching vocabulary. Finally, some suggestions for further research in this area were given.

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background of the study Over the years, the focus on vocabulary in language teaching has evolved. Vocabulary is an element of language that was once neglected. In the Malaysians ESL teaching, vocabulary is integrated into the syllabus and regarded as one of the major part in learning the language. In the 1970s with the shift to communicative language, teaching vocabulary has become very important. Husin, Maarof, and DCruz (2000), explain that the drill-and-practice had some benefits in language teaching but it did not help the students to master the language for a longterm. It is stated that those students who were actually good during the tests, were not able to speak and write fluently as soon as they graduate from their high school.

Ratnawati Mohd Ashraf and Ismail Sheikh Ahmad (2003), says that Malaysian school students in the rural area lacked in their basic vocabulary and this causes them not to be able to respond to reading and vocabulary tests. Therefore, the researcher believes that it is very important to identify a good way of teaching vocabulary so that it will be able to assist the students in the process of learning the vocabulary.

Literature and language is inseparable from one another. The new curriculum of teaching English language and literature in secondary school (KPM, 2003) developed by the Ministry of Education is a good step in order to promote language acquisition and competence among Malaysian students. Blair (1982) says that literature plays a precious role in the intermediate language classroom whereby with careful selection of the text, literature has great potentials

for the intermediate language learners. Therefore, the implementation of the new literature component in the teaching is relatively appropriate. Literature can easily become the foundation for literary and the focus and it provides sufficient input which can work as models of language so that the students can internalize grammar, work out the meaning of the words, understand the language that they hear and learn to communicate better.

Poetry is a piece of literary writing which enables the flow of ideas and informations and also a powerful vehicle to teach the students reading comprehension. Nesamalar (2007) said that: Poetry is a piece of literature characterized by rhythm, metre and stanza, by pitchy language and sensory appeal conveyed by the use of various devices. Wright (1989) states that reading a piece of literature is not a process of getting the meaning but its about making the meaning as well. He also feels that the usage of literature in the classroom gives an insight to the students and also a sensitive perception of the events, characters and situations that is being portrayed in the piece of literature.

1.2 Statement of the problem This research was conducted to find how poetry will be useful to teach vocabulary. The language proficiency of English in SMK Raja Muda Musa, Kuala Kangsar in Perak was low as compared to their mother tongue as more weight age and importance is given to their mother tongue. The usage of English is also minimal as the students dont have the confidence to converse in the target language and this problem reflects back to square one, lack of adequate vocabulary. On the other hand, the English Language Society in the school put a lot of effort in order to enrich the students vocabulary level. They organize, contest and competitions but the students are not participating as they dont have the interest and motivation to widen their knowledge in vocabulary. This was because the students have limited vocabulary knowledge thus they perform badly in their test as well as examinations.

1.3 Research questions This study investigated the following question: 1) Are there any differences in students achievement in the learning of vocabulary by using poetry?

1.4 Definition of terms Vocabulary: Brian Seaton (1982) defines vocabulary as a list of words that are arranged alphabetically with the definitions translations of the principal of words of language. Another definition of vocabulary would be the words that are learned through many processes. This could be through the process of acquisition, learning or unexpected experience from socializing with the speaker of the language. Poetry : Poetry originates from the Greek word poien which means to make. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992) defines poem as a verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such a meter, metaphor and rhyme. The definition that was given about poetry is just a few samples of numerous definitions that have been made about poetry. There is no single definition that defines poetry accurately. The language that was used in poetry is beautiful and those words are chosen to express what the author thinks and feel. Thus, it can be said that poetry is actually a unique form of communication whereby the author are putting forward his or her ideas and feelings to the surrounding of world through the carefully chosen words. Effectiveness: According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000), the word effectiveness means producing the result that is wanted or intended.

CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction This chapter provides a review of related literature that would help to build a theoretical and methodological framework for this research. This review is written based on recent studies about the study. Firstly, it discusses on poetry in ESL classroom, followed by the advantages of using poetry in language learning, criteria for selection of poetrys to be used in language learning, problems in using poetry in language learning, vocabulary and theories on vocabulary acquisition.

2.1 Poetry in ESL Classroom In many classrooms in Malaysia, textbooks play a very important in language teaching and learning process. Generally teachers have a very high tendency to teach English using the traditionally-structured based exercises. According to Gill (2007), English Language learners need to be exposed with variety of genres in their language learning. There are many obvious possible benefits in using poetry to teach the students. The benefits of including poetry in language classroom can be classified in term of cross-cultural awareness, fluency in reading, literacy skills and vocabulary.

2.2 Advantages of using poetry in language learning Using poems in classroom helps to provide students with the insight into developing crosscultural awareness. Through the poems, students will be used to enhance the learners understanding of the cultural values of the people. In order to understand and speak English fluently, learners have to posses linguistic knowledge of idiomatic expressions which usually are much related to the English culture. Therefore, the learners have to be familiar with the culture. Poems in English which offers various themes that are relevant to the learners as they will provide meaningful and memorable context to interpret new language are well suited for content based approaches as suggested by Lazar (1997). This statement is supported by Martinez (2003) who says that, poetry can be a good stimulus which can elicit more expressions of opinions, reflective thinking and emotions to a fruitful discussion. Thus, understanding and explicating the themes being portrayed in the poem not only improve the language but also cultural awareness among the learners. A few researchers found that students are unable to reach language arts potential as a result of their unfamiliarity with the background of cultural and social knowledge that is in the reading material. Therefore, while teaching poetry, teachers are responsible in choosing the appropriate poems and activities that are culturally specific and familiar to the students. This will ensure the proper responses from students and at the same time make the activity beneficial to their own growth. Gill (2007) has written articles on the advantages of using poetry in the ESL classroom. He highlighted that it is very crucial for the teachers to choose the poems that is relevant to the students life and experience. Therefore students will be encouraged to share a poem that has

some insight for them. Teachers should invite the students to read the poems aloud with them. Poetry is a piece of literature that needs to be spoken and heard. Through choral reading oral fluency for all students poetry can be improved. In addition choral reading poetry allows the students to practice pronunciation of a word. Barrentine (1996) founds that reading aloud is one of the most powerful teaching tools to use English Language Teaching as it produces a strong language model and reduces anxiety in the students. In fact, reading aloud is said to be motivational. The discussion on the poem taught in the classroom will be able to stretch learners language abilities. Even though, there are many definitions was put forward but Gill (2007) states that poetry is something that people does and to be more specific, type of writing that people does for some purposes. For instance, one may write a poem to share their experiences. Thus, students who read this poetry will be able to read these experiences and relate those experiences to them, share them and write about those poetrys. On the other hand, Williams (2004) highlights that poetry is a genre that enriches lines and supports literacy skills. Typically poems are short pieces of text in which they are much manageable for lower secondary school students. According to her, a poem contains short lines and a very descriptive language that will be able to endorse fluency, inferential opinion and discussion. Apart from that, rhyming verse is easy to read as it is often short and contains common word patterns. Poetry can actually elicit a powerful emotional response for students and of the poetrys are carefully chosen, students will feel that what they did in the classroom is relevant and meaningful to their own lives. Poetry, is one of a successful way to promote

activities whereby students can share their feelings and opinions (such as in discussions and group work). This will mechanically accelerate students acquisition of language. Usage of poetry in classroom also would help the students to reinforce their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and at the same foster some good reading skills. Introducing poems to the English learners can inculcate the usage of poetic and creative use of language in relation to vocabulary and syntax. To understand the specific effect of creative and poetic meaning, learners need to be taught to explore such sophisticated use of language and this will automatically develop the students interpretative abilities. Moreover, teaching the learners to exploit the meaning of the poem can also help learners to develop their abilities to infer meaning and interpretations. Whenever students respond to literary text, they will instantly become more confident about expressing their own ideas and emotions. This will help them to gain their confidence to meddle with the text and its language and motivate the students. Motivation is another contributing factor in learning a language. Lightbown and Spada (1999) stresses about the importance of motivation in language learning. They highlighted that the most prominent way a teacher can influence learners motivation is by making the classroom an encouraging environment whereby students are inspired to participate in the activities. Learners who are motivated have a better chance of learning the vocabulary and the unmotivated ones will have a lesser chance. So in order to enhance the learners vocabulary learning, students need to be motivated to complete the task given and with the pleasure that achieved, the process of learning will occur smoothly. By using poetry, the students can interpret the hidden themes in the poetry easily, In other words, the usage of poetry in ESL classroom can help them to become more sensitive to

overall features in English. It is a fact that poems provide students with a chance to profoundly expand their vocabulary as there are many words that can be found which is not included in their text books. Exposing students to different literatures such as poetry can increase students vocabulary, linguistic aspects and many more creative aspects. Therefore activities such as cloze testing can be used by teachers for linguistic purpose. Usually, students will learn vocabulary through memorization and translation method. However, poems can be very useful and meaningful in helping students to remember the words more effectively. Lazar as cited in Toh Annie (2007) remarks that poetry is one of a literary genre that is under exploited in the ESL classroom generally because of the linguistic density and the irrelevance to cater the needs and interests of the average students. For that reason, poetry is seldom chosen as the material in ESL classroom.

2.3 Criteria for the selection of poetrys In order for poetry to be used to the fullest capacity, the teachers need to find the right kind of poetry to be used in language teaching. Tomlinson (1986) provides us with a few strategies on finding the right poem to be used in the language classroom. There are seven criteria namely, universal appeal, surface simplicity, brevity, potential depth, affective potential, contemporary language and potential for illustration. Universal appeal here refers to universal themes such as friendship, love and education which have great appeal to language learners that have close experience with them. These topics might attract certain people but unlikely to attract other people.

Surface simplicity refers to the way that poetry is used in the language classroom and whether or not it is accessible for all the students and there should be nothing in the first line of the poetry that might terrify some students. According to Blair (1982), poetry should be suited to the students language level. Meanwhile brevity is about the usage of short poetry with a heterogeneous class (mixed ability) in order to reduce the loss of certain students. Potential depth in the poetry chosen can challenge the good students of the group who have no problems in responding to the surface of the poem. Teachers must also make sure that the language in the poetry chosen resembles the target language.

2.4 Problems in using poetry in language teaching Despite the advantages that one can gain from using poetry in language learning, there are also a few problems to be faced. One of the most obvious problems would be how poetry breaks grammar rules. Another feature of poetry that goes against the rule of language will be in the area of punctuation. Some poets do not punctuate correctly to show the division between the phrases and this creates difficulties for students to comprehend the poetry. Tomlinson (1986) highlights another problem why teachers hesitate to use poetry in language teaching, which is the vocabulary items used in the poetry are too difficult for the average learner to comprehend the meaning of the poetry. Although, there are a few problems to be faced in using poetry in language teaching, the advantages with the inclusion of poetry in language learning outweighs the disadvantages. Tomlinson feels that not comprehending everything in a poetry will not endanger the learning process in a child.

2.5 Vocabulary Vocabulary is the total amount of words that make up a language and it upholds a great importance in expressing thoughts and interaction activities. Nation (1990) states that people can describe a few things without grammar, but they cant express anything without vocabulary. Thus, one needs to equip oneself with certain amount of vocabulary to have a meaningful communication. Learning vocabulary is one of the most prominent steps to getting to learn a language. This is because, knowledge of vocabulary along with basic comprehension strategies are the key to mastering the language. As pointed out :

Possessors of this skill in reading and listening are those who are somehow adjusted to encounter low frequency vocabulary items and to somehow have a meaning for them in the context in which they are encountered. In short, the basic skill in vocabulary expansion is the habit of guessing from the context, using the grammatical and pragmatic cues (Anna, 1979,page.211)

Initially there were two main approaches used to teach vocabulary, grammar translation method and audio lingual method. Grammar translation dating back in the nineteenth and twentieth method emphasizes on memorization of vocabulary and the main feature of this approach is that the list of vocabulary are learnt to illustrate the grammatical rules (Richard and Renanadya, 2002). Audio lingual method, on the other hand focuses more on the pronunciation and oral drilling. The area of vocabulary was given less attention as compared to other skills in language learning during the 1950s and 1960s as the audio lingual method had a major influence on methodology.

However during the 1970s vocabulary was given importance under the communicative language teaching method (Nunan, 1998). Nation (1990) also pointed out that vocabulary development skills are seldom taught thus the students was never given a chance to be attentive about the significance of vocabulary. Similarly, Allen, (1983) says that many teachers are emphasizing on grammar rather than vocabulary because some scholars are afraid that the students would make mistakes in constructing sentences if they learn too many words before basic grammar was mastered. As a result of this, very little attention was actually paid to vocabulary learning. Conventionally, vocabulary was not taught as a particular subject for the students to learn but it was associated with other skills such as writing, listening, reading and speaking. Throughout an English lesson, students are required to use their own vocabulary items and they are only introduced to new vocabulary items during the classroom activities. For many English learners, vocabulary is learnt without any real practice. Many English teachers are still practicing the old translation technique to teach vocabulary to the students thus, those vocabulary items can be forgotten in a short span of time. The thought that if a person studies vocabulary for a period of time and he will someday comprehend the language is false. In fact, the learning of vocabulary is the key to comprehension and speech production. Learning vocabulary is a very complicated process. Vocabulary learning process is about the ability of the students to recall and recognize the word in its spoken and written form. According to Harmer (1991), knowing a word involves knowing the meaning of the word whereby students can relate the word to its suitable context. Secondly, it is about using the word in the correct context, the ability to spell and pronounce the words correctly and finally it is about the ability to use it in the appropriate grammatical form.

According to Nguyen and Khuat (2003), even though the students understand the importance of learning of vocabulary but most of the students learn vocabulary passively due to a few reasons. First and foremost, the teachers explanation about the language seems to be boring to the students. Secondly, students have this perception that learning vocabulary just about knowing the word and thus all other function of the words is ignored. Thirdly, students acquire new vocabulary through textbooks, and the help of teachers. For instance, the students might encounter new words in a text and they only ask the teachers to explain the meaning and usage of the words but they are not willing to apply what they have learned. Therefore, some of them are not be able to use the word in a different way.

2.6 The acquisition of vocabulary Vocabulary development is a continuous process whereby learners meet the words plenty of times throughout the learning process in order to increase their knowledge on the use of the words. Vocabulary learning should be facilitated through meaningful activities as it can provide the learners with more opportunities to memorize the words effectively. Krashen (1985) cited in Blair, (1981) cited in Teresa (2005) explained about the acquisition of vocabulary. According to this hypotheses, new lexis will be acquired when the meaning of the words are clear to the learner. The input hypotheses explain about pictures and other authentic materials that are used by the language teachers. These materials provide conditions that help the input comprehensible. According to Krashen (1998) the developments in literacy and language only occur in one way, which is when comprehend messages.

Vocabulary development is marked by the acquisition of words. Thornbury (2005) explains that a new vocabulary is acquired when the learner is able to identify the meaning of the word and use it naturally. There are many factors that affect the vocabulary development in learners. Much research has shown that words that are learnt through active process are more likely to be remembered than the words that are acquired through normal reading and listening. Hence, vocabulary practice needs to be more stimulating and interesting. Maley and Morgan (1987) has listed some ways in which one acquires vocabulary. They are:

Not a linear but a branching process, therefore the words are not learnt mechanically but associately.

Not an impersonal but an intensely personal process, therefore the associations and vibrations that a word sets up depends on our own past and present experience.

Not a solitary but a social process. We expand our apprehension of word meanings by interchanging and sharing them with others.

Morgan and Rinvolucci (1990) consolidate Maleys view by telling that learners conceive vocabulary learning as a relational process. Wallace (1992) agrees that in teaching the meaning of the words especially at the elementary stage, teachers should establish a direct link between the words taught and the meaning of the word. Success in the learning very much depends on the number of senses employed in the learning process. When a child is progressing in the learning it is crucial that the teacher make special effort to introduce the

vocabulary that is related to the childs environment. The teachers role will prepare the students for the kind of English used by the native speakers.

2.7 Summary

There is abundance of materials that a teacher can utilize for the purpose of teaching vocabulary. In choosing the right material to be used in ESL classroom, it is advisable to choose materials that will spark interest in students. Using literary piece such as poetry in ESL classroom can motivate the students. In conclusion, the usage of poetry is indeed an effective approach in order to enhance students vocabulary level and theoretically there is evidence that clearly shows the effect of using poetry in language learning. Hence the researcher attempts to investigate if poetry will be an effective tool in teaching vocabulary to the students.

CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter outlines the methodology and instruments used to conduct this research. This study investigated the effectiveness of using poetry to teach vocabulary. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the acquisitions of vocabulary can be improved if poetry is used to teach the students. This study also hoped to find if the students actually acquired any significant number of vocabularies from the use of poetry. The results of the methods of instruction were documented by the researcher in a qualitative format including a reflective journal, and a survey. 3.1 Research Design The researcher has used survey and observation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of using poetry in teaching vocabulary. The purpose of the survey will be to get student opinions to which method they found the most engaging and see if those methods correlate to scores on their work. One technique that will be used is observation. This will be one of the primary data methods. The researcher will be looking to see if the vocabulary words explicitly taught during the course of the research study are being used by students in their conversations with teachers and peers. After an observation has been made the researcher will make reflective notes on what was observed.

3.2 Samples and sampling procedures. The research was carried out in students in a form two class (2 Bahagia) at SMK Raja Muda Musa Kuala Kangsar. This class consists of 4 Indian students and 28 Malay students. The total number of students who participated in this study was 32. The form 2 classes were in the morning session. The mother tongues for these students were Tamil for the Indians and Bahasa Melayu for the Malay students. These students were of below intermediate level based on their mid-term result in the year 2012. The school was located about 5km two from the Kuala Kangsar town. It was a government aided school. At the conclusion of the action research study, all data will be collected and analyzed to determine if poetry was effective to teach vocabulary in the form two class. The researcher will look for patterns and successes to see if there was any correlation to student learning specific vocabulary words explicitly and academic growth. The researcher will compile all data and make a conclusion that can be determined from the data and observations in their completed action researcher project.

3.3 Teachers Report On Observation The researcher carried out this research in a form two class. Firstly, the researcher had a brief meeting with the principal of the school and explained the nature of the study to him. Then the teacher planned the lesson, act on the lesson, observe the lesson (students feed back and answer sheets), and reflect back on the teaching in order to get an insight of the effectivenness on using poetry to teach vocabulary. LESSON 1 Plan

Previously, the teacher who taught the class used the normal way (text books) in teaching vocabulary and when the reseracher went to the class, the reseacher found out that the students were lacking in terms of vocabulary. Thus, the teacher planned to use poetry to teach vocabulary to the students. Act The first lesson was carried on the poem, The Dead Crow by A.Samad Said. During the induction set, the researcher provides a few facts about pollution and ask the samples about the causes and effects of pollution. In the explanation part, the researcher explains the vocabulary in the poetry to the students. As for the practice stage, the researcher ask the samples to answer 10 multiple choice questions on the topic taught. For the production part, the researcher ask the students to to match words given to words with the similar meaning and after that, the researcher discusses the answers with the students. Finally, the researcher summarizes the whole lesson.

Observation Next the researcher gathered the students work and evaluated them. Based on the data

gathered, the exercise given to the students was a bit hard for the students. They did not manage to answer the worksheets given by the teacher and they were a bit passive during classroom discussion. Reflection Students participation in the classroom is the key stone to identify the active and passive students. In addition, via students participation, we can measure the understanding of the students in the lesson on the day. The students on for that lesson seems to be passively participating and giving responses in the lesson. This is due to a few reasons. Looking back at my teaching, the students were lacking in vocabulary whereby they could not understand a few words and therefore they did not manage to participate in classroom and did not manage to answer questions during the practice and production stage.

LESSON 2 Plan

The teacher planned to use another poetry in teaching vocabulary. Act The second lesson was taught on the to the experimental group using the poetry Lifes Brief Candle. For the induction session, the researcher aks the students to read the poetry aloud and for explanation stage, the researcher explained about the poetry to the samples. For the practice part, the reseacher directed the students to substitute words in the poetry with the synonyms correctly. For the production part, the researcher asks the students to construct 5 sentences using the words found in the poetry precisely. As for the closure, the researcher summarizes the whole lesson. Observation Next the researcher gathered the students work and evaluated them. Based on the data gathered, the exercise given to the students was a bit hard for the students. The students did a bit better than the first lesson. Therefore, the teacher planned to use another poetry to teach vocabulary to the students. Some of the issues that surfaced were, students not completing the task on their assigned day. For example, students didnt have the proper supports needed to be ready to teach a new word and its definition. Other observations made by the researcher showed students lack of engagement when being taught a new word by their peers. It was difficult to actively engage all students when the responsibility of teaching new words was shared with the students.

Reflection Only the one who were sitting in the few first rows were attentive. The ones at the back

did not pay attention but to make the matter worse they were chit chatting and making noise. Somehow, I manage to get the students to be quiet but yet they still did not pay any attention to my teaching. In my opinion I think that, his problem resulted from the poetry that I choose which was not creative enough to grab the students attention. In future, I plan to improve the students participation in the class by devoting time and thought to shaping the environment and planning each class session and using more interesting poetry to grab the students attention. LESSON 3 Plan

This time around, the teacher planned to use a different poetry in order to get the students attention, whereby in the previous lesson the poetry used was not creative enough to grab the students attention. Act

For the third treatment, the reseacher used the poetry, The Lake Isle of Innisfree. The reseacher started the lesson by asking the samples to read the poetry aloud. The researcher then explained the meaning of the poetry and the unfamiliar words to the students. As for the practice stage, the researcher asks the students to substitute 10 words in the poetry with the synonyms correctly. For the production part, the researcher asks the students to construct 10 sentences

using the words in the poetry precisely. For the closure part, the researcher summarizes the whole lesson. Observation

During my teaching in the class, I did pose questions to students in order to engage them and elicit deeper-level thinking about the subject under the discussion. I try to ask more questions as the art of asking questions is one of the basic skills of good teaching. Socrates believed that knowledge and awareness were an intrinsic part of each learner.

Reflection

Therefore, in exercising the craft of good teaching, an educator must reach into the learner's hidden levels of knowing and awareness in order to help the learner reach new levels of thinking. Through asking questions I found out that, I can extract not only factual information, but aid learners in connecting concepts, making inferences, increasing awareness, encouraging creative and imaginative thought, aiding critical thinking processes, and generally helping learners explore deeper levels of knowing, thinking, and understanding. The students manage to answer my questions and also manage to answer the worksheets and i think this resulted from the usage of poetry.

Lesson 4

Plan

In this class I have planned to use another poetry to teach vocabulary to the students.

Act The final treatment for the group was given on the 13th of September and the samples

were taught using the poetry entitled Heir Conditioning by M.Shanmughalingam. As for the introduction part, the researcher asks the students to read the poetry aloud. For the explanation part, the researcher explains the vocabulary in the poetry to the students. As for the practice part, the researcher directed the students to answer 10 multiple choice questions on the topic taught. For the production part, students were asked to write one paragraph about the meaning of the poetry precisely. Finally for the closure part, the teacher summarizes the whole lesson.

Observation

The researcher manages to extend and strengthen the students thinking through my teaching. The activity that was conducted requires the students to come up with the correct word for the practice part. This is because the teacher used a simple poetry and incorporated used cooperative learning and also brainstorming during my teaching. Cooperative learning helps to foster mutual responsibility and teaches students to be more patient and compassionate meanwhile brainstorming in groups allows creative thinking for new ideas and encourages full participation because all ideas are equally recorded. The spirit of cooperation is created whereby one idea can spark off other ideas

Reflection

The researcher found this lesson using poetry to teach vocabulary to be one of the most engaging for students. The practice was authentic and was directly tied to what they were learning about then and there. Students were actively participating in explicit vocabulary instruction and using rich words in conversation and discussion without even really realizing what they were doing.

4.0 DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Observation and data analysis These forms of documentation showed that poetry were found to be more effective methods of explicit vocabulary instruction than others and the results will be further shared and explained. The classroom in which the research was conducted showed signs of increased student use and understanding of oral, written, and reading vocabulary. As stated above in the methods sections of analysis the researcher was able to see students using and experimenting with new words being taught through explicit methods of instruction. Students were attempting to use and learn new words through peer dialogue, discussions with the researcher, and through their own personal writing. Overall all, the researcher observed students being the most engaged through the usage of poetry. These observations correspond with the data collected in the survey. Survey results showed that the students liked the poetry method as compared to the normal way of teaching vocabulary which is through the usage of textbooks. The student survey was a simple analysis of which method the students seemed to be the most engaged in and learn the most from. Students were asked to rate the three methods of instruction by placing a 1 next to the method they preferred the most, and 2 next to the method that would be their second choice.

Results

Poetry Text book

This pie chart depicts that 71 % of the students would like to use poetry in learning vocabulary and the other 29% thinks the textbook would be the best way to learn vocabulary. Conclusion The researcher plans to continue to implement poetry in teaching vocabulary in the classroom. This way students would be able to include new words in their daily life that are coming from poetry, as opposed to only including words that are taught to the whole class. Overall, the researcher found the action research to be a successful study and an important tool in gaining improvement in teacher instruction and student learning. The students proved that they learned and the researcher gained valuable insight into using poetry to teach vocabulary.