SESSION GUIDE

Session: Pedagogues’ Vocabulary Development Creed

Duration of
2 hrs.
Session

1. Definition of Vocabulary
Key
Understandings 2. The Importance of Vocabulary Development
to be developed
3. Vocabulary Development Strategies
a. Rebus
b. Morphology/Word Part Clues
a. Root words
b. Prefix or suffix
c. Word Pyramid
d. Word hunt
e. Identifying or using context clues
f. C-Blending Race
g. Graphic Organizers
h. ABC Chart

4. Using Rubrics to Assess Vocabulary

5. Assess Vocabulary Through Writing
6. EDGE Strategy
7. Assessing Vocabulary Skills: Tools and Strategies
8. Which skill should we assess? What should we asses?
a. Isolate skills in reading assessment
b. Divide reading proficiency roughly into:
-Language Comprehension
-Word Recognition
(Scarborough, 2001)

Learning Terminal Objective:

Objectives
At the end of the session, the participants should be able to deepen their
understanding of developing vocabulary according to learner’s level.

Enabling Objectives:

At the end of the session, the participants should be

able to:
 1. Explain the nature and principles of vocabulary development strategies;
2. Identify other tools and strategies in unlocking of words and concepts;
3. Write a plan on reading activity focusing on development of vocabulary and
concepts.
4. Value the importance of vocabulary development

Resources Links

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nte2uzqnEot2IStNzM7pwriMxVUkTs6l?
fbclid=IwAR2t0hAwYhoqqLNYdsjnSoH1gG8iYARAuG-
sDEwiwD17ZAaMPM2hLHPpN0k

Other Materials

Laptop

LCD Projector

Squid Game
Introductory Say:
Activity This is a True or False Activity with a twist.
Just like the movie “Squid Game”, You will be asked to choose between
(5mins.) red light or green light, where Red Light is false and , Green Light is true.
If your answer is wrong, you will have no opportunity to continue with the
activity.

Do: Provide red and green cards to the participants.

Say:

Raise the red card if the statement is false and green card if is true. If
your answer is correct you will advance one step so you could reach
the finish line. If your answer is wrong you will be eliminated from the
activity.

Ready? Let’s start.

1. Communicative approach does not emphasize vocabulary
building. (RED)
(Explanation: The learner gets ample opportunities and
knows the social meaning of language.)

2. A person who wants to learn a vocabulary will have to learn new

sounds and new structures. (GREEN)
(Explanation: Each language has its own system of
vocabulary, and sound system of language differs from
 language to language depending upon the culture to which
a language belongs).

3. In the teaching of reading, vocabulary should be

uncontrolled. (RED)
(Explanation: Vocabulary should be kept under control.
Vocabulary should be taught and practiced only in the context
of real situations. This way, meaning will be clarified and
reinforced also known as controlled vocabulary.)

4. Most of the strategies practiced are usually focusing on the

vocabulary acquisition. (GREEN)
(Explanation: The reason is that vocabulary is the smallest
unit learners need to know in order to use the target
language properly (Ngan-ha, 2007; Deighton, 1971;
Kurniawan, 2009; Milton, 2008; Seville, 1976). Learners
must attain a certain level of vocabulary knowledge in order
to understand the written and spoken forms of the target
language (Ngan-ha, 2007).

5. Vocabulary is the first and foremost important step in language

acquisition. (GREEN)
(Explanation: In a classroom where students are not finding
themselves comfortable with L2, language learning can be
made interactive and interesting with the introduction of
appropriate vocabulary exercises.)

Squid Game Season 2

Activity
Say:
(25mins.) Raise the red card if you disagree with statement and green card if you
agree.

6. Vocabulary items are imparted mostly by translation: either a list

of words with their translation at the beginning of the lesson or
the translation of the content having new words or glossaries at
the very end. DISAGREE
(Explanation: This is an erroneous practice as it leads to a
state of confusion for the learners. On the teaching skills of
vocabulary items, Frisby (1957) commented that "While the
teacher is not, himself, concerned with the actual selection of
vocabulary for text book purposes since practically all the
books
we use are based on limited vocabularies, it is important that
he/she (the teacher) should know the principles, which underlie
vocabulary selection".)
 7. "Let the students hear the word in isolation and in a sentence. If
the sounds of the word have been mastered, the students will
hear it correctly with two or three repetitions." (Robert Lado:
121). AGREE
(Careful listening to the words may be a good option in teaching
vocabulary items in a heterogenic classroom. Slow
pronunciation without distortion will help. Breaking the word into
parts and building up to the whole word will also be helpful.)

8. Teacher Roa uses selected and integrated vocabulary activities.

She teaches vocabulary development by depending upon her
ability, level of understanding and interest of the learners. Roa
teaches her pupils with a vocabulary bank which is enriched on
a gradual basis. Her students have shown keen interest and
enthusiasm in finding, learning and understanding new work. Is
Teacher Roa an effective teacher in developing the vocabulary
of students? AGREE
(Explanation: Although, there is no sure fire remedy or method
to enhance vocabulary in a day or two but vocabulary activities
can be integrated upon the ability and level of understanding
and interest of learners. A student's vocabulary bank can be
enriched on a gradual basis and one should always show keen
interest and enthusiasm in finding, learning and understanding
new words.)

Pedagogue’s Mantra
Analysis Say:
1. Which of the statements/situations were aligned with you?
(20mins.)
schema about vocabulary development? Why do you say so?
2. Was there a time you got confused with your answers from the
activity? How did you manage to arrive at the correct answer?
3. If you were to give one principle or characteristic that a teacher
has to consider in teaching vocabulary, what is it and why is it
essential?

Abstraction A. Defining Vocabulary

(20mins.)
Vocabulary refers to the words we must know to communicate
effectively. ∙ It is important because beginning readers use their oral
vocabulary to make sense of the words they see in print.

It is important because readers must know what most of the words

mean before they can understand what they are reading.
 B. The Importance of Vocabulary Development

Knowing words and language usage are basic to success in school

and in society.

Word empowerment enables individuals to speak, read, and write

with confidence and effectiveness.

A large vocabulary is an asset to readers; those who know many

words are more likely to comprehend what they read.

The vocabulary size is a strong predictor of reading comprehension

(Heibert and Kamil, 2007).

C. Vocabulary Learning

In learning new language, learners would apply as many strategies

as possible in order to master the target language in the shortest
time possible. Most of the strategies practiced are usually focusing
on the vocabulary acquisition. The reason is that vocabulary is the
smallest unit learners need to know in order to use the target
language properly (Ngan
ha, 2007; Deighton, 1971; Kurniawan, 2009; Milton, 2008; Seville,
1976). Learners must attain a certain level of vocabulary
knowledge in order to understand the written and spoken forms of
the target language (Ngan-ha, 2007). This is why Long and
Richards (2007) regard it as ‘the core component of all the
language skills’. Thus failure to gain an adequate vocabulary can
give negative consequences to communication.

The following are the vocabulary teaching and learning

principles:

Principle 1: Select Appropriate Words

Selecting appropriate words is the most important principle in teaching

and learning vocabulary. Words that are considered appropriate are
words that are comprehensible by learners and are coherent to their
proficiency level.

Principle 2: Focus on Different Aspects of Words

Vocabulary acquisition will be more effective when a particular word is

learned based on several aspects. The reason is that a word carries
so much more than just its meaning (Kieran A. File, 2000).
 Principle 3: Progress from Less Demanding to More Demanding
Vocabulary-related Activities

Learners should not be expected to use new words in activities that

require them to know every aspect of the words. This is inconsistent
with how the process of language vocabulary acquisition must take
place (Barcroft, 2004).

Principle 4: Limit Forced Semantic Elaboration during the Initial

Stages of Learning New Words

Following the third principle above, teachers should limit the

explanation of meaning of the new words to just the basic meaning, as
to avoid confusion and misunderstanding from learners of the new
language

Principle 5: Encourage Interest among Students during Learning

Process

Vocabulary teaching and learning should be interesting and enjoyable

as to keep motivation high while encouraging students to develop
strategies that they can continue to use once they leave the
classroom.

Principle 6: Accommodate Use of Contextual Cues

Vocabulary can be taught better through the use of contextual cues. It

helps to ease many teachers in explaining the meaning of new words
to learners.

Principle 7: Expose Learners to the Use of Dictionary

A dictionary is one of the important references in learning new words,

especially for new learners. There are many types of dictionary in the
market including picture dictionaries which are targeted toward the
young learners who are still learning to expand their vocabulary in
both their mother tongue (L1) and second (L2) languages.

Principle 8: Exercise Repetition by Introducing Words Frequently

Inside the Module

The more frequently language learners are exposed to a particular

vocabulary, the more likely they are to remember it.

Principle 9: Promote Deliberate Vocabulary Acquisition

 Deliberate vocabulary acquisition is the stage where the teachers
introduce new words to the learners and be sure to explain it
thoroughly so that the learners are able to understand the meaning of
that word and memorize it. Mayer and Wittrock state (as cited in
Hogben, 1996), the more effectively the to-be-learned material is
elaborated during acquisition, the more readily it will be recalled by
the learners.

Principle 10: Expose Learners with Exercises and Activities Other

Than Memorizing Words

Instead of just sticking to the conventional teaching methods like

reading textbook, referring to a dictionary for meaning or memorizing
new words, teachers could use their imagination to encourage learners
to learn new words in different types of activities.

D. Reading Assessment

Reading assessment is the process of gathering and evaluating data

about a student’s performance, knowledge, skills, competencies and
behaviors, and background. Using these data, a diagnosis of the
reading problem is made.

Say:
Application You will make a workplan on vocabulary development applying one
type of reading approach for learners. Be guided with the following
(45mins.) approaches in preparing your workplan.
a. Developmental (an approach given to learners performing
according to what is expected in the grade level)
b. Functional / Enrichment (a reading approach in the content
areas, i.e., special math, campus journalism, science…)
c. Remediation (an approach for learners below grade level
expectations)
d. Recreatory (an approach for pleasure, extensive reading) e.
Enhancement (an approach for advanced learners or learners’
reading proficiency is a grade level higher)

Concluding Closing
Activity

(5mins.)
Prepared by:

CYNTHIA R. LUAY
Secondary School Teacher III
Samar National School
English Group