CELTA Vocabulary: What it is? What does it mean to know it?

!1. Discuss the lesson transcriptions with your partner and complete the table below. The first one is done as
an example for you.
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How is meaning conveyed? Is the spoken form How is the written form
practised) made clear?

a) Beginners’ class (1) by using pictues yes The teacher writes it on the
board

b) Beginner’s class (2) !!

c) False beginners’ class !!
d) Elementary class !!
e) intermediate class !!
f) Advanced class !!
!2. Answer the following questions.
!a) As well as pictures, what other ways of illustrating the meaning of a word could a teacher use?
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b) In the intermediate class (e), a learner asks a question but the teacher doesn’t answer it immediately.
Why not, do you think? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………..
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3. How would you teach these groups of words? You can use more than one method per group.
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Group 1: a pet to put down (a pet) to vaccinate (intermediate class)
Group 2: to dig to paint to saw (pre-intermediate class)
Group 3: grape cherry strawberry (elementary class)
Group 4: slap smack punch (upper-intermediate class)
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adapted from The CELTA Course Trainee Book, S.Thornbury and P.Watkins
 CELTA Vocabulary: What it is? What does it mean to know it?
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Elicitation
Look back at the three teaching scenarios. In pairs describe the different ways the teacher teaches the
words doctor, nurse, and pilot. Explain why the teacher uses these different strategies.
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Which of the following points are helpful?
a) Try to trick the learner or they will find it too easy.
b) Plan how you will elicit items before the lesson.
c) Keep evicting as simply as possible.
d) Make sure you elicit everything; never give inane just tell the learners the lexical items.
e) If the learners don’t get the word quickly, try giving them the first sound of the word.
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It is important to remember that a teacher cannot elicit what is unknown and needs to have some strategies
for conveying meaning when the lexis is completely new to learners.
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Checking understanding
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Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques for checking learners have understood new words.
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a) The teacher asks a learner to translate the word (or phrase) into their own language.
b) The teacher asks Do you understand?
c) The teacher asks the students to use the word in a sentence.
d) The teachers asks short, easy-to-answer questions. For example: If you are head over heels in love, are
you in love a lot, or in a love a little bit?

adapted from The CELTA Course Trainee Book, S.Thornbury and P.Watkins