Module 5

1. List some activities through which new vocabulary can be introduced.

2. Consider the following opinions expressed by teachers and learners. To what extent do you agree with them?
a. ‘Giving’ approaches are boring.
b. ‘Giving’ approaches do not help the learners to remember the meaning of new language.
c. ‘Giving’ approaches are impossible with low level classes unless you explain in their own language.
Otherwise, they just don’t have the language to understand the explanation.
d. ‘Guided’ approaches work best when the meaning of something is complicated.
e. The danger in using ‘guided approaches’ is that the learners may actually work out the meaning
inappropriately and thus understand something which is inaccurate.
f. ‘Guided’ approaches encourage learners to become more autonomous in their learning, and less
dependent on the teacher.
g. ‘Guided’ approaches reflect more closely the natural mechanisms of language learning.

3. What are, in your opinion, the most appropriate ways of teaching vocabulary at different levels? How useful is
contextual analysis?

4. Consider teaching vocabulary in a pre-reading activity. Mention:

 how pre-teaching vocabulary can help the learners and the teacher;
 the techniques you would use;
 the time you would allot to this pre-reading section of the lesson.

5. LESSON STAGES

The following are some of the possible stages of a lesson or part of a lesson in which the teacher is concerned that
the students should learn how to use this new item of language.

Look at the list and answer the question which follows.

a. Students supply examples of language relating to their own experience.

b. The teacher makes the function of the language item clear.
c. Students repeat the example or ‘model’ sentence exemplifying the language item.
d. The teacher makes the meaning of the new language clear.
e. The teacher uses visual or written prompts to elicit from the students ‘substitutions’-further sentences using
the same language.
f. Students do a written exercise focusing on the correct and appropriate use of the language item.
g. The teacher draws attention to the form.
h. The teacher asks questions to test the students’ understanding of the meaning and/or function of the language
item.
i. The teacher writes a model/example of the language on the board.

Question: The order of these stages is jumbled. Number the stages according to the order in which they
might occur in a lesson. You may want to make two separate lists, exemplifying two different approaches. You
may also omit or add stages if you wish. Before comparing these lists with those of other groups decide what
rationale underlies the sequence(s) you have chosen.