SOURCES OF VOCABULARY

HERE ARE THE MAIN SOURCES OF VOCABULARY:

 TEXTBOOKS
 TEACHERS
 LEARNERS THEMSELVES
 LISTS
 DICTIONARIES
 BOOKS/SHORT TEXTS
TEXTBOOKS

As far as textbooks are concerned, vocabulary is

presented in three different ways:

Segregated vocabulary sections

Integrated into text-based activities

Incidentally learned in different tasks (grammar,

reading, instructions…)
SEGREGATED VOCABULARY SECTIONS

 These are sections where a group of words (lexical sets) that share a
relation of hyponymy are presented. Here are two examples of lexical
sets that may be incorporated in these sections:
 boat, car, bus, helicopter, plane, bicycle, ship… (They are all co-
hyponyms of the superordinate term means of travel.)
 Hot, cold, warm, rainy, cloudy, foggy…(They are all co- hyponyms of
the superordinate term weather.)
 INTEGRATED INTO TEXT-BASED ACTIVITIES

 Vocabulary teaching is integrated into TEXTS in:

 Pre-task activities such as

1. pre-teaching vocabulary using techniques such as  pictures, simplified definitions,
translation…
2. Discussion about the topic of the text through activities such as
– selecting from a list the words that fit the theme,
– brainstorming…
 While-tasks through activities such as searching the text for synonyms, antonyms,
hyponyms, words that match a definition…
 Follow-up activities through discussions where learners
1. react, comment, and argue about the topic of the text
2. or simply use the vocabulary learned to talk about his personal experiences.
VOCABULARY INCIDENTALLY LEARNED IN DIFFERENT
TASKS

 This is vocabulary embedded in

 Instructions
 Classroom language
 Listening / Reading
 Grammar terms (verb, simple past, noun….)
 Functional terms (inviting, apologizing,
complaining….)
STAGES OF VOCABULARY TEACHING

Encountering
Teacher presents vocabulary items.
OR
Learners notice contextualized vocabulary items.
Integrating
Learners
items. understand and manipulate vocabulary
Tasks to transfer vocabulary to long-term memory.
Producing
Learners use target vocabulary in novel situations.
Personalization.
 SEQUENCE OF VOCABULARY PRESENTATION

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We have to train learners to…
Guess meaning from context
Use dictionaries
Keep organized records
Use mnemonics
Discover spelling rules
 CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Post a Graffiti Wall- Post a work on the wall and have students add sticky notes to illustrate the
term
2. Flipgrid- video presentation of the word in a creative way
3. Battle it out in Vocabulary Jeopardy- This explore synonyms and antonyms
4. Discover the power of words- Use vocab words in conversation and writing outside language arts
classroom
5. Create graphic organizers- picures that describe the words
6. Focus on a Word of the Week
7. Join the million dollar word club- post lit of target words. Students use it outside vocab class
8. Play vocabulary word taboo- student gets partner to guess the word by giving examples or
describing it
9. Write an acrostic – write an acrostic poem for each term using the letters to determine the first
word of each line.
10. Become a word collector- word list or journal