166998_wordlinknov13pictures

lesson linkTEACHERS NOTES

Boost your vocabulary: Using pictures PHOTOCOPIABLE Oxford University Press 2013

Boost your vocabulary: Using pictures

Introduction

According to a well-known saying, a picture is worth a thousand words, and it is probably true to say that all language teachers recognize the value of using pictures to present vocabulary.

Pictures are an immediate, clear and universal way for us to receive and understand information. By using an image, a teacher can avoid lengthy definitions or explanations and the learners will not need to translate.

It is not surprising then, that dictionaries for learners include plenty of pictures. The Oxford Essential Dictionary has a picture dictionary section in the middle pages (coloured yellow and marked P1-P16), while the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary has pictures grouped by theme in the study section at the back of the book. Both of these dictionaries also have pictures throughout the main part of the dictionary. The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary has a large image bank at the back, called the Visual Vocabulary Builder. These pictures are also easily accessed via the dictionarys website at www.OALD8.com. Click through or else follow the direct link: www.oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/images/

Knowing that these pictures are in their dictionaries can enable students to become more independent in their learning because they are particularly suitable for self-study. In order to help learners understand how useful they can be, it is beneficial to practise using the pictures in lessons and we have come up with some ideas and activities for you.

The following activities are clearly designated for different levels of learner but all focus on showing learners how the pictures contained in their dictionaries can help them to expand their vocabulary quickly and easily. They can be used as stand-alone activities, warmers or fillers, or to complement class work and we trust that learners will find them enjoyable.

Procedural notes are given for using the activities in class, and most of the tasks involve an element of pair or group work. There are also optional extension activities outlined which require little or no preparation.

ELEMENTARY Activity 1

Time 15 minutes (individual and group work)

Topic animals

Aims To consolidate and expand learners knowledge of vocabulary relating to animals.

Before you start

Make photocopies of the worksheet (one for each group of 5 learners) and cut along the lines. You will also need copies of the Oxford Essential Dictionary.



Procedure

Write the following words on the board: sheep, pig, chicken, cow, donkey. Elicit that these are words for animals. Ask the learners to make a quick drawing of each animal. Tell them they do not have to be good artists! It is just for fun. Hand out copies of the Oxford Essential Dictionary. Ask the learners to look for P2 in the yellow picture dictionary pages in the middle of the book. Give them a few minutes to check if their pictures were of the correct animals. Drill pronunciation of these animals and the other animals shown in the pictures. Put the students in groups of 5. Now show them the See more at red note. Hand out one animal card to each person in each group. Tell them that they should each work alone. They need to look up their word in the dictionary and copy the picture into the picture box. They should also use the dictionary entry to complete the extra fact sentence. When they have finished, bring each group of 5 students together to share what they have learned about their animal. Drill pronunciation of the new vocabulary.

Extension: You could draw the students attention to other red See more at notes in the picture dictionary pages.

Answers

A bird eats and builds its nest with its beak.A fish has lots of scales on its skin.A baby goat is called a kid.Gorillas come from Africa.A spider makes a web.

ELEMENTARY/PRE-INTERMEDIATEActivity 1

Time 15 minutes whole class quiz in small teams

Topic fruit and vegetables

Aims To test and extend learners knowledge of vocabulary relating to fruit and vegetables.

Before you start

You will need one copy of the quiz questions for you to read aloud. You will also need copies of the Oxford Essential Dictionary.

Procedure

Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Tell them that they are going to have a quiz and that the team with the most correct answers will win. Ask one person in each team to get ready with paper and a pen. Tell them that you are going to read a clue and they need to write down the answer. All the answers are fruit or vegetables. Demonstrate with one example: This fruit is small and red and begins with the letter S. You talk together and write the answer. What is the answer? Strawberry. Read out the clues slowly and clearly. Repeat any if necessary. At the end of the quiz, swap the quiz answer papers around so they can check the answers of another group. Hand out copies of the Oxford Essential Dictionary. Ask the learners to look at P8 and P9 of the dictionary and check their answers with the pictures. Praise the winning team.


PHOTOCOPIABLE Oxford University Press 2013Boost your vocabulary: Synonyms

Answers

1 banana 2 lettuce

3 onion 4 coconut

5 peas 6 cucumber

7 potatoes 8 pineapple

9 carrots 10 grapes

Conduct class discussion about any of the other fruit and vegetables on the page. Drill pronunciation.

Extension: Write some discussion questions on the board, divide the class into pairs and ask them to ask and answer the questions, using the pictures on P8 and P9.

Example questions (depending on the level of the learners):

Doyoulike? Doesyourmum/dad/sister/brotherlike? Howoftendoyoueat? Whichisthemostexpensivetobuy? Whichisthemostdifficulttocook? Whichgrowinyourcountry? Whichhaveyounevertried?

INTERMEDIATEActivity 1

Time 15minutespair/groupworkTopic parts of the body, the skeleton and internal organs

Aims To consolidate and expand learners knowledge of vocabulary relating to parts of the body.

Before you start Youwillneedonecopyoftheworksheetperpair/group,acopyofthecompleted wordsearch and copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary.

Procedure

Dividetheclassintopairsorgroups.Giveeachpair/groupthewordsearchhandout,withthebottom part folded so they cannot see it. Tell them to ONLY look at the wordsearch.

Option: If you think they will look at the words section, you could cut along the line and only give them the wordsearch at this stage.

Tell them that they have a time limit of 10 minutes to find as many parts of the body as they can in the wordsearch. There are 20 words in total and they can be horizontal or vertical. Thepair/groupwhofindthemostwordswillwin.Say3,2,1,go!tostarttheactivity.Stopthe activity when the time limit is reached. Ask them to count how many words they found. Praisethepair/groupwiththehighesttotalandelicittheirwords.

Now tell the students that they can unfold their worksheets (or give them the words section of the worksheet if you had cut it off). Give them 5 more minutes to try to find the other words if they wish. Show them the completed wordsearch now.



Solution to wordearch

b r a i n t o n g u e ns f j s p i n e r i b ay a d o m c m l i v e rt h i g h h v g s b n mv m r k n e e c a p o pf o r e h e a d m e s ie k w y t k l w v l t tl i a e h b t j w v r ib d i b e o o l r i i ao n s r a n o u i s l nw e t o r e t n s i i vj y t w t m h g t e f h

Draw a table on the board with the following headings: body parts, face, skeleton, internal organs and check that they know the meanings of these words. Tell them to copy the tableintotheirbooks.Askthemtoworkintheirpairs/groupsanddecidewhichisthebestcategory for each word from the wordsearch. They should write them in their table. If there are words they do not know, they should not write them in the table. Hand out copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary. Tell them to look up the word body. They will find a useful and detailed picture of the body on page 77, together with pictures of the face, skeleton and internal organs. Tell them to use these pictures to check their categories. Check answers as a class if necessary and drill pronunciation.

Answers

body part face skeleton internal organs

armpit eyebrow cheekbone brainelbow forehead kneecap heartthigh nostril pelvis kidneywaist tongue rib liverwrist tooth spine lung

Extension: Ask the students to choose one more new word which they would like to learn for each category from the picture on page 77. Elicit the words that they have chosen and drill pronunciation.

Activity 2

Time 15 minutes individual or pair work

Topic practising dictionary skills to answer a vocabulary quiz

Aims To encourage learners to use the pictures in their dictionaries to answer questions which will broaden their vocabulary.

Before you start Make photocopies of the worksheet (for each student or for each pair). You will also need copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary.



Procedure

Hand out copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary. Tell the students that they are going to have a dictionary race. There are 10 quiz questions and they will find the answers in their dictionaries at the entries in bold print. The first student(s) to finish will be the winner(s). Handouttheworksheet,printedsidedown.Say3,2,1,go!tostarttherace.Monitorandencourage learners to use the pictures in their dictionaries if necessary.

When the first student(s) finish(es) the task, check the answers as a class and drill pronunciation. Highlight the fact that all of the answers in the dictionary had pictures to help the students. Conduct discussion about how this helped them get the answers - in terms of clarity and speed.

Extension: You could ask students to choose one of the words in bold in the quiz and spend a few more minutes looking at the pictures in the dictionary for that entry in order to expand their vocabulary. In this way they are able to make a choice about what interests them and take responsibility for learning new words on that topic.

Answers

1 seat, saddle (page 65) 2 tubs (page 161) 3 viola, cello, double bass (page 485) 4 briefcase (page 49) 5 ladle (page 415)

6 deckchair (page 117) 7 locket (page 406) 8 saw (page 765) 9 cot (AmE crib), cradle (page 58) 10 rear-view mirror (page 107)

ADVANCEDActivity 1

Time 10 minutes pair work

Topic revising and expanding knowledge of vocabulary relating to clothes

Aims To encourage learners to use the pictures in their dictionaries to check and extend their vocabulary knowledge regarding clothes.

Before you start No worksheet is needed for this activity but you will need a number of real itemsofclothing(outlinedbelow)andnumberedstickylabels/Post-itnotes,aswellascopiesof the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Procedure

Spread out the following items on tables around the classroom. There should be numbered sticky labels attached to the relevant part of the clothing as explained below. Write the numbers only (no words):

a jacket with label 1 on the lapel label 2 on the lining label3onabuttonhole

a shirt with label 4 on the collar label 5 on a cuff label 6 on a breast pocket label 7 on a sleeve

a pair of jeans or trousers with belt label 8 on the fly label 9 on a pocket label 10 on the belt buckle



Inaddition,ifyouhavetheresources/time,youcouldbringthefollowingtothelessonwithnumbered labels attached: a lace-up shoe or trainer with the label on the lace and items of clothing with toggles, Velcro or poppers.

Put the students in pairs. Give each pair of students a copy of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. Show the learners the clothes. Tell them that they need to use their dictionaries to find the words for the labelled parts of clothes. Give a time limit if necessary.

Option: If you know your students like games, you could make it into a race. Monitor the activity. Check the answers as a class and drill pronunciation if necessary. Praise the learners who found the Visual Vocabulary Builder first. Conduct a discussion on how useful it was in finding the answers.

Extension: Each pair chooses one person in the room. They write a short description of what that person is wearing. They should include any words from the labels which apply to that persons clothing. Explain that you want them to also use other appropriate vocabulary from thepicturepagesnotonlyV50/V51butalsothefollowingpagesV52/V53(shoes,bags,hats,gloves, scarves, jewellery). They should NOT write the name of the person and not make it too obvious, i.e. it is best to put very specific information near the end of the description.

Example: _______________________ is wearing a shirt with a pocket and jeans with a black belt. The belt has a silver buckle. _________________ is wearing baseball boots and a striped scarf.

Each pair reads their descriptions aloud to the class and the other students identify the person being described. (You could make this a competition the first person to raise their hand and answer correctly gets one point. The winner is whoever has the most points at the end.)

Activity 2

Time 10-15 minutes pair or group work

Topic revising and expanding knowledge of vocabulary in various categories

Aims To encourage learners to remember vocabulary in categories and use the pictures in their dictionaries to expand their vocabulary knowledge.

Before you start No worksheet is needed for this activity. You will need copies of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Procedure

Put the learners into pairs or small groups. Tell them that they are competing against the other students in the class. They will have one minute to work together to remember and write down a list of as many words as they can in a certain category. The winning team in each category will be the one with the most words. Conduct several rounds of the categories game. For each round call out the category clearly and remember to call stop after one minute.

Categories (choose from the following based upon your students interests or recent lessons):types of shoetypes of hattypes of bagtypes of jewellery

words about hairtypes of fruittypes of vegetableparts of a car

parts of a bikemusical instrumentsextreme sports

Hand out copies of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.Checkwhichpair/grouphasthelargest number of words in each category. Ask them to look for their category in the Visual



Vocabulary Builder and discover if there are any more words which they did not write down. Conduct class feedback, award points and elicit new words and explanations from the learners, encouraging them to look at the pictures in their dictionaries for clarification where necessary.

Activity 3

Time 10-15 minutes pair or group work

Topic revising and expanding knowledge of vocabulary relating to furniture and objects in the bedroom

Aims To encourage learners to remember vocabulary relating to bedrooms and to use the pictures in their dictionaries to expand their vocabulary knowledge in this area.

Before you start No worksheet is needed for this activity. You will need copies of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Procedure

Ask each learner to draw a picture or plan of their bedroom and label it. Give a time limit.

When the time limit is reached, ask What kind of bed do you have? and ask them to carefully label the bed, including different parts of the bed and what may be on top of it. (Prompt with questions if necessary What do you put your head on? What do you put over yourself when you sleep?) Put the students into pairs and give them time to compare their pictures and find things which are the same and different. Give each pair a copy of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. Ask them to look in the Visual Vocabulary Builder in the back section of the book, at page V20. Ask them to talk about the bed in their bedroom and discuss whether they have ever slept in any of the other beds or who might sleep in them. Conduct class feedback: have they learned any new words and did they find the pictures helpful?

Extension: Youcouldrepeatthisactivitywithbathroom/livingroom/kitchen/diningroom.Ask questions which make them think in more detail about the vocabulary specific to each room (look at each picture before your lesson in order to plan helpful questions.)

lesson linkWORKSHEET

PHOTOCOPIABLE Oxford University Press 2013Boost your vocabulary: Using pictures

WORKSHEET

Elementary

Activity 1

bird

A bird eats and builds its nest with its ___________________.

fish

A fish has lots of ___________________ on its skin.

goat

A baby goat is called a ___________________.

gorilla

Gorillas come from ___________________.

spider

A spider makes a ___________________.



WORKSHEET

1 This fruit is yellow and long. It begins with the letter B.

2 This is a green vegetable with big leaves that you eat cold in salads. It begins with the letter L.

3 This is a round vegetable with a strong smell that you can chop and cook. You sometimes cry when you cut it. It begins with the letter O.

4 This fruit grows high on trees in some hot countries. It is big, brown, hairy and hard on the outside. You crack it and inside it is white. It begins with C.

5 These vegetables are very small, round and green. They grow inside pods. They begin with the letter P.

6 This vegetable is long and has a dark green skin. You can slice it into circles and eat it raw in salads. It begins with the letter C.

7 These vegetables grow under the ground. You have to cook them before you eat them. You can make them into chips or crisps. They begin with the letter P.

8 This large fruit is yellow and has a rough brown skin and green spiky leaves on top. It grows in hot countries. It begins with the letter P.

9 These vegetables are long, thin and orange. They grow under the ground and are a favourite food of rabbits. They begin with the letter C.

10 This fruit is small and green or purple. You pick them in a bunch and can make them into juice or wine. They begin with the letter G.

Elementary/pre-intermediate

Fruit and Vocabulary Quiz



WORKSHEET

Intermediate

Activity 1: Parts of the body

b r a i n t o n g u e n

s f j s p i n e r i b a

y a d o m c m l i v e r

t h i g h h v g s b n m

v m r k n e e c a p o p

f o r e h e a d m e s i

e k w y t k l w v l t t

l i a e h b t j w v r i

b d i b e o o l r i i a

o n s r a n o u i s l n

w e t o r e t n s i i v

j y t w t m h g t e f h

armpit

brain

cheekbone

elbow

eyebrow

forehead

heart

kidney

kneecap

liver

lung

nostril

pelvis

rib

spine

thigh

tongue

tooth

waist

wrist

FOLD



WORKSHEET

Intermediate

Activity 2

Find the answers to the following questions in your Oxford Wordpower Dictionary.

1 What two words are used in English for the part of a bicycle that you sit on?

2 What containers do you buy margarine in?

3 Which three musical instruments look like a violin but are larger?

4 What word is used for a business persons flat bag?

5 What is the name of the kitchen utensil that you use to serve soup?

6 What kind of chair can you use outside, especially at the beach?

7 What is the name of the piece of jewellery that you wear around your neck and can put a picture inside?

8 Which tool do you need to cut wood?

9 What two words can we use to talk about beds for babies?

10 Which piece of equipment do you use in a car to see behind you?

Documents

166998_wordlinknov13pictures