UC Futures

5 steps to communicative vocabulary teaching

Una CunninghamTraditional vocabulary teaching

Traditional vocabulary teachingExplicit explanation in target language or L1:leading light an important and respected person or group in a particular field world record the best achievement in the world in a particular field bulbs sealed glass devices which produce light light up illuminate electricity bill payment made to a power company for the energy used Meeting a new word in contextApplying strategies to understand the words significanceMeeting the word in other contextsGuided practice and feedbackCommunicative practice and feedback

5 stepsStep 1 Meeting a new word in context

In whatever material you have for your students there will be texts of some kind. They are made up of words in meaningful contexts. Web texts are available in many languages Use e.g. BBC Learning English for examples of texts. For example Words in the news http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/ .

Step 1 Meeting a new word in context

Listening

Step 1 Meeting a new word in context

Video http://bbc.in/1aVt6G1

Step 2 Applying strategies to understand the words significance

From Gibbons 2009 p. 95Step 2 Applying strategies to understand the text

Notice the title. What is the text about?This is an introduction to a personEven if the expression leading light is new, you might know what a leader isWhat does this tell you about the world record?What other words could you use instead of power companyWhat word could you use instead of property?Step 3 Meeting the word in other contexts

Exercise1. Tell your partner about which of the following ways of lighting up a room you have experienced?Candle lightOpen fireTorch or flashlightLight bulbsStrip lighting

2. Light bulbs come in many shapes and sizes. Which of these kinds of bulbs have you seen?

3. The text above this picture mentionselectricity bill and also power billhttp://www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/lightingStep 3 Meeting the word in other contextsExercise: Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports. Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

leading light / world record / bulbs / light up / electricity bill 1. An eruption from Mount Etna __________ the night sky over much of eastern Sicily late on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday.

2. Mr Sietas did hold another free-diving __________ for the longest underwater swim on one breath until that was broken by Goran Colak from Croatia who swam 273m during a 2011 competition in Italy. Step 3 Meeting the word in other contextsAnswers:

An eruption from Mount Etna lit up the night sky over much of eastern Sicily late on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday.

Source: Mount Etna eruption lights up Sicily skies http://bbc.in/1ayVm0X

Mr Sietas did hold another free-diving world record for the longest underwater swim on one breath until that was broken by Goran Colak from Croatia who swam 273m during a 2011 competition in Italy.

Source: Man v seal: How we compare with our marine cousins http://bbc.in/1bLvDQY Step 3 Meeting the word in other contexts

Step 3 Meeting the word in other contexts

Step 4 Guided practice and feedback

World recordThere are records in all kinds of things. The Guinness Book of Records keeps track, and has a lot of material online. You can see a video of the world record in toilet roll unravelling http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/challenges/216-fastest-time-to-unravel-a-toilet-roll-one-handor most sticky notes on the face in one minute http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/challenges/220-most-sticky-notes-stuck-on-the-face-in-one-minute/attempts/3359

Look at the Challengers page http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/challenges and choose a world record you would like to break. What would be difficult for you? Tell your partner about it.Step 5 Communicative practice and feedbackFree, non-controlled production in speaking and writing

Imagine that you are one of the people in this family and you have a world record. What is the record in? Write a few sentences about your world record, and then read it to your partner. In pairs, interview your partner as though s/he was the holder of the world record about the record attempt.

Step 5 Communicative practice and feedbackFree, non-controlled production in speaking and writing

Your city is trying to improve its energy efficiency and your class has been asked to make a 30 second radio ad to show how changing to low energy lighting will save electricity and money. In pairs, write a manuscript for the ad, including the words bulb, electricity bill and light up. You can change the form of the words to suit. Record yourselves reading the manuscript and share it with your classmates.

ReferencesBBC (2013) Words in the News available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/ Gibbons, P. (2009) English learners, academic literacy and thinking. Portsmouth NH, Heinemann.Nation, Paul & Hamilton-Jenkins, Alison (2000). Using communicative tasks to teach vocabulary. Guidelines 22 (2) 15-19. Available online at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/publications/paul-nation/2000-Hamilton-Jenkins-Communication.pdfPhotos from http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwhartwig/3270351385/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/3585168626/ . Creative Commons, some rights reserved