Resource 2: Develop your own English with language for teaching vocabulary

Here is some language you can use when teaching voacbulary:

  • ‘Which words don’t you know? Can you please write down the words that you don’t understand?’
  • ‘I’m sure you can guess the meaning of some of those words from the context.’
  • ‘Which are the words you can guess the meaning of?’
  • ‘That’s not exactly right. Any other guesses?’
  • ‘Yes, spot on! How could you guess the meaning? What were the clues?’
  • ‘Which are the words you couldn’t guess?’
  • ‘What is the opposite of that word?’
  • ‘Do you know a word that is similar to this?’
  • ‘What kind of word is it? Is it a verb? Is it a noun?’
  • ‘What are the words before it and after it?’
  • ‘What is the topic of the lesson? Do you think this word is related to that topic?’
  • ‘You already know the word “helper”. The word “assistant” is similar to that.’
  • ‘Can you see another word inside of this word? Can you see that the word “assist” is in there?’
  • ‘Do you know another word that is similar to this?’
  • ‘What word can you recognise in “disabled’” Did you notice that the word “able” is in there?’
  • ‘You know the word “able”, yes? Can you guess what “disabled”’ means?’
  • ‘Okay, so which of these words do you think are important for you to remember?’
  • ‘Circle the words that you think are important.’
  • ‘You might need to know some of these words for the exam.’

Here are some tips for developing your own vocabulary in English:

  • Read as much as you can in English (newspapers, magazines, books).
  • Try to use strategies you have learned about in this unit, such as guessing words from the context and deciding which words are useful to learn.
  • If possible, find out how new words are pronounced and learn how they are used.
  • Keep a vocabulary log – note down new words and revisit it often.
  • Keep a dictionary near you so that you can consult it whenever you need to.
  • Play word games in English, such as crossword puzzles.

Here are some links to sites that are useful for developing vocabulary:

Resources

Resource 3: Using pair work