1. Teaching Vocabulary (2)
LLT 307

2. L1 Vocabulary Development
Native English speakers growing up acquire about 1,000 words/year
A kindergartener starts school with about 5,000 words
5th graders, about 10,000 words.
High school graduates, about 18,000 words (Nation, 2001)

3. What words do (English) learners need to know?
[BIG Q: What vocabulary should be taught?]
What words do (English) learners need to know?
High-frequency words:
The Dolch Sight Word list (Edward William Dolch, 1948)
The First 2,000 words (Nation, 1990)
Academic content words: occur less frequently but are crucial for learning science, math, history, literature, etc.
Can we be more specific?
Elementary ESL learners?
Secondary ESL learners?
Secondary/tertiary FL learners?

4. Learning the First 2000 Words (see Dolch and Fry lists)
Different words
Percent of word tokens in average text
86,741
100%
43,831
99%
6,000
89.9%
5,000
88.6%
4,000
86.7%
3,000
84%
2,000
79.7%
1,000
72% 10
23.7%

5. Learning the First 2000 words (Reading Q3)

6. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
FORM  MEANING  USE

7. Teaching new vocabulary
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
Teaching new vocabulary
Learners need to hear the pronunciation, practice saying the word, and see it written.
Start by learning semantically unrelated words. Avoid learning words with similar forms and closely related meanings (e.g., affect and effect) (??)
Study/teach words over several short sessions than for 1 o 2 longer sessions.
Study five to seven words at a time, dividing larger numbers of words into smaller groups (see ‘Word Sorts’ below).
Use activities or vocabulary learning strategies such as the keyword technique to promote deeper mental processing and better retention.
Strategies on p / Reading Q7
Keyword method (see next slide)
Newly met words can be consciously associated with other L2 words that the learner already knows (Reading Q1)

8. The Keyword Method shash soo chal maosi lit = bear = fish = frog = cat
= smoke

9. The Keyword Method maosi lit soo shash chal = cat = smoke = fish
= bear
= frog

10. Some Vocabulary Teaching Strategies
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
Some Vocabulary Teaching Strategies
Analogies
Concept Definition Map
The Frayer Model
Word Sorts
Imagery & Visual Cues
Authentic materials
Having students identify and explain new or unknown words
WORD GAMES!
(FORM  MEANING  USE)

11. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
1. Analogies

12. 2. Concept Definition Map
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
2. Concept Definition Map

13. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
3. The Frayer Model

14. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
4. Word Sorts (a)

15. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
4. Word Sorts (b)
Most/least favorite (interesting, dangerous…): weather, seasons, foods, sports, occupations, chores, pastimes
Associations: colors, seasons, clothing, classes, animals
Groupings: positive/negative personal characteristics, (un)healthy foods/activities, large/small objects, concrete/abstract
Personal identification: clothing, personal/physical attributes, Who has/will X?, animals, things we have/want
Chronological order: travel, daily routine, getting a job, making lunch
Hierarchies: government, army, church, office, school, family

16. 5. Imagery & Visual Cues Showing pictures Drawing pictures Objects
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
5. Imagery & Visual Cues
Showing pictures
Drawing pictures
Objects
Immediate surroundings
Gestures

17. [BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
6. Authentic Materials

18. 7. Students Identify/Explain Unknown Words
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
7. Students Identify/Explain Unknown Words

19. 8. Word Games Scrabble Password Word Web JeoParty Scattergories …
[BIG Q: How can vocabulary be taught?]
8. Word Games
Scrabble
Password
Word Web
JeoParty
Scattergories …

20. Idioms (p. 294 / Reading Q8) Ideas? Context Recycle Origin Examples!
Discuss / break-down literal meaning
Acting / role plays
Imagery!

22. Corpus Linguistics and Teaching Vocab
What is corpus? (Reading Q9)
How can we apply corpus techniques and findings to vocab instruction? What about grammar? (Reading Q10)
(Can we / do we want to separated the two?)
“Where’s our cake?” (TMBG, “7”:
NYT article on Chunking
Try out the Corpus of Contemporary English (COCA)
Collocations?
burst? economy? take? Google?
Up?

23. CLT and Vocab Teaching?
(Post-reading Q1) Is vocab instruction as presented in DeCarrico (2001) compatible with what we know about CLT?

24. Create a Vocabulary Activity
Some considerations
Level, age, L1, L2, prior knowledge
Subject?
Form  meaning  use / Form  meaning  use
Engagement!
Additional skills needed?
CLT?
Objectives
Pre-post framework
Words taught together (as collocations) or separately?
Assessment?
The Maya / other materials

25. (If time) Loewen & Plonsky (in preparation)
Incidental vs. intentional vocab acquisition in the L2 Spanish classroom
Variables
Frequency and recency
Focus (intentionality?)
Interaction / feedback
Gains
Pre-post design with instruction as treatment