How to Teach ELLs Vocabulary
Motivating Students to Learn New Words in the ESL Classroom
Feb 6, 2007
Research has it: Adults and adolescents need between 10 and 16 encounters with a new word before they can put it in their long term memories. This has implications for vocabulary practice. Letters, sounds, words, chunks, grammatical structures need to be spread out and built up from noticing, to recognition to production.
From passive to active production
There is a gradual progression in vocabulary learning. Learners usually start by noticing then recognizing a word before they are able to produce it.
There are four stages in new vocabulary acquisition:
The learner notices the new word (with help)
The learner learns to recognize it (with help)
The learner recognizes it on his/her own
The learner can both recognize and produce it.
Ways to make vocabulary learning interesting
Since students need to be motivated to learn vocabulary constantly, it is important that vocabulary review is as interesting as possible. Teachers can vary the types of exercises, strategies and activities. The visual element is equally important. Here are some of the activities I tend to use in my EFL classroom. They are, by no means exhaustive.
Stage 1: Noticing the word: the visual element
- Flashcards
- Pictures
Stage 2: Recognition
- True/false
- Categorize the words
- Matching. (this category is huge with both open and closed types of exercises)Matching the word to its definition, L1-L2, opposites, adjectives and nouns, verbs and adverbs, word to the picture, match two words that go together
- Multiple choice
- Drawing the word
- Bingo games
- Circle the word you hear
Stage 3: Production
- Dictation
- Answering questions
- Guessing games: I’m thinking of:
- Picture description
- Miming
Final Words: Points to consider
- Try to have as many success oriented activities that are geared to the age groups you teach.
- Gradually progress from one stage to another but vary the activities within each stage.
- Consider appealing to the various multiple intelligences. The visual element in learning is particular important – for all age groups but particularly important for younger children.
Further Reading
How much vocabulary does a second language learner need?
1000 most common vocabulary words
Research and Practice in Teaching Vocabulary
