The study aims to describe the implementation of teaching vocabulary by using outdoor

activities to improve the students’ vocabulary skill at TK.Pule II Selogiri Wonogiri. The problem

faced by the students’ there are: 1) The students’’ not understand with the material, 2) Not

confident to pronounce the words, 3) The writing. This research is a classroom action research

(CAR).The writer takes the students’ of TK. Pule II as the subject of the study. To collect the

data, the writer conducts observation, document and test. The writer conducts classroom action

research (CAR) in four cycles in which each cycle consists of four elements: planning,

implementing, observing, and reflecting. The problem found in the first cycle is that the students’

are still not active and not understand to study English. However in the second, third and fourth

cycle, the students’ who have high confidence are more successful than those who are

unconfident and they focus on the material. The results of the research show that: (1) there were

10 students’ who increase their vocabulary skill achievement and (2) there are 3 students’ who

have static achievement. The students’ feel happy and more active in studying English. The

results also shows that the pre test (65,35) and post test is (78,57) and the improvement result of

the implementation is (13,22). So, it is significant. It means that the students’ vocabulary skill

improves after they are taught using outdoor activities. The conclusion is teaching vocabulary

using outdoor activities can improve students’ vocabulary skill at TK Pule II Selogiri Wonogiri.

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

One aspect of English language which is studied from Elementary school

is vocabulary. Vocabulary cannot be separated from other aspects of English

in teaching learning process in Elementary school because it influences the

ability of student in studying English.

Studying English for Indonesian students is very difficult because English

is not their own language. One of the difficulties in studying English is the

problem in memorizing English vocabulary. To master English vocabulary the

English teacher should pay attention to many aspects. One of the important

aspects in mastering English vocabulary is media. The students especially in

elementary will be interested in studying vocabulary if the media used is

interesting.

Media are needed to make studying English vocabulary more interesting.

Especially for elementary students, it is not enough just studying from a note

and explanation. The students need something real and clear to help them

easier to memorize vocabulary that they study. But, just few teachers care

about this aspect. The teachers insufficiently notice that media are important

to stimulate the students’ enthusiasm in studying English especially

vocabulary. Most of the teachers only use books and explanation without

media to make a lesson more interesting.

In SD Negeri 3 Sumberagung the students have problems in learning

English. Their abilities in mastering vocabulary are low. The class is very

crowded and the students are not interested in studying English. Only few

students give attention to their teacher’s explanation. Most of the students are

still confused when the teacher asks the last material. The teacher repeats the

material many times, but the students always have difficulties to understand

and memorize their teacher’s explanation.

The main factor that causes the problem is the restrictiveness of media to

teach English in SD Negeri 3 Sumberagung. The teacher only uses the

standard media, like blackboard and textbook. It contrasts with the growth of

students thinking in this era. Now, the students just want to study if they like

and it is interesting. To make students interested in studying English,

particularly vocabulary, the media used to teach should be interesting.

Some students who dislike studying vocabulary also tell that they are not

interested in vocabulary because it is not interesting to study. It makes them

bored in the class and they do not pay attention to the explanation of the

teacher. They need something better to improve the students’ enthusiasm in

studying vocabulary.

Based the phenomenon above, it is clear that students need something

more interesting to study English vocabulary. It would be difficult for the

students at elementary school to learn and comprehend English vocabulary by

only listening to the teacher’s explanation. So, it is preferable for teachers to

confirm the meanings of English words each section of the class. Therefore,

using audio-visual aids such as DVDs, videos, and PowerPoint presentations

were useful teaching aids for students.

Based on the reason above the writer is interested in conducting a research

about IMPROVING STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY USING

AUDIO VISUAL AIDS (AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE FIFTH

YEAR OF SD NEGERI 3 SUMBERAGUNG NGARINGAN IN

2008/2009 ACADEMIC YEAR)

B. Problem Statement

The problem, which the writer is going to investigate is;

Do audio visual aids improve the students’ vocabulary mastery at the fifth

year of SD Negeri 3 Sumberagung?

C. Limitation of the Study

In this research, the writer limits her research on improving student’s

vocabulary using audio visual aids at the fifth year of SD Negeri 3

Sumberagung in 2008/2009 academic year.

D. Objective of the Study

Generally, the aim of this study is to improve the students’ vocabulary

mastery. Specifically it is to:

1. describe the teaching vocabulary by using audio visual aids in improving

student’s vocabulary mastery at the fifth year of SD Negeri 3

Sumberagung

2. know whether audio visual aids can improve students’ vocabulary mastery

at the fifth grade of SD Negeri 3 Sumberagung.

E. Benefit of the Study

The writer hopes that this research will have some benefits in the English

teaching learning, especially in teaching vocabulary. There are two kinds of

benefit in this research; theoretical and practical.

1. Theoretical benefit

a. Related to this research, the writer hopes that this research will be

useful in giving additional reference about realization to improve

vocabulary mastery by using audio visual aids.

b. The result of this research can be used as the reference for those who

want to conduct a research about improving English vocabulary

mastery.

2. Practical benefit

a. For the teacher, by using audio visual aids in teaching English

especially vocabulary, the teacher can determine better teaching

materials and English teachers can use the result of the research

when they teach the pupils of the elementary school in effective

audio visual aids to learn vocabulary.

b. For the students, by using audio visual aids they are able to improve

their English vocabulary mastery.

c. For the readers, they can utilize the information clarified as a result

of the study to extend their understanding about increasing

vocabulary using audio visual aids

F. Research Paper Organization

The researcher arranges five chapters in the research. Chapter I is

introduction which covers background of the study, problem statement,

limitation of the study, object of the study, benefit of the study, and research

paper organization.

Chapter II is review of related literature which presents previous study,

general concept of vocabulary (notion of vocabulary, and technique of

vocabulary comprehension), characteristics of young children, general concept

of audio visual aids (notion of audio visual aids, type of audio visual aids, and

the function of audio visual aids), the design technique to test vocabulary,

theoretical framework, and working hypothesis.

Chapter III is research method that consists of type of the research,

object of the research, subject of the research, method of collecting data, data

and data source, action procedures, and technique for analyzing data.

Chapter IV is research results and discussion.

Chapter V is conclusion and suggestion.

Abstract

This research is conducted to describe how puppet toys is implemented in teaching vocabulary to

the fourth year of SDN 1 Kedungharjo Ngawi, the result of teaching vocabulary through puppet

toys and the student’s comments of teaching vocabulary through puppet toys. This research is a

classroom action research, which is taken as a result of reflection on phenomena done by the

writer, and it arises from some specific problems or issues. In this research the writer faces some

problem, such as the students have low motivation in joining teachinglearning process, they are

difficult to memorize the meaning and pronounce the words. In addition they are not interested in

studying English because they fell bored with the teacher’s technique. Here the writer chooses

puppet toys as the medium of the teaching vocabulary. To overcome this problem, this research

consists of three cycles, each cycle consists of four steps namely planning, implementing,

observing, and reflecting the action. The data are taken from the event, documents and

informants. The result of the study shows that teaching vocabulary by using puppet toys can

increase the student’s ability in mastering vocabulary. By using puppet toys the students are able

to express their idea. It can be evaluated that puppet toys in language teaching are able to build

the student’s motivation. The result of the test showed that the number of students who increase

their vocabulary achievement is 20 students or 86, 95% and 3 students or 13, 04% who has static

achievement. The writer find that the mean of the students vocabulary mastery before the action

was 50, 52 and the mean after the action was 80, 86. It means that the implementation of

teaching vocabulary through puppet toys is appropriate and useful for the student’s vocabulary

mastery.

Abstract

This research is aimed at improving the students English vocabulary mastery using Contextual

Teaching and Learning through problem solving. Specifically, this research implementation of

Contextual Teaching and Learning through problem solving is implementation in teaching

vocabulary to the fourth year students of SDN I Tegalsuruh, and the result of teaching mg

vocabulary using Contextual Teaching and Learning through problem solving. This research is a

classroom action research, which is taken as a result of reflection on phenomena done by the

writer, and it arises from some specific problems or issues. The action research is conducted in

three cycles. Each cycle consists of four steps namely planning, implementing, observing, and

reflecting the action. The data are taken from the observation, interview, test and documents. The

result of the study shows that teaching vocabulary using CTL through problem solving can

increase the students' ability in mastering vocabulary. The result of the test shows that the

number of students who increase their vocabulary achievement is 34 students or 94,4% and 2

students or 5,6% have static achievement. The writer finds that the mean score of the students

before the action is 54,72 and the mean after the action is 78,26. It means that the

implementation of teaching vocabulary using CTL through problem solving is appropriate and

useful to increase the student’s vocabulary mastery.

Abstract

This research aims at describing the procedures of teaching vocabulary by using direct method to

the fourth year students at SD Negeri 2 Bratan Laweyan Surakarta, the result, and the strength as

well as the weakness of direct method. The research was done in SD Negeri 2 Bratan Laweyan

Surakarta. The writer took the forth year students of SD Negeri 2 Bratan Laweyan Surakarta in

2006/2007 academic year as the subject of the study. To collect the data, the writer used

observation, interview and document. The procedure of teaching vocabulary consists of four

meetings; each meeting consists of three elements, namely: engage study and activate. Engage is

element where teacher try to arouse the student’s interest, thus involving their emotions. The

teacher always greets the students and gives them motivation in order they attracted in learning

English. Study is element where the students are asked to focus in language (or information) and

how it is constructed. The third is activate. It describes the students activities in teaching learning

process. Activate exercises offer students a chance to try out real language used for the real

world. After collecting the data and analyzing them, it is known that teaching vocabulary using

direct method influences the students vocabulary mastering. The teacher uses target language in

delivering the material. It makes the students familiar with English language. Tools used in

delivering material such as pictures and real makes the students easy to memorize the

vocabulary. Repeating also makes the students know how to pronounce the word correctly. The

students feel happy and can be more active and enjoy the English and they can pronounce, spell,

and memorize the English words. The conclusion is teaching vocabulary by direct method at SD

Negeri 2 Bratan Laweyan Surakarta is good and effective.

DEVELOPING STUDENT’S VOCABULARY BY USING

MULTIMEDIA AND PUZZLE (AN ACTION RESEARCH

IN SD MUHAMMADIYAH PROGRAM KHUSUS,

PRACIMANTORO, WONOGIRI)

RESEARCH PAPER

Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Getting Bachelor Degree of Education

in English Department

MARIYA REGAR

A 320 050 264

SCHOOL OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF SURAKARTA

2009

Vocabulary is the first component that must be learnt by young learners

in learning English. Teaching and learning process of English in the

elementary school is one phenomenon, either for student or teacher. It is

logical if the students often find difficulties in learning the language,

especially in vocabulary. It can not be separated from other elements of

English in teaching learning process in elementary school because

vocabulary can give influence to the ability of the students in studying

English. Without sufficient vocabulary, we can not communicate and express

the idea easily both oral and written form. Student will get difficulty in doing

the examination and get poor score. In fact student in elementary school have

limited vocabulary, they are not interested in learning English. Teacher is a

component that has an important role; the teacher should create various

teaching media. One of media to teach the children is using Multimedia and

puzzle. Multimedia can be used to teach vocabulary to the children. Collins,

et al. (1997: 104) state that “multimedia give the power to the learners to

explore and manipulate the information, beside to construct their own

knowledge base”. Here we explore the multimedia technology and puzzle in

teaching learning process. The researcher wishes to use multimedia

technology and puzzle as learning tool.

Increasing student vocabulary is of paramount importance, since the words that we understand

influence our very thoughts and our perception of the world around us. Many students come to

our classrooms with vocabulary that is limited by their environment and experiences. As

teachers, how can we increase the number of words that they have at their disposal?

1. Identify your students’ current level of performance. You will have a very difficult time

teaching students to understand what the word economy means if they do not have an

understanding of the word money. This is a very simplistic example, but you see the potential

problem. You must check to see if students have a good base vocabulary to start with, because

you cannot build on something that is not there. There are a variety of assessments available,

such as the Reading Level Indicator (RLI) that can help you determine where your students

stand.

2. Check for understanding. Many students will simply coast along in class, not asking questions,

appearing to be lazy or disinterested, when in fact, they do not understand the material. Check

for understanding of the content frequently, using ways that do not single students out.

If you discover that many students do not understand the words in the content, reteach the

vocabulary. Repetition can be quite effective.

3. Encourage students to read a wide variety of materials. If students perceive that reading is only

something that is done from a textbook, then reading may not be very appealing to them. This is

not uncommon, as many students come from homes where there are no bookcases, only

entertainment centers. If students do not have the opportunity and encouragement to read

materials of their own choosing, their vocabulary will stagnate.

4. Break down words. Teach students how words originated, which can often be quite

interesting. Teach the meanings of common prefixes and suffixes and do activities where

students try to guess word meanings based on those word parts.

5. Integrate vocabulary into each lesson, regardless of the content area that you teach. Make

vocabulary a natural part of each lesson, and discuss the vocabulary surrounding the concepts

that you teach

, regardless of if it is math, art or music.

6. Teach students to use reference materials so that they can continue to develop their vocabulary

independently, without having it explicitly taught. If students have reliable access to computers,

teach them how to use the many online dictionaries and thesauruses that are out there. Many

even have pronunciation guides that can be clicked on. In the classroom, there are a variety of

games that you can play with the dictionary to increase your students’ comfort level with this

resource.

7. Provide multiple exposures to new words. Just as when someone must practice new words

repeatedly when learning a new language, students must use their new vocabulary in order for it

to stick.

8. Help your students to develop connections between their lives and the vocabulary words. One

way to do this is through whole class semantic mapping, as each student has an opportunity to

add his or her idea about a word to the discussion.

9. Give assignments that give students a reason to use the vocabulary outside of class. For

example, you may want to ask them to go home and bring back pictures that relate to the

vocabulary words. For vocabulary to fully develop, it must also be used outside of the school

walls.

10. Try playing physical games to teach vocabulary. For example, take words such as stomp,

saunter, and crouch that can be physically acted out and play a guessing game. Incorporate other

vocabulary games as well. If students are relaxed and having fun, the vocabulary is more likely

to be remembered later. Games also help you cater to different learning styles in a very easy

manner.

Try looking at the National Council of English Teachers Ideas Plus series of books for some

great activities that you can do with children of all ages. Also look at the resources available

online and at your local teacher supply store. The more diverse tools you have at your disposal,

the more successful you will be at reaching every student and broadening their world through the

development of a wider vocabulary.

ABSTRAK

Nining Pujiningsih, S 890908124: Improving Students’ Vocabulary By Using Total Physical

Response (Peneitian Tindakan Kelas pada Kelas Vi MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus Tahun

Pelajaran 2009-2010) Surakarta: Program Pasca Sarjana Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.

Universitas Sebelas Maret. 2010. Pembimbing I Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd., pembimbing II Dr. Abdul

Asib, M.Pd.

Tujuan dari Penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui apakah Total Physical Response dapat

meningkatkan kosa kata Bahasa Inggris siswa dan peningkatan apa yang paling signifikan, serta

untuk mengidentifikasi kelebihan-kelebihan dari TPR dalam meningkatkan kosa kata Bahasa

Inggris siswa MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

Penelitian dilaksanakan pada M NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus dalam waktu kurang lebih tujuh

bulan terhitung mulai bulan Oktober 2009 sampai bulan April 2010. Metodolgi penelitian yang

digunakan adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas. Prosedur penelitian terdiri dari: pengidentifikasian

masalah, perencanaan tindakan, pelaksanaan tindakan, observasi tindakan, dan refleksi hasil

penelitian. Subjek penelitian adalah siswa kelas VI. Dalam pengumpulan data peneliti

menggunakan catatan observasi, catatan harian, rekaman video, wawancara, dan test. Untuk

menganalisa data kualitatif, peneliti menganalisa peningkatan penguasaan kosa kata dengan

menerapkan lima tahap teknik interpretasi data , yaitu 1) Mengembangkan analisa dengan

memperbanyak pertanyaan, 2) Menghubungkan temuan dengan pengalaman pribadi, 3) Meminta

saran dari teman yang kritis, 4) Menyesuaikan temuan dengan literatur, dan 5) Kembali pada

teori.

Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa Total Physical Response dapat meningkatkan kosa kata

Bahasa Inggris siswa yang meliputi aspek pemahaman, aspek ejaan, aspek pengucapan dan aspek

penggunaan kata. Peningkatan yang paling signifikan adalah aspek pemahaman dan aspek ejaan.

TPR dapat meningkatkan motivasi dan percaya diri siswa dalam mempelajari kosa kata. TPR

dapat mengubah siswa menjadi pelajar yang aktif dan mereka secara otomatis belajar sambil

melakukan aktifitas. Bagaimanapun juga ada beberapa kelemahan dalam penerapan TPR, yaitu;

siswa masih mengalami kesulitan dalam penggunaan kata dan kadang-kadang mereka bingung

untuk mencakup keempat aspek dalam waktu yang sama. Itulah mengapa aspek pengucapan dan

aspek penggunaan kata tidak meningkat secara signifikan.

Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, peneliti menyarankan: pertama, kepada guru untuk mengajar

Bahasa Inggris dengan menggunakan TPR, aktifitas secara nyata dapat dimodififkasikan

berdasarkan pada daya tarik siswa sepanjang hal tersebut mencakup penguasaan keempat aspek

kosa kata . Kedua, para siswa harus terlibat secara total dalam proses belajar mengajar.

Melakukan kesalahan adalah bagian dari proses pembelajaran dan mereka tidak perlu takut

karenanya. Ketiga, para peneliti yang lain harus menyiapkan rencana penelitian dengan baik dan

mengembangkan beberapa dimensi yang telah diobservasi secara mendalam

ABSTRACT

Nining Pujiningsih, S 890908124: Improving Students’ Vocabulary By Using Total Physical

Response (A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in

the Academic Year of 2009-2010) Surakarta: English Education Department Graduate School of

Sebelas Maret University. 2010. The 1st advisor is Dr. Nadiso, M.Pd., and the 2nd advisor is Dr.

Abdul Asib, M.Pd.

The objective of the research is to know whether Total Physical Response can improve students’

English vocabulary and the most significant improvement of it, and also to identify the

advantages of TPR in improving students’ English vocabulary in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

The research was conducted in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus for about seven months from

October 2009 to April 2010. The method of the research is classroom action research. The

procedure of the research consists of identifying the problem, planning the action, implementing

the action, observing the action, and reflecting the result of the research. The subject of research

was the students of the sixth grade. In collecting the data the researcher used observation notes,

diaries, video recording, interview, and tests. To analyze the qualitative data, the researcher

analyzed the improvement of vocabulary mastery by applying the five steps of the data

interpretation technique, they are 1) extending the analysis by raising questions, 2) Connecting

the findings with the personal experience, 3) Seeking the advice of critical friends, 4)

Contextualizing findings in the literature, and 5) Turning to the theory. To analyze the

quantitative data, the researcher applied descriptive analysis and t-test.

The research findings show that Total Physical Response can improve the students’ English

vocabulary including the meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and using of words. The most

significant improvement was the aspect of meaning and spelling. TPR could increase the

students’ motivation and confidence in learning vocabulary. TPR could change the students to be

active learners as they involved in the activity and they automatically learned by doing.

Somehow, there were some weaknesses of applying TPR; the students still got difficulty in

aspect of using word in sentence sand they were sometimes confused to cover the four aspects of

vocabulary at the same time. That’s why the improvement of the pronunciation aspect and using

of words were not significant.

Based on the research findings, the researcher suggests: first, to the teacher to teach English by

using TPR, the activities actually can be modified based on the students’ interest as long as it

covers the four aspects of vocabulary mastery. Second, the students should be totally in getting

involved in the teaching learning process. Making mistakes is part of learning process and they

need not to be afraid of. Third, the other researchers should prepare the planning of the research

well and develop some dimensions that have been observed deeply.

ABSTRACT

This final project is entitled The Use of Colored Pictures to Teach Noun Vocabulary to

Elementary Students: An Action Research (The Case of Third Year Students of SD Sukorejo 02

Semarang Year 2006/ 2007). In the State Elementary School, the children learn English starting

from grade four, but in my research I taught third grade of Elementary School students. The

English learning was regarded as the introductory to the students. It is because English is very

new subject to them. In my research, I used colored pictures as the media for the teaching and

learning process. Hence, the goal of this research is to know how colored pictures help the

students to enrich many noun vocabularies.

The subjects of the study were the third students of SD N Sukorejo 02 Semarang. There

were 32 students in the class. In collecting the primary data, I carried out five activities of

teaching and learning process and some tests. All of the test items were tested with the help of

pictures. All of the tests were in the form of oral test. In the pre test, I asked the students to point

the objects that I said by using colored pictures. The second, third and fourth cycle were the

teaching and learning process and also the assessment tests. The procedures of assessment tests

were in form of oral test too.

The results of the study showed that the mastery of vocabulary improved after having the

activities by using colored pictures. The average achievement of the students’ pre test was 46 %,

while it was 80,1 % in the first cycle, 89 % in the second cycle, 80,86 % in the third cycle and

80,84 % in the fourth cycle, and it was the post test. Thee main factors that affected this

improvement were the students’ interest of the pictures given and the relevancy between

vocabulary with the nouns that they might be familiar with.

Based on the research results, it was found out that teaching English noun vocabulary to

children by using colored pictures was helpful for the children in learning foreign language,

particularly English. It was proved from the significant improvement in their pre test and post

test

According to the research results, the paedogical implication is that the English learning

to the third grade of Elementary School students is regarded as the introductory for them. It is

because English subject is taught starting from grade four in the State Elementary School.

Iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I realize that many individuals have contributed their guidance and assistance to me to

complete this paper. In this occasion, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to some

people without whom this paper would never have been completed.

First of all, I would like to extend my deep gratitude to Dra. Sri Suprapti, M. Pd who has

spent his time to be my first advisor and whose advice and guidance has been great value to my

paper.

Moreover, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Frimadhona Syafri, S.S,

M.Hum my second advisor, whose particular assistance deserves high appreciation.

Finally, I would like to say thanks for all lectures in English Department of UNNES who have

taught me for about four years. Their guidance has led me to be a good person and a good

teacher. I am also much obliged to all of my family members and friends for their moral support

and help, and here I would like to express my thanks.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………….iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………………………………………………….. v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………. vi

LIST OF APPENDICES …………………………………………………….. ix

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………….. 1

1.1 Background of the Study……………………………………………………. 1

1.2 Reason for Choosing the Topic …………………………………………….. 5

1.3 Statement of the Problems …………………………………………………. 5

1.4 The Objective of the Study ………………………………………………… 6

1.5 Significance of the Study ………………………………………………….. 6

1.6 Scope of the Study ………………………………………………………… 6

II. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE …………........................ 7

2.1 Pictures and Colored Pictures ……………………………………………... 7

2.2 General Concept of Noun Vocabulary ……………………………………. 9

2.3 Characteristics of Third Grade Children ………………………………….. 11

2.4 Teaching Noun Vocabulary by Using Colored Pictures ………………….. 13

2.5 Action Research …………………………………………………………... 15

2.6 English at Elementary Students ………………………………………….. 17

2.7 The Repetition Drill Technique ………………………………………….. 18

III. METHODS OF INVESTIGATION ………………………………… 19

3.1 Data Collection ……………………………………………………………. 19

3.2 Subject of the Study ………………………………………………………. 20

3.3 Instrument of the Study …………………………………………………… 21

3.3.1 Pictures ………………………………………………………………….. 21

3.3.2 Field Notes ……………………………………………………………… 21

3.3.3 Tests …………………………………………………………………….. 21

3.3.4 Audio Tape Recorder …………………………………………………… 22

3.4 The Steps in Action Research …………………………………………….. 22

3.4.1 Pre Test…. ……………………………………………………………... 22

3.4.2 First Cycle ……………………………………………………………… 23

3.4.3 Second Cycle …………………………………………………………… 23

3.4.4 Third Cycle. ……………………………………………………………. 23

3.4.5 Post Test …………………………………………………….................. 24

3.5 The Criterion of the Assessment…………………………………………. 24

3.6 The Steps of Repetition Drill Technique by Using Colored Pictures …… 24

IV. DATA ANALYSIS ………………………………………........................ 26

4.1 Description of the Results ………………………………………………. 26

4.1.1 Analysis of the Pre test ……………………………………………….. 27

4.1.2 The Analysis of the First Cycle ……………………………………….. 27

4.1.3 The Analysis of the Second Cycle ……………………………………. 29

4.1.4 The Analysis of the Third Cycle ……………………………………… 31

4.1.5 The Analysis of the Post Test ………………………………………... 32

4.1.6 The Analysis of the Whole Meetings ………………………………… 34

4.1.7 The Tables of Each Cycles …………………………………………… 36

vii

V. CONCLUSION …………………………………………..................... 38

5.1 Conclusion …………………………………………………………….. 38

5.2 Pedagogical Implication ………………………………………………. 39

REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 40

APPENDICES ........................................................................................... 42

viii

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix

1. The Scores of Pre Test ........................................................... 42

2. The Scores of the First Cycle.................................................. 43

3. The Scores of the Second Cycle............................................. 44

4. The Scores of the Third Cycle................................................ 45

5. The Scores of the Post Test..................................................... 46

6. The Name of the Subjects...................................................... 47

7. RPP ....................................................................................... 48

8. The Pictures of the Research.................................................. 52

9. The Research Letter .............................................................. 57

10. The Sample of Media Colored Pictures................................ 58

11 The Script of the Interview.................................................... 62

The Score of the test in the Third Cycle

No Na

ma

Sis

wa

Score per item Tot

al

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Sup

riya

di

1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 7

2 Ade

Irna

S

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

3 Ded

y

Bay

u

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 Nug

roh

o P

1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 5

5 Suri

anto

1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 6

6 Tria 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 9

na P

L

7 Abd

ea

D.

W

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

8 Ada

m

T.

C

1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 8

9 Alw

an S

1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9

10 Ann

isa

N D

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

11 Bun

ga

K

1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 8

12 Dev

ia Y

A

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 7

13 Erdi

na

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

A P

14 Ind

ah

Sari

1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5

15 If'

vad

a M

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

16 Kaz

is

1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4

17 Lar

asw

ati

R K

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

18 Mit

zi

AL

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

19 Nan

da

AS

1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 6

20 Nis

hful

ail

A H

1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 5

21 Rat

na

K

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

22 Ref

a

Noo

r I P

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

23 Ref

ani

A K

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

24 Refi

Noo

r I P

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

25 Ris

ma

P L

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

26 Rez

a P

W

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

27 Sav

ika

Y

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 9

28 Wul 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 5

and

ari

29 Yas

sint

ha

A

W

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

30 Yul

iasi

h K

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10

31 Nur

ring

tyas

1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 8

32 Yus

tik

M

Fata

h

1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 7

TOTAL 31 25 21 31 30 23 28 22 23 24 258

INTRODUCTION

Learning a language means learning its vocabularies. We use the vocabularies in communication

either in spoken form or written form. We try to send messages, share information and ideas by

using the language. In general, no language acquisition is possible without understanding the

vocabulary, either in the first or the second language (Kweldju, 2004:18).

The process and the way that we go through in learning and using the target language usually

take hard effort especially in learning a foreign language. This is because a foreign language is

different from a mother language. The differences can be in the rules of the sounds system

(phonology), the word formation (morphology), the word structures (syntax), the words’

meaning (semantic), and the social context (sociolinguistic). These can cause problems in

learning a foreign language. However, teachers of a foreign language should always motivate

their students to keep practicing using the language. They should use many methods which can

interest their students in using the target language in classroom communication.

Students often find difficulties in using a foreign language because they lack of vocabularies and

they often forget easily new vocabularies after they get the meaning from dictionaries.

Sometimes in speaking classes, students can not speak fluently because they lack of

vocabularies. They say only a few sentences because they can not find the appropriate

vocabularies to be used in expressing their ideas. The same problem is found in writing classes

that students can not write essays easily because they lack of vocabularies. Even though they

have already learned the strategies or techniques in writing essays, still they find difficulties in

constructing sentences. They find difficulties in choosing and using the appropriate vocabularies.

This article is not aim at neglecting the students’ problems in sounds system, grammar, and so

on. Nor is it aim at placing vocabulary as the most influential factor in foreign language mastery.

It just intends to bring vocabularies as one of students’ most difficult aspect to the discussion.

This writing concern with the ways teachers can use to help their students to improve the

vocabularies since vocabularies are very crucial in learning a foreign language. This writing is

hopefully can give suggestions to improve or enlarge students’ vocabularies toward English as a

foreign language.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VOCABULARY LEARNING

Vocabulary learning is the important aspect in learning a foreign language. Students will

improve much if they learn more words and expressions. As a linguist David Wilkins (in

Thornbury 2002:13) says that vocabulary learning is very important. ‘Without grammar very

little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.’ Thus, vocabularies are the

flesh of a language while grammar is the skeleton. In order to be able to use the language

productively, students must know certain amount of vocabularies, not only for communicating

orally, but also written. It is in line with the concept of communicative approach in which

learners have a big chance to use the language directly in classroom activities. This approach is

useful in improving students’ vocabularies. Through the approach students are forced to use the

language directly in either spoken or written communication.

The questions relate with vocabularies acquisition are what kinds of words one needs to know

and how many words he must know. The vocabularies that should a student know first are the

high frequency words. These are words that he uses most often in communication either in

classroom activities or outside classroom. The high frequency words are called the general

service vocabulary. Next, he also should know the academic or sub technical words which are

not in general service vocabulary but occur frequently over a range of academic texts.

How many words a student must know is varied. Kweldju (1997) found that the average

vocabulary sizes of students from fifteen English Departments ranged from 2041 to 3352 word

families. A study conducted to 1776 students in 21 state graduate schools in Indonesia showed

that the graduate students’ vocabulary size averaged 2861 words, while S2 students’ vocabulary

size 2671 words and S3 students’ was 3211 words.

Learning the vocabulary of a foreign language presents the learner with firstly making the correct

connections when understanding the language between the form and the meaning of words

including discriminating the meanings of closely related words. Secondly, when producing the

language, using the correct form of a word for the meaning intended.

A student of a foreign language must know about the words and word formation in order to be

able to understand the form and meaning of words as well as to be able to use the correct form of

word. The next discussion is about the definition of word, word classes, and word formation.

Definition of Word

There are some definitions of the term word. Longman dictionary of American English stated

that word is written representation of one or more sounds which can be spoken to represent an

idea, object, etc. Crowley et.al (1995:7) stated that the term word is a unit of linguistic analysis

which has these characteristics: (1) isolability, means that words can be pronounced in isolation

from other words, (2) mobility, means that words are item which can be moved around within a

sentence to form new sentences, and (3) phonological independence which means that words are

correspond to the minimal units of phonological analysis.

Class of Word

The classes of word can be divided into eight different classes such as nouns, pronouns, verbs,

adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and determiners. Thornbury (2002:3) mentioned

that there are two crude division of word that is content words (lexical words) and function

words (grammatical words). Content words are those that carry high information load such as

nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The membership is unrestricted and still allow for the

addition of new members. Meanwhile function words are words that mainly contribute to the

grammatical sentence such as prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, and pronouns. The

membership is restricted and definite.

Formation of Word

There are many ways of words formation. These develop and enrich vocabularies of a language.

In English, the common word formation processes are (1) derivation, (2) compounding, (3)

acronyms, (4) back formation, (5) blending, (6) clipping, (7) coinage, (8) functional shift, (9)

false etymology, and (10) proper names. (Fromkin, 1988). Below is the definition of each

process.

1. Derivation: It is the process that derives new words by using prefixes and suffixes. Some

common prefixes are anti-, dis-, in-, pre-, post-, un-, and re-. Some common suffixes are

–ation, -able, -al, -er, -ed, -ful, -ity, -ing, -ly, -ness, and –y. For instance, from the word

believe (verb) can be derived into some adjectives by adding prefix and suffix like

follow: believable, unbelievable.

2. Compounding: It is the process that forms new words by putting together two or more

existing words. For instance by combining noun and noun like girlfriend, landlord, or

mailman.

3. Acronyms: It is the process that forms new words by uniting the initial sounds or letters

of words then pronounceable as a new separate word. For example the word laser from

light amplification through the stimulated emission of radiation or UN from United

Nation.

4. Back Formation: It is the process that uses analogy in a rather backwards manner to

derive new words. For instance the word revise is derived from the word revision.

5. Blending: It is the process that combines parts of two words, usually the initial part of a

word and the last part of another word. For example the word brunch is the blending

from breakfast and lunch.

6. Clipping: It is the process that derives new words by shortening the words so it is easy to

be pronounced without paying attention to the derivational morphology of the word. For

instance the word dorm from the word dormitory and the word lab from laboratory.

7. Coinage: It is the process that derives new words by using no morphological methods but

just take the brand of some products to name the things refer. For example the word aqua

to name all bottled mineral water and the word Kodak to name any kind of camera.

8. Functional Shift: It is the process that derives new words by moving the part of speech of

a word and no changing of its form. For instance the word run can be used as noun and

also as verb.

9. Morphological Misanalysis: It is the process that derives new words by introducing new

words taken from similar words. This can be because of actual misunderstanding, or

intentional (creative) extension of morphemes. For instance the word workaholic derives

from alcoholic.

10. Proper Names: It is the process that derives new words from names of persons connected

with them. For example the word watt from James Watt the name of the person who

invented electricity.

These processes of words formation can be introduced to students in order to give them the rule

of deriving new words which they can apply and to improve their vocabularies. The knowledge

of words and words formation processes is beneficial to help the students in learning

vocabularies. First, they can learn the principles in forming words. Then, the knowledge leads

them to be productive and creative that is by applying the principles in order to ‘create’ words.

As the result, they may improve their vocabularies.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY

This part proposes some activities that teachers can use to vary their techniques of teaching

vocabulary. These activities should be chosen by determining the students’ level, the teaching

objectives, and the time allocation.

1. Introduce words in lexical sets to make good sense. The meanings of the words can be made

clearer by contrasting them with closely related words in the same set. For example if the topic

of your lesson is about The Airport, the following lexical set may be useful:

airplane                                               take-off

passport                                              check-in

boarding Pass                                     transit

luggage                                               landings

Teacher can ask the students to make or to complete the set related with the topic Allow them to

use their dictionaries.

2. Take the form of derivation or affixation in your reading or speaking classes as the activity of

vocabularies development, for instance the adjective formation below.

Adjectives formed with –ed describe our reaction to someone or something.

For example terrify + -ed becomes terrified. Example:

I was terrified when I saw the movie.

Adjectives formed with –ing describe the person or the thing that causes the

reaction. Example:

The movie was terrifying.

The other adjectives formations are:

Amuse – amused – amusing

Annoy – annoyed – annoying

Bore – Bored – Boring

Tire – Tired – Tiring

Interest – Interested – Interesting

Teachers can ask the students to use these adjectives in vocabulary exercises for instance by

filling the gaps in sentences.

3. Encourage students to bring to class jokes, magazines, and newspapers in English that they

like reading. They will find many examples of word formation that they may do not know the

meanings. Below is the example from Reader’s Digest (1993:53):

Happy New Year!

“We jingle the bells in December and juggle the bills in January.”

From the example, the suffix –gle expresses the idea of movement. The author makes use of the

similar form and meaning in jingle and juggle for a comic purpose. Then, ask your students to

find words with j- (or phoneme [dz] that express the idea of movement. By using their

dictionaries they will find these words in the same list of movement: jerk, jet, jiggle, jitney,  

jitterbug, jitters, jive, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, journey, jump

4. Ask students to write another list of words with meanings associated with the word for

example twilight as can be seen in the example below taken from a newspaper advertisement

(Kompas, 2007):

Twilight Orchestra

Arrangement by Adie M.S.

Ask the students to make a list with associated meanings with twilight. Students will come across

words like two, twice, twain, ‘tween (from between), twelve, twenty, tweezers, twin, twine, twist.

They will learn a lot of new words and memorize them easily since they are all associated.

CONCLUSION

Vocabularies are very important when we learn a language, not only in a native language but

also in a foreign language. The complexity of vocabularies may cause the problem in the

mastery. In English as a Foreign Language classroom, the most difficult aspects are the retention

of vocabulary. Teachers work hard to improve the vocabulary of their students by using many

methods and activities. Yet, this effort sometimes does not give good result because of the

complexity of vocabulary learning in a foreign language.

There are many ways to improve vocabularies recognition. This article only proposes a small

part of the ways. Teachers of EFL can develop many other ways to enrich the students’

vocabulary. Teachers should use the appropriate method in the classroom by considering the

objectives of teaching, the students’ level of acquisition, and the time allocation. The most

important thing is that the teacher should always motivate their students to develop good reading

habits as one basic way to enrich their vocabularies. Once they develop this habit, they will be

able to learn many things including vocabularies improvement.

REFERENCES:

Crowley, Terry, Lynch, John, Siegel, Jeff, and Piau, Julie. 1995. The Design of

Language, an Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics. New Zealand. Longman

Paul Limited.

Fromkin, Victoria, and Robert Rodman. 1988. An introduction to Language. New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.

Kweldju, Siusana. 2004. Invest Your Time in Learning English Today For Building

Better Indonesia. University of Malang.

KOMPAS. 10 Januari 2007. Hlm.5.

LONGMAN. Learner’s Dictionary of American English. 2001. England. Pearson

Education Limited.

Reader’s Digest. October 1993. Pp 53

Teresa, Carmem. 1996. Blends: Developing Creative Vocabulary Building Activities.

English Teaching Forum. Pp58-59

Thornburry, Scott. How to Teach Vocabulary. England  Pearson Education Limited.

Posted in Jumariati's article. 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Improving the Vocabulary Mastery of EFL Students”

Collocation

The term collocation generally refers to the way in which two or more words are typically used

together. For example, we talk about heavy rain but not heavy sun, or we say that we make or

come to a decision, but we don’t do a decision. So, heavy rain and make a decision are often

referred to as collocations and we say that heavy collocates with rain, or that heavy and rain are

collocates of each other. With collocation software we can search for all the collocates of a

particular word, that is, all the words that are used most frequently with that word and especially

those with a higher than anticipated frequency.

This is particularly useful for finding the collocates of verbs like have, get, make, and

do, which are often referred to as delexical verbs. These are verbs which don’t have a (lexical)

meaning of their own, but take their meaning from the words that they collocate or are used with.

For example, the verb make has a different meaning in each of the expressions make a cake,

make a decision, and make fun of, so it is sensible to teach verbs like these in expressions, as col-

locations, instead of trying to identify and distinguish basic meanings, which is difficult and, in

many cases, almost impossible.

Figure 1 shows some of the most frequent collocates of the words make and do. They

include words that come immediately after the word (make sure) and words that come two or

more words after it (make a difference, make a huge mistake).

MAKE: sure, difference, sense, decision, mistakes, decisions, money, judgments, mistake,

reservations, copies, effort DO: anything, something, things, job, well, nothing, work, whatever,

aerobics, gardening, stuff, homework, laundry

Figure 1: Collocates of the words make and

do. Teaching Vocabulary

Notice that although make is a frequent word, it collocates most strongly with a higher-

level, lower-frequency vocabulary. On the other hand, the collocates of do are a mixture of very

concrete, elementary items (homework, laundry) and more advanced abstract or vague

vocabulary (anything, something, things). Lists like these help us make choices about what to

teach at different levels.

At higher levels collocations can be taught and practiced overtly and students can be

encouraged to write down collocations as well as single words. But even at the elementary level

we can introduce the idea of words and expressions that are “used together” even if we do not

use terms like collocation or collocates, and we can encourage students to keep notes of these in

their vocabulary notebooks (see Figure 2).

Think of words and expressions that go with these verbs. GO PLAY READ

Figure 2: Example of an elementary level collocation exercise.

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own original work, which I have created myself.

All the literature I used is properly quoted and is listed in Bibliography.

In

MASARYK UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

AND LITERATURE

Using pictures in teaching vocabulary

Bachelor’s thesis

Written by: Kateřina Joklová

Supervisor: Mgr. Ivana Hrozková

Brno 2009

2

Key words: vocabulary, teaching, pictures, visuals, learning, word, teacher,

learner, aid, language

3

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own original work, which I have created myself.

All the literature I used is properly quoted and is listed in Bibliography.

In Brno………………… ……………………………

(signature)

4

At this point I would like to express my thanks to the leader of this thesis, Mgr. Ivana

Hrozková, whose significant help was very valuable to me.

5

CONTENTS

Introduction

I. Theoretical Part............................................................................................................. 7

1. Vocabulary ................................................................................................................7

1.1. What knowing a word includes.....................................................................7

1.2. What vocabulary to teach..............................................................................9

2. Vocabulary teaching................................................................................................11

2.1. How to make vocabulary teaching and learning effective ..........................11

2.2 Techniques in vocabulary teaching.............................................................13

3. Pictures in foreign language teaching .....................................................................15

3.1. Pictures in vocabulary teaching ......................................................................17

II. Practical Part.............................................................................................................. 26

1. Lesson plan - Emotions...........................................................................................27

2. Activities .................................................................................................................33

2.1. Big picture flashcards.......................................................................................33

2.2 Small picture flash cards ...................................................................................39

2.3. Drawing............................................................................................................41

2.4. Compiled pictures ............................................................................................43

2.5. Charts with vocabulary webs ......................................................................45

Practical part summary – insights ...............................................................................47

Conclusion

Resume

Bibliography

Appendices

6

INTRODUCTION

My bachelor’s thesis deals with a contemporary issue of importance – that of teaching

vocabulary using pictures. Perhaps a little neglected in the past, vocabulary teaching is

today a hot topic for many teachers; they have realized that without the cornerstone of a

well functioning mental lexicon, no student can possibly engage in meaningful active

communication. And active communication in English is what counts in today’s

globalized world. As I will strive to demonstrate in this thesis, pictures represent an

indispensable tool for vocabulary teaching, especially (but not by far only) when

teaching children. My goal is to show how pictures can be employed in lessons as well

as to reach conclusions on why they work and in what way exactly they help retaining

the memorized words.

As is the custom, the thesis is divided into a theoretical and practical part. The

theoretical one comprises three chapters. The first one introduces and specifies the

phenomenon of vocabulary and goes on to examine some crucial terms connected with

it: the form, meaning, grammar or formation of the word and so on. It also strives to

advise the teacher on what criteria he or she should consider in choosing the areas of

vocabulary to be taught. The second chapter deals with various techniques of

vocabulary teaching in general and includes hints on how to optimise the learning

process. The third chapter is specifically aimed at using pictures (and marginally other

visual aids) in ELT classes. Five categories of pictures, such as flash cards or wall

posters are looked into here.

The practical part is in numerous ways linked to the theoretical part. In the form of

several activities and one lesson plan, it offers practical examples of pictures utilization

in the class. Each type of pictures listed in Chapter 3 of the theoretical part is put to use

here, followed by an evaluation and analysis of the lesson or activity. It is in these

analyses, I believe, where the answers to the questions raised in the beginning of this

introduction can be found, supported by theories specified in the theoretical part.

I would also like to turn the reader’s attention to the appendices in the back of the

thesis. Although it was not exactly my goal, the lesson plan and activities can be put to

immediate use in the classroom with their help.

7

I. THEORETICAL PART

1. Vocabulary

“If language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is

vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh.” (Harmer 1993: 153)

Vocabulary functions as a cornerstone without which any language could not

exist. Speaking would be meaningless and perhaps impossible having only structure

without vocabulary. The word “vocabulary” generally represents a summary of words

or their combinations in a particular language. However, we should bear in mind, as Ur

(2000: 60) remarked, that one item of vocabulary can consist of more than one word.

E.g. ‘post-office’ consists of two words and still expresses one idea.

Vocabulary teaching is one of the most important components of any language

class. The main reason is the fact that it is a medium, which carries meaning; learning to

understand and express the meaning is what counts in learning languages.

There has been increased focus on teaching vocabulary recently, partly as a

result of “the development of new approaches to language teaching, which are much

more ‘word-centred’.” (Thornbury 2004: vi)

1.1. What knowing a word includes

What does teaching vocabulary actually involve? Is it enough for the learner to

know the form of the word and one or more of its meanings? In fact, teaching

vocabulary is more of a complex matter:

Ur (2000: 60-62) and Harmer (1993: 156-157) agree in listing the fundamental

features, which need to be included within vocabulary teaching:

Besides knowing the form of the word, learners also need to be familiar with its

grammar. Learners need to know e.g. irregular forms of verbs or plural nouns, the

position of adjectives etc. Another aspect in teaching vocabulary is the word formation.

8

Learners should know how to change a word form and when to use it (gerund, the past

form…).

Teaching the meaning includes mainly connecting a word with its equivalent in

the real world. It is called denotation. Apart from denotation, connotation of the word

(associations and feelings, which arise when the word is heard) should be taught. Many

vocabulary items have several meanings depending on context. To make it even worse,

“word meaning is frequently stretched through the use of metaphor and idiom”.

(Harmer 1993: 157) Furthermore, learners need to be provided with the word sense

relations to other words. There are various relationships such as synonyms, antonyms,

hyponyms etc.

Another challenge the learner will face when learning a new item is collocation.

That means he or she needs to know which words can be used in connection with each

other and how. E.g. when learning the word “picture”, the learner should be informed

that one can take a picture, not make a picture. On top of that, the student needs to

acquire the ability to recognize when it is appropriate to use a particular word - speaking

or writing, informal conversation with a friend or formal polite conversation. (Ur 2000:

60-62; Harmer 1993: 156-157)

To sum this up, it is not enough to learn just the form of a new vocabulary item

and its denotation. In order to be able to understand properly and to use a new item of

vocabulary in a given language correctly, the learner must be familiar with the word

connotation, grammar and formation as well as its collocation and the right way and

appropriateness of use.

9

1.2. What vocabulary to teach

Every language teacher must make a difficult choice on what and how much

vocabulary to teach. Furthermore, they must consider what vocabulary items to teach

first (during early stages of the course) and what vocabulary to leave for later on.

The teacher’s choice of vocabulary is influenced into some extent by the course

book and supplementary materials they use. However even here, “teacher decides on

emphasis given to individual items.” (Gairns and Redman 1992: 54)

1.2.1. Usefulness

When making a decision about what vocabulary to teach preferentially, the

teacher should take into consideration mainly usefulness of the words. Yet, what words

are actually useful? To be able to answer this question, it might be helpful to look into

several aspects.

In the first place, the teacher should consider the learner’s needs. Allen (1983)

pointed out that it is useful to provide the learner with words for ‘classroom language’

just at the early stages of the course. She continues that it is important for the teacher to

predict what words the student needs to know for talking about everyday life, people

and things surrounding them. “When such words are learnt, the new language can

immediately be put to use”. (Allen 1983: 108)

One of the criteria affecting the teacher’s choice is the frequency in which the

particular item is used in common language. In general, “The words which are most

commonly used are the ones we should teach first.” (Harmer 1993: 154) However, most

frequent words do not usually convey much information, being so-called ‘empty’ words

(i.e. grammar words) and to be able to communicate, learners need considerable amount

of words bearing some meaning. (McCarthy 1992: 82)

Another aspect to consider is coverage. As Harmer (1993: 154) stated, the words

covering more things are likely to be taught before words with only one specific

meaning. E.g. the word ‘book’ will be taught before words ‘notebook or exercise book’.

McCarthy (1992: 84) also speculates on the range of an item. It is generally

advisable to avoid the vocabulary with a restricted range, since the wider range an item

has, the more useful it is likely to be.

10

1.2.2. Learnability

Besides usefulness, “learnability” is another factor influencing the order in

which chosen vocabulary will be taught. There are a lot of reasons why words might be

easy or difficult to learn. Of them all, let us mention that complicated spelling,

pronunciation or meaning might be a reason for a word to be difficult to remember.

Generally, concrete things are more learnable then abstract ones, therefore they are

always taught first. (McCarthy 1992: 86)

11

2. Vocabulary teaching

2.1. How to make vocabulary teaching and learning effective

Vocabulary is generally a matter of remembering, unlike e.g. learning grammar,

which is a system based mainly on rules. (Thornbury, 2004) To be able to teach as

effectively as possible, it is important to know, how words are remembered and stored

in students’ minds and how long term memory is organized.

Several authors agree that vocabulary is stored in the mind in a highly organized

and complex web-like system, the so-called ‘mental lexicon’. In the mental lexicon,

words are stored, categorized and interconnected in many ways, according to their

features such as meaning, form, collocation, syntactic properties, cultural background

etc. Consequently, a word being retrieved is looked up through several pathways at

once, which is extremely economical in terms of time needed. (Thornbury 2004;

McCarthy 1992; Gairns and Redman 1992)

One of the important roles of the language teacher is to help their students find

the easiest way of conveying new information into the already existing system of the

mental lexicon. (Thornbury 2004: 93) Moreover, students need to acquire the ability to

store the information for as long as possible.

Thornbury (2004: 24-26) summarized a research into memory, which suggests

principles supporting the process of permanent or long – term remembering. In this

summary he listed several techniques to follow to make vocabulary teaching as effective

as possible:

Firstly repetition, yet what he means is “repetition of encounters with a word”

(Thornbury 2004: 24) e.g. in reading. Furthermore, he stresses the importance of

retrieval and use of the new words. While practicing, learners should make decisions

about words, e.g. match rhyming words or use new items to complete sentences.

Moreover, personalizing in vocabulary practice has proved to be beneficial for

remembering along with spacing, which means that presentation of new vocabulary is

divided into more widely separated sequences followed by repeated revision later on

12

with gradually extending periods between them. E.g. the end of the lesson, next lesson,

next week and so on. (Thornbury 2004: 24)

Another helpful element is motivation, which is closely linked with attention.

“A very high degree of attention (called arousal) seems to correlate with improved

recall.”(Thornbury, 2004: 25) Connected to this, emotional value of words should be

considered as well. I must definitely agree with Thornbury on this matter, as his

conclusions correspond with my own experiences – see for example the evaluation and

analysis in chapter 2.1.1 of the practical part.

Finally, Thornbury (2004: 25) advises to visualize a picture for a new word or to

link an abstract word with some mental image. Images drawn by students themselves

have the best outcomes. Besides imaging, there are other mnemonics, such as making

clues from associations with similarly sounding word and its meaning in the mother

tongue.

Again, Thornsbury’s claim that students’ own images have the best influence on

remembering is in accordance with my own conclusion (see the evaluation and analysis

in chapter 2.3 of the practical part)

When examining this matter, Gairns and Redman (1992) stressed the importance

of meaningful activities in the classroom. They pointed out that meaningful tasks need

to be analyzed in greater detail and therefore information is more likely to be retained in

long-term memory. Furthermore, they as well as Thornbury reason the positive impact

of personalization, imaging and retrieval mentioned above. They also suggest a good

organization of written storage of vocabulary to support retention. Among other

possibilities, they mention using ‘word diagrams’, which they claim might be very

useful for “storage of lexis”. (Gairns and Redman 1992: 96) For more information about

the word diagrams see chapter 3.1.4 - Semantic maps.

To sum it up, the teacher should help students build up and use a mental lexicon

in such a way that they will be capable of storing, keeping and retrieving words when

needed. He or she can call on various methods to aid him or her in accomplishing this

task, mainly arousing motivation and attention, engaging in meaningful activities and

providing many channels for learning and practicing. Pictures represent a convenient

tool to be employed in nearly all of these methods. For more information on how this

can be done, see Chapter 3. – Pictures in ELT.

13

2.2 Techniques in vocabulary teaching

Learners acquire vocabulary in various ways. Students are exposed to a lot of

new vocabulary during lessons: by the teacher, by texts or other materials they work

with. A lot of this vocabulary is automatically absorbed. (Harmer 1993: 159)

Beside this incidental acquisition there are “pre-planned lesson stages in which

learners are taught pre-selected vocabulary items” (Thornbury 2004: 75). Various

techniques and activities are aimed directly at learning vocabulary, which is usually put

into sets of somehow related words, often by topic or meaning.

As McCarty (1992) suggests, before presenting new language, pre-teaching

activities might be beneficial “to activate existing knowledge to make the encounter

with new words more meaningful.”(McCarthy 1992: 108) Pre-teaching activities often

arouse students’ attention and desire to explore a particular topic or subject in greater

detail.

Both McCarthy (1992: 110) and Thornbury (2004: 76) suggest two general

possibilities of arranging vocabulary presentation. The teacher provides the learners

with the meaning of the words and then progresses to introduction of their forms or vice

versa – the form is introduced first, followed up with illustration of the meaning.

In the latter, forms are often presented in text or another form of context and

students are encouraged to discover meanings and other properties of words themselves.

This type of activity is called the discovery technique. (Harmer 1993: 160)

There are many possibilities how to explain or illustrate the meaning of the

words. In the first place, it is necessary to mention techniques typical for ‘Direct

Method’ as Thornbury 2004) specifies them “using real objects (called realia) or

pictures or mime.” (Thornbury 2004: 78)

The same author continues that these means are especially appropriate for

teaching elementary levels, where many concrete objects are taught. These types of

presentation are usually supplemented with the use of TPR (Total physical response),

which is a technique where the teacher gives commands and students perform the

actions. In TPR, “the intention is to replicate the experience of learning one’s mother

tongue” (Thornbury 2004: 79) Techniques for using pictures are furthermore explored

14

in chapter 3; an example of Direct Method can be found in chapter 1 of the Practical

Part.

As Harmer (1993: 161-162) suggests, sense relations, definition and direct

translation of words might function as yet another helpful tool for clarifying the

meaning.

Thornbury (2004) listed these options as well and furthermore included an idea

of clarifying the meaning by examples, such as “providing an example situation” or

“giving several example sentences” (Thornbury 2004: 81)

All these techniques are more or less useful for a particular situation, level and

vocabulary, the best way would be in many cases to combine them and use several

together.

Besides explaining the meaning in vocabulary presentation, it is also important

to focus on forms, since the sound of words is one of the aspects influencing the

organisation of the mental lexicon. (Thornbury 2004: 84; McCarthy, 1992: 110)

This is arranged by various drilling activities. From experience, songs and chants

are very suitable for drills, providing rhythm, catchy rhymes and an element of fun. As

Thornbury (2004: 86-7) suggests, introducing the written form of the word should

follow not long after the presentation of the pronunciation.

After presentation, learners should be provided with plenty opportunities to

practice the newly gained language in accordance with the principles listed in chapter

2.1 of the theoretical part, since it is crucial for successful remembering. This is done by

various forms of practice activities. In the first stage, usually mechanical practice is

applied “in the form of some of kind of oral repetition”. (Thornbury 2004: 93)

Furthermore as Thornbury (2003: 93) claims, it is necessary to integrate new vocabulary

into existing knowledge in the mental lexicon, which is done by types of activities,

where students make judgements about words, e.g. matching, comparing etc. This

mechanical practice is then followed by more open and communicative activities

“where learners are required to incorporate the newly studied words into some kind of

speaking or writing activity.” (Thornbury 2004: 100). This is often provided by various

pair-work or group-work activities.

15

3. Pictures in foreign language teaching

As Hill (1990) pointed out, “the standard classroom” is usually not a very

suitable environment for learning languages. That is why teachers search for various

aids and stimuli to improve this situation. Pictures are one of these valuable aids. They

bring “images of reality into the unnatural world of the language classroom.” (Hill

1990: 1) Pictures bring not only images of reality, but can also function as a fun element

in the class. Sometimes it is surprising, how pictures may change a lesson, even if only

employed in additional exercises or just to create the atmosphere.

Pictures meet with a wide range of use not only in acquiring vocabulary, but also

in many other aspects of foreign language teaching. Wright (1990: 4-6) demonstrated

this fact on an example, where he used one compiled picture and illustrated the

possibility of use in five very different language areas. His example shows employing

pictures in teaching structure, vocabulary, functions, situations and all four skills.

Furthermore he pointed out that “potential of pictures is so great that only a taste of

their full potential can be given” in his book. (Wright 1990: 6) To be more specific,

beside lessons where pictures are in the main focus, they might be used just as a

“stimulus for writing and discussion, as an illustration of something being read or talked

about, as background to a topic and so on” (Hill 1990: 2)

However, “pictures have their limitations too”. (McCarthy 1992: 115) For

example in teaching vocabulary, pictures are not suitable or sufficient for demonstrating

the meaning of all words. (McCarthy 1992: 115; Thornbury 2004: 81) It is hard to

illustrate the meaning of some words, especially the abstract ones such as ‘opinion’ or

‘impact’. Therefore, in some cases, other tools are used to demonstrate the meaning (see

chapter 2.2 of the Theoretical Part), or alternatively pictures might be supplemented by

other tools.

There are many reasons for using pictures in language teaching. As Wright

(1990: 2) pointed out, they are motivating and draw learners’ attention. This fact will be

repeatedly demonstrated in the Practical Part of this thesis. Furthermore, Wright (1990:

2) refers to the fact that they provide a sense of the context of the language and give a

specific reference point or stimulus.

Pictures, being suitable for any group of learners independently on age or level,

can be used in lots of various ways. As Hill (1992: 2) stated, “What is done is limited

16

only by the preparation time available, the visuals to hand and the imagination of the

individual teacher.”

Hill (1990: 1) listed several advantages of pictures, such as availability (one can

get them in any magazines, on the internet, etc.); they are cheap, often free; they are

personal (teacher selects them); flexibility - easily kept, useful for various types of

activities (drilling, comparing, etc.), they are “always fresh and different”, which means

they come in a variety of formats and styles and moreover the learner often wonders

what comes next. (Hill 1990: 1)

From my experience, learners always pay attention and are curious about what are

they going to do with the pictures shown. However, there is always a downside: it can

be quite time consuming to find the right pictures for a specific type of activity for a

beginning teacher who lacks his or her own collection. Still on the whole, this drawback

is greatly outweighed by the above-mentioned pros. Furthermore, when the collection of

pictures is once made, it can serve for a long time.

Another matter is the question of how to use pictures effectively. It counts as

general methodological knowledge that in learning languages, students should perceive

the input through as many channels as possible. Therefore it is important to include

variety of stimuli in teaching. It is important to find a balance and not to use pictures or

visuals only but to combine them with other techniques and different types of stimuli

(movement, verbal stimuli, sound, etc). Moreover, pictures used for demonstration of

the meaning should be repeatedly connected with the spoken and subsequently also

written form of the word or chunk of language.

17

3.1. Pictures in vocabulary teaching

3.1.1. Picture flashcards

David A Hill (1990) classified pictures according to their size into three ‘key’

categories:

- “Large (20x30 cm): useful for whole-class work”

- “Medium (10x15 cm): useful for group-work”

- “Small (5x5 cm): useful for games and other group-work activities”

(Hill 1990: 5)

This classification applies to picture flashcards as well. I have simplified Hill’s

classification and divided them into two groups only. The first group covers “Big flash

cards” (about 15x20cm or larger), typically used by the teacher for whole-class

activities such as presenting new language, controlled practice or as prompts for

speaking activities. The second group then covers “small picture flash cards” (smaller

then about 15x20cm), usually used by students for working individually or for games

and activities in pairs or groups.

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Big picture flashcards

Big picture flashcards are very helpful tools in presenting and drilling forms of

new words, since they draw learners’ attention and make these often boring activities

more enjoyable. And that is exactly what teachers need when presenting new language –

to catch their learners’ full attention, to raise their interest in the presented subject and

hence also their motivation. At the same time flashcards (as well as other forms of

pictures and visual aids in general) enable students to link the meaning of the words

with real-world images immediately. When using flashcards in presentation, it is easy to

involve learners actively and to combine the presentation with controlled practice. The

presentation of vocabulary with flashcards can be done in lots of various ways, for

example in telling a story or just simply based on a set of vocabulary for a particular

topic. (For an example of how flashcards can be used in presentation, see chapter 1 and

chapter 2.1.1. of the practical part)

Wright (1990) and Wright and Haleem (1996) listed several possibilities how to

illustrate the meaning of a new word or a piece of language through pictures. A single

picture might often serve this purpose well enough; yet, employing several pictures

might be in some cases preferable if not necessary to make sure that students get the

correct idea about what aspect of the picture the teacher had in mind. Displaying several

different pictures with one identical feature should suffice for this purpose. E.g. to teach

the phrase ‘to be horrified’, the teacher could show three pictures of people horrified by

different things.

Contrasting meanings could be another possibility: The teacher works with two

antonymous pictures, or similarly, compares two pictures with things very alike in their

meaning, such as ‘hill’ and ‘mountain’. Yet another possibility is to employ the sense of

a collective idea or to present the word as a part of a larger thing. As for the first case,

the verb ‘to work’ can be accompanied by pictures of different people working in

various jobs; in the second case, the word ‘leaf’ can be put into context as a part of ‘a

tree’ (Wright 1990: 139-144; Wright and Haleem 1996: 51-52)

Big flashcards are suitable for vocabulary practice and testing. To draw students’

attention, it is advisable to reveal pictures in an interesting way. Wright and Haleem

(1996) presented several activities that might be modified for this purpose, such as

‘Flashing picture’, where the teacher just flashes the cards quickly and students guess or

19

describe what they saw. As another example might serve ‘The slow picture reveal’.

(Wright and Haleem 1996: 56-57)

In this sense, the picture is used in a more meaningful and ‘real-lifecommunicative’

way than being just displayed for students to say what they can actually

see. This will probably have a greater impact on the retention of a piece of vocabulary

again and also subsequently on the ability to use it in communication.

Hill (1990) illustrated this idea on the example: “In the same way that the idea of

holding up a pen and asking ‘What’s this?’, expecting the answer ‘It’s a pen’ is

uncommunicative, it is uncommunicative to hold up a picture of a pen and ask ‘What’s

this?’ expecting the same answer.” (Hill, 1990, p.17)

Word flashcards

Word flashcards are perhaps worth mentioning at this point, even though they

are not actually pictures. However, being used in a similar way as picture flashcards,

they can often enrich the lesson. On top of that, those two can be indeed combined and

applied together, e.g. in a matching or labelling activity. As Wright (1990: 59) pointed

out, word flashcards are most typically used in teaching reading and writing.

Nevertheless, they will find their use in teaching vocabulary too, offering

valuable help mainly in teaching the spelling of newly learnt words, which definitely

should not be neglected as it often is.

Small picture flashcards

A plenty of variations of these cards are typically applied in communicative

activities in pairs or small groups of students, thus finding a meaningful role in

reviewing and practicing vocabulary. In a closer look, we will find one-side-only cards,

both-sided ones and sets of pairs (antonyms or synonyms, a picture and the

corresponding word or phrase) or sets of cards connected e.g. by their meaning.

Being flexible in their way of use, these cards offer teachers and their students a

large amount of possibilities in applying them in a number of activities and games such

as ‘domino’ or various forms of word matching activities. Moreover, they are fit for a

range of sorting or ordering activities, e.g. creating a story. These cards can also be used

for games based on asking each other questions and exchanging them while searching

20

for a set. (See chapter 2.2.2. of the practical part) On top of that, they might be helpful

in individual practice of vocabulary, e.g. looking at a picture and guessing the meaning

written on the other side.

Both Hill (1990) and Wright (1990) considered activities with this type of visual

material very useful and presented plenty of them in their books.

3.1.2. Drawing

Drawing finds huge potential in teaching languages. I must agree with Wright

(1990: 203) that in the first place, simple drawings can possibly substitute other forms

of pictures.

Although some teachers may not be exactly proficient in drawing, they are

eventually bound to find a way of drawing simple pictures for classroom use. Wright

(1990) stated that drawings “provide an immediately available source of pictorial

material for the activities. Students and teachers drawings also have a special quality,

which lies in their immediacy and their individuality.” (Wright 1990: 203)

The element of individuality might have a significant impact on remembering,

whether it is a unique expression of the teacher or even better, the expression of students

when creating the pictures themselves.

The activity of drawing within the classroom could be perhaps divided into two

categories: Drawing on the board carried out by the teacher for example to illustrate the

meaning of new language in presentation and drawing as an activity of students in

various, usually listening or reading, exercises.

Drawing on the board

It is highly flexible during presentation and therefore bears several advantages,

as Wright and Haleem (1996) listed among their board characteristics: “Texts and

pictures can grow in front of the class”…. “can be erased, added to or substituted

quickly.” (Wright and Haleem 1996: 5)

This feature widens the teacher’s options how to present or review language in a

meaningful way. This is true for teaching structures as well as vocabulary. E.g. in

reviewing, the teacher draws only a piece of a picture on the board and invites students

to guess what he or she is drawing. This makes students curious, they desire to know

what the answer actually is and it makes them speculate and reason their opinions and

so on. (Wright and Haleem 1996: 6)

21

In this sense, the picture is again used in a more meaningful way as the same

principle was already described in chapter 3.1.1.

Wright and Haleem (1996: 8) presented another very inspiring idea of using

drawing on the board: They suggest using it in combination with flashcards or pictures

from magazines, e.g. the teacher draws a scene and supplements it with individual

pictures of people, animals or things. The authors presented this technique for teaching

structure.

In my opinion it is a wonderful tip for presenting and practicing vocabulary too,

since this might put the vocabulary into context. For example a house could be drawn

and pictures of furniture could be placed inside, either by the teacher or by students.

This particular example can be used for the presentation or practice of names of rooms

or furniture, prepositions of place, home activities, together with the phrase ‘there

is/are’ or perhaps the present continuous etc.

This composition is again very flexible, as the pictures might be easily moved

around the board and there is a lot to talk about while doing so. For more details see

chapter 2.2.3 of the practical part.

Drawing as a students’ activity

Children in general love drawing; therefore exercises with drawing are rather

popular, especially among young learners. Pupils can relax while doing this calming

activity and the combination of fun and well-being forms a solid ground for successful

learning.

Drawing as an activity might serve a lot of goals (these often combined together)

in learning languages. It is often used to support developing particular language skills,

mostly (but not only) listening and speaking. Furthermore it meets with a great benefit

and usefulness in practicing or learning vocabulary, especially when talking about

elementary English, since a lot of essential vocabulary here are concrete and easy-todraw.

Scott and Ytreberg (1993) specify that this type of activity “is particularly useful

for checking object vocabulary, prepositions, colours and numbers. It is not so useful

for actions, since drawing people doing things is quite difficult for most of us.” (Scott

and Ytreberg 1993: 24) They furthermore pointed out that drawing exercises might

22

often be time-consuming and so they advise “to keep the picture simple”. (Scott and

Ytreberg 1993: 23) However, the teacher can control this into some extent by setting an

exact time limit or by telling pupils not to concentrate too much on the artistic quality.

Moreover, he or she can choose things easy to draw. To sum it up, if used in the right

way, drawing is not wasted time at all, as it is often considered to be by some teachers.

There are several ways of using drawing as an activity in language teaching. As

was already mentioned, vocabulary is often practiced within exercises focused at the

same time on other aspects of language, such as skills and structures. This enables

vocabulary to be used in context, which is more meaningful. Besides, vocabulary is

hard to be separated from these other aspects of language anyway. Very favourable is

the listen-and-draw or alternatively the listen-and-colour type of activity. This can be

organized either as teacher-to-class, student-to-class or as pair work. Another useful

exercise is the draw-and-describe type of activity, which is usually done in pairs. An

example can be found in chapter 2.3 of the practical part.

Among other not so significant advantages of using pictures students draw Allen

listed:

“When someone has drawn a picture of a scene, he knows the meanings of the English

words that the teacher will use while talking about parts of his scene. The meanings are

in his mind before he is given the English word. (As we have noted, meanings often

come before words in successful learning of vocabulary.)” (Allen 1983: 28)

She had in mind students drawing pictures on the board for the teacher to

subsequently work with. However, a similar idea will go for other drawing activities

students do. When drawing a picture for the purpose of describing it afterwards him or

herself, the student again knows the meaning in advance and most likely forms the

language to be used in the following speaking activity during the whole time of the

process of drawing. Moreover, in the reverse procedure, when a word comes before the

illustration of its meaning, e.g. in listen-and-draw type of activity, the retention of the

word or chunk of language is reinforced by the length of the process of drawing again.

Drawings “are suitable as illustrations for personal expression.” (Wright 1990:

203) That is yet another reason why to use drawing in language teaching - the fact that it

gives students the opportunity to express themselves. Every piece of drawing is unique,

23

projecting a piece of personality of its author as well as instant mood or state of mind.

This fact personalizes the learning subject and makes these pictures highly memorable

along with the language connected with them.

3.1.3. Wall-pictures and posters, compiled pictures

Wall-pictures are another valuable visual material for language classes. In the

first place, they can be displayed in the classroom to set English (or foreign in general)

environment and then they function as another source of language to be absorbed by

students in the process of natural acquisition. Furthermore, they will find their use both

in presentation of new language and controlled practice.

Wright and Haleem (1996: 45) specified in their characteristics of wall-pictures

that these are often complex pictures, illustrating a scene and containing lots of objects

and details. They are big enough to be seen by the whole class and they can be used

instantly and repeatedly.

Due to their character, they are obviously suitable for presentation of new

language. They put vocabulary into context and therefore make the presentation

meaningful, which is highly recommended for successful retention of new words.

As Wright and Haleem (1996) pointed out, many words and various structures

might be demonstrated by these complex pictures and subsequently many opportunities

for controlled practice are given. They listed several types of activities and games to

spice up controlled practice, such as variations of the memory game, such as “Hide and

seek” or “True/false game” and so on. (Wright and Haleem 1996: 45-48)

The competition element or the challenge to remember in controlled practice is

very beneficial. It makes students think and gives them a reason to speak, which has a

great impact on remembering the target language as well as making the activities more

enjoyable.

Compiled pictures may also be found in plenty variations of worksheets. They

are useful for individual written exercises on structure as well as vocabulary practice

and for speaking activities in pair work. These often occur in the form of handouts with

two slightly differing pictures (or a picture and text), which are used in individual work

or pair work. Alternatively, different details can be missing in each picture, which can

lead to information-gap type of activity for pair work. For an example of this type of

activity, see chapter 2.4 in the practical part. Potentially, a single picture might be

24

described or used for an objects-naming activity (e.g. from the memory again for higher

challenge).

Activities with compiled pictures are usually popular among students, giving

them an opportunity to apply their knowledge of vocabulary and structure in

combination with their ability to speak in order to reach the goal.

3.1.4. Semantic maps

Semantic maps, also known as word diagrams, are not exactly what people

usually imagine under the heading ‘Pictures’. Nonetheless, they are visuals and they are

very closely related to pictures. When looking into this matter, it is even possible to

claim that they actually are pictures - pictures of sense relations of words. In any case,

they are very valuable and highly beneficial not only in learning vocabulary but also, as

Gairns and Redman (1992) pointed out, as a tool for storing lexis already learned.

Therefore it is, in my opinion, convenient to mention them in this chapter.

Sense relations “are extremely valuable, and can provide a useful framework for

the learner to understand semantic boundaries.” (Gairns and Redman 1992: 31)

Semantic relations are useful not only to establish the meaning of vocabulary

items but might be also very helpful to reinforce their retention and the retrieval of a

word from the mental lexicon when it is needed. Semantic maps, or “diagrams and

trees” as these authors refer to them, make these relationships between words “explicit”.

(Gairns and Redman 1992: 32)

Semantic maps will find various functions in classes. They can be used in

presentations of vocabulary for a particular topic, making this vocabulary organized,

withdrawing their relations. They can be used in brainstorming activities as a tool for

vocabulary organisation again. Furthermore, McCarthy (1992: 97) listed other uses such

as gap-filling activities, speaking activities for group-work, or “as reference device” as

well as “recording device in the vocabulary notebook” already mentioned in chapter 2.1.

From my experiences, they are very beneficial, e.g. when students break up the

vocabulary into several subcategories within the diagram in their vocabulary notebooks,

they are capable of remembering vaster amount rather easily.

25

An example of a semantic map used in presentation can be found in chapter 1 of

the practical part; a semantic map in vocabulary practice then in chapter 2.5 of the

practical part.

Summary

There are various types of pictures to be used for language learning, practicing

and organizing. They differ regarding their size, form and origin, which makes them fit

for a number of activities depending on their type. For several reasons, they help

students remember the words better and they help the teacher to make the lesson more

interesting and beneficial.

26

II. PRACTICAL PART

The practical part is focused on techniques of using pictures in vocabulary

teaching for primary school pupils (8 – 11 years old). A lesson plan is included to show

how a vocabulary lesson with pictures can be organized. The following activities are

presented to demonstrate the use of individual forms of pictures examined in the

theoretical part of this thesis. These activities have been chosen, because they proved

themselves to be highly useful in the process of learning, being used regularly in my

lessons. My observations on how the activities work and why they are beneficial for

learners are summed up in the Evaluation and Analysis sections following each activity

with the aim to display the significance of pictures when learning languages.

27

1. Lesson plan - Emotions

Class: 4th grade, 14 students, 8-9 years old, 3 English lessons a week

I’ve been teaching this class for almost one year. It is their 2nd year of

compulsory English at school, however about half of the students had attended

an English club before. These students are very nice to work with, they are

highly motivated to learn and grateful for any kind of work the teacher prepares.

Although they are rather a spirited group, they are good natured and easy to

manage. Most of them are very bright and fast learners. There is one boy though,

who has a speaking problem and needs extra care in learning pronunciation.

Three children in this group are noticeably weaker then the others and need more

time to process and learn new information.

Time: 45 minutes

Aim: - to learn vocabulary for feelings

- to practice the verb ‘to be’ in various forms

Aids: - flashcards with ‘feelings’ (appendix 1)

- picture bingo – feelings (appendix 2)

- text of the “If you are happy” song (appendix 3)

- cards with prompts for the mingling activity

- prompt cards with answers “Yes, I am. No, I am not.”

- a worksheet for homework

Assumptions: - the pupils have come across the verb ‘to be’

- the pupils have dictionaries at home and are able to work with

them

28

Procedure:

1. Warm up – review of vocabulary from the previous lesson

Pupils walk in a circle and the teacher stands in the middle and gives commands

rhythmically and pupils do what the teacher says while chanting: “walk around, walk

around”, “jump, walk around walk around, sleep, wake up, walk around, walk around,

run…” Then the teacher picks one volunteer and he or she stands in the middle and

commands the others. This is done in fast speed and rhythm.

At the end of this activity, the teacher can say and mime: “I am hot. Are you hot

too?” In this way he or she uses one of the key words for the lesson and can introduce

the topic.

2. Presenting new words

The teacher shows pupils half of the pictures (those with emotions that are not

included in the basic text of the song – see appendix 1 and appendix 3) representing

emotions one by one and involves them in naming the people in the pictures. (The

teacher can also ask some additional questions e.g. about the age of the people and so

on). Every time showing a picture, the teacher says how the person feels and why. E.g.

“Joe is happy, because the sun is shining.” He or she places each picture on the board,

writes its name and draws a picture for the reason of the emotion next to the picture. He

or she involves pupils in inventing the reasons for the emotions.

3. Choral drill

Teacher pronounces words for each picture pointing at it one by one, while

pupils express the particular feelings. (TPR) Then pupils repeat the words after the

teacher in chorus (and later say them together with the teacher) several times, working

on pronunciation and miming all the time. While doing this, teacher can label the

pictures with words written on cards. This activity should be done rather quickly, so that

pupils do not get bored. It can be possibly left out as well, since there will be enough

drilling in the next activity.

4. Song

Pupils are invited to form a circle. The teacher introduces one of the emotions

(those not introduced in point 1) for each verse. He or she puts a picture for ‘happy’ in

29

the middle and says that for happy they all will clap their hands. Everybody tries it. The

teacher sings the first line of the song, pupils repeat several times. The teacher writes

the second line on the board and works with pupils on it. Then it is time to sing the

whole first verse. Then the teacher puts a picture for ‘sad’ in the middle of the circle and

says that for sad they will shake their heads and shows them how to do it. The teacher

and pupils sing the song again but this time with ‘sad’ and ‘shake your head’. Then they

can work on another verses e.g. ‘angry’ – ‘stamp your feet’, hungry – ‘make hum

miam’, thirsty – have a drink gloglo, and so on. Pupils with help of the teacher can

perform a different action for every picture.

(This activity adapted from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KVNxAYge8Y,

19.11.08, 22:45)

5. TPR

It is time for a simple game. The teacher says a word and pupils express the

corresponding feeling, having the pictures in front of them all the time. Then it can be

done vice versa, the teacher acts out the feelings or points at the pictures and pupils say

the corresponding word.

6. Controlled practice - structure

The teacher asks a volunteer to stand in front of the class and to choose

‘secretly’ one of the emotions (from the pictures on the board) and act it out. The

teacher asks him or her: “Are you happy?” and helps him or her with the possible

answers prepared on the prompt cards. The teacher writes the question and the answers

on the board. Another volunteer comes forth and acts out and pupils ask him or her in

the same way. This is repeated several times.

7. Mingling activity – mechanical practice

Everybody gets a card with a sentence e.g. “You are happy”. Pupils mingle

around the class and express the feeling from their card. They practice the conversation

from the previous activity with everybody they meet. Then they swap the cards and go

to someone else, expressing another feeling. This activity can be done only with ‘well

behaved’ groups. For more problematic groups I would recommend just to practice the

previous activity in pairs or groups of three or four instead.

30

8. Picture bingo

Every pupil gets a slightly different grid with small pictures of emotions. The

teacher calls out words or simple sentences and pupils cross the corresponding picture if

they have it on their grid. Whoever crosses all his or her pictures first, shouts ‘bingo’

and becomes the winner.

9. Homework

Pupils get a list of the freshly acquired vocabulary and pictures and their task is

to match each picture with the corresponding word and to translate it into Czech. They

are advised to use dictionaries to check if they have done it right. (Appendix 4)

Evaluation:

I included this lesson to demonstrate how flashcards can be used to establish the

meaning of new words and how they can help to draw children’s attention and interest. I

used physical actions (miming) as well to stimulate more senses when perceiving new

information.

This lesson was successful. All pupils remembered at least 60% of the new

words.

The first activity is supposed to establish English environment in the class.

Pupils love this activity, since they can move. However, it is not appropriate for some

groups for the beginning of the lesson, since children often get silly when having fun

and it can be hard to calm them down afterwards. I could afford this activity, since I

knew my group was extremely well behaved.

During the second activity, pupils paid attention, because they liked the pictures

very much. This fact alone demonstrates the advantage of employing pictures in

lessons. They were keen to help with giving names to the people on the pictures and

with inventing the reasons for the emotions on the pictures. The third activity took

longer then I had intended and some of the pupils got bored and lost their attention.

However, there was the element of acting the feelings, which helped me to keep them

31

busy while doing the drill, so it was not as bad as I would expect. Nonetheless, I would

recommend performing it as quickly as possible.

We moved to the back of the class for the fourth activity and worked in a circle.

The children were happy about it, since they love all opportunities for changing their

places. Some of the pupils had difficulties with learning the second line of the song. But

in the end most of them managed. They liked inventing and acting the actions for the

particular emotions on the pictures. We did not do a verse for every picture, since they

started to be bored after a while and we had to change the activity. Still, this activity

shows that pictures can be well combined with other activities and that doing so has a

positive impact on memorizing the target vocabulary.

I left the fifth activity out, because I saw there was not enough time to do all I

had planed. I saved it for the next lesson, where I used it as a warmer. Children usually

like this activity, since they like acting and miming and they can show off how much

they remember.

In the sixth activity, my pupils were pretty good in forming questions and

answers, partly due to the prompts displayed on the board. Everyone wanted to take a

part in front of the class, but only 3 people got a chance to do so, since it was only an

introduction to the next activity. The seventh activity was a great success. Everybody

participated and enjoyed themselves. It is always a little noisy when children are

mingling around the class, so firm rules and a ‘stop’ sign should be established

beforehand.

We did not have a time for the bingo at the end of the lesson; so again, I saved it

for a vocabulary review in one of the future lessons. All children love bingo. Everybody

always pays attention and listens, everybody wants to win. They are happy if the grid is

printed in colours and they can stick it into their notebooks.

This lessons stands and falls on pictures and on the whole proved as a success.

Pictures were used in nearly all parts of the plan, helping to establish environment and

atmosphere and functioning as an indispensable tool for activities aimed at vocabulary

learning. They were sometimes combined with other activities (the song, the game),

32

which further reinforced the chance to memorize words – a greater number of stimuli

seemed to positively affect the learning process. I do not believe that using simple word

flashcards would have the same positive effect, as they do not draw so much attention

by far and therefore children are likely to lose interest in the matter at hand (vocabulary

learning).

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2. Activities

2.1. Big picture flashcards

2.1.1. The Simpsons Family

Activity: Presentation of new language; whole class.

Aim: To introduce names of family members; to introduce an idea of the

family tree diagram; to introduce/review possessives. To practice asking about

and giving ‘personal details’.

Level: Beginners

Aids: Flash cards with the Simpsons family members (appendix 5); a board,

potentially pictures of students’ family members for follow-up practice.

Procedure:

The teacher tells the pupils that he or she wants to tell them about her or his best

friend and her family. (Alternatively, the she-teacher can say that she will show them

her own picture and introduce her family, and then she acts like she was Lisa / the heteacher

can be Bart or another member of the family.)

He or she shows them a picture of Lisa Simpson and tells them her name and

age and puts the picture on the board. Then he or she shows them a picture of Bart and

introduces him as Lisa’s brother and again places the picture on the board. He or she

writes his name and the word ‘brother’ under the picture. He or she does it with all

pictures of the Simpsons, placing the pictures on the board into the structure of a family

tree (see Appendix 4). He or she writes the name and relationship to Lisa for each

picture.

Options for follow-up activities:

There are plenty of activities to do afterwards. Some drilling activities might be

done with the words in question or with whole sentences. It is possible to play the

‘Who’s missing’ game (a variation of the ‘What’s missing’ game mentioned above) for

memorizing the words. Furthermore the teacher can ask questions about people on the

34

pictures or about relationships between particular members. E.g. “Who is Marge’s

sister? What’s her name? Does she have a child? How old is she? What’s her hobby?

...” This can lead e.g. to “an investigation” among pupils about the most popular

character from the Simpsons, or about the most popular TV family.

Eventually, to practice the new language, pupils usually talk about their own

family; they can draw their family tree and describe the members and their relations.

They can also bring photos into the class and make a family tree with photos and use it

in conversations.

Alternatively, they can make up, draw and describe an imaginary family in

groups or pairs. Additionally, the pictures might be used for practicing parts of the face

and for describing people.

Evaluation and analysis:

This activity is included to display the possibility of using flash cards in

combination with a diagram for presenting new vocabulary. Another purpose is to

demonstrate the theory how a simple occurrence of pictures in the lesson has a great

impact on students’ interest and motivation.

Furthermore, it highlights the benefit of a well-chosen topic (the Simpsons in

this case), which if known well or even adored by the children, raises an aspiration in

sharing and exchanging information. This results in pupils paying full attention and

feeling the need to learn the key words fast, longing to show their knowledge of the

topic and to be the first ones in answering the questions. This might have a remarkable

influence on remembering the key vocabulary. On top of that, the teacher will

appreciate to see his or her pupils being very keen in correcting him or her, when

making a mistake about factual information (e.g. Lisa’s age).

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2.1.2. What is missing

(Adapted from Mary Slattery 2004: 12)

Activity: guessing game, whole class, chill out activity.

Aim: To memorize freshly acquired vocabulary

Level: All levels

Aids: Flash cards with a topic-based set of vocabulary, board.

Before procedure:

The teacher introduces a new vocabulary set with pictures and fixes them on the

board. Then perhaps he or she will do some choral drilling exercises, having pupils

repeat the words after him or her and practice the pronunciation. He or she might also

arrange a TPR exercise, such as asking pupils to move the pictures around the board

(e.g. order them according the size of items on the picture). Highly recommended is to

prepare word cards corresponding with the individual pictures before the lesson. Pupils

are then asked to fix them under each picture. In that case they can see not only pictures

but also the written forms of the words during the game.

Procedure:

The teacher asks pupils to lie down on their desks or turn around and not to look.

He or she will take one of the pictures away and invite students to look and guess what

is missing. The one who first finds out which picture had been removed, might go to the

board and substitute the teacher and again take one picture away for the others to guess.

When the game progresses and pupils start to remember the position of individual

pictures too well, the teacher might mix them up again in order to make the activity

more challenging.

Evaluation and analysis:

This activity has proved itself to be an extremely effective method in

memorizing a set of freshly learnt vocabulary items, (or alternatively in reviewing older

vocabulary of course), resulting in an incredibly fast outcome. Whilst looking at the

remaining pictures, students’ minds are occupied by their quick verification whilst

trying to recall the one that is not present. Therefore both the pictures and their labels

are fully focused on by pupils during the whole game. Only this fact itself enhances the

36

possibility of successful retention of the aimed vocabulary. Furthermore, their

concentration is aimed on the task, not the language itself, which thus function mainly

as a tool. In order to accomplish the goal and pronounce the desired word, pupils are

motivated by the sense of competition, experience an inner need to obtain the key

language fast. Consequently, they learn it much more easily.

This activity is easy to set up and suitable for learners of any age or level. It

bears a calming effect for the more spirited groups. It is enjoyable and usually very

popular amongst the learners, since students in general like challenges involved in

solving puzzles as well as the element of the competition.

37

2.1.3. Touch the picture

(adapted from Heather Westrup and Joanna Baker 2005: 1 Touch the box)

Activity: warm-up or filler; TPR; teams competition; whole class.

Aim: To review recently learned vocabulary

Level: All levels

Aids: Flash cards of recently learned vocabulary, board.

Procedure:

The teacher fixes about ten to twenty pictures all over the board. He or she

divides the class into two teams and invites them to stand one behind another in two

rows, about 2 meters from the board. The teacher says a word expressing the meaning

of one of the pictures.

The first student from each team runs to the board and touches the appropriate

picture. The first one to touch the correct picture gains a point for his or her team. They

both fall in the back of their queues. The team which first reaches the beforehand

defined amount of points wins.

Options for follow-up activities:

Students can be asked to utilize several selected words in a sentence or give their

definition. They can also be asked to sort out the pictures or label them.

Evaluation and analysis:

This activity is included to illustrate how flashcards can be used in combination

with TPR in vocabulary revision. This combination of active motion and a visual

component makes it easier for some students to memorize the words. Pictures could be

substituted for real world objects, which on the other hand tends to be rather demanding

for the teacher.

Furthermore, the competition is an important element in this activity, since it

functions as a strong motivation to achieve good results (children in general do not like

disappointing their team, want to be successful, like running etc.).

38

This activity can be used with learners of any level or age. It is rather a lively

one; therefore as a warm-up it is suitable mainly for somewhat calm or passive groups.

With too spirited groups it would be better to perform the activity by the end of the

lesson, since it can be tough to calm the students down afterwards. However, it always

tents to be a bit noisy; hence it is advisable to set firm rules beforehand. It might be

worthwhile to point out that students should be careful about the pictures. Those are

recommended to be hard-paper or laminated flash cards.

The presence of visuals plays a significant role in this activity. Its importance

lies in the fact that all students tend to watch them for the whole time, even if it is not

their turn – they are usually interested if a member of their team touches the correct

picture etc. Therefore when the corresponding word is called out by the teacher, the

link between the word and its picture is being formed for a longer time. This is being

reinforced by concentration and excitement from the game.

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2.2 Small picture flash cards

(Inspired by Jane Bell 2006: 100 Happy Families)

Food – a card game

Activity: Vocabulary practice, listening and speaking, group game.

Aim: To review and practice vocabulary regarding food, to practice the verb

‘to have got’ in questions and short answers, or the phrase ‘can you pass me,

please’

Level: Beginners, elementary

Aids: A set of cards per group (appendix 6)

Before the procedure:

Before playing the game, the teacher should present or review the key

vocabulary with children, especially pronunciation, and perhaps provide them with the

structures they will use in the game. He or she might display these as prompts on the

board, together with useful phrases for playing the game, such as “It’s your turn”,

“shuffle the cards” etc. in order for students to be able to use English also as a

communication tool outside the game. At this point the teacher should explain the rules

and then distribute the cards among few students and demonstrate how the questions are

asked and how the game is played.

Procedure:

Every group of three to six pupils gets a set of cards (appendix 6). A group of six

will play with all cards, whereas a group of three might get only three quartets of the

same-colour-cards. The cards are shuffled and distributed equally among all members of

the group. The goal of the game is to get all four cards belonging to the same group of

hyponyms, which have the same colour (e.g. all fruit cards). The first one to manage

this wins the game. The first player asks any player in the group for a card he or she

needs. If the asked player has the card, he or she must give it to the first player and gets

one card back in exchange. The first player then asks another player for another card. If

the asked player does not have the required card, there is no exchange and it is the other

40

players’ (the asked ones) turn to ask somebody else for a card. The game can continue

until everybody gets their sets of cards. When exchanging the cards, students practice

questions such as “Have you got carrots, please?” or “Can I have some cheese, please?”

or possibly “Can you pass me/give me some tomatoes?”

Follow-up

A possible additional activity might be for pupils to write as many words for

each group of hyponyms as they can.

Evaluation and Analysis:

This game illustrates the way of using ‘small picture flash cards’ in group work.

Aside from the two forms, in which a piece of target vocabulary is displayed within a

card (a picture and the corresponding written word), pupils can also see its hypernym

(i.e. a name of the group the word belongs to) and three co-hyponyms (i.e. words

belonging into the same group). This helps pupils to categorize the vocabulary, which is

likely to have a positive impact on remembering the words. Furthermore, every word,

being displayed on four different cards, when heard in a question is immediately linked

with its visible counterpart, often by all participants. If not, it is at least being searched

for among other pictures, which again helps students to memorize it. On top of that,

every player must often use a particular word several times before he gets the desired

card. In order to accomplish the task, not only words are acquired but also structure is

being practiced, specifically questions and short answers.

Pupils usually like this game. Even the weaker ones can participate, as the

meaning of all included vocabulary is clarified by the pictures and with structures

prompted on the board or help of the stronger classmates, they are able to form a

question and accomplish the task. Moreover, everybody can win, since this is not

conditioned by knowledge nor language abilities, yet depends more or less on good

luck. The teacher should circulate among the groups and observe the language used as

well as remind pupils to speak English only, which is usually necessary, since these

naturally tend to switch to their mother tongue.

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2.3. Drawing

Drawing a monster

(Inspired by Fiona Miller 2002: photocopiable page 3; and by Jill Hadfield and

Charles Hadfield 2002)

Activity: Vocabulary practice, listening, speaking and drawing; pair work

Aim: To practice vocabulary for parts of the body and their features; to review

numbers, colours and shape; to practice the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’

Level: Beginners, Elementary

Aids: Coloured pencils, paper, imagination and creativity; potentially two

posters of monsters for the second variation of the activity.

Procedure:

After reviewing the key vocabulary, pupils draw a monster the teacher describes.

While doing so, the teacher might draw it him or herself on the hidden part of the board

for following feedback or might as well invite a student to do that.

Now pupils know how to describe a monster and have some tips how it can look

like. They work in pairs. They make up and draw their own monster and label all parts

of its body or write a simple description. They must not show their pictures to anybody.

They can also name the monster and list its ‘personal details’ or add some extra

information, such as its favourite colour, the food it eats etc. Then they work in pairs,

one of them describes his or her monster, while the partner draws it according to the

description; then they swap the roles. Afterwards they can talk or ask each other about

the extra information on their monsters and write the answers down.

Variations:

There are plenty of possibilities how to alter this activity. If the teacher wants to

have better control of the target language, it is possible to prepare two posters with

different monsters and hang one of them on the front wall and the second one on the

back wall of the classroom. In that case one pupil from each pair faces a different

picture then the other pupil. The procedure is similar; they take turns in describing the

pictures they see while their partner follows the description and draws it.

42

This variety is not as time consuming as the original one, since the children do

not “waste” time on drawing. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the teacher has better

control of language, since he can influence it by drawing exactly what needs to be

practiced on the posters. On the other hand, the element of creativity and excitement is

absent.

(This variation adopted from Hadfield, Simple Speaking activities)

The same activity can be used to practice different vocabulary and target

language, e.g. rooms in the house and furniture or/and accessories together with

prepositions of place and the phrase ‘there is/are’ or rooms in the house and family

members together with the present continuous etc.

Evaluation and analysis:

This activity demonstrates the usefulness of drawing as a tool in practicing not

only vocabulary but also other aspects of the language, such as listening, speaking or

structure. Being organized as pair-work, the activity provides an opportunity for many

students to speak simultaneously, which results in a more effective usage of time in the

lesson and thus helps to improve the often difficult situation of limited possibilities for

an individual to speak in the class.

Pupils are allowed to unleash their fantasy and creativity and are motivated to

make up the most original picture and subsequently are happy to share what they have

drawn. This, while giving them an opportunity to use the language in a purposeful way,

also functions as an element which has a great influence on remembering the target

language. This is further reinforced by the longer time the children spend with drawing,

as a longer period brings more opportunities to use and remember the desired words.

The activity of drawing also offers pupils a chance to speak: they can make

comments on each other’s picture, ask questions about details (e.g. why has it got four

hands, can your monster speak etc.). The teacher should encourage them to do so.

This activity usually works very well in the class, since especially younger

students love drawing as well as enjoy practicing the language in the safe environment

of pair-work. A possible imperfection might lie in the lack of the teachers’ ability to

supervise and help with the language used by all speaking pupils at once. The teacher’s

43

role would be to circulate and not only offer help and advice when needed but also to

mark down his or her observations on pupils’ language and mistakes made for latter

feedback. Furthermore, the teacher should guide pupils not to spend too much time on

drawing their monsters and help them rather direct their effort on subsequent speaking.

2.4. Compiled pictures

In town

(Inspired by Susan Kay 1997: Activity 14)

Activity: Vocabulary practice, listening and speaking, information gap; pair

work

.Aim: To practice prepositions of place, to review vocabulary of places in town

and potentially to practice directions.

Function: Working with a town map, specifying location, potentially giving

directions

Level: Elementary

Aids: Picture of a town map – two versions with different information gaps -

one copy of both versions per a pair (appendix 7)

Before procedure:

Prepositions of place need to be presented or reviewed as well as names of

buildings and places in town and potentially vocabulary for giving directions. Questions

and answers needed for the exercise should be reviewed and perhaps displayed on the

board. The teacher might demonstrate this activity to the whole class by drawing a

simple map on the board and asking for the positions of (or directions to) particular

buildings. It is generally recommended to first explain the activity and then distribute

the worksheets.

Procedure:

Each student in a pair gets a different copy of the map. They must not show their

copies to each other. Their task is to find and mark the places from their lists in their

44

maps. They take turns and ask each other questions. Their partner describes the

locations in relations to the surrounding buildings. For more advanced students, it is

possible to mark a place in their maps where they ‘stand’. Their task then is to give

directions to given places.

Possible follow-up:

The students might draw simple maps of a segment of their hometown (or a

town they know) and write a description. They can write either just very simply about

the location of individual buildings or more advanced or skilled students might include

more information about the town.

Evaluation and analysis:

This activity demonstrates acquiring or revision of vocabulary within a speaking

practice combined with the use of pictures.

The target vocabulary is used in a meaningful way not only by being put into

context but moreover by being applied for a specific purpose, in this case to carry out

the task of filling the gap of missing information. Vocabulary being used in this way is

more likely to be retained.

This is again reinforced by the visual element; in this case it is a compiled

picture of a map where the meaning of spatial prepositions is apparently manifested as

well as the names of buildings are illustrated by individual pictures.

In the first variation of the activity (appendix 7.1), to be able to give out the

required information, pupils must evoke the names of the buildings from those pictures.

Furthermore, if needed, the legend is there to help them. Nevertheless, even if using the

legend, some effort must be made in order to express oneself. This again should support

the ability to remember the target vocabulary. On the other hand, since this process

leading to providing the information might be rather lengthy, the fluency of speaking

might suffer.

In the second variation of the activity (appendix 7.2.), where the names of the

buildings are provided directly within the map with pictures functioning here only as a

visual support, communication might flow more fluently. In this case, yet, the effort for

establishing the meaning of the words is absent and hence the impact on remembering

the words might be weaker.

45

On the other hand, this should be balanced by the fact that students must make

an effort again to be able to give the information, only this time to find out what word is

actually required, not being given directly but only in the form of hints. This variation is

suitable for more advanced or skilled students.

This activity usually works quite well in the class, most of pupils like pair work

as well as the information gap type of activity. The teacher might give a support or

advice when needed, circulating, observing the language and marking down possible

improvements for later feedback. Sometimes it is necessary to remind pupils to speak

English only and prevent them from looking into their partners’ worksheets.

2.5. Charts with vocabulary webs

What is in the house?

Activity: organizing a vocabulary set into a semantic map

Aim: To review the names of rooms in the house, to learn the names of

furniture or things which might be found in particular rooms, possibly to

practice the phrase ‘there is/there are’ and the prepositions of place

Level: Elementary

Aids: board, pictures of rooms in the house, dictionaries

Before procedure:

The teacher prepares the board before the lesson. He or she writes the word

‘house’ in the middle of the board. There might be a circle or a square drawn around the

word, as it will function as the center for a semantic map. The teacher draws several

lines from the word out into all directions (one for every room in the house).

Pupils are divided into pairs or groups of three. They are given the time limit of five

minutes to brainstorm as many names of furniture (and perhaps accessories in the

house) as they can think of. They are allowed to use dictionaries, they compete with

other groups about who will make a longer list of items.

46

Procedure:

The teacher elicits names of individual rooms from pupils. He or she might

prompt by pictures of the rooms and by asking questions such as “Where do you usually

have breakfast? Where do you usually sleep? etc.” He or she writes the names of rooms

in the prepared schema on the board. The words on the board may be supplemented by

the pictures, if there is enough space on the board. When all names of rooms are written

on the board, pupils are asked to copy the diagram into their notebooks. (Alternatively

they might be provided with a larger sheet of paper per group.) They are advised to

draw it big enough and leave space around the individual rooms for subsequent adding

more things.

Students are asked to place the things they have brainstormed into the schema; each

item is matched to the room it belongs to. It is advisable to set a time limit for this task

again.

Pairs of students or representatives of each group are asked to come to the board one

after another and write five items they have chosen from their schema into the ‘web’ on

the board. Weaker pupils go first, since there is a greater possibility that the stronger

ones will still have items to add even when coming as the last ones. While writing the

items on the board, pupils are encouraged to comment on what they are writing, e.g.:

“The fridge is usually in the kitchen. There is a rug in the middle of the bedroom”

depending on the level of pupils and the structure the teacher wants them to practice.

When the ‘web’ on the board is complete, the teacher might drill pronunciation of the

words with pupils. Then pupils are asked to copy several words of their choice from the

board to their schemas.

Options for follow-up activities:

If students have used larger sheets of papers, there is a possibility of followingup

with supplementing the sheets with pictures; this can be done as homework or

perhaps in a lesson of art. Subsequently, actual picture of the house might be drawn on

the basis of this semantic map with pictures of individual items of furniture placed in

the rooms. This would be done as group-work. Furthermore, the description of the

house might be written. The picture might be displayed in the classroom and moreover

used for speaking activity when reviewing later on.

47

Evaluation and analysis

This activity displays a possible use of a semantic map in the lesson. Its main

advantage lies in its organized structure – by working with the diagram with explicitly

illustrated word relations for a longer period of time, as is required in this activity, a part

of students’ mental lexicon becomes neatly organized and clear. Pupils will also repeat

the words several times and use them in a sentence, which counts as a plus: spaced

repeating helps retaining the target vocabulary. Learners are allowed certain autonomy

here, as the choice of words is up to them. The sense of autonomy might have a positive

impact on the memorized words too, since students’ motivation is aroused (they feel

useful, the teacher recognizes their effort etc.). Furthermore, the lesson results in the

target vocabulary stored in pupils’ notebooks, which can be exploited in following

lessons.

This type of lesson lacks the fun element, as no games, puzzles or motion

activities are included. Therefore the teacher might want to add this element for

example by playing some kind of a vocabulary revision game at the end of the activity,

which goes especially for passive classes. It will also be important to keep students

interested in the topic, perhaps by asking them questions about their favourite things in

a room or about how often they use them etc.

On the whole, this activity is great for organizing, learning and reviewing

vocabulary especially with spirited pupils.

Practical part summary – insights

In this part of my thesis, I strived to demonstrate particular usages of the

individual types of pictures listed in chapter 3. of the theoretical part as well as to

answer the following questions: What are pictures actually used for? Is there a benefit

in using pictures? If yes, what? What causes that vocabulary is better remembered? Is it

enough to use pictures only or are they better combined with other aspects? Why?

These questions are one way or another repeatedly answered in each chapter of this part.

In general, the following could be concluded:

Pictures do have an impact on students’ motivation and interest. They are excellent

tools for the demonstration of the meaning, especially regarding particular things. They

work better (understand have a greater effect on words retaining) if used meaningfully

48

(for example along with an information gap activity). This effect is further amplified if

they are combined with other tools such as songs or sense relations. This is especially

true for competitions and puzzles. The distinctiveness of pictures also makes them more

memorable, e.g. when the pictures are personified (drawn by students themselves or by

the teacher), funny or somehow catchy. Let me observe here that the statements

mentioned above are in accordance with the theories explained in the theoretical part.

From my own experience I would like to reflect the fact that preparation for some

lessons with pictures may be time consuming for a beginning teacher.

49

CONCLUSION

The main goal of this thesis was to show how pictures can be put to use in English

classes in a few ways and to answer the questions how and why this works and in what

way exactly they help the learner remember the words he or she studies. For this

purpose, I divided this thesis into the theoretical and practical part.

The theoretical part inclines towards the general, although some examples are of course

mentioned. It deals with some (typically not so diverse) points of view on the topic of

vocabulary properties and its effective teaching using pictures as well as other aids. It

furthermore sorts several aspects of the rather broad word ‘picture’ and examines some

of their properties.

The practical part then suggests concrete uses for these aspects, analyses and evaluates

them and strives to put them into context with theory.

I am convinced that I have managed to attain the set goal: many answers are given in

the analyses of the activities and the lesson plan in the practical part, others are

explained in theory. These two are often intertwined in such way that the answer is

explained in theory, put to use in the corresponding activity and consequently analysed,

thus proving the theory.

As a positive side effect of this process, this thesis may function as a guide to some,

possibly not so experienced, teachers, guiding them through vocabulary teaching and

providing particular aid in the form of the lesson plan and activities included in the

practical part.

As to the literature used, I decided to study primarily Andrew Wright, Scott Thornbury,

Michael McCarthy, Jeremy Harmer and Penny Ur, as they are respected specialists in

the field and have the necessary experience and education. I found many of their ideas

interesting as well as very true and for that reason decided to quote or paraphrase them.

Writing this thesis was beneficial to me in several ways. Being a teacher myself, I

gained a better insight into the matter, got familiar with many interesting points of view

and facts, learned how to further optimise the process of teaching vocabulary using

pictures and was forced to reconsider and improve my own teaching practices. I do hope

the same will go for the reader.

Bibliography

ALLEN, Virginia French. Techniques in Teaching vocabulary: Teaching techniques in

English as a second or foreign language. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

ISBN 0-19-434130-5

BELL, Jane. Inspirtion: Teacher's resource pack Builder 1. Oxford: Macmillan

Publishers Limited, 2006. ISBN 10: 1-4050-2955-2

GAIRNS, Ruth. REDMAN, Stuart. Working with Words: A guide to teaching and

learning vocabulary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-521-

31709-6

HADFIELD, Jill. HADFIELD, Charles. Simple Speaking Activities. Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 2002. ISBN 978-019-442169-0

HARMER, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Essex: Longman

Group UK Limited, 1993. ISBN 0582-04656-4

HILL, David A. Visual Impact: Creative language learning through pictures. Essex:

Longman Group UK Limited, 1990. ISBN 0-582-03765-4

KAY, Susan. Reward Elementary: Resource Pack. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers

Limited, 2003. ISBN 0-435-24249-0

McCARTHY, Michael. Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-

19-437136-0

MILLER, Fiona. Brainwaves Level 2: Teacher’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2002. ISBN 0-19-435902-6

SCOTT, Vendy A. YTREBERG, Lisbeth H. Teaching English to Children. Essex:

Longman Group UK Limited, 1993. ISBN 0582 74606 X

52

SLATTERY, Mary. Vocabulary activities. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

ISBN – 10: 0-19-442195-3

THORNBURY, Scott. How to Teach Vocabulary. Essex: Pearson Education Limited,

2004. ISBN 0582-429668

UR, Penny. A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 2000. ISBN-0521-44994-4

WESTRUP, Heather. BAKER, Joanna. Activities Using Resources. Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 2005. ISBN-10: 0-19-442187-2

WRIGHT, Andrew. Pictures for Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 1990. ISBN 0-521-35800-0

WRIGHT, Andrew. HALEEM Safia. Visuals for the Language Classroom. Essex:

Longman Group UK Limited, 1996. ISBN 0-582 047811

Internet sources:

http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/feelings.php: Accessed on 19 November 2008,

22:39.

http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/barney-lyrics/if-you_re-happy-and-you-know-itlyrics.

html: Accessed on 26 March 2009, 9:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KVNxAYge8Y: Accessed on 19 November 2008,

TEACHING VOCABULARY THROUGH PICTURES TO

THE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

AT MADINAH KID.S SCHOOL BUKIT SERPONG MAS

TANGERANG

A Paper (Skripsi)

Presented to The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training In Partial Fulfillment of

The Requirements for The degree of Sarjana (S1)

By:

LENY

NIM: 102014023751

Advisor:

Prof.Dr. Hadjid Harna Widagda M.Pd

NIP. 150.011.332

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS TRAINING

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2006 M / 1427 H

TEACHING VOCABULARY THROUGH PICTURES TO

THE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

( A Case Study at Madinah Kid.s School Kindergarten Serpong- Tangerang)

This Paper (Skripsi)

Has Fulfilled The Requirement for The Degree of Sarjana (S1) at The English

Department The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training

By:

LENY

NIM: 102014023751

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS TRAINING

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2006 M / 1427 H

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TEACHING VOCABULARY THROUGH PICTURES TO

THE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

AT MADINAH KID.S SCHOOL BUKIT SERPONG MAS

TANGERANG

A Paper (Skripsi)

Presented to The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training In Partial Fulfillment of

The Requirements for The degree of Sarjana (S1)

By:

LENY

NIM: 102014023751

Advisor:

Prof.Dr. Hadjid Harna Widagda M.Pd

NIP. 150.011.332

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS TRAINING

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2006 M / 1427 H

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LEGALIZATION OF EXAMINATION COMMITTEE

A skripsi titled .Teaching Vocabulary Through Pictures to The

Kindergarten Students. At Madinah Kid.s School Bukit Serpong Mas, Tangerang.

Was examined at the examination session of the faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers

Training of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta on 22 November

2006. This skripsi has fulfilled the requirement for the degree of Sarjana (S1) at the

English Department.

Jakarta, 22 November, 2006

Examination Committee

The Head of Committee The Secretary of Committee

Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada, MA Prof. Dr. H. Aziz Fahrurozzi, MA

NIP. 150 231 356 NIP. 150 202 343

Examiner I Examiner II

Dr. Atiq Susilo, MA Dra. Hidayati M.Pd

NIP. 150 23927 NIP.150 231 927

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In The Name of Allah The Beneficent and The Merciful

Praise be to Allah Lord of The World. May Peace and Bless be upon Prophet

Muhammad SAW.

Thanks to Allah, the writer has finished her skripsi finally, entitled :

.Teaching Vocabulary Through Picture to the Kindergarten Students.. The primary

aim of the skripsi writing is to complete a partial fulfillment of requirements for

sarjana degree in The Tarbiyah Faculty.

This skripsi could not be completed without a great deal of help from many

people, Especially Mr. Prof. Dr. Hadjid Harna Widagda.M.Pd, as advisor who always

guides and suggest the writer to make a good skripsi, from the beginning until the

end. May Allah SWT give His Gracious to you

Her deepest gratitude also goes to those who have helped her in finishing this

skripsi, among others:

1. Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada M.A., the Dean of Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher.s

Training.

2. Drs. Nasrun Mahmud M.Pd, the Head of English Department, and Dra. Nida

Husna the Secretary of English Department and staff, who had given her valuable

advice and support to the writer.

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3. All Lectures in English Department who had given motivation, support and

precious knowledge to her during study at UIN SYAHID Jakarta.

4. All staff of Tarbiyah Faculty especially Mr. Rasiin and friends for good

cooperation..

5. Mrs. Maryani ZA, the head of Libraries Tarbiyah Faculty and Staff, thanks for

your pray and support to the writer.

6. The staff ( Mr.Alwi) and officers of central Libraries of UIN Syahid Jakarta,

British Council, AMINEF and American corner, who had given permission to

use their books.

7. Drs.H. M. Hatta M.Pd. M.Ed, The Head of Madinah Kid.s school, and Miss

Riana SPi, Miss Indah And Miss Indiastanti Prasetyo S.Pd also Staff Who had

given permission to made a research,Thank you Very much.

8. Her beloved parents, Mr. Madhani (Father), Nyi Ina (mother), her Beloved

Brothers ( Deny and Noffian) and all of her family also her relatives. Who had

given their materials, pray and motivation to support the writer.

Jakarta, November 2006

The Writer

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TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.................................................................. i

TABLE OF CONTENT...................................................................... iii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study................................................................. 1

B. Problem identification, Limitation and Formulation ...................... 2

C. Scope of the Study .......................................................................... 3

D. The Significance of the Study......................................................... 4

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Vocabulary

1. The Meaning of Vocabulary ............................................ 6

2. The Types of Vocabulary................................................. 8

3. The Use of Vocabulary .................................................... 10

B. Pictures

1. The Meaning of Pictures .................................................. 11

2. The Types of Pictures....................................................... 13

3. The Use of Pictures .......................................................... 16

4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Pictures Used .... 17

C. Kindergarten Students

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1. The Meaning of Kindergarten.......................................... 18

2. The Age and Characteristics of Kindergarten Students ... 19

3. Madinah Kid.s School ............... 21

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. The Objective of the Study .................................................. 24

B. The Research Subject............................................................ 24

C. The Place and Time .............................................................. 25

D. The Research Method ........................................................... 25

E. Instrument ............................................................................. 25

F. The Research Implementer .................................................. 25

G. Research Question ................................................................ 26

CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH INVESTIGATION AND RESEARCH

OUTCOME

A. The Curriculum and Syllabus.................................................. 26

B. The Classroom Implementation .............................................. 27

a. Presentation Stage ....................................................... 27

b. Practice Stage .............................................................. 28

c. Production Stage ......................................................... 28

d. Teaching Procedures ................................................... 28

C. The Research Investigation..................................................... 31

D. Research Outcome................. 34

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CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion ................................................................................. 36

B. Suggestion.................................................................................. 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................... 38

APPENDIX

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses about: Background of the study, Problem

identification, Limitation of the problems, Statement of the problems, Scope of the

study, and The Significance of the study.

A. Background of the Study

English is one of international languages, which is used throughout the world

and also English is used in many fields of life such as : in Politics, Economics, Social

and Education. Therefore, English as a language in international communication is

clearly needed by many learners to deliver thought and interact in a variety of

situation.

English is one of the foreign languages for Indonesian students, that must be

learnt in school since kindergarten level until University level. English is considered

as a difficult subject for the Indonesian students, because English is completely

different from Indonesian language being look at from the system of structure,

pronunciation and vocabulary.

English teaching involves of four language skills, they are Listening,

Speaking, Reading and Writing. In teaching and learning a language, there are four

aspects that support four language skill above such as : grammar, vocabulary, spelling

and pronunciation that are also taught in English teaching and learning process.

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Vocabulary is one of important aspects in teaching language, as stated by Edward in

his book :

. Vocabulary is one of the important factor in all language teaching, student

must continually be learning words as they learn structure and as they practice

sound system.. 1

B. Problem Identification, Limitation and Formulation

1. Problem identification

Celce Maria stated :

Research in first and second language acquisition suggest that initial teaching

priorities for language areas should be vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.2

Therefore, the English teacher has to be able to organize teaching and learning

activities, they have to give materials by using a suitable technique and master the

lesson effectively. Especially in learning vocabulary, teachers must make the students

able to memorize such words in English language and group of new words. The

statements above mean, vocabulary is important to teach and teachers must try to find

the most effective way to teach it.

There are many problems of language teaching that can be identified as

research subjects. We could discuss about methods, material selection, and others. In

this research it is identified that teaching technique for kindergarten level is

1 Edward, David Allen and Rebecca M, Vallete. Classroom Technique. Foreign Language and

English as a Second Language,(New York: Harcout Brave Javanovich 1997), P.149

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challenging. Therefore, in this research the writer want to make a study about how to

teach vocabulary for kindergarten level.

2. Limitation of the problems

To avoid misunderstanding and to clarify the problem, it is necessary to make

limitation of the problem. The writer will give limitation of the problem in teaching

vocabulary by using pictures especially in . Noun and Verb ..2

3. Statement of the problems

The writer conducts the study to see how well the pictures encourage students

vocabulary mastery. The statement of the problem can be formulated into the general

research question: .How effective is the use of pictures in teaching vocabulary to

kindergarten students?.. To specific this problem, the specific research question are

formulated as: .How well the pictures encourage the kindergarten students

vocabulary mastery?.

C. Scope of the Study

The study overviews the teaching of English vocabulary through pictures to

young learners in this case to kindergarten students. This will be a report of an

observation conducted at Madinah Kid.s school kindergarten at Serpong .

Tangerang. Which involved one teacher and six students.

2 Marianne, Celce Maria, Current Perspective on Pronunciation: Practice Anchored in Theory

(Teaching Pronunciation as Communication).(Washington DC: Teachers of English to Speaker

of

Other Languages, 1987),P.11

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D. The Significance of the Study

The result of this research will be useful for teachers of the kindergarten level

in Indonesia to help them improve their performance in teaching.

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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter discusses about: Vocabulary which consists of the meaning of

vocabulary, the types of vocabulary, the use of vocabulary, then The Pictures which

consists of the meaning of pictures, the types of pictures, the use of pictures, the

advantage and disadvantage of pictures and the last is Kindergarten Students which

consists of the meaning of kindergarten, the age and characteristics of kindergarten

students and Madinah kid.s school Profile.

A. Vocabulary

One thing that differentiates human from animals is verbal language or

speaking beside mind to think. Humans can communicate with others through verbal

language, either to apply or to receive the information the animal can not do. When

we observed a child first acquiring speech, we talk of this progress as a matter of

learning new words, we are also likely to feel that the adult speaker with the largest

vocabulary has the best command of English. To think of a language as just a stock of

words is, however quite wrong. Words alone do not make a language; a grammar is

needed to combine them in some intelligible way.

.Yet it is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language. It is in words that

sounds and meaning interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is

a word that we arrange together to make sentences, conversations, and discourse of

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all kinds. Thus we have a paradox in that the most ephemeral part of language is also

the center where meaning, pronunciation and grammar come together..3

Vocabulary plays an important role because it appears in every language

skills. Vocabulary building is really important in any language learning. She realizes

how important the mastery of vocabulary is, particularly for people who study

English as a foreign Language as stated in the Collier- Macmillan International:

.Once a student has mastered the fundamental grammatical patterns of a

language, his next task into master its vocabulary that he needs. Nobody ever

learns all the words in any language. We know and use the words that suit our

particular purposes and we continue to learn new words as long as we live.4

It is clear enough that everybody who learns a language as a foreign language

is hoped to know and master the vocabulary to improve the language skills.

Vocabulary becomes a major problem in learning English, teachers of kindergarten

emphasizes on this matter earlier. In teaching vocabulary, generally the teacher teach

new words taken from reading text. It means that she integrates vocabulary with

reading. This integration will lead to integrative lesson plan.

1. The meaning of Vocabulary

In some literature, we found the meaning of vocabulary. There are some

definitions of vocabulary. According to Harimurti Kridalaksana,

3 Pyles Thomas and Algeo John, English an Introduction to Language (Harcout Brace Jovanich,

inc.1 1997),p.159

4 Collier- Macmillan International, A Division of The Macmillan Company, The Key to the

English Vocabulary (London: the Macmillan Company, 1991) p.189

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.Vocabulary is a component of language that maintains all of information about

meaning and using word in language..5

According to Webster.s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, Vocabulary is:

a. A list or collection of words and phrase usually alphabetically arranged and

explained or defined.

b. A sum or stock of words employed by a language group individual or work or

in a field of knowledge.

c. A list or collection of terms or codes available for use.6

There are some experts who give definition of vocabulary Hatch and Brown

define vocabulary as a list or set of words for a particular language or a list or set of

word that individual speakers of language might use.7

Furthermore Webster Dictionary noted that, vocabulary is:

.A list or collection of words usually alphabetically arranged and explained or

lexicon, stock of words use in language or by class, individual, etc..8

While according to Roget, Vocabulary is:

5 Harimurti Kridalaksana, Kamus Linguistik, edisi ke-3 (Jakarta;PT Gramedia Pustaka

Utama,1993),p.127

6 Merriem, Webster Ninth Collegiate Dictionary ( New York: MerriemWebster.s

inc.1978),p.1320

7 Evelyn Hatch and Cheryl Brown. Vocabulary, Semantic and Language Education

(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,1995)p.1

8 Webster.s, The Largest Abridgment of Webster.s New International Dictionary of English

Language, Webster.s Collage Dictionary. USA: G&G Merriam co,1935),p.1073

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a. An alphabetical list of words often defined or translated, the vocabulary

includes idioms and two words verb.

b. All the word of Language.

c. Specialized expression indigenous to a particular fields, subject, trade or

subculture.9

From the definition above, that vocabulary is a component of language and

numbers of words by a person class, profession, etc. In the communication and every

aspects of life such as in trade, education, business, social, politic, etc.

2. The Types of Vocabulary

Nation has divided vocabulary in the specific reference, such a word.

a. Receptive Vocabulary: Knowing a word involves being able to recognize it

when it is heard (What is the sound like?) or when it seen (What does it look

like?) and having an expectation of what grammatical pattern the word will

occurrence. This includes being able to distinguish it from word with a similar

form and being able to judge if the word form sounds right or look right.

b. Productive Vocabulary: Knowing a word involves being able to pronounce the

word, how to write and to spell it, how to use it in grammatical pattern along

with the word in usually collocates with it, it also involves not using the word

too often if it is typically a low frequency word and using it in a suitable

9 Roget.s II, the New Thesaurus: The American Heritage Dictionary ( Boston198

0),p.1036

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situation using the word to stand for the meaning it represents and being able to

think of suitable substitutes for the word if there any.10

Jo Ann Aeborsold and Mary Lee Field Classified Vocabulary into two terms

there are:

a. Active Vocabulary refers to items the learner can use appropriately in speaking

or writing and it is also called as productive vocabulary, although, in fact, it is

more difficult to put into practice. It means that to use the productive

vocabulary, the students are supposed to know how to pronounce it well, they

must know and be able to use grammar of the language target, they are also

hoped to familiar with collocation and understand the connotation meaning of

the words. This type is often used in speaking and writing skill.

b. Passive Vocabulary refers to a language items that can be recognizes and

understood in the context of reading or listening and also called as receptive

Vocabulary.11Passive Vocabulary or comprehension consists of the words

comprehended by the people, when they read and listen.

From the explaining above, we know that every experts in every book is

different in classifying the kinds of vocabulary, because every person has different

ways in showing and telling their opinions and ideas. It means that vocabulary is of

two kinds function and content words.

10 ISP Nation, Teaching and Learning Language (New York: New Burry house,1990),p.29

11 Jo Ann Aeborsold and Mary lee Field, From Reader to Reading Teacher (New York:

Cambridge University Pres,1977),p.139

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3. The Use of Vocabulary

Vocabulary is important in case it could helps the students to enjoy their

classes. One who masters enough vocabulary will find fewer difficulties than those

who have fewer vocabularies. When they read a certain text, they will easily get the

information from it since they can understand every word in the text. On the others

hand, those who lack of vocabulary will face a lot of problems. Mastery of

vocabulary will be useful for the process of achieving language- teaching objectives.

That is the mastery of language skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing).

If we want to communicate with others in certain language, we must master

the language they belong to especially to know enough vocabulary of those language.

Yang Zhihong who say that .Words are the basic unit of language from supports it.

Without vocabulary, one cannot communicate to effectively or express idea. He also

states that having a limited vocabulary is also a barrier..12

Furthermore, Long and Richards explain that vocabulary like grammar is an

essential component of all uses of language.13

B. Pictures

Pictures are kinds of visual instruction materials might be used more

effectively to develop and sustain motivation in producing positive attitudes towards

English and to teach or reinforce language skills. It is supposed by Tang Li Shing in

12 Yang Zhihong, .Learning Words. English Teaching Forum.Vol.38.No.3 July 2000

13 Tang Li Shing, .English Teaching Forum,XIX,No.4(October: 1981),p.11

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His Article that . The Picture had an irascible appeal for the children. They created

suspense and surprises as well as interest, all of which are indispensable in teaching

and learning a foreign language..14

1. The Meaning of Pictures

Jean L. Mckenchnie defines picture in Webster dictionary that . Picture is an

image, or likeness of an object, person, or scene produce on a flat surface, especially

by painting, drawing or photography.15

Meanwhile according to Andrew Wright, .Picture is not just an aspect of

method but through its representation of place, object, and people, it is essential part

of the overall experiences.16

Vernon S Gerlach stated:

. Pictures are a two dimension visual representation of person, places, or

things. Photograph prints are most common, but sketches, cartoons, murals, cut outs,

charts, graphs and maps are widely used...A picture may not only be worth a

thousand words it is may also be worth a thousand years or a thousand miles.

14 Michael H Long and Jack. C. Rhicards, Methodology in TESOL: a Book of Readings,(New

York: Newburry House Publishers,1987),p.105

15 Jean L.Mckenkchnie, Webster New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridge(William

Collins Publisher,1980)Second Edition, p.1357

16 AndrewWright, Picture For Language, learning: Cambridge Handbook for Language

Teacher(USA: Cambridge University Press,1989),p.29

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Through pictures, learner can see people, place and things from areas for outside their

own picture can also represent image from ancient times or portray the future.17

The kinds and numbers of pictures that the teacher should take with him to

carry out the activities in class can be taken from magazines, articles, or others and

should be interactive and interesting to capture the students. attention the purpose of

using pictures for the students is to give them an opportunity to practices the language

in real context or in situations in which they can make it to communicate their ideas.

The use of pictures are more efficient and practice than words, they are easier

to recall and to remember than words, further more they expose real life situation

although it happened a long time ago. As it has been explained by Vernon, S.Gerlach

and Donald p. Elly,.Picture may not only be worth a thousand miles. Through

pictures, Learner can be shown people, places and things, from areas far outside their

own experiences. Pictures can represent images from ancient times or portray the

future.18

According to Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman,.Pictures can be formed such:

wall charts, commercially- produced flashcards, hand drawn pictures, and of course

illustration from course books and supplementary books..19

17 Vernon,S,Gerlach and Donald P.Emily, Teaching and Media a Systematic Approach 2nd

(New Jersey: Prentice Hall),1980,p.273

18 Ibid,p.273

19 Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman, Working With Words: A Guide to teaching and Learning

Vocabulary (USA: Cambridge University Press, 1986),,p.103

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From the meaning of pictures above, it indicates that the pictures has

exchanged and represented the real object into a simple device which has displayed a

series of places, object, person, or even experiences.

2. The Types of Pictures

Through picture presentation, people are able to reach outside their minds.

Pictures that they can see always lead to the reality of their minds. But the realities

that have been presented by pictures depend on the types of the pictures.

There are two kinds of pictures that Brazyna Szyke finds especially useful as

teaching aids, they are:

a. Pictures of individual persons or thing may be used mainly at the elementary

level, to introduce or test vocabulary items, for example: a man, and a car.

Portraits, pictures showing people in close details, are useful for intermediate

and advance learners. The students can be asked question about the age and

profession of the model

b. Pictures of situations in which person and object are .in action. between

objects and people can be perfect teaching aid for introducing or reviewing

grammatical or structures.20

20 Brazna Szyke, Using Pictures as Teaching Aids;(English Teaching Forum, Vol.XIX,No.4,

October, 1981)

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Types of Pictures According to Andrew Wright Are:

b. Pictures of single object

c. Picture of person: picture of famous person, pictures of several people and

pictures of people inaction

d. Pictures of places

e. Pictures from history

f. Pictures with a lot of information

g. Pictures of fantasies

h. Pictures of the news

i. Pictures of maps and symbols21

According to Betty Morgan Bowen, there are some types of pictures as their

shapes:

a. Wall charts

b. Wall pictures: is simply a large illustration of scenes or events. It is usually to

be used with the whole of class.

c. Sequence Picture is a series of pictures of a single subject it is function is tell a

story or a sequence of events.

d. Flash cards

Word Flash cards; card with printed words on it can help up rapidly, the

cards can be used to demonstrate exactly what the teacher wishes.

21 John Pread,. Measuring The Vocabulary Knowledge of Second Language Learners., REIC

Journal, 19. No.2 (December:1988), p.12

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Picture Flash cards; useful for the representation of a single concept, such as

an object or in action.

e. Work cards

Includes visual as well as text magazine pictures drawing maps and diagrams

can be important part or work cards at all levels used for vanity of purposes.22

Meanwhile, Noor Azlina Yunus in his book grouped the picture into four

groups:

a. Composite Picture

These are large single pictures, which show a scene (Hospital, beach, canteen,

railway station, street) in Which number of people can be seen doing things

b. A Picture Series

A picture series is a number of related composite pictures linked to form a

series of sequences. Hence, it is main function is to tell a story or sequence of

events.

c. Individual Picture

These are single pictures of objects, person or activities such pictures very in

size from small newspaper pictures and can be mounted singly.

d. Specialized Pictures (Posters, charts, advertisements, brochures)

Wall posters are not designed specifically for teaching, but rather for

advertising or propaganda purposes.23

22 Betty Morgan Bowen, Look Here!, Visual Aids In Language Teaching, London: essential

Language- Teach Series, 1973), p. 13- 31

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The description above teaching some language- learning skills, which the

language teacher helps the student enter to an imaginative experience beyond the

classroom.

3. The Use of Pictures

There are five roles of pictures:

b. Pictures can motivate the students and make him or her want to pay attention

and want to take part.

c. Pictures contribute to the context in which the language is being used. They

bring the world into the classroom.

d. The pictures can be described an objective way or interpreted or responded to

subjectively.

e. Pictures can cue responses to questions or cue substitutions through control

practice.

f. Pictures can stimulate and provide information to be referred to in conversation,

discussion and story telling beside Horse five roles in using picture, there are

six reasons why pictures helpful in teaching learning process.

There are six reasons why using pictorial material:

b. Pictures are useful for presenting new grammatical and vocabulary items.

c. Pictorial material allows for meaningful practice of vocabulary and structures

presented by the teacher.

23 Noor Azlina Yunus, Preparing and using aids for English Language Teaching,(Kuala

Lumpur, Oxford University Press, 1981),p.49

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d. Pictorial material can also provide a stimulus for using the language at the

reproduction and manipulation stages to speak, to read and to write.

e. Pictures can be used for revision from one lesson to another as well as for long

term revision of vocabulary and structures.

f. Pictorial material can be used to supplement whatever textbook the teacher is

using or whatever course he is following. Picture, of course can be used to

provide more practice of the exercises that students have done using the text

book.

g. Pictorial material is easy to collect, to make and to transport.

4. The Advantages And Disadvantages of Picture Used

a. The Advantages of Pictures Used

Following are some opinions concerning with the advantages of using

pictures. According to Vernon, S. Gerlach:

1. They are inexpensive and widely available.

2. They provide common experiences for an entire group.

3. The visual detail make it possible to study subject, which would turn back to

be impossible.

4. They can help you to prevent and correct disconcertion.

5. They offer a stimulus to further study, reading and research visual evidence

is power tool.

6. They help to focus attention and to develop critical judgment.

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7. They are easily manipulated.24

b. The Disadvantages of Pictures Used

There are some disadvantages of pictures used in teaching and learning

process, such as:

1. Students pay attention on the picture more than on learned material.

2. It takes time and costs much to provide attractive pictures.

3. Small and unclear pictures may arouse problems in the teaching learning

process since the students may misunderstand about the pictures.

Possible ways to overcome them are:

1. Teacher should avoid using pictures or photographs attack more attention to

them than to the activity. He also should control the students. activities

including their attention during the teaching learning process.

2. The teacher should make or choose attractive simple pictures to avoid

wasting time and money.

3. The teacher should make or choose big and clear enough pictures in order to

avoid misunderstanding about the pictures.

C. Kindergarten Students

1. The Meaning of Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an educational program- serving child ages four through six.

The educational programs Kindergarten shares the common objective of helping the

young child.s social, emotional, and academic development. The letter includes the

24 Vernon,S.Gerlach and Donald P. Elly, Op.cit.p.277

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use of language, the development of an initial understanding of mathematics,

beginning of learning in the social sciences and aesthetic appreciation.25 In another

definition, Kindergarten is the next level of education after playgroup before the

children enter elementary school. The program helps the children in entering their

first formal education.26

Even though the kindergarten is not the obligation to every children to follow

this program, but it will help the children to develop their knowledge, creativity,

through their activities in the school. It is same with what said by Friedrich Froebel

(1782- 1852). The first educator opened the first kindergarten in Germany in 1837.

He understood and respected the nature of young children education before their

enter the public school, helping the children education at home but also giving many

chances to them to learn about their self ability, talent, and their environment.27

2. The Age and Characteristics of Kindergarten students

We have known that the age criteria of kindergarten students are between 4 to

6 years old. This is affirmed at the GBPKB 1994 (Garis- Garis Besar Program

Kegiatan Belajar Taman Kanak- Kanak) of education and culture Department of

Indonesia that kindergarten is an educational program for children between the ages

25 Jefferson to Latin, The Encyclopedia Americana,(Danbury, Connecticut: Grollier

Inorporated),1996 Vol.16, p.444

26 Hibanana S. Rahman, Konsep Dasar Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, (Jakarta: PGTKI Press,

2002),p.35

27 http:/.kompas.com/kompas%2Dcetak/0105/14dikbud/neor09.htm

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of four to six. This also mentioned in the encyclopedia Americana that the

kindergarten is an educational program serving for children ages four through six.

So any child who ages four through six try to join one of educational program

for children that is kindergarten to develop their knowledge and their creativity.

The kindergarten students., no matter what their cultural and experiential

background, have characteristics in common with other children of their ages and

characteristics that are particularly their own, those are:

a. The Socio- Emotional Development

Children develop socially and emotionally during the kindergarten year. The

development of socio- emotional between the children and their peers.28The

children can show considerable empathy toward people and animals when their

own needs do not conflict with the needs of others. When helpfulness is

noticed, modeled and encouraged by the teacher, helpful behavior is likely to

become more common in the classroom. Kindergarten children are developing

a sense of independent but are also learning to work cooperatively with

others.29

b. The Physical Development

Physical activity is one common characteristic of kindergarten children,

although children vary a great deal in development of physical skill abilities.

28 Zulkifli, L. Psikologi Pembangunan,(Bandung;Rosda Karya, 2001),cet ke-8, p.45

29 http:/www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/doks/kindergarten/kindchild.html.

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Most kindergarten students are full of energy, active in following all activities

such as run, swing, climb, jump, etc. That is very useful to the development of

their body.30 All of the physical activities are related to the motorist of the

children include of three elements, such as muscles, nerves and brain. These

elements relate each other in positive interaction that each of them support ,

complete, and related each other in achieving the perfect motorist condition.31

c. The Intellectual Development

The children intellectual development is reflected in the rapid growth of

vocabulary and the power to express ideas. They are developing visual and

auditory memory and the ability to listen to others. In one of the educational

book says that the cognitive development increase rapidly, to the children

curiosity in learning from their surrounding environment.32

3. Madinah Kid.s School

Madinah Kid.s School was built on May 19, 2004 , addressed on Jalan Bukit

Serpong Mas Blok D5 No. 10- 11 by the owner of the foundation Mrs. Hj. Erida

and her son Mr.Heksa A.S Spd as a Head of the Foundation. On the first grand

opening this school could get ten students, where three students for the Play Group

A class, two students for the Play group B class, four students for the Kindergarten

A and one student for the Kindergarten B class. From the first Launching until now

30 Hibana S Rahman, Op.cit.p.35

31 Zulkifli,L.Op.cit,p.31

32 Hibana S. Rahman,Loc.cit.

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this school has twenty one students. There are five students for Play Group Class,

Nine students for Kindergarten A class, and Five students for Kindergarten B class.

Madinah Kid.s School was lead by Mr. H.M. Hatta MPd.MEd as a Principal

and three teachers they are: Miss Indiastanti Prasetyo SPd as a teacher in Playgroup

class, Miss Leny SPd as a teacher in Kindergarten A and Miss Riana Ariestika SPi

as a teacher in Kindergarten B. Beside that this school has one administration staff

namely Miss Indah Purnawati.P.Amd and one Cleaning service namely Mr.

Cahyadi Irawan.

Madinah Kid.s School has a vision to prepare our kids in the future to have a

bright future as bright as blue sky. In this case they have to have ability in

communicating, socializing, good intelligence and good spiritual. And the mission

of this school is not only make our children bright in exact lessons but also make

them to be a person that has good in Intellectual Quotient, Emotional Quotient,

Spiritual Quotient, and Adversity Quotient. That is why this school using CBC

(Competency Based Curriculum) with Life Skills Oriented, Global Oriented, Social

and Environment Oriented also Religious Oriented.

This school was used English as a second language in daily teaching- learning

process. There are many facilities that can support the learning at school likes: Air

conditioned room, Language Laboratory, Computer Laboratory, Play Ground and

Out bone Zone.

During the teaching- learning activity, all teachers should prepare their

material to teach such as: make a lesson plan everyday, make a weekly report,

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Monthly report in the connecting book, make a final term report, prepare a media

and things that are going to make by the students. All the learning process was

based on the area.s system, there are Discussion area, Math area, Write and Read

area, Construction area, Religion area, Sand area and Drama area. These areas were

not given all in the one teaching . learning activity. There are only four areas that

the teacher should give to the students in once learning activity everyday.

The learning activity in this school usually begin with morning activity, where

the students do to make a line, then pray, recite Oath and greeting, Continue with

watering the plant, and fish feeding. After that carry on to the next activity there are

areas learning. After that have a rest time to have a meal and play and then get the

other areas. The last is closing where all the students praying together by recite

prays, Short holy qur.an, Daily pray and Hamdallah. The teacher used to give a

short games to find out which students that will go home early than other.

Beside learning activity by areas system, the student also completely with

extra curricular activity such as audio visual learning in language laboratory,

Computer skill in the computer laboratory, and swim. There are also other activity

that will prepare to the students, they are clinic visiting, doctor visiting, manasik

haji, native speaker visiting, field trip, super camp and competition.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses about: the objective of study, research subject, the

place and time, the research method, instrument, the research implementer and the

research question.

A. The Objective of Study

The main purposes of this study are looking for an appropriate concept that

can be considered by teachers who want to teach English at kindergarten level which

will include :

1. To know the qualification of the English teacher, who can teach English at

kindergarten.

2. To know the appropriate method and technique that can support the teaching

learning process in kindergarten.

3. To develop the model of teaching English vocabulary by using the pictures in

kindergarten.

It is hoped that the teacher can use the information of the three points as basis

for preparing the teaching learning process at school all ideas are related on these

points will be discussed and analyzed.

B. Research Subject

The pupils and the teachers of Madinah Kid.s school Serpong . Tangerang

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C. The Place and Time

This research was taken in Madinah Kid.s school at Jl. Bukit Serpong Mas

Block D5 No. 10/11 Serpong Tangerang, on September 4th- 30th 2006.

D. The Research Method

This study is conducted in the form of a survey. This study is qualitative in

nature.

E. Instrument

Observation guide and check list will be used in this research.

F. The Research Implementer

This research will be assisted by her fellow teachers as informants and

observer.

G. Research Questions

1. Is picture media could attract the pupils attention in learning ?

2. Are the pupils going to be more motivated in learning by using pictures

media?

3. Is it easier for the pupil to grasp the lessons trough picture media ?

4. Are the pupils going to be bored when they learn the lessons through pictures

media ?

5. Is the atmosphere in teaching and learning situation getting more active by

using pictures media ?

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CHAPTER IV

RESEARCH INVESTIGATION AND RESEARCH OUTCOME

This chapter discusses about: the curriculum, the syllabus, the classroom

implementation and the research investigation.

A. The Curriculum and The Syllabus

This school was used CBC (Competence Based Curriculum) on the teachinglearning

process and integrates with many oriented such as: Life skills oriented,

Global oriented, Social and environment oriented and Religious oriented. These are

purposes to increase the students potentials such as: moral, spiritual, social,

emotional, outonomourship, speaking, cognitive and arts in order to prepare entering

the elementary education level. The school realizes that all of those aims could be

done by playing and learning activity . Because by playing kids have a chance to

explore, find out, expressed their feeling, create and learn in the fun way.

On the other hands playing will help kids could be recognized with their self,

other people and environment surrounding them. This school try apply English

language in everyday teaching learning process. The syllabus or the lesson plan was

made by integrating the national curriculum (CBC) and school oriented to build a

communicative, easy to socialize and has good intelligence students.. That is why this

school was completed with many facilities to support the teaching learning process to

increase the students ability such as : Computer laboratory, Language laboratory ,

bilingual communication, Materials books (English books), native speaker program

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and many other. The more information about the syllabus can be seen in the appendix

of this skripsi.

B. The Classroom Implementation

The teaching procedure are developed based on the theoretical framework and

the analysis in the previous chapter. Teaching procedures are elaborated in three

stages, they are:

a. Presentation Stage

On this occasion, the teacher greets the students and asks about their condition

such as: .Assalamu.alaikum, good morning students, how are you today?. these in

order to warm up the situation. Then the teacher tells the students what are they going

to learn at that day, for example .well students, today we are going to learn about

home in English.. Next teacher asks some question about the topic to trigger the

students. knowledge, like: .do you what is this?. (in this case teacher point to the

pictures of house part ) the teacher also explain a bit about the topic, after that the

teacher drills the students pronunciation and the meanings parts of house by letting

the students repeat what the teacher pronounced and answering the questions given

about parts of house. Here the teacher uses pictures for supporting the learning.

The method that was used in this presentation stages is discourse method that

is submitting information or description concerning root of the matter verbally.

Presentation stage need a good skill from teacher to explain the subject

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b. Practice Stage

In this stage, the teacher gives the students two kinds of exercises. In the first

exercise, the students have to draw a house by using .dot to dot. method and coloring

the picture. The second exercise the students have to mention parts of house and tell

about it. The method was used in this practice stage is experiment method, to make

students able to find various answer by themselves.

c. Production Stage

The teacher give an evaluation in listening test. The children listening to the

words given by the teacher and then they have to give a check mark on the pictures.

For pronunciation exercise, the teacher must give the lesson step by step continually.

Then the teacher has to find out the students response according the lessons

had given. In the last part of this stage the teacher concludes and closes the lesson by

singing the new songs that the students learned (that is a window). The method was

used here is dialogue method. To know their ability in understanding the subject.

d. Teaching Procedures

There are steps that the writer used in teaching vocabulary:

1. Greetings

Generally, in Madinah Kid.s school at Bukit Serpong Mas .

Tangerang .Salam (Assalamu.alaikum) and good morning . is used in greeting

between the teacher and the students. Such as following short conversation :

Teacher : .Assalamu.alaikum students ?.

Students : .Wa. alaikummussalam Miss.

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Teacher : .Good morning children.

Students : .Good morning miss, good morning everybody .

Teacher : .How are you today ?.

Students : .I am fine, thank you and you ?.

Teacher : .I am fine too, thank you honey.

2. Presentation Stage

Starting lesson by showing the pictures of house parts

2.1. The teacher put on the big picture of house parts on the white board.

2.2. The teacher asked the students whether they know the picture such as

following : .do you know what picture is this ?. Then the teacher tells

each picture of house parts. After that the teacher asked the

students to repeat the names of the house parts directly after the

teacher. Then the teacher asked the students to pronounce the words by

themselves that is pointed by the teacher.

2.3. To make the students pronounced and memorizing the words better,

the teacher asked the students some questions about house parts and

teach the students the song . that is a window . teacher put the songs

lyric on the white board.

2.4. The teacher asked the students to sing together the song that the

teacher has sung first.

2.5. The teacher singing while pointing into (window, door, floor, roof).

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2.6. The teacher asks the students to stand up and sing together .that is a

window song. and point to the window, door, floor, and roof.

3. Practice Stage

3.1. After the teacher feels satisfy with students pronunciation, the teacher

begin to give the exercise about house parts in order to observed the

students ability in spelling and memorizing words. In the first

exercise, the students have to draw a house by using .dot to dot .

method and coloring the picture they made.

3.2. The teacher distribute the exercises sheet to all the students, and

explain to them how to draw it.

3.3. The teacher monitors the students activities and after the time is up, the

teacher collect the students worksheet.

3.4. The teacher asked the students about the pictures while she took the

worksheet.

3.5. The teacher evaluates their abilities in feed back of the exercise one

and two.

4. Production Stage

4.1. To know the students ability in understanding vocabularies, the teacher

must give some pictures of house parts in form of question, students are

able to answer the question correctly know the color and to count house

parts. for an example : two green doors, four red windows, one blue

roof.

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4.2. The teacher direct feedback of the evaluation test.

5. Closure

5.1. Conclusion of three study in that day.

5.2. The teacher asks his/her students some questions about pictures of

house parts to know their ability.

5.3. Singing .That is a window..

5.4. Teacher closes the lesson by praying and singing . Alhamdulillah and

thank you Allah . together.

C. The Research Investigation

It has been stated in chapter three that this study is aimed at answering the

following questions:

1. Is picture media could attract the pupils attention in learning ?

2. Are the pupils going to be more motivated in learning by using pictures

media?

3. Is it easier for the pupil to catch the lessons trough picture media ?

4. Are the pupils going to be bored when they learn the lessons through picture

media ?

5. Is the atmosphere in teaching and learning situation getting more active by

using picture media ?

To get information observation are conducted. In this step the writer acts as

the teacher and her fellow teacher.s act as observes. To help the observer.s check lists

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are used to answer each question in the research question. Here is the check lists

statement:

CHECK LIST QUESTION AND STATEMENT

No Pernyataan Ya Tidak Keterangan

1. Ada tidak siswa yang dalam pelajaran asyik

berbicara dengan kawan?

√

2. Ada tidak siswa yang dalam pelajaran

memandang keluar kelas ? (jika ada berapa

orang ?)

√

3. Ada tidak yang spontan merespon tentang

gambar ? (jika ada berapa orang)

√ 5 anak

4. Ada tidak anak yang mengantuk selama

pelajaran ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√

5. Ada tidak anak yang bertanya tentang

Gambar ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 2 anak

6. Apakah semua siswa memperhatikan gambar

dengan baik ?

√

7. Adakah siswa yang acuh ketika diminta

melihat gambar ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√

8. Apakah guru memberikan pertanyaan tentang

gambar ?

√

9. Apakah ada siswa yang menjawab pertanyaan

secara spontan ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 3 anak

10. Apakah siswa yang menjawab pertanyaan,

menjawab dengan tepat ? (Jika ada berapa

orang ?)

√ 3 anak

11. Apakah para siswa langsung mengangkat

tangan ketika diberi pertanyaan oleh guru ?

(jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 9 anak

12. Apakah ada murid yang aktif bertanya kepada

guru ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 2 anak

13. Apakah ada anak yang aktif berkomentar

tentang gambar ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 3 anak

14. Apakah guru memberikan penjelasan tentang √

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gambar ?

15. Apakah seluruh siswa memperhatikan semua

penjelasan guru ?

√

16. Adakah siswa yang asyik sendiri ? (jika ada

berapa orang ?)

√

17. Adakah siswa yang tampak bosan ? (jika ada

berapa orang ?)

√

18. Adakah siswa yang mengeluh, selama

pelajaran berlangsung ? (jika ada berapa orang

?)

√

19. Apakah selama pengajaran guru menyelingi

dengan nyanyian ?

√

20. Apakah para murid ikut serta bernyanyi ? √

21. Adakah murid yang diam dan tidak ikut

bernyanyi ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√

22. Apakah selama pengajaran murid-murid

menjadi lebih aktif ?

√

23. Apakah murid-murid menjadi lebih akrab

dengan guru?

√

24. Adakah siswa yang langsung hafal semua kosa

kata baru dari gambar bagian-bagian rumah

dalam bahasa Inggris yang ditunjukan ?

(jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 5 anak

25. Apakah guru memberikan kertas yang

bergambar rumah untuk diwarnai kepada

murid ?

√

26. Apakah siswa yang mendapat kertas

bergambar rumah terlihat antusias untuk

mewarnainya ?

√

27. Apakah semua siswa yang mendapat kertas

bergambar rumah mau mewarnainya ?

√

28. Adakah siswa yang tidak mau menyelesaikan

mewarnai gambar ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 1 anak

29. Adakah siswa yang mewarnai gambar dengan

sempurna ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 8 anak

30. Adakah siswa yang membanggakan hasil

karyanya ? (jika ada berapa orang ?)

√ 8 anak

31. Apakah guru memantau murid pada saat

murid mewarnai ?

√

32. Apakah guru memberikan pertanyaan dan

komentar tentang gambar yang diwarnai murid

√

33. Apakah guru menerangkan kembali setelah √

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murid selesai mewarnai gambar ?

34. Apakah guru memberi evaluasi setelah

pelajaran ?

√

35. Adakah murid yang kesulitan memberikan

jawaban saat evaluasi ? (jika ada berapa

Orang ? )

√

D. The Research Outcome

1. The teacher.s and her fellow teacher.s who act as observer thinks that the used of

pictures could attract the students motivation in learning activity, it could be seen

from three times observation and only one student was not interested because has

semi autism problem.

2. To get information about Question number two, at the beginning of the classes the

teacher asked the following questions :

- Who prepared the lessons last night ?

- Did you ever show the lessons to your parents ?

- Is there anyone ever seen this picture ?

- Do you know what picture is this ?

- Do you like to see another picture ?

3. To get information about number three we could see from the table above where

the students looked more active to ask and answer the questions.

4. According to the table we could see that student were not boring at all.

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5. It is true that the atmosphere in teaching and learning getting more active by using

picture media. It could be seen from the table that most of the student were eager

to ask and answer questions.

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Based on the research investigation and its outcome in the fourth chapter,

several conclusion are drawn and a number of suggestion are put forward deal with:

A. Conclusion

Vocabulary is one of the important factors in all language teaching learning

And the students must continually learn new words as they learn structure and as they

practice sound system, but most of the students are not interested and motivated at all.

Therefore, the writer uses pictures as one of the strategies in teaching that benefits the

students in many ways.

Based on the research, the writer conclude that :

1. Pictures help the students to understand the difficult words easily by looking

at the pictures.

2. The use of pictures make the vocabulary learning more enjoyable and

interesting because they can memories the meaning of the difficult words by

singing the song with the pictures as key words and without asking another

person or looking them up in the dictionary.

3. Pictures are possibly used in teaching pronunciation and structure also.

4. The use of Pictures makes the class more active and alive.

5. The use of pictures could attract the students curiosity in learning new

vocabulary.

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B. Suggestion

The followings are suggestion from the writer for model of teaching

vocabulary by using pictures for kindergarten students, that there are so many

approaching type and method that can be developed by teachers for having a good

and enjoyable class situation to reach out the curriculum target.

1. The teacher should choose the technique and materials that are appropriate

with the students. needs and experiences so the class atmosphere become

enjoyable and interesting.

2. The teacher should give short, clear and simple instruction.

3. The teacher should keep in control the students. activities.

4. The teacher should present the language in an enjoyable and relaxed way. It

could be done by using pictures, songs, games etc.

5. The teacher should creative and active to find various method to teach the

kindergarten students.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aeborsold Jo Ann and Field Lee Mary, From Reader to Reading Teacher (New

york: Cambridge University Press,1977)

Allen, David, and Vallette Rebecca. M. Classroom technique. Foreign Language

and English as a Second Language, (New York: Harcourt Brave

Javanovich, 1997)

Bowen Morgan Betty, Look Here! Visual Aids in Language Teaching (London:

Essential Language- Teaching Series, 1973)

DEPDIKBUD, Jakarta Utara, Kurikulum TK dan RA, 2005

Gairns Ruth and Redman Stuart, Working With Words: A Guide to Teaching and

Learning Vocabulary (USA Cambridge University Press,1986)

Gerlach S Vernon and Elly P Donal, teaching and Media a Systematic Approach 2nd

(New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1980)

Hatch Evelyn and Brown Cheryl, Vocabulary, Semantic and Language Education

(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995)

http://kompas. Com/kompas%Dcetak/ 0105?dikbud/neor9.html

http:/www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docks/kindergarten/kindchild.html

Kridalaksana Harimurti, Kamus Linguistik,edisi ke-3 (Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka

Utama, 1993)

Latin to Jefferson, The Encyclopedia Americana, (Danburry, Connecticut, Grolier

Incorporated), 1996, Vol.16

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Long Michael L and Richards Jack C, Methodology in TESOL: a Book of Readings,

(New York: New Burry House Publishers, 1987)

L . Zulkifli, Psikologi Pembangunan, (Bandung: ROSDA Karya,2001)

Mackenkchnie Jean L, Webster New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridge

(William Collins Publisher,1980)

Macmillan Collier International, A Division Of Macmillan Company, The Key to the

English Vocabulary (London:The Macmillan Company , 1991)

Marianne, Maria, Celce, Current Perspektive on Pronunciation: Practice Anchored in

Theory(Teaching Pronunciation as Communication), Washington DC:

Teachers of English to Speaker Of Other Language,1977)

Nation ISP,Teaching and Learning Language (New York: New Burry House, 1990)

Pread John, Measuring The Vocabulary Knowledge of Second Language Learners,

REIC Journal, 19 No. 02 (December-1988)

Pyles Thomas and Algeo John, English an Introduction to Language(Harcourt Brave

Javanovich, inc.10

Rahman S Hibana, Konsep Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, (Jakarta: PGTKI Press 2002)

Roget.s II The New Thesaurus: The American Heritage Dictionary (Boston 1980)

Shing Tang Li, English Teaching Forum, XIX, No./ 4 (Oktober: 1981)

Szyke Brazna, .Using Picture as Teaching Aid.: (English Teaching Forum,

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Vol. XIX No. 4, Oktober 1981 )

Webster Merriem Ninth Collegiate Dictionary (New York: Merriem Webster.s inc.

1978)

Webster.s The Largest Abridgement of Webster.s New International Dictionary of

English Language, Webster.s College Dictionary. (USA : G & G Merriam co,

1935)

Wright Andrew, Picture For Language Learning: Cambridge Handbook for

Language Teacher (USA ; Cambridge Handbook for Language Teacher,

USA : Cambridge University Press, 1989)

Yunus Noor Azlina, Preparing and Using English language Teaching, (Kuala

Lumpur, Oxford University Press, 1981)

Zhihong Yang, Learning Words, English Teaching Forum, Vol.38. No.03 July 2000

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have tried various methods to teach vocabulary - mnemonics (memory 'tricks'), word games

(including quiz games), flash cards, etc. However, the most effective way was already hinted at

in the post on 'graded readers'. The very best way to learn, and therefore teach,vocabulary is IN

CONTEXT. When students see new words or expressions in context, there are two advantages:

1) students remember the words better  2) students see HOW the words are used.

When I teach, I use all kinds of stories. I use children's stories, news stories, jokes, (click to see

the best jokes I have collected), magazine articles. Sometimes I introduce the difficult

vocabulary first, sometimes I let students read quickly first to get the main idea. I always have

many questions prepared before class. Some are relatively simple comprehension questions,

some are discussion questions. Most of the questions encourage students to use thevocabulary

when speaking, but I don't want to force them to use any words unnaturally.

Now, there is one advantage to teaching vocabulary out of context, from word lists or with

games of any kind. Students see the words they are supposed to study and believe they must be

making progress. At least, they feel that way in class. When they leave the class, they don't

remember the words or don't use them correctly and so are misunderstood. By then, of course,

they can't blame the teacher, they blame themselves! So teachingvocabulary 'out of context' is

safer for the teacher. Teaching vocabulary 'in context' is more effective.

Anyway, this is what I have observed in teaching and in learning French, Spanish, Japanese and

Chinese. Other opinions are welcome!

Teacher Joe