What?

Why?

How?

Presentation for Summer Literacy InstituteJuly, 2015

Allyson Marceau allyson.marceau@sjcd.edu

Allyson Marceau

Masters in Linguistics

TESOL certificate

ESOL at San Jacinto College 15 years

Reading and Writing

Oral Communication

Grammar

Reading and Vocabulary NCBO

From the Experts

Keith Folse, textbook author and reading expert

“Arguably, vocabulary is perhaps the most important component in L2(second language) ability.” (Vocabulary Myths, p.22)

Jack C. Richards, reading expert

“Vocabulary and lexical units (phrases) are at the core of learning and communication.”

Paul Nation, reading expert

“I feel vocabulary development is one of the most critical areas of second language reading.”

“The main obstacle for L2 readers is not lack of reading strategies but rather insufficient vocabulary knowledge in English”

(Lauder and Simon 1985)

Probability of learning a new word from context: 5 to 20% (Nagy et al 1987, Nation and Waring, 1997)

Learners are just as likely to infer a wrong meaning as the correct meaning. (Hulstijn 1992)

Read a million words →Learn 1,000 words

Guessing word meanings requires a vast vocabulary.

Meaning not transparent in conversation.

INCIDENTAL LEARNING INTENTIONAL LEARNING

On Their Own

Extensive Reading

Exposure to target words unpredictable

Reliance on using context clues

On Their Own Plan vocabulary learning Set specific goals within a

time frame Use a combination of

strategies Self-Testing(Rasekh and Ranjbany, 2003-- in Folse, 2004)

In the Classroom Intensive Reading Direct Instruction Testing

Word knowledge is complex and incremental.

Multiple encounters are required.

Recognize a word

Understand a meaning of the word in one context

Understand the various meanings of a word in different contexts

Be able to use the word in speaking and/or writing

Meanings

Pronunciation

Spelling

Word Families

Usage

Collocation

Register

Connotation

Frequencyo Word listso Dictionary usage

(Based on “Focus on Vocabulary1-Bridging Vocabulary-Diane Schmitt et al, 2011)

I sat on the bank of the river.

I deposited my paycheck in my bank.

I donated some blood to the blood bank.

There’s a bank of slot machines in the Las Vegas airport.

The bank in the road made it safer to make a sharp turn.

Sounds

Which is easier to learn? Why?

Welsh Exampleshttp://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/welsh.php

Syllables

How many syllables are in the 2nd word of this Irish expression?

Bore da (Good Morning)

Lechyd da(Cheers!)

Dia dhaoibh (Hello [plural])

Stress

Silent Letters and Syllables

Record (n.) Educate

Record (v.) Education

DoubtHerbs

ElementaryEventually

Commonly Mispelled MisspelledWords

OccasionAmbidextrousAccommodate

Plural Nouns

BoxesPianosHeroes

Grammatical Forms

Wait WaitingLet LettingStop Stopped

One sound—Multiple Spellingsbeatkeeppiece

skikey

Noun: interest Verb: to interest

Adjective: interesting, interested

Adverb: interestingly

Spoken Usage

Written Usage

Frequency

Grammar Irregular verb forms Count or non-count noun Transitive or Intransitive

noun Phrasal Verbs

Register

Formal/informal What’s happening

dude? / How are you doing, professor?

Political Correctness: Physically challenged

/crippled people can live full lives.

Direct/ euphemism: I heard that your

uncle died/passed away.

: I figured out the meaning of the word form the

context.

: The suspect committed a crime.

: Sherry is interested in sailing.

: A tall building. A high

building. A tall man. A high man.

: I’m sick and tired of him.

Skinny/thin/slender/scrawny

Bossy--Dominant

Frugal---Miserly

Cowardly--Prudent

Frequency

Word Lists

General Service List—Accounts for about 85% of words encountered in non-academic language.

New General Service List—Accounts for about 92% of words encountered in non-academic language.

Academic Word List List—Accounts for about 8-9% of what students encounter in college texts.

Three important factors for remembering words.

Raising Consciousness--Noticing

Number of encounters/retrievals

Folse “What might be more important is not what you do, but how many times you do it.”

Retrieval = When the learner recalls the meaning or form of a word from memory. (Coxhead, )

Spacing between retrievals

1 day, 2 days, 4 days etc..

Depth of Processing—Little evidence of improved learning.

“It would appear that when new words are first presented, it may be best to present them out of context.” (Clipperton 1994)

Paul Nation (1993) strongly advocates what he calls a “Vocabulary Flood” for beginning learners.

Word lists definitely can play a role in vocabulary learning

Do not teach synonym with antonym

Do not teach “Semantic Sets” (Folse)

Examples: Family members, Body parts, Colors

Do teach in “Thematic Sets”

Examples: Eating out, Cooking, Going on a date

Make target words salient—underline, highlight, italicize, capitalize—Make the learners notice.

Do allow learners to use bilingual dictionaries.

Do not ask learners to use a new word in a sentence. (negative impact on learning)

Focus on form—Introducing a new word lists

Input before output

Give plenty of receptive activities before requiring production

Word definition match

Reading and Listening (Students listen and check the word when they hear it.)

Multiple encounters of any kind—Depth of processing not important

Matching

Odd-man-out

Cloze Activities

Picture Files

Recycle Bring words from previous lessons back for review Draw attention to previously-taught words in the reading or

listening activities Use the vocabulary in exercises and tests

Maintenance Continue to go back to previous words

Testing Testing is essential– Make students accountable for learning the

vocabulary

Putting the guidelines into practice with quick, easy activities

During discussion Write words in numbered columns as they occur.

Deflect questions about unimportant (infrequent) words

Result: List of 15 words-Write on poster paper for recycling

Take them out later in class for recycling

Use them for review

Drill 3-5 minutes--Teacher-centered=Okay

• What does X mean?• Which word means X?• Which are living?• Which word has a prefix that means “take away”?• Which words are about the natural environment?• How many describe a person? Are you sure? Are there more?• How many could be over 100?

Familiarize students with form before meaning

SPELLING

DoubleLetters

Shortest Word

Longest Word

Appears First/Last in the Dictionary

SOUNDS

Number of Syllables

Silent Letters Hard to

Pronounce Different

Spelling—Same Sound

WORD PARTS

Prefix Suffix Base Compound

Word

Pattern Doubt Creature Guilt Miserable Effect Experiment PredictHow many have….. X syllables/double letters/silent letters/two words/ a prefix that means X?

Literature Interrupt Lifestyle Altruistic Discover Reconsider Manufacture

Which word is…first/last in the dictionary/ longest/shortest/hardest to pronounce

Offer Vertical

Panels

Encouragement Wind Turbines

Require students to learn 20-25 words per week and record them in their notebook. (Experts often recommend this number.)

At random intervals, ask students the meaning of a word.

If they can’t answer, they don’t receive any points. (Keep them accountable!)

If they only know the translation, you can ask them if they got it right—Don’t discourage translations! (Isn’t that how you learned a second language?)

(Thanks to Dr. Qin Riley for this idea!)

Give students a list of target vocabulary words.

Play or read a reading that includes the words.

Students check off the words as they hear them.

Alternatively: Use flash cards

Students place each card in front of them in order as they hear the word

Note: Listening to different voices and in different tone of voice is beneficial to learning.

Ask students to bring their flash cards to class. Fill in those slack times—Get them to test each other if they finish a group task early.

Have a class set of flash cards. Students can pull out some flash cards and test themselves as a review for an upcoming exam.

(More about flash cards later)

Use Hot Potatoes to create online interactive activities---Save class time and give them something fun to do at their own pace

Scrambled Sentences

Crossword Puzzles

Matching

Cloze Activities (Fill-in-the-blank)

http://hotpot.uvic.ca/

Word List Websites:

New General Service List (Quizlet)

http://www.newgeneralservicelist.org/

Academic Word List Exercises

http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/AWL/index.htm

The New General Service List—Quizletshttp://www.newgeneralservicelist.org/ngsl-for-quizlet-soon/

English Vocabulary Exercises-Academic Word List

http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/AWL/

Teach students how to take responsibility for their own vocabulary learning.

Vocabulary Notebooks Keep it Simple

Use translation into native language

Test yourself Cover parts with paper “L”

Fold page

Flash cards Spaced Retrieval

Dictionary use

Here’s 10 words-Learn them tonight, we’ll use them tomorrow—learn meaning at home, use in class

Show students how to make them. Add drawings or pictures

Include word aspects according to individual needs

Ask your students to share ideas and cards

Illustrate –Spaced Retrieval Practice until you “know” the word

Put the word aside in a separate pile

Pick up that pile again in –24 hours, 72 hours, one week

Share cards in class Test each other

Show how they use or make them

: Make an acoustic association between the target word and a word in L1

: Form an image link between target word and L1 or other known languages.

Moroccan Arabic “Sharire” (street)

Shah +Rire (French=laugh)

Shah’s head in the middle of the street laughing.