New Teacher Tips - How to Teach ESL Students Vocabulary in Context

There are three principles involved in teaching andhave a dog at home?" or, "What animal do you like the
learning vocabulary in context: practice, understand,best?"
and infer (going beyond the text). ESL vocabulary- Teacher numbers each picture: students say the
activities, read alouds and games are all art of thisnumber of each word as it is called or show the
vocabulary learningnumber of fingers if the teacher wants to keep the
As a general rule of thumb, vocabulary can be taughtnoise level down.
inductively (through some process of discovery) or- Students can describe the colors of Old McDonald's
deductively (example: providing a picture - 'this is afarm.
_________' )- Interactive: students come and put the dog in a place
For young ESL learners, this is pretty hard to do, butthe teacher says.
when vocabulary is taught routinely and creatively, it- I'm thinking of a word: teacher describes the word
can be a fun and enriching experience.and students guess the meaning.
Another general rule of thumb is that the discovery- Use imagination: for example, imagine you are in a
process has a general appeal to learners especiallycabin. Students have ten minutes for creating a story
when the words have been previously taught.using as many words as possible.
Next steps: Putting learned words through context.Important Teaching Tips
Teachers use a listening comprehension story toWhat are some of the aims of the teacher. How
present the words in another context.many of the things listed does the teacher expect the
Fun Vocabulary Techniqueslearner to be able to do? With which words?
Students use pictures to relate it to specific words. For- How many new words per lesson? (5-7 words is
younger kids for example, students can talk about theideal)
animals on Old McDonald's farm in context with the- What is the ongoing need?
animals.- Provide frequent exposure and repetition.
- Personalize: Teacher can ask students: "Do you