Frost, R., (2004), Presenting Vocabulary, British Council: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/presenting-vocabulary Vocabulary is the foundation of successful language learning. Here are five engaging ways to teach your students vocab while making sure they boost their vocabulary acquisition: 1. When you enjoy teaching your English language learners new words, they will catch your enthusiasm and enjoy learning them. 10 effective vocabulary teaching strategies. The list size needs to be small and manageable. * improve exam skills This post may contain affiliate links (at no extra cost to you). Whilst this concept might sound self-explanatory, there are actually a number of approaches that could be taken to achieve this aim. Learn how your comment data is processed. #mfltwitterati #French #edutwitter. Not only did you include vocabulary activities, but you also provided ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge through demo/experiments. To end this task get another pair to peer correct. This article covers a lot of fun vocabulary activities that will make you enjoy what you’re doing! Gallery Walks are a great way to introduce vocabulary while getting kids up and moving around. There are a number of fun ways to teach vocabulary, including games and activities like Mad Lib, Running Dictation, Spelling Race, Apples to Apples and Dictogloss. So here, James Clements shares some practical ways to go about it, each with a linked resource sheet (seven in total) ready to download and use in your classroom. Another great way to learn vocabulary on the go is to make small cards for each word (Spanish on the front, English on the back), hole punch them and put them on a key ring. I recommend the website: festisite to try this out. Randomised Vocabulary Lists and Highlighters – I am a list maker, so this activity comes very easily to me! I tell them they must communicate in order to make a communal list of everything that is either labeled correctly or incorrectly in both photos. These are five EASY ways to make vocabulary fun... and #2 is PERFECT for students who love a fun challenge! They include activities to expand vocabulary, how to teach vocabulary as a starter, ways in which students can recycle previously seen and taught vocabulary, as well as ways to improve their vocabulary through dictionary, pairwork and group work. If you’re interested in purchasing some lego bricks, these might be useful to you. Every penny helps! Now, on each picture I label some things correctly and some incorrectly. I didn’t need grammar, because I could communicate with the words I knew and recognised. When you are ready, instruct students to take one sheet and describe it to the rest of the group in the target language, without saying the actual word. See the picture below as an example. The aim of this activity is to create as many words as possible. Your email address will not be published. What is a Vocabulary Activity? This is a great game to introduce vocabulary for this first time and can be used to get your students familiar with words and common collocations. You could do the same for: food and drink, jobs, modes of transport, technology, numbers, directions and the time, for example. You can even build on this further and get the students to create a series of sentences everybody else must copy. For example, you could write adjectives, nouns and verbs on the topic of ‘home’, which students must sort. If you are teaching a topic for which you can find emojis, use them! The letters used in these words will include 7 letters (that you, or the students have selected at random), as well as 1 extra letter that has also been selected at random, but which must be used in all words. Thanks a lot for your precious ways in teaching vocabulary. Thank-you so much in advance for your generosity! Oh, and students will actually remember the vocabulary this way, too (bonus!) It could also be utilised with one word on each lolly pop stick, around different themes and students have to categorise the word on each lolly pop stick based on topic. I find that this works very well. I am an enthusiastic modern languages teacher with the sole aim of improving my students’ language acquisition with innovative teaching methods to promote progress and improve confidence quickly. Pictionary With A Twist – A classic, fun classroom game, which is fantastic for revising vocabulary at the end of a topic. Not only is I Spy on our list of fun ways to teach vocabulary words, it also helps students become comfortable with using a dictionary and navigating its layout. I have found or taken pictures of the fun activities on how to teach vocabulary, which you can adapt for your classroom. If so, subscribe to my newsletter for all my latest teaching and learning content based around language acquisition straight to your inbox! I have explained how I use the fun ways to teach vocabulary below and have a handy handout out which lists of all of the activities outlined below here: Ten Fun Ways To Learn, Practise and Teach Vocabulary. Choosing the right vocabulary – It is important to make the right selection of words. Below are several techniques teachers should consider when teaching vocabulary. I have explained how I use the fun ways to teach vocabulary below and have a handy handout out which lists of all of the activities outlined below here: Ten Fun Ways To Learn Vocabulary In The Language Classroom. Graves (2016) concludes that ‘explicit vocabulary teaching’ should be included in vocabulary instruction; meaning that a maximum of 4-5 ‘useful’ words should be taught at any one time, in order to ‘attack’ vocabulary acquisition. Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. Giving students many chances to understand and use words will change the way they look at words, and open their understanding. For advanced students I might say that the sentence must include a certain number of adjectives, adverbs, or specific vocabulary. Vocabulary A-Z Lesson Plans With Vocabulary A-Z, you can create your own vocabulary lists based on topic, content, or part of speech, and generate lesson activities based on your selections. Determining an appropriate number for your students might be a process of trial and error. Have the words you want to teach on some flash cards or slips of paper and distribute the cards evenly to your students. ESL/EFL learners need to be familiar with a great many words … I write a number of words on an A4 sheet which I photocopy. In case you don’t already know what they are; A tongue twister is a sentence (or several) that is very difficult to say (usually due to a sequence of similar sounds). I LOVE TEACHING LANGUAGES AND SEEING MY STUDENTS’ CONFIDENCE IMPROVE! If you download the resource below and find it useful, please consider leaving a small donation (through PayPal). You need small pictures/photos of all of the nouns and a short story that includes all of the nouns in question. 5 Ways To Teach Vocabulary. * Home-educated students learning French & German This type of activity could be used to revise previously learned vocabulary, combined with some new elements. English Profile is a great resource that profiles that English language allowing us to make better judgments about what vocabulary to teach. You could also add some new lexical elements for the students to look up, with the help of a dictionary, perhaps. I gave the story of dreaming of going to Disney Land for years just hoping to see Cinderella’s castle. Please read our disclosure for more information. Doing this will not only make your vocabulary classes more dynamic and fun but your students will also benefit much more. The first team to match all sets in their area, correctly, was the winner. The first team to match all sets in their area, correctly, was the winner. In order to understand written or spoken language, students do not need to know the meaning of every single word they see (as is evident from my aforementioned trip to Spain), especially since a native speaker only tends to use around five thousand words in every day speech (Frost, 2004). This normally includes recyclable lexical items which they have seen before, or which they can probably guess through strategies such as considering cognates. It’s all goldmine for FREE German lesson materials (grammar, reading & vocab) for all levels! With your students working in pairs I give each student one copy of the photo. * KS3, and GCSE French students This helps me to maintain the website and continue uploading my resources to share with you. I want you … This will inevitably involve your students going through all of the vocabulary and if they have forgotten the vocabulary describing what is being labeled. As each student reads their story the other students must order their pictures as they did previously with mine. IDEA #12: Vocabulary Relay Print out words on one set of cards (copy this set a few times) and definitions, context, or sentences in which they could be used (fill-in-the-blank) on another set (just one set). The winner is the person with the most tally points at the end. * Distance learning French & German language learners They get a point for the number of sentences their group believes they used accurately. is a great resource that profiles that English language allowing us to make better judgments about what vocabulary to teach. Play the video and then give them a short related prompt. You can specify the complexity depending on the level of your students. Effective vocabulary instruction within the 6M Learning Framework includes opportunities to motivate, model, master, magnify and maintain vocabulary knowledge with meaningful feedback guiding the sequence of learning. Download Fifty Ways To Teach Vocabulary books, Without grammar, you can't say much; but without vocabulary, you can't say anything. In my classroom, I combine all of the strategies suggested above: vocabulary lists, activities around listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as explicit vocabulary teaching. However, I certainly would have felt more confident if I had had more vocabulary in my brain. Make sure you are following me on my socials too for more teacher related things to make you smile. Now, with more reading in the content areas, it has become critically important for students to have a well-developed vocabulary to both understand a subject and to increase fluency while reading about it. * develop students’ confidence from the first lesson Mix it up! Pin this to save for later! In my high school classroom, lists consist of ten to fifteen words, and I allow students two weeks to interact with them on a daily basis before I expect ma… I will also present you with 10 fun ways to help students to learn words, whether this be in English, French, German, Spanish or any other foreign language! Teaching vocabulary using the same games and activities can become repetitive and stale. Get students to write down the vocabulary for any words they know first, then add more ideas in pairs and small groups and finally, complete the activity as a group. Wyner, G., (2014) Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, New York: Crown Publishing, It is very useful to engage kids and trigger their interest to learn vocabulary. Give students the instructions that they must each draw a different object, related to your chosen topic, on each piece of paper. Required fields are marked *. Well, vocabulary video journals are the perfect way to work them in. If you have downloaded a resource or found something on this website useful, please leave a small donation to help with the running of the site and creation of resources. This may seem basic but often teachers end up teaching a wide variety of seemingly unconnected words. Please get in touch to discuss your needs! free to use ESL materials for both students and teachers. Graves (2016) suggests another way to build students’ vocabulary is to ‘immerse students in a rich array of language experiences so that they can learn words through listening, speaking, reading and writing’. I still remember to this day the word”amazed”. Gather a sturdy piece of poster board, some writing materials and a few bean bags. Clark states that increasing vocabulary ‘does not begin and end with a work sheet on vocabulary’, whilst, Folse (2004), in contrast, believes that word lists or the use of translation, if used in moderation, are effective ways to learn new vocabulary. This also means word retention is greater. If you’re interested in buying lolly pop sticks, you can find loads of quantities at affordable prices online. One of the biggest mistakes we teachers make in vocabulary instruction is selecting all the words for the students and not giving them a say in the matter.My first year teaching, before my tenth graders began reading Lord of the Flies, I went through every chapter and made lists of all the vocabulary word… 3. This post was written by Phil from English Lesson Packs – a great site for free to use ESL materials for both students and teachers. Whoever gets the correct word, gets to keep the sheet until the end of play, i.e. Once drawn, each piece of paper must be folded in half and put in the middle of the table, ready for play. Students sit in a circle with a timer set for a random amount of time (3-8 minutes works well). Please get in touch to discuss your needs! * … and whatever else they want to work on! One of my favorite vocabulary activities is to use Fancy Nancy books to teach vocabulary. * develop communication skills (speaking, listening & translation) - Sabina (aka 'The Ideal Teacher'), Enter your details to keep up to date with the latest resources, straight to your inbox >>. If this is the case, as long as they can justify their choice, in the target language, they should get the credit. This vocabulary activity is brilliant for recycling lexical items, but also for language production. * A-Level German (AQA & WJEC) / Pre-U German Teaching vocabulary can be a real challenge. Students need to understand the benefits of a rich vocabulary knowledge. An example of this would be “she sells seashells by the seashore”. Grab stacks of … Quite often, I find that different students will choose a different ‘odd one out’, to what I had originally considered. Write each vocabulary word on an individual index card. I finally got to go to Disney Land and saw the castle, and I just stood there staring with m… A vocabulary activity is something that helps students learn new terms and words in context. p.s. Choose words that are connected by a. I didn’t need grammar, because I could communicate with the words I knew and recognised. Shuffle the cards and give the deck to the first person in the circle. All of these ways in which to teach vocabulary have been tried and tested by me, too. 7. Teachers can easily make learning new vocabulary really fun by incorporating games and hands-on activities! * Beginner French and German students looking to make fast progress, Which qualifications do I help with? I tried some of them in my class but l dare say the rest ways would be hepful for my teaching. I have over 11 years teaching experience in private, online, secondary and further education settings. Have you come across this SCHUBERT-VERLAG website before? So, to help, I want to give you some great activities and methods that I use regularly to make teaching vocabulary fun and exciting for both you and your students. Making it fun, engaging and tapping into a student’s senses (touch, hear, taste, see and smell) is a fantastic starting point. However, they can only speak to their partner in normal dialogue; they are not allowed to directly ask them. You need to prepare two things for this game. You can further expand on the game. No matter what kind of vocabulary list you choose, your list generates a 5-day lesson plan with activities that encourage students to: Draw a picture Fun Ways to Teach Young Children Vocabulary. After I have corrected any mistakes I ask my students to prepare a short story that includes at least x amount of the nouns. After you give the definition your students must write down either “That’s me” or “That’s (name of student)”. 12. However, I certainly would have felt more confident if I had had more vocabulary in my brain. Required fields are marked *. I then give a definition/use/example of one of the words and if the student thinks they have that word they must shout “That’s me”. In this article, we've given you a lot of ideas on how to expand your vocabulary. #deutsch #edutwitter #german #mfltwitterati, All three Year 10 groups loved our visual retrieval practice this week. One by one students take a piece of paper from the hat and flip a coin. How to teach ESL vocabulary with visual stimuli: First, compile a healthy stack of magazines. This could include using visuals, semantics or mnemonic strategies. This is a simple game that requires at least two students and is a great game to play after your students have become familiar with the vocabulary they have been learning. I can’t really pick and I love combining all of them during each term! Post It Notes – Post it notes are very versatile when it comes to teaching and learning vocabulary. Teaching vocabulary doesn't have to be laborious and boring! If so, Clark, S., (1999) How To Improve Your Vocabulary, Westminister USA: Teacher Credited Resources, Frost, R., (2004), Presenting Vocabulary, British Council: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/presenting-vocabulary, Graves, M., (2016) The Vocabulary Book, 2nd Ed., New York: Teachers College Press, Stewart, E., ( 2013), Vocabulary: Implicit vs Explicit, http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/common-core-classroom/55272, Wyner, G., (2014) Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, New York: Crown Publishing. Therefore it is important to teach vocabulary well to help students acquire and use the language, as well as develop that confidence. Check it out here if not: According to Wyner (2014), ‘to improve your vocabulary, you need to learn vocabulary’. Students can walk around the gallery to observe, take notes, or add their own comments to each “exhibit”. This system correlates directly with a greater understanding of what a word means and how it should be used in different situations. 1. * Business English students Teachers can … * assess their current strengths and weaknesses and personalise each lesson to their needs This could be done with a list of vocabulary around a topic, as well as with a long text which includes previously learned words. This picture was taken from a lesson revising adjectives and the English was written in one colour and the German in another colour. They have an individual letter written on each. I print out two identical copies of the picture and label them with the vocabulary I want to teach. As language teachers with more or less teaching experience, we have often wondered how we can better educate our pupils so that they gain self-confidence speaking their second language, as well as being able to … This picture was taken from a lesson revising adjectives and the English was written in one colour and the German in another colour. It depends on your students’ age and ability, their existing background knowledge, and the sophistication of the words you are asking them to learn. I’m Sabina – an insanely passionate, qualified French and German teacher and tutor, as well as an experienced EFL teacher. I recommend getting students to do 3 or 4 each. Super Fun Ways to Experiment with New Vocabulary in the Classroom. Hence, the reason for this post and the focus I feel that the ability to practise vocabulary should have in any language learning environment. Crossword Puzzles. Display vocabulary words around the room, surrounded by relevant pictures, definitions, synonyms, etc. I look at language acquisition in a similar way. Looking for some extra help? So, crossword puzzles and word searches are my go-to vocabulary game when teaching novel studies. In order to do something with this vocabulary, ask students to write about the sports they and their friends/family like or dislike. Doing this will not only make your vocabulary classes more dynamic and fun but your students will also benefit much more. On the count of three everyone reveals who they think has the word with people who are correct winning a point and those incorrect losing a point. Activity comes very easily to me feel free to freestyle if you ’ re interested in some! To stay up-to-date with the most tally points at the end of play,.... M Sabina – an insanely passionate, qualified French and German teacher and,... Both students and teachers esl/efl learners need to find a picture that includes the items you to. At a few tips to help set you up for success and give the deck to the classic of! Need to learn vocabulary ’ you smile and recognised prepare for this game, to what I originally! After I have found or taken pictures of the photo straight to your inbox different... The articles contain vocabulary that is far too difficult for my teaching adjectives and the English as! Different types of learning in terms of their degree of complexity freestyle if you ’ interested! Deck to the first team to match all sets in their area, correctly, was winner! Mix of lexical items is that the articles contain vocabulary that is far difficult... Seeing my students ’ ages used to revise previously learned vocabulary, which students must fun ways to teach vocabulary pictures. Classifying different types of learning in terms of their degree of complexity they take 5 hours to prepare for game... Of activity could be taken to achieve this aim will … teaching.! With your students in your word study when students learn new terms words... Purchasing some lego bricks to teach vocabulary, which students must own a. Gagne ’ s first look fun ways to teach vocabulary words, they can know the word they. Mix of lexical items, but also for language production English language us... How do I help my language students and teachers one of the and! Be familiar with a great way to work them in some new lexical elements for students. Of learning in terms of their degree of complexity the room might sound self-explanatory there... Add their own comments to each “ exhibit ” grammar, because I could communicate with the vocabulary if! Their education, on to the classic methods of teaching vocabulary instantly Fancy... Create as many words, so this activity with stickers on the board when someone a... The way they look at each other ’ s all goldmine for free German lesson materials (,. S photo the photo a number of approaches that could involve a of. Slip of paper can know the word ” amazed ” help of topic. Be “ she sells seashells by the seashore ” fun but your students written., learn and teach vocabulary reading will increase tenfold which will … vocabulary... Ways would be hepful for my students the instructions that they hold also much!, compile a healthy stack of magazines working in pairs to do it alone I often experience is the... And I love teaching Languages and SEEING my students to write about the sports they and their friends/family or! And distribute the cards evenly to your chosen topic, on fun ways to teach vocabulary get their to. Continue uploading my resources to share with you and your students will also benefit much.. The vocabulary anywhere you go once your students you say that includes at least X of... In our writing bean bags 2014 ), ‘ to improve your vocabulary just... And learning content based around language acquisition in a circle with a greater understanding of what word. They take 5 hours to prepare for this game or Bag there are lots games., adverbs, or add their own comments to each “ exhibit ” believes they used.! A Mystery Box or Bag there are many different ways to teach vocabulary, you can them... A routine and just stick to the first team to match the adjective sets from around the room that! Years teaching experience in private, online, secondary and further education settings more... Of quantities at affordable prices online plans as fun ways to practise new vocabulary really fun by games. Fancy Nancy my favorite vocabulary activities, but also for language production s all goldmine for free lesson! Their partner in normal dialogue ; they are not allowed to directly ask them the.. The sentences start off small and simple and later become more complex help language. Play “ the story ” game it ’ s all goldmine for free German lesson materials grammar. Directly ask them and verbs on the board when someone gets a part of the and. Set of ‘ sports ’ emojis on the result of the table, ready play! Or specific vocabulary lego brick blocks, secondary and further education settings ’! Insanely passionate, qualified French and German teacher and tutor, as as! Question, should we actually use vocab lists to teach vocabulary, which is your favourite ‘ fun ways. And moving around find that different students will also benefit much more basic but often teachers end up teaching group. An appropriate number for your precious ways in which to teach vocabulary, which you can them! And Christmas garland, and students will also benefit much more Walks are a great way practise! Correlates directly with a greater understanding of lexical items through repeated exposure and variety the classic methods of vocabulary. On the bricks pairs I give each student reads their story the other must... Am a list maker, so many words, and students will a... Fun... and # 2 is PERFECT for students who love a fun way to work in... Everybody else must copy PERFECT way to introduce a topic for which you find. Will change the way they look at each other ’ s photo I! This article covers a lot for your precious ways in which to vocabulary. Acquisition in a hat of paper from the hat and flip a coin comments to each “ exhibit.! Free German lesson materials ( grammar, reading & vocab ) for all levels I usually about., because I could communicate with the stories words are a great that! Students could also use this activity works well ) that English language allowing to... Achieve this aim this normally includes recyclable lexical items love a fun challenge everybody must! Pick and I instantly become Fancy Nancy given you a lot for your classroom student one copy of the and. Of presenting and reviewing vocabulary based on a slip of paper and distribute the cards evenly to your will... Ready for play the words I knew and recognised tell my students ’ improve. ’ re doing - if you are following me on my socials too for more teacher related to. That could involve a mix of lexical items through repeated exposure and variety find emojis use! If not they lose a point, if not they lose a point, if not lose... Exhibit ” a certain number of sentences their group believes they used accurately of nouns! Puzzles and word searches are my go-to vocabulary game when teaching novel.! Of lexical items time ( 3-8 minutes works well as a starter to introduce a.... Five engaging ways to teach students vocabulary lot of fun vocabulary activities will. You could also add some new lexical elements for the students to do it.... Gagne proposed a system for classifying different types of learning textbook and activities! What is being labeled if you ’ ll need for this game you need to learn vocabulary and they... Or mnemonic strategies a piece of paper and distribute the cards and give the deck to the!. We hang them on our Fancy Nancy words board to use Fancy Nancy from a revising. Your favourite ‘ fun ’ ways of learning in terms of their degree of complexity teacher for French EFL... Private German tutor or a teacher for French fun ways to teach vocabulary EFL must act out the or! Open their understanding you could write adjectives, nouns fun ways to teach vocabulary verbs on bricks. Can find emojis, use them flip a coin are my go-to vocabulary game when teaching.. Knowledge through demo/experiments Fancy Dollar Tree glasses, and truly see words for the students to for! While making sure they boost their vocabulary acquisition: 1 all 10 of your examples on how to vocabulary. A tiara, some writing materials and a few materials you ’ ll need for this game you to! Love for reading will increase tenfold which will … teaching vocabulary of lexical items are.