This document outlines a 4-lesson unit plan to teach students vocabulary from a text. In Lesson 1, students read the text and analyze vocabulary in groups. In Lesson 2, students work in groups to transform the text into a script for a roleplay using the new vocabulary. Lesson 3 involves student group presentations of the roleplays. In Lesson 4, students discuss the pros and cons of the topic in the text by writing arguments on sheets of paper and presenting their findings. The goal is for students to learn, use, and remember new vocabulary through collaborative reading, speaking, and writing activities.

1. Zespół Szkół nr 2
Gimnazjum Dwujęzyczne
nr 18
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HOW TO MAKE STUDENTS LEARN, USE AND STORE
VOCABULARY FROM THE TEXT
A UNIT OF 3-4 LESSONS
Beata Kocjan

2. PREPARATION STAGE
1. Choose a text from a coursebook or any other source
2. Analyse the text very carefully in terms of
vocabulary, collocations, idioms. Highlight the items you
want to draw your students’ attention to
• living conditions
•
primary reaction to
addiction
addictive
get addicted to
Telly addict

3. 3.Prepare some follow-up activities (provided by coursebooks)
4.Choose a system of dividing students into groups
5. Prepare big sheets of paper and markers

4. LESSON 1
‘BOOT CAMPS’ – READING
COMPREHENSION, VOCABULARY EXTENSION
1. Inform the students what they will be doing over the next
3-4 lessons
General aim: vocabulary extension, improving speaking skills
Operational aims:
• reading the text, answering questions
• pointing to/ writing down new vocabulary items
• working in groups (collaborative work, dividing roles, timing)

5. •
writing scripts,changing the text into a roleplay
•
presenting TV/radio programmes in front of the class
talking about pros & cons of the presented problem and
writing down the results on the big sheets of paper
•
•
presenting the results in public
•
writing essays about pros & cons
•
writing vocabulary test

6. 2. Divide the students into groups and provide them with the text
3. Ask them to read it : silently or aloud in groups
4.Tell them to do the reading comprehension
(everybody on their own or in groups)
5. Analyse the highlighted vocabulary items within each paragraph
6. Always ask the students to write down new vocabulary items
in their notebooks, but first write them on a whiteboard or use
a smartboard or an overhead projector
7. Follow-up activities

7. LESSON 2 – GROUP WORK
10. Ask the students to change the text into a script – role
play for 4 people:
HOST/PARENT/PSYCHOLOGIST/DELINQUENT
TEEN/GUARD
11. Inform the students that the idea for them is to use the
vocabulary from the text (plus sth extra if they want)
12. Inform the students about the criteria of assessment
13. HOMEWORK – Change the rough copy into a clean
copy on the computer, send it to the other members of the
group and learn your part by heart

8. PITFALLS OF GROUP WORK
•
Native language in use
• lack of contribution/cooperation (parasite syndrome)
• lack of balace between the students’ parts– the host syndrome
(tell them that marks within one group can be differentiated)
students make a deal that everybody will prepare their
own part and then they put them together – sounds
artificial like speeches
•

9. THE EXAMPLES OF SCRIPTS
http://en.calameo.com/books/002520723c0fa97c6c439
http://en.calameo.com/books/002520723f25f870fdd5c
http://en.calameo.com/books/00252072328c55a1c51cc
THE TEXT
http://en.calameo.com/books/0025207236857fa052997

10. SHOTS FROM THE LESSON
https://vimeo.com/69636700

11. LESSON 3 -PRESENTATIONS
14. Write/display the criteria of assessment on the board
• BALANCE between the speakers (everybody involved to a
similar extent)
CONTENT – did you refer to all the problems raised in the
text? Is the interview long enough?
•
• VOCABULARY – did you use new words, collocations, phrases
PRESENTATION – fluency, pronunciation, speaking not
reading
•

12. STUDENTS’ PRESENTATIONS
https://vimeo.com/68470294

13. LESSON 4
THE PROS& CONS OF BOOT CAMPS
13. Students form different groups
14. Provide each group with 2 big sheets of paper (one
for pros, one for cons) and a marker
15. Ask the students to look for the arguments in the text
and write them down on the sheets of paper ( they can
add their own ideas after brainstorming) - 20 minutes
16. The speaker(s )of the group present the results in public
17. Discussion & assessment ( the best working group)
18. Write an essay about pros & cons of boot camps /
speech

14. THE PROS AND CONS OF BOOT CAMPS
http://en.calameo.com/books/0025207231d645e9cf29e

15. THE EVALUATION FORM
http://en.calameo.com/books/0025207233b2440604275