This document provides instructions for an activity to help students deepen their understanding of key vocabulary terms or concepts. The activity involves putting students into groups and having them categorize terms written on cards based on selected criteria. Students discuss their categorizations in order to analyze what the terms have in common and gain a deeper understanding. The teacher monitors the groups to ensure students are justifying their categorizations. The goal is to encourage meaningful discussion and analytical thinking through authentic language use.

1. A Student-Centered
Learning Approach for
Developing Depth of Understanding
for Key Terms of Vocabulary or Concepts

2. The Natural Approach is all about using
language in meaningful communication.
This happens easily when you give students
tasks to complete – if those tasks require
them to communicate with others in order to
complete the task.

3. OBJECTIVES: The students will -
 Discuss the meanings of teacher-selected key
terms of vocabulary or concepts for a unit or
cumulative review
 Analyze and discuss what the selected terms
have in common, allowing them to deepen their
understanding of the terms and concepts
AGE RANGE: very adaptable
SUBJECT / COURSE: very adaptable to any
subject material or any ESL level
(beyond absolute beginner)

4. MATERIALS NEEDED: blank cards
(paper or cardstock)

5. PREPARATION
Choose the terms you want students to
analyze.
Ideas for beginners: foods, clothing, occupations,
etc.
Ideas for advanced: literary elements (metaphors,
similes, foreshadowing, personification, etc.),
characters from a story, genres of writing

6. Choose terms to which your
students have already been
introduced.
In this activity, you want to increase
their comfort level with the terms
and increase their depth of
understanding of the terms.

7. Remember the +1 principle.
We want to push students just a
little beyond their comfort level
(+1) to help them grow
linguistically.

8. Br ead
You may write the selected terms
on the cards, or you may have
students write the terms.

9. PROCEDURE
Put students in groups of 3-5. Have
them arrange themselves so they can
work together. Give each group one
set of cards

10. Option 1: Teacher-assigned topic
categories
Past a
You then tell students to group the
cards into categories which YOU
have selected in advance. For
example. . .
Peas
Bananas
Gr apes
Pot at oes
Gr een Beans
W at er mel on
Or anges
A ppl esLet t uc e
Tomat oes
Br ead
Ri c e

11. “Make one group of foods that are
best COOKED and one group of
foods that are best RAW.”
Peas
Bananas
Gr apes
Pot at oes Gr een Beans
W at er mel on Or anges
A ppl esLet t uc e
Tomat oes
Past a
Br ead
Ri c e
Will students in the group all
agree? Probably not. Is that okay?
YES! It will encourage discussion!

12. MEANINGFUL discussion is the
BEST thing that happens in this
activity.
Tomat oes
No, tomatoes
are a LOT
better raw!

13. But have you
ever TRIED
cooked apples?
They’re really
good!
Ew
yuck!

14. Best COOKED Best RAW Peas
Past a
Br ead
Bananas
oes
Or Pot anges
at Let Ri Gr A ppl c t uc e
e
een es
Beans
W at er mel on
Gr apes
Tomat oes

15. Some of this is opinion. How do I
know if they the students did it
correctly?
T omat oes
http://www.kitchenconnaisseur.com/re
cipe_result.php?&rid=85
http://superspark.wordpress.com/2007/
02/16/
A ppl es
MS clip art
http://www.roadfood.com/recipephot
os/mini_29.jpg
Bananas
MS clip art
http://www.ladylunchalot.com/wp-content/
banana%20fritters.jpg

16. You visit each group and ask them
to explain their decisions to you.

17. Remember: The goals are
analytical thinking and authentic
language use.
So if they can justify
their answers, they
are correct!

18. Option 2: Student-chosen
categories
T eac her
Doct or
Car pent er
S t one M ason
Engi neer
St or e Owner
Lawyer
Bak er
Far mer
Bar b er
Paint er
Movi e A ct or
Ex por t er
In this option, you let students decide
categories into which they can divide
the cards.

19. T eacher
Far mer
Doct or
Baker
Engi neer
Ex por t er
St one Mason
St or e Owner
Movie Act or
Bar b er
Paint er
“Look over your set of cards.
Then decide 2 (or 3 or 4)
categories into which you can
place almost all of your cards.
Put them in groups and be
prepared to explain how you
divided your cards.”
Lawyer
Car pent er

20. The students may come up with
categories like:
T eac her
Doct or
Car pent er
S t one M ason
Engi neer
St or e Owner
Lawyer
Bak er
Far mer
Bar b er
Paint er
Movi e A ct or
Ex por t er
high salary medium salary low salary
lots of training some training very little training

21. Now let’s practice!