This document discusses strategies for teaching English vocabulary to ESL students. It recommends that vocabulary be integrated with subject matter through cooperative activities. Teachers should pre-introduce words, tap into students' background knowledge, and encourage independent learning. Students learn best when actively involved, self-monitoring progress and receiving repeated exposures to new words. Teachers can help by integrating vocabulary into lessons, offering varied activities, building background knowledge, and fostering word retention.

1. Teaching Vocabulary
Helping ESL Students Learn Vocabulary
For Educational Purposes Only © American TESOL Institute

2. What is Involved in Teaching Vocabulary?
Vocabulary should be integrated with subject matter.
Activities should be cooperative and non- threatening.
Helpful to pre-introduce words before they are encountered in text.
Background knowledge should be tapped.
Students to become independent learners.

3. How can Students Become Effective at Learning Vocabulary?
Students are actively involved in their own learning.
Students self-monitor their progress.
Students are given multiple exposures to new words.

4. What Can Teachers Do?
Integrate vocabulary learning within content.
Offer various vocabulary-building activities.
Build background to elicit student prior knowledge.
Foster development of “word bank.”

5. Pre-Teach
Pre-teach vocabulary words before student reads.
Preview reading material for unfamiliar words or terms.
Define and discuss new words to build understanding.
Teacher receives feedback from student to determine depth of understanding.

6. Background Knowledge
Teacher introduces new vocabulary, terms, definitions, or concepts.
Teacher asks students to share prior knowledge during whole class discussion.
This prepares students for new learning.
Students are able to relate new information to personal experience.

7. Repeated Exposure:
Repeat exposure to new words.
Students need to hear and use words.
Provide multiple opportunities to use new word in written and spoken form.

8. Key Words
Introduce key words before reading text.
Teach students “word clue” to help understand.
May be definition, example, or image that helps make connection.
For example; “peninsula” is a piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with the mainland by an isthmus.
Today we will be learning about the Iberian Peninsula.
Create link to facilitate memory of new word when reading in text.

9. Word Maps
Student previews reading material to find unfamiliar words.
Student creates graphic organizer.
New word is placed at top or center of map.
Branching off of word may be examples, qualities, or classification.

10. Example
Vocabulary word: debate
Definition: To discuss opposing reasons; argue
Synonym: discuss
For example: “Joe’s mother said that the decision to buy a new car was not open to debate; she had already chosen a Ford Focus as the family vehicle.”

11. Context Clues
Words may also be defined within a text.
Context Clues such as the following are used to learn meaning while reading.
He ate as ravenouslyas a bear.
A machete, like a sword, can be very dangerous.
Artificial respirationwas applied to the nearly drowned man.
A cockroachhas two antennae, or feelers, on its head.

12. Word Level Analysis
Examine the word for prefixes, suffixes, and/or root words.
This will reveal meanings embedded within words according to their structure.
Teachers can focus on the most common prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

13. Prefix
The prefix “mis” means wrong, bad, no, or not.
For example, “misapply” means to use badly or incorrectly.
The prefix “pre” means before, in front of, or prior.
For example, “prejudice” means a judgment or opinion formed before the facts are known.

14. Prefixes
Some common prefixes include:
re again replay, resend, replace
hyper over hyperactive, hypersensitive
un not unclear, unsure
tri three triangle, tricycle
pre before prepay, prepackage
sub below subway, submarine

15. Suffix
The suffix “ist” means a person skilled in or occupied with; expert.
For example; pharmacist, biologist, mentalist
The suffix “ness” means state of being.
For example; heaviness, happiness

16. Common Suffixes
-shipposition heldfellowship
-er,-orone whotrainer
-ity,-tyquality offormality
-enbecomeenlighten
-alpertaining toregional
-ivenature of creative
-lesswithoutendless

17. Root Words
The root word “form” means shape, structure, or arrangement.
For example, formation, formative, formula.
The root word “flex” means to bend or to tense by contraction.
For example, “inflexible” means unable to bend.
The root word “masculine” means male, or having qualities regarded as manly.
For example, “emasculate" means to deprive of strength; effeminate.

18. Cognates
Cognates are words that are similar in students’ native language and English.
Teaching cognates is a way to relate words in English to the students’ first language.
For example; “possible” is a cognate of the Spanish word “posible.”
“Apple” is a cognate of the German word “apfel.”

19. Summary
Vocabulary development is important in learning to speak, listen, read and write English.
Teachers can help students master new words in a variety of ways.
Ultimately students learn how to become responsible for their own learning.
Learning new words becomes a life-long endeavor.

20. Sources
http://www.k12reader.com/effective- strategies-for-teaching-vocabulary/ Article by Joelle Brummitt-Yale
Stahl, Norman and Boylan,Hunter. Teaching Developmental Reading. Boston, New York; Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. Print