This week focused on presenting vocabulary and giving instructions in the classroom. Students learned about techniques for teaching vocabulary including presenting the form, meaning and use of words. They also learned about eliciting vocabulary, checking comprehension, and practicing vocabulary. The assignment was to work in groups to prepare and do a microteaching lesson presenting the meaning, form, and checking comprehension of assigned words. Students were asked to reflect on their lesson, what went according to plan and could be improved, and what they learned from other groups.

1. Week 3
Classroom Teaching: Presenting Vocabulary
& Giving Instructions
Dr. Russell Rodrigo

2. Learning
Objectives
By the end of the week, the students are expected to:
1. Identify ways and technique on how to present
vocabulary lessons
2. Give clear and concise instructions

3. Presenting Vocabulary
1. Choose one type of book to take to a country where you don't speak the language.
a. a dictionary
b. a phrase book
c. a grammar reference book
2. Compare ideas with a partner. Explain your choice.
3. Work in groups of three. Read the quotation. Do you agree with Wilkins? Why?/Why not?

4. Form,
meaning and
use
• Read these entries from the
Cambridge Advanced Learner's
Dictionary.
a. the form of each word
b. the meaning of each
word
c. the use of each word?

5. Discussion
Discuss what it means to 'know a
word'. For example, what do you
need to know in order to use a word
productively (in speaking or writing)?
What are the implications of the
above for the teaching of vocabulary?

6. Learning
about
form and
meaning
Dictionaries are an effective way of learning vocabulary,
particularly when learners are working outside the class,
but there are many other ways that teachers can teach
words and phrases.
Read these lesson transcripts and complete the table
below

8. • As well as pictures, what other
ways of illustrating the meaning
of a word could a teacher use?
• In the intermediate class (e), a
learner asks a question but the
teacher doesn't answer it
immediately. Why not, do you
think?

9. Activity 1
• Work together. How would you teach these groups of words? You can use more than one method per group.
• Group 1: A pet, to put down (a pet), to vaccinate (intermediate class)
• Group 2: To dig, to paint, (pre-intermediate class)
• Group 3: Grape, cherry, strawberry (elementary class)
• Group 4: Slap, smack, punch (upper-intermediate class)

10. Eliciting vocabulary
Read this advice for eliciting vocabulary. Which points are helpful? Compare ideas with a partner.
1. Try to trick the learners or they will find it too easy.
2. Plan how you will elicit things before the lesson.
3. Keep eliciting as simple and quick as possible.
4. Make sure you elicit everything; never give in and just tell the learners.
5. If the learners don't get the word quickly, try giving them the first sound of the word.

11. Activity 2:
Suggest
ways to
elicit the
following
words:
1. a watch (noun)
2. game show
3. to flatter
4. hurricane

12. Checking Understanding
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques for checking that learners have understood new
words.
a. The teacher asks a learner to translate the word (or phrase) into their own language.
b. The teacher asks Do you understand?
c. The teacher asks the students to use the word in a sentence.
d. The teacher asks short, easy-to-answer questions. For example: If you are head over heels in
love, are you in love a lot, or a little bit?

13. Activity 3 (CCQs or Comprehension
Check Questions)
• Read the lesson transcript.
a) What is the purpose of the teacher's questions?
b) Complete the students' answers (1-6).
c) What do you notice about the answers?
• The teacher has just taught the word shoplift, and
given the example sentence The kids were caught
shoplifting sweets.

14. Read these questions for checking the understanding of
handbag. Cross out the ones that aren't useful.
What colour is this handbag?
Do you put big things or small things in a handbag?
Do men and women use them, generally?
Do you like this handbag?
Would a handbag be used every day, or just when you are travelling?

15. Activity 4:
Classroom
Teaching
Practice
Read the sentences and write questions to
check understanding of the bold words and
phrases.
a. She picked up her briefcase and left.
(The teacher is worried that 'briefcase' will be confused with
'suitcase'.)
b. Could you give me a hand with the housework?
(The teacher is worried that the learners will not realise that 'give
me a hand' is informal.)
c. The car was a write-off after the accident.
d. Houses are often more expensive near the coast.
e. What have you done? Why are you limping?

16. Practising vocabulary
a. The learners discuss transport problems and
developments in their own countries.
b. Learners work in small groups.The teacher gives
each group a set of cards with one of the target
words written on each card. One learner must
take a card and can use mime, drawings,
definitions, relationships with other words, or any
other means to elicit the word from the other
members of her group.
c. The teacher prepares a gap-fill exercise and the
learners have to complete the sentences with the
target words and phrases. For example: An
accident on a motorway often leads to long
............... (answer: traffic jams).
Discuss the differences between the three practice
activities (a-c).
1. What level is each activity suitable for?
2. Which activities could be set for homework?
3. How long would each activity take to do?
4. Which skills (reading, writing, listening or
speaking) does each activity practise?

17. Week 3
Microteaching
Dr. Russell Rodrigo

18. Giving
Instructions
Explain how teacher 2 makes the
instructions easier for the learners
to understand.

19. Week 3
Assignment:
Classroom
application:
microteaching
Work in groups. Your will be given you a set of words to teach
to the class.
• How will you convey the meaning of the words? (MEANING)
• How will you make both the written and spoken forms clear? (FORM, PRONUNCIATION)
• How will you check that the words have been understood? (COMPREHENSION)
When you have prepared what you want to do, teach the words
to the class.

20. Words
1. Managed (managed to) - Intermediate
2. Scolded – intermediate
3. Hilarious – intermediate
4. Dangerous – elementary
5. Moving (being moved/touched by something) - upper-intermediate
6. Tall – beginner
7. exciting– pre-intermediate

21. Micro teaching

22. Handbook p. 13

23. Week 3
Reflection
Answer the following questions. Submit your
reflection on Blackboard.
1. Did the mini lesson proceed as you imagined?
2. Was there anything about the plan that you could have improved?
3. How do you think it would have been different with 'real' language learners?
4. Did you learn anything from the way in which the other groups approached
the task?