10- In a nutshell / Teaching vocabulary.

Teaching vocabulary... Why & how?

Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. As Steven Stahl (2005) puts it, "Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world." Vocabulary knowledge is not something that can ever be fully mastered; it is something that expands and deepens over the course of a lifetime. Instruction in vocabulary involves far more than looking up words in a dictionary and using the words in a sentence. Vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words and intentionally through explicit instruction in specific words and word-learning strategies.
According to Mrs. Beth Worrilow, numerous studies that have been done on vocabulary learning strategies by linguists, ESL/EFL experts, psychologists, educational researches… agree that in order to make progress in the language, learners need to be able to understand what they are hearing and reading. Learners must have comprehensible input in order for communication to be useful and meaningful.
Believing that vocabulary is an essential part of second / foreign language acquisition and that it is always at the heart of language learning and communication, Mrs. Beth Worrilow has developed an effective technique in teaching and learning vocabulary in Reading/Writing classes.
1- The teacher allows his students to choose which words will be studied.
2- Teacher creates an official vocabulary list.
3- Students practice the words orally and aurally.
4- Vocabulary words are reinforced during interactive card game.

In the practical part of the presentation, Mrs. Beth Worrilow divided us into groups of four teachers. She gave each group an envelop full of vocabulary cards. Words were on pink cards and definitions on white cards. Students had to match the words with their definitions. They turn over all the games cards and mix them up. The first player turns over a word card and definition card. If the two cards match, the student takes another turn BUT if he doesn’t succeed, he loses the turn and give chance to another student.

Consider the following words/expressions:
It’s your turn. Go!
No, I went. It’s yours now.
I’ve got a match!
Awesome!
Bummer!
Oh my goodness.