A number of measures to improve the efficiency of remembering and using English vocabulary for students in grade 3, 4 at Ha Phong Primary Schoo

HA TRUNG DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HA PHONG PRIMARY SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
A NUMBER OF MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF REMEMBERING AND USING
ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS IN
GRADE 3, 4 AT HA PHONG PRIMARY SCHOOL
 The implementation: Le Thi Binh
 Position: Teacher
 Place of work: Ha Phong Primary school
 Experience initiative of subject: English
HA TRUNG, YEAR 2019
1: BACKGROUND
1.1. The season I choose the topics.
Education plays an important role in the development process of human society. In other words, Education is a determining factor in the rapid and sustainable development of a nation. Therefore, the Party and State have identified the aims of education is to train the people to meet the full requirements of the country industrialization and modernization, especially during the current integration. Our country has been on a path of renewal. With the opening policy, we have had the relationship with many countries in the world. This is a good chance to help people in our country reach all areas of life. So widely used communication in English- the common language of the world is essential. In addition to this, English serves as a positive means of effective support for the process of deeper integration of our country. Moreover, we can compare English as a golden key to help people develop a vision and be able to go everywhere in the world to reach all areas. To contribute to improving the quality of education in general and particularly the quality of using English is very important and urgent. English language was included in the school curriculum and standards as well as compulsory subject in secondary examinations with the goal of helping students on the basis of training four skills such as: Listening, Speaking. Reading and Writing. At the same time it creates favorable conditions for self- studying, self- understanding of modern science and the rich cultural treasures of human beings.
According to decision No 50/ 2003 of Ministry of Education and Training on October 30th 2003, issued an elective English program for elementary school with the overall goal is to help pupils form the Primary basis first as a foundation for the development of long- term proper moral, intellectual aesthetic, and the students, basic skills to continue their studies in higher education. Besides sticking common goal of elementary level, English courses as elective in Primary school have following objectives:
+ Initially formed basic and simple communication skills in English for students, in daily communication at school and at home by skills like Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing with emphasis on two skills, they are listening and speaking.
+ Support for students the basic and simple knowledge in English.
+ Contribute to the student formed positive attitudes towards English so students have more knowledge and love for the mother tongue. The teaching English for students is very useful contribution to the formation of learning methods and personality development of students in a comprehensive way.
Although English in elementary schools is an elective subject, how to teach students effectively to gain these objectives is my concern. On the other word, what and how to make students understand and absorb all lessons easily, they can remember vocabulary for a long time and use the new words flexibly in daily communication. In order to attract students, interest in English, the teacher has to apply suitable methods to teach.
 To be successful in every period, English teacher must innovative synchronous teaching methods. For example, innovative methods of teaching vocabulary, grammar, sentence structures and teaching skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing.
 For students, learning and remembering vocabulary as much as possible is very useful and necessary. Because when the students have a large amount of vocabulary they can not only understand immediately what their teacher is saying and answer the teacher, s requests but also make a dialogue in different situations easily. I courageously give “A number of measures to improve the efficiency of remembering and using English vocabulary for students in grade 3, 4 at Ha Phong Primary School”.
1.2. Research purposes:
Research projects to contribute to improve the quality of English primary school 
- To improve the quality of students.
- Study of the theoretical basis to teach vocabulary for students to find solutions to help students easy to learn, easy to remember vocabulary in English
- Help students form vocabulary and memory skills using words effectively
- Study of the body in practice is rarely studied English in primary.
- Propose solutions to improve the quality of English teaching contribute to improving the quality of education.
- Survey and proposed a number of recommendations aimed at contributing to improving the quality of teaching.
- Help students with a positive, interested in the subject.
- Know the use of vocabulary, sentence structure effectively learn, create prerequisites for classes above.
1.3. Research subjects: 
- Subjects: Students grade 3, 4, Ha Phong Primary school.
1.4: Research Methodology:
- Develop rationale for the topic.
- Develop practical basis for subject.
- Find out the contents and methods for forming, inculcate and apply knowledge.
2: THE CONTENT OF EXPERIENCE
2.1. Theoretical basis of the problem.
	In teaching of any language, the role of vocabulary is very important. So we can also say that “language is a set of vocabulary”. That does not mean the only unit to understand the individual words, independent of each other but also master the language through relationship dialectic between units of vocabulary. Learning and using vocabulary is the leading factor in transmitting knowledge and acquiring a language in general and English in particular.
	Because the word is a unit of language, it is expressed in two forms: verbal and written. In order to use a language skillfully, learners have to master expressions of verbal and written. However, due to the relationship of the words and other elements of language such as: grammar, phonetics, intonation or even in specific situation. We can think that vocabulary are bricks, grammar is another factor of language are considered as the grout to set up a home language. 
Teaching vocabulary is an important issue, but learning how to remember for a long time also equally important. The teacher should not force students to learn in a restrictive way that teacher encourages students to actively find the suitable ways to learn by their own style. However, teacher can give the pupils some of their experiences or help learners focus initially test experience.
 To make the process of teaching and learning vocabulary effectively is not boring, this means changing the teaching technical vocabulary so appealing and makes learning easily. I can specify the method that causes excitement and curiosity of elementary school students as drawing directly on the board does not sharp but just by the rod (stick figures). Either use the real objects such as toys or action described by vivid and lively more people can teach learners to imitate the drawing done, put the objects or actions to the words they have learned. This is the way we actually attract the students, attraction and help them remember vocabulary longer.
In addition to the specific methods, teachers can incorporate a multiple techniques to teach to avoid the wasting a lot of time.
2.2. Status of teaching and learning English at Ha Phong Primary School.
I have been teaching English at Ha Phong Primary School for 2 years. I noticed a common situation is that almost students have not realized the importance of learning English language. Both students and their parents still have neglected and overlooked attitude to English in elementary school. So during the process of studying they do not pay attention to the results of English learning. They never revise knowledge they had learnt, so they forget all what they had learnt in a short time.
	One of the more common situations is very difficult to acquire the level of the children are limited while the time for the course is short. Moreover, the number of students in a class is overcrowded. This means that students do not have more chances to practice language.
	Although textbooks were very modern in term of the lessons structures, close to everyday life for the purpose of monitoring the needs of the students, interest. By teaching the lectures and contacting with the students, I am always thinking the way to teach more effectively, students learn well or they are more creative in communication. In addition to this, they are both interested and excited to understand the language that they are studying, the quality of teaching will get better and better. 
* Results of the status:
After finishing learning vocabulary, students often forget vocabulary easily or do not know how to use flexibility in special communicative situations.
This is the students, results of an assessment of grade 3,4 in the academic year 2017-2018:
Class
Number of pupils
Excellence
Rather good
Average
Bad
3A
32
6
5
17
4
4A
24
4
6
12
2
4B
25
4
8
10
3
Total
81
14
19
39
9
 Looking at the above table, we can see the number of students is not much better. The rate excellent and rather good pupils are low. The rate of average pupils is high. There are many causes leading these results. In my experience, the remembering vocabulary to have confidence and interest in learning English is the main cause. To have better students, results, I have applied some of the following solutions: 
2.3. Solutions and organizational activities.
Each unit is divided into three lessons, combining the teaching of vocabulary, grammar and practice together in a class with the time allowance of 40 minutes. So I just mentioned to only teaching vocabulary with suitable techniques for individual pupils.
* The role of teaching vocabulary skills in process of teaching and learning English.
- The teaching vocabulary skills are applied in all the teaching process. Since the introduction of vocabulary, practice speaking and writing exercise to strengthen the boot to create a lively lesson from the beginning of a lesson.
- The use of vocabulary skills taught in the course of teaching English aims to give students sufficient capital from serving for the language, understand the meaning, and the usage of vocabulary.
- The different skills from teaching will make students feel interested in the subjects, memorize vocabulary with contextual communication, enhance self-learning, students will enrich their vocabulary and self inspection process through its usage. Students will actively in social situations as well as acquiring new knowledge.
Introduce vocabulary skills:
The first phase of the analysis is to teach vocabulary introduced new students. Introduction of new words plays an important role in an English class. It can help students understand the overarching lesson content, grasp the meaning of the word and use the word. To introduce new words, teachers need to perform the following steps:
* Methods of teaching vocabulary:
1. Steps for presenting vocabulary. 
T: {show a realize} 
T: What is this? Tell me in Vietnamese.
Ss: Cái gương
T: Listen. A mirror.a mirrora mirror 
T: Everybody repeat.
Ss: a mirror.
T: again.
Ss: a mirror.
T: Nam.
Nam: a mirror.
T: Mai.
Mai: a mirror.
T: say it again. Now listen to me.
A mirror.a mirror.
S: a mirror.
T: copy this. Who know this word in Vietnamese? Come and write it.
T: which is strong? Do I say mirror or mirror? Remember.
2. Technique for eliciting new vocabulary.
During teaching vocabulary, I often use one of those techniques to present the words.
2.1 Visuals: 
Example: 
- To present the word “a car”, I draw a car on the blackboard.
- Ask Ss to read aloud and listen to the teacher and repeat twice.
To present vocabulary in unit 13 English 3: Where, s my book?In Activity: Point and say. I used pictures to introduce the words: bed and coat, 
Firstly, I hang the picture and say: bed twice and ask students repeat in chorus and individual and then stick the picture on the blackboard and write down the bed under the picture. Do the similar way with the others. Ask students to repeat and copy down in their notebooks. 
Or to introduce family members: grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother, sister in Unit 11. I get students to bring their pictures (if they have) to class and use their pictures to introduce the vocabulary.
2.2, Mine: 
Example:
To introduce the new words in Activity: Look and say in Unit 5 “Can you swim?” in English 4.
I ask student to close their textbook and look at me to guess: “What am I doing?” I mine: “cook, swim, skip and read”.
-Ask student to repeat “cook” after acting in chorus and individual. Especially, I also use this technique in many other lessons to teach vocabulary. 
2.3 Realize:
I use this technique in presenting vocabulary in Unit 8: “This is my pen.”
In English 3.
I take the pencil case and ask “What is this?” After students had answered “hộp bút” teacher reads aloud “pencil case” and ask students to repeat in chorus twice and then read aloud to take note.
Do the same with others objects involving in the vocabulary in this unit.
2.4, Situation/ Explanation:
Example: With the word “slim” in lesson 1 Unit 14, English 4. I explain: “She is not big, not short” and ask “What does he/ she look like?” tell me the word in Vietnamese. Ss: gầy,cao. T: Good. Now listen to me and repeat in English “slim” twice.
2.5, Example:
Example: To introduce the meaning of phrase words: “school things”. I list examples of school things such as: Book, notebook, ruler, pen, pencil, eraser/ rubber these are school things. Give me another example of (school things) “What do school things mean?” 
- Maths, Vietnamese, English, Art, Scienceare subjects “What does subjects mean?”
- Monday,Tuesday,  Sundays are days in a week “What does the week/ day mean?”
- January, February, March, April, , December are months in a year “What does the month/ year means”
2.6, Synonym/ Antonym:
- These techniques are often used to present the vocabulary: 
Example: funny
T asks: “What, s another word happy?”
Example: untidy
T asks: “What, s the opposite of tidy?”
2.7, Translation: 
Example: Phố 
Teacher asks: How do you say “phố” in English”? Teacher says: “street” aloud and get students to repeat in chorus and individual. 
3. Techniques for checking vocabulary.
After presenting the vocabulary, I always use some techniques to check how students understand the vocabulary by using the following games in warm-up, project, or play game:
3.1 Rub out and remember: to help student memorize new vocabulary.
+ Present or elicit the new vocabulary and build up a list on the blackboard.
+ After each word put the Vietnamese translation.
+ Get the pupils to take note in their notebooks and ask them to close their notebooks.
+ Rub out the new words one at a time.
+ Each time I rub out a word in English, point to Vietnamese and ask “What, s this in English?”
+ When all the English words are rubbed out, go through the Vietnamese list and get the students to call out the English word.
3.2 Slap the board: to get student to recognize new vocabulary through listening and to check students understand the meaning of new vocabulary.
+ Ask three or four students to be observers and ask them to follow the teacher, s steps and say why it is a useful technique.
+ Put the new words all over the board- non in a list.
+To check their understanding, put the Vietnamese translation of the new words or pictures on the board.
+ Call 2 students or two teams of students to the front of the class.
+ Ask students to stand at equal distance from the blackboard.
+ Call out one of the new words in a loud voice.
+ The two students must run forward and slap the word on the blackboard.
+ The one who slaps the correct word first is the winner.
+ If the students are playing in teams, the winning team gets a mark.
+ Then ask two or more students to come forward etc.
3.3. What and Where: to help students memorize new vocabulary or to revise vocabulary.
+ Elicit words to do with the classroom from the students.
+ As the students give the word, write it on the blackboard inside a circle.
+ Do not write the words in a list.
+ When all the new words are on the blackboard, rub out one of the words but do not rub out the circle.
+ Get the students to repeat the word including the rubbed- out by pointing at the empty circles.
+ Rub out another word but leave the circle.
+ Point to the words or the empty circles.
+ The students read or remember the words.
+ Continue until all the circles are empty.
+ The students now have to remember all the words.
+ Ask students (6 or 8 at a time) to come to the blackboard and fill in the circles with the correct words.
 skipping
 chess
 badminton
Hide- and- seek
 Football
 chatting
3.4 Matching: to get student to match the new vocabulary with definitions, translations of pictures and to save time pre- teaching.
+ Write new words in a list on the left hand side on the board.
+ Write definitions, translations or draw pictures on the right hand side of the board.
+ Get students to come up to the board and “match” items in the left hand list items in the right hand list by drawing a line between them.
+ Four or five students can work at the board at the same time.
+ Check answer by asking the class, “Do you agree?”
Example: 
January
February
March
April
May 
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Tháng 4
Tháng 6
Tháng 2
Tháng 9
Tháng 7
Tháng 10
Tháng 12
Tháng 1
Tháng 11
Tháng 5
Tháng 3
Tháng 8
3.5. Guess the pictures: To get a lot of students to practice saying the new words in a meaningful way.
To present the colour in activity 2 “Point and say” in Unit 9, English 3, I use word flash with the words of colour and put in a pile.
+ Get the students to come to the front and choose one of the word flash.
+ Make sure nobody else can see which the word flash has been chosen.
+ Get the rest of the class to guess which word flash it is.
+ Students ask, “Is it ?”
+ The first student to guess the picture correctly comes up to the front, chooses a new word flash and game continue.
3.6. Ordering: to get students to recognize the pronunciation of new words and help students practice listening skill.
+ Give the words on the board in the wrong order.
+ Read aloud or tell a story with the new words in it. Get students to put the words in the correct order by numbering them.
Example: 
English
(3)
Maths
(4)
Art
(5)
Music
(1)
Science
(2)
We have five lessons today. Firstly, We have Music. Secondly, We have Science. Next We have English. And then We have Maths. Finally, We have Art.
3.7. Bingo: to get students to practice listening to new words and to match the sounds with spelling.
+ Get the class to brainstorm a list of eight or ten new words and put them on the board.
+ The students choose five or seven and take note.
+ Read out the words in any order.
+ Each time the student has one of the words that the teacher reads, she/ he put a tick next to that word.
+ The first student to tick all five words shouts “bingo”
3.8. Jumbled words: to help students to practice spelling new words.
+ Write the words with jumbled letter on the board and tell the student what the topic is.
+ Call students come to the board to write the correct words there to see if everyone agrees.
Example: Topic: Toys
Hisp =  albl =.. Oldl = .. borot =
3.9.Networks: to get students to revise lexical sets. To put words from different lessons into one context so students can remember them better.
+ Write the network line in the example on t