Một số kinh nghiệm dạy từ vựng ở bài đọc trong chương trình tiếng Anh 11 tại trường thpt Quảng Xương I

EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMEENT
OF THANH HOA PROVINCE
QUANG XUONG I HIGH SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
SOME EXPERIENCES TO TEACH VOCABULARY 
OF READING LESSONS IN TEXT BOOK OF GRADE 11 
AT QUẢNG XƯƠNG 1 HIGH SCHOOL.
( MỘT SỐ KINH NGHIỆM DẠY TỪ VỰNG 
Ở BÀI ĐỌC TRONG CHƯƠNG TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH 11 
TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT QUẢNG XƯƠNG I)
Written by : Nguyễn Thị Thanh Ngọc
SCHOOL YEAR : 2017 – 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS
	 	Page PART I : INTRODUCTION 
1.1.Reasons for choosing the topic. 1 
1.2 Aim of the study. 1
1.3. Scope of the study 2
1.4.Method of the study ..2
PART II: DEVELOPMENT 
1. Theoretical background .... ..3
2.The actual situation.. 3
3. Patterns of the study. 4
3.1.Preparation .. 4
3.2.Vocabulary teaching method. 4
3.3. Vocabulary teaching techniques . 4
3.4. Procedures of teaching vocabulary in a reading lesson 5
3.4.1. Pre-reading . 5
3.4.2.While – reading .. 7
3.4.3. Post – reading . 14
4. Effectiveness of experience initiatives for educational activities.  15
4.1.Effectiveness of experience initiatives 15
4.2. Compared to the amount of the initial survey .. 15
4.3.The effectiveness of the measures used .. 16 
PART III: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
1 Conclusions . 16
2. Recommendations.  16 
PART I: INTRODUCTION
 1.Reasons for choosing the topic
	English as an international language has been used for all over the world in recent years. English plays an important role in people’s communication. English is an compulsory subject in national exams.
	Changing teaching methods in education is the right action of teachers and students in teaching and learning process. The change is always understood by carrying out some specific forms. The method of teaching is the forms and performances of teachers and students in the teaching conditions in order to achieve the purpose of teaching .
Vocabulary is one of five core components of reading instruction that are essential to successfully teach students how to read. These core components include phonemic awareness, phonics and word study, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Vocabulary knowledge is important because it encompasses all the words we must know to access our background knowledge, express our ideas and communicate effectively, and learn about new concepts. Students’ word knowledge is linked strongly to academic success because students who have large vocabularies can understand new ideas and concepts more quickly than students with limited vocabularies. The more words you know, the more you will be able to understand what you hear and read; and the better you will be able to say what you want to when speaking or writing. 
 However, students have some difficulties in understanding a common reading because of vocabularies. Reading texts often contain many new words while their vocabulary is low. When encountering new words, they often stop to look up a dictionary. This habit takes a lot of time to complete a reading and makes students passive in vocabulary learning, reading comprehension, vocabulary memorization and practicing them.
 	 To help students improve their vocabulary knowledge, in teaching process in English grade 11 in high school, I would like to express some ways to teach vocabulary effectively so that students can overcome difficulties in vocabulary.
2. Aim of the study
In the experience of this initiative, I just want to make some ways in showing meaning of new vocabularies in a reading lesson in order to improve the quality of the lessons, help students easily understand themes and memorize new words more easily and using them effectively. Teachers can use my research to help students more interested in learning English
3. Scope of the study
As we know, the vocabulary of English at Upper-Secondary School students today have to learn a lot of vocabulary so I want to focus on this topic to explore appropriate methods to help students better understand.
I conducted my research in the teaching vocabulary of English at the 11th Grade of Quang Xuong I Upper-Secondary School in the academic year 2017-2018 with the basic textbook of the Ministry of Education and Training . Participating classes are11T1, 11C4, 11C5
4. Method of the study
 To fulfill this study, a mixed use of both quantitative and qualitative methods are applied. The data are collected by means of tests.
PART II: DEVELOPMENT
1. Theoretical background
One of the oldest findings in educational research is the strong relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Word knowledge is crucial to reading comprehension and determines how well students will be able to comprehend the texts they read in high school. Comprehension is far more than recognizing words and remembering their meanings. However, if a student does not know the meanings of a sufficient proportion of the words in the text, comprehension is impossible. Knowing at least 90 percent of the words enables the reader to get the main idea from the reading and guess correctly what many of the unfamiliar words mean, which will help them learn new words. Readers who do not recognize at least 90 percent of the words will not only have difficulty comprehending the text, but they will miss out on the opportunity to learn new words. 
Studies have shown that the key to increase vocabulary is exposure the new words. Vocabulary development is an attainment goal. If given the opportunity to learn new words as well as effective teaching method, most students can improve their vocabulary knowledge and their comprehension.
2. The actual situations
 	Quang Xuong 1 high school is a school in rural of Quang Xuong. English is a compulsory subject in the national high school examinations. However, some of students still do not really care about the subject for some reasons. They only focus on their exam subjects. English is a very special subject, making it difficult for them if they do not really concentrate and practice it regularly. Besides, they are rural students, the conditions for practicing English are not so great. So the academic achievement of this subject is not high and there are still weak students. 
Result before the research in teaching
The first term of school year: 2017-2018
Class
Number of students
Excellent-good (%)
Rather
(%)
Average (%)
Weak (bad)
(%)
11T1
47
≈6
38
53
3
11C4
38
4
25
66
5
11C5
38
>3
14
74
9
 Before investigating, proportion of weak students are high accounts for 3 to 9 percent and they are not interested in learning English especially learning vocabulary.
3. Pattern of the study
3.1.Preparation
Before starting a new lesson, both the teacher and students have good preparation. When teaching reading comprehension, the teacher should tell the students the ways to learn new words, find the family words or build sentences with some words having in the lesson. Depending on the levels of each class and students, the teacher has different requests. This makes students more responsible for the lesson, feel confidence, understand and apply it more effectively, and they think that studying English becomes more and more interesting. 
3.2. Vocabulary teaching methods
Normally, a reading text always appears some new words, but it is not necessary to teach all of them and teach them in the same ways. The teacher should
choose words which need teaching and method to teach them effectively. Choosing words to teach, the teacher has to classify into two forms of vocabulary. They are active and passive vocabulary. 
Active words are words which students know and use in communicating or writing. 
Passive words are word which students only know and understand when they
read a text.
The ways to teach two forms of these words are not the same. Active words
relate to 4 basic skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The teacher,
therefore, needs to spend more time presenting and practicing, specially the ways to use the words. To passive ones, however, students can only know and students don’t need to spend much time using them. 
If the new words are very important to understand the content of the passage
and suitable for the level of students, the teacher should explain vocabulary actively. If the words are not important but they make the students get difficulties, the students should be taught passively- the teacher explain the new words or translate them quickly. The teacher asks the students to guess the meaning of new words if the words are important and easy in the passage. And the teacher can ignore if the words are difficult and strange and they are not related to the passage.
3.3. Vocabulary teaching techniques
If the teacher only writes and explains vocabulary following dictionary, most
students cannot understand the ways to use the words in communicating and specially with active words. Besides, students have to know not only the way to pronounce words, but also the way to pronounce phrases. Moreover, students know the meaning of new words and how to use them. 
Teaching pronunciation : 
When students can pronounce new words well, they will write the words correctly. So the teacher should teach the students the best ways to read the words exactly.
b. Guessing meaning from the context: 
Context is sentences which explain or definite new words. Therefore, when students want to know new words, they should read the whole context. This can help students to know more about vocabulary or their part of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs In addition, context also helps students to realize some suggestions about the meaning of new words without stopping reading to look up the dictionary, which makes students read more quickly and better. 
c. Show the meaning of new words:
 There are some basic ways to explain the meaning of new words:
-Using real objects.
 - Using prefixes/ suffixes, root words.
 - Using definition forms, synonyms or antonyms, part of speech.
3.4. Procedures of teaching vocabulary in a reading lesson.
3.4.1. Pre-reading
 There are many ways used in this activity. The teacher can choose each suitable way for each lesson.
a. Open Prediction : 
The teacher show the topic and asks students to guess what the content of reading is. 
T Example: Unit 6: Competitions
 - The teacher asks some students to put questions to other students by using yes/no questions to guess the meaning of vocabulary:
 + Is the word a verb?
 + Is it a noun?
 + Does it begin with “c”?
 + To work with weak students, the teacher should give some more suggestions:
Does it have 11 letters? or Is it about an animal/ a plant?
 - The students take turns to put questions and the student who gives the correct
answer with the shortest time will be the winner.
Jump words 
Dividing class into 3 or 4 groups, the teacher delivers hand-outs and asks students to arrange letters into the meaningful words in the reading leson.
 For example in unit 7 of grade 11 about Population, teacher introduce the situation of the reading passage and give some jumped words. 
1. tbhir 
2. etahd 
3. chidlrne 
4. fliamy plnangni 
Key
1. birth
 2. death
 3. children
4. family planning
 c. Ordering: 
The teacher shows some pictures and asks students to arrange them in correct order.
For example: The teacher introduce the situation of the reading passage and asks all students to look at the pictures in the unit 2 then arrange them in correct order.
 Key : 1.d, 2.b, 3.f, 4.e, 5.a, 6.c
 3.4.2. While reading
 Generally, a reading lesson usually has some new words, and all of them cannot
be explained in the same way. The teacher needs to select and decides which words
are active and others are passive.
 a. Using real objects: 
The teacher can use real objects in class or take some pictures, diagramsto
classroom or draw some pictures on the board. Besides, the teacher can use body
languages
For example: To teach some new words in reading lesson of unit 15, teacher can use picture , gesture to show the meaning. 
- Gestures: swimming, driving a car, accompanying
- Pictures: 
 Orbit (n) Weightlessness (n)
 Cosmonaut (n) = astronaut (n): Nhà du hành vũ trụ 
 The teacher can show the pictures or real things to teach new words, which
helps students understand and interest in learning vocabulary. By this way, students
can remember vocabulary for a long time and feel more attracted to study it. 
 b. Using prefixes/ suffixes, root words:
One method of understanding the meanings of new words is to analyze the different parts of the word and the meanings of those parts. Many new words are formed by adding an affix to the beginning or end of a Latin or Greek root or root word. When affixes are added to the beginning of roots or root words, they are called prefixes For example, the most common prefix is un-, which meant not or opposite of. If you add un- to the word happy, the new word becomes unhappy, which means not happy. When affixes are added to the end of roots or root words, they are called suffixes. The most common suffixes are -s and -es, which mean more than one (or the plural) of the word. Adding -es to wish, changes the meaning o the word to more than one wish. So this is considered a good and easy way to teach vocabulary. The teacher can use prefixes or suffixes to show the meaning of new words.
Common Prefixes
Prefix
Definition
Examples
anti-
against
anticlimax
de-
opposite
devalue
dis-
not; opposite of
discover
en-, em-
cause to
enact, empower
fore-
before; front of
foreshadow, forearm
in-, im-
in
income, impulse
in-, im-, il-, ir-
not
indirect, immoral, illiterate, irreverent
inter-
between; among
interrupt
mid-
middle
midfield
mis-
wrongly
misspell
non-
not
nonviolent
over-
over; too much
overeat
pre-
before
preview
re-
again
rewrite
semi-
half; partly; not fully
semifinal
sub-
under
subway
super-
above; beyond
superhuman
trans-
across
transmit
un-
not; opposite of
unusual
under-
under; too little
underestimate
The teacher can use suffixes to teach vocabulary 
Common Suffixes
Suffix
Definition
Examples
-able, -ible
is; can be
affordable, sensible
-al, -ial
having characteristics of
universal, facial
-ed
past tense verbs; adjectives
the dog walked,
the walked dog
-en
made of
golden
-er, -or
one who; person connected with
teacher, professor
-er
more
taller
-est
the most
tallest
-ful
full of
helpful
-ic
having characteristics of
poetic
-ing
verb forms;present participles
sleeping
-ion, -tion, -ation,-tion
act; process
submission, motion, relation, edition
-ity, -ty
state of
activity, society
-ive, -ative,
-itive
adjective form of noun
active, comparative,
sensitive
-less
without
hopeless
-ly
how something is
lovely
-ment
state of being; act of
contentment
-ness
state of; condition of
openness
-ous, -eous, -ious
having qualities of
riotous, courageous,
gracious
-s, -es
more than one
trains, trenches
-y
characterized by
gloomy
Furthermore, the teacher can use root words to teach vocabulary. Try to use
common roots with common words. This way must be repeated and repeated day by day. The teacher ought to do it slowly and frequently. Some common roots:
Common root
root
Definition
Examples
ambi
both
ambiguous, ambidextrous
aqua
water
aquarium, aquamarine
aud
to hear
audience, audition
bene
good
benefactor, benevolent
cent
one hundred
century, percent
circum
around
circumference, circumstance
contra/counter
against
contradict, encounter
dict
to say
dictation, dictator
duc/duct
to lead
conduct, induce
fac
to do; to make
factory, manufacture
form
shape
conform, reform
fort
strength
fortitude, fortress
fract
to break
fracture, fraction
ject
throw
projection, rejection
jud
judge
judicial, prejudice
mal
bad
malevolent, malefactor
mater
mother
material, maternity
mit
to send
transmit, admit
mort
death
mortal, mortician
multi
many
multimedia, multiple
pater
father
paternal, paternity
port
to carry
portable, transportation
rupt
to break
bankrupt, disruption
scrib/scribe
to write
inscription, prescribe
sect/sec
to cut
bisect, section
sent
to feel; to send
consent, resent
spect
to look
inspection, spectator
struct
to build
destruction, restructure
 b.Using definition forms, synonyms or antonyms, part of speech
The teacher can use both Vietnamese and English to show the meaning of new
words. The teacher can use definition forms, synonyms or antonyms.
Definition 
 For example : To teach vocabulary in Unit 6, teacher can use definition for explaining . 
 + Representative : A person chosen or appointed on behalf of another person or group.
 + Annual : happening or done once very year.
 + Stimulate : encourage or make something more active.
 +Spirit : enthusiasm and energy
 + In all : altogether or as a total
 + Smoothly : without difficulties or problem
Synonym: are words that have the same or a similar meaning. Synonyms can provide students with variety in speech or writing, making it easy for you to avoid overusing the same word and sounding repetitive. Some examples of synonyms include the following:
Enormous = huge = gigantic = massive
Injured = damaged = wounded = harmed
Intelligent, clever, brilliant, knowledgeable
Look, glance, see, gaze, stare
Loyal, faithful, ardent, devoted
Old = elderly = aged = senior
Organization = institution= management
Partner = associate = colleague = companion
Polite = courteous = gracious
Quick = fast = swift = speedy = rapid
Risky = dangerous
astronaut = spaceman
prohibit = ban
 For example in unit 13 of grade 11 teacher ask students to choose the word that has the closest meaning to the italicized word.
1. There are number of things I like to do in my free time.
A. leisure 	B. precious 	C. busy 	D. idle
2. My uncle, who is an accomplished guitarist, taught me how to play.
A. unimpaired 	B. skilled 	C. ill-educated 	D. unqualified
3. Now I can play a few simple tunes.
A. compound 	B. plain 	C. easy 	D. complicated
4. I have a modest little glass fish tank where I keep a variety of small fish.
A. limited 	B. excessive 	C. conceited 	D. moderate
5. The most important thing is to keep yourself occupied.
A. busy 	B. relaxed 	C. comfortable 	D. free
Answer keys:
1.free (a) = leisure 
2. accomplished = skilled (a)
3. simple(a) = easy (a)
 4. Modest(a) = moderate (a)
 5. occupied (a) = busy (a) 
Antonym: are words that have contrasting meanings. Antonyms can be used to help show contrast between two things or give clues to exactly what is meant. Below are some examples of antonyms:
appear # disappear
independent # dependent
Achieve # Fail
Ancient # Modern
Complex # Simple
Compliment # Insult
Decrease # Increase
Demand # Supply
Destroy # Create
Powerful # Weak
Praise # Criticism
Problem # Solution
Professional # Amateur
Random # Specific
Simple # Complicated
Single # Married
Strength # Weakness
Tragic # Comic
Wealth # Poverty
For example in unit 9 of grade 11 teacher ask students to choose the word that has the opposite meaning to the italicized word.
1.Thanh Ba Post Office has a spacious and pleasant front office.
A.large 	B. beautiful	c. cramped	D. open
2. Our well-trained staff are always courteous to customers.
A. helpful	 B. rude	C. friendly	D. open
3. This speedy and secure service of transferring money can be useful.
A. rapid	B. hurried	C. careful 	D. slow
4. If you want to send a document and do not want to lose its original shape, send it by a fax machine.
A. unique	B. outdate	C. changed	D. imaginative
Answer keys:
spacious # cramped
courteous # rude	
speedy # slow
original # 	changed
part of speech	
A part of speech is a group of words that are used in a certain way. In the English language many words are used in more than one way. This means that a word can function as several differe