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3 Steps to SAT Vocabulary (for ESL Students)

As we strive to help students improve English fluency, words are one of the basic buildings blocks.

Wouldn't it be great if your students actually looked forward to learning new vocabulary words? With a little creativity, vocabulary instruction can become an exciting time in the classroom for all involved. Students need to learn vocabulary words , which are sets of unfamiliar words about a topic, in every subject area. In this lesson, you will learn innovative ways to teach vocabulary words by creating games for your students or engaging in some other outside-of-the-box lesson planning.

It can be overwhelming to think about creating new games to use in your classroom. After all, there is a lot involved in that process. However, by modifying some existing games to include a focus on vocabulary words, the game-making process is easy. Let's take a look at how the following popular games can be tweaked to teach vocabulary words. In this classic card game, participants race to collect four similar cards and then grab a spoon before they are all taken. To modify this game, simply make a set of four cards for each vocabulary word.

For each set of four, one card should have the definition of the word and the other three should name the vocabulary word. In order to get four of a kind, students need to collect the definition card and the three word cards. Once students collect four of a kind, they grab a spoon. If students see a spoon being taken, they also need to grab a spoon before they are gone!

Concentration is a great game for students to play individually or with a group. To create a game, write one vocabulary word on a notecard and its matching definition on another notecard. To play, turn all the notecards upside down. Taking turns, students flip over two notecards at a time to try to match the vocabulary word with the correct definition. Divide your class into teams. Write the vocabulary words on notecards and place into a hat. To play, you should pick one vocabulary per round.

Each team sends one player to view the vocabulary word. These students have the option to draw the vocabulary word, act it out, or sculpt it using clay for their team. The first team to guess the vocabulary word wins the round. In the classic Taboo game, players try to have their team guess the word they are describing without using any of the forbidden words. To modify, write each vocabulary word on the top of a notecard and list three or four forbidden words underneath. Students need to describe the vocabulary word to their teams without using any of the forbidden words.

Give students a list of vocabulary words to write in their bingo cards. As you play, read the definitions of the vocabulary words, and students can mark their cards if they have the matching word. As you can see, it can be easy to modify existing games to teach vocabulary within the classroom.

Why talk about theory and techniques for teaching vocab?

Can you think of any other games that can be used to teach vocabulary? Besides games, teachers can use other creative methods to teach vocabulary words. Two of my favorite ideas are vocabulary newscasts and vocabulary freeze frames. Divide students into news teams and give them a list of vocabulary words. For each word, students need to create news stories to present to the class in a newscast.

Divide students into small groups and give each group a vocabulary word. The students need to use their bodies to make a freeze frame scene of their vocabulary word.


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Whenever you mention a vocabulary word in class, the corresponding team needs to jump to the front of the room to display their freeze frame. By using the ideas we discussed in this lesson, teaching vocabulary words , or sets of unfamiliar words about a topic, can become an exciting part of your classroom routine. You can take popular games, such as Spoons, Bingo, or Concentration, and transform them into vocabulary lessons for your students.

Creative ideas, such as newscasts or freeze frames, also excite and engage students. Completing this lesson should prepare you to formally define vocabulary words and implement fun methods for teaching them to students. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study. Did you know… We have over college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1, colleges and universities.

You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page. Not sure what college you want to attend yet? The videos on Study. Students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. Explore over 4, video courses. Find a degree that fits your goals. Fun Ways to Teach Vocabulary Words Teaching vocabulary words to students doesn't have to be boring and repetitive.

In this lesson, you will learn methods to energize your classroom during vocabulary instruction. Afterwards, test your new knowledge with our quiz!

Defining the Words

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Teaching Strategies for Vocabulary - Flocabulary

Are you still watching? Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds. Add to Add to Add to. Want to watch this again later? Techniques for Teaching Vocabulary. Vocabulary Activities for Middle School. Lots of new words are understood when introduced, but then disappear into oblivion. How can we help students remember and use more words?


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The first step in helping students remember vocabulary is teaching it in context. This means you should never provide a list of isolated, and least of all unrelated words, for them to learn. Words should be introduced within the context of a story, everyday situation, sport, activity or any context your students are familiar with.

Talk about what the weather will be like today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Will there be any thunderstorms in the next 10 days? There are plenty of scientific studies and papers on vocabulary teaching and learning, but let me summarize the results. Most studies agree that it is essential to repeat or practice a new set of words immediately after being exposed to them.

2 fun new ways to learn English vocabulary

And then repetition should follow at progressively longer intervals. So, to ensure that students will remember the words you teach them, they must use them again — and again. When we speak, words are gone with the wind — they disappear in a matter of seconds. Students may understand them, but their minds are quickly filled with other thoughts. Our brains, however, are wired to process visual information differently — it sticks, whether we are visual learners or not.

Whenever possible use flashcards , pictures, or posters when introducing new words. Introduce vocabulary related to feelings by making exaggerated faces.


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The same thing will happen if you draw funny pictures on the board or use realia. These types of experiences are memorable for students, which makes the vocabulary you use easier to remember as well. For each set of new words, create the first cluster together, then for future clusters have students recreate them on their own.