Unit 8
Teaching
Vocabulary
Teaching objectives ：
1. know the meaning of knowing
a word
2. grasp ways of presenting
vocabulary
3. grasp ways of consolidating
vocabulary
4. know how to develop
vocabulary learning strategies
Contents:
 1. Understanding vocabulary and
vocabulary learning
 2. The meaning of knowing a word
 3. Ways of presenting vocabulary
 4. Ways of consolidating vocabulary
 5. Developing vocabulary learning
strategies
1. Understanding vocabulary
and vocabulary learning
Task 1
Ask students to discuss the following questions:
 What are the most common ways for Chinese
students to learn vocabulary regarding English?
 What are the most common ways for Chinese
teachers to teach English vocabulary, in Primary
school, secondary school and university?
 What are some of the vocabulary learning
strategies you have used and found (not) useful or
effective?
Task 2
People have different understanding of what
a vocabulary item is, how an item can be
learned and consolidated, which items
should be learned, and to what extent the
items should be learned and practiced. It is
very important for the students themselves
to develop vocabulary awareness and
vocabulary building strategies.
2. What does knowing a word
involve?
knowing a word involves knowing its
pronunciation, spelling, meaning and
usage. According to Hedge (2000),
vocabulary learning involves at least
two aspects of meaning. The first
aspect involves the understanding of
its denotative and connotative
meaning. The second aspect involves
understanding the sense relations
among words.
2. What does knowing a word
involve?
 2.1 Denotative meaning
Denotative meaning of a word or a lexical
item refers to those words that we use to
label things as regards real objects, such
as a name or a sign, etc. in the physical
world.
 2.2 Connotative meaning
A connotative meaning of a word refers to
‘the attitudes or emotions’ of a language
user in choosing a word and the
influence of these on the listener or
reader’s interpretation of the word
2. What does knowing a word
involve?
2.3 Collocations
Collocations refer to words that co-occur with
high frequency and have been accepted as
ways for the use of words.
2.4 Synonym, antonym and hyponym
Synonyms refer to items that mean the same,
or nearly the same.
Antonyms refer to items that mean the
opposites of a word.
Hyponyms refer to words which can be
grouped together under the same superordinate concepts.
2. What does knowing a word
involve?
 Receptive vocabulary
It refers to words that one is able to
recognize and comprehend in reading
or listening but unable to use
automatically in speaking or writing.
 Productive vocabulary
Those words that one is not only able to
recognize but also able to use in
speech and writing are considered as
one’s productive\active vocabulary.
3. Ways of presenting
vocabulary
 a. visual or physical demonstration( pictures,
cards, real objects, video clips , mimes and
gestures to show the meaning)
 b. verbal context (e.g. grumble)
 c. synonyms or antonyms (e.g. sad)
 d. hyponyms (fruit: apple, pear etc.)
 e. Translate, definition and exemplify (boxer:
someone who fights with his fists for sport)
 f. word formation ( reader)
 g. chunks
 h. the context in real life
4. Ways of consolidating
vocabulary
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Labeling
Spotting the differences
Describing and drawing
Playing a game
Using word thermometers
Using word series
Word bingo
Word association
Odd man out
Synonyms and antonyms
Using word category
Using word net-work
5. Developing vocabulary
learning strategies
 Review regularly
 Guessing meaning from context
 Organize vocabulary effectively
The end!