Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and Teaching at Primary Level

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Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and
Teaching at Primary Level

• English Language Education Section
• Curriculum Development Institute
• Education Bureau
• March 2012

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Dimensions of Vocabulary Knowledge
(e.g. paint, painter, painting)
(e.g. look at the painting)
(e.g. singulars/plurals a painter, painters
parts of speech paint, painting, painted )
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Key Strategies for Vocabulary Teaching

1. Promote understanding of the form-meaning
   relationship and make associations
2. Guide students in the development of vocabulary
   building skills
3. Provide multiple exposures to target words using
   vocabulary-focused activities
4. Create opportunities for vocabulary use

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Why do we need to introduce vocabulary building
skills to our learners?

• Learners need knowledge and strategies to decode
  and figure out the meaning of a large number of
  unknown words encountered in tasks and reading
  texts
• Vocabulary building skills can enhance
  self-learning of vocabulary items

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Vocabulary Building Skills
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Vocabulary Building Skills

• Word Formation
• Affixation
• Compounding
• Conversion
• Derivation

• (e.g. unhappy, careless)
• (e.g. footballfootball)
• (e.g. cook a meal, a cook)
• (e.g. excite, exciting, excited,
• excitement)

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary
1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171
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Vocabulary Building Skills

• Word Association
• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• Homonyms
• Collocations
• Lexical sets

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary
1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary
1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171
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Vocabulary Building Skills
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Paradigmatic Approach

• Deliberately organises words into hierarchies
• Develops associative networks
• Bases associations on semantic categories
• Associated with receptive vocabulary
• Encourages efficient vocabulary learning

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Syntagmatic Approach

• Word combinations (the key to productive use of
  English)
• Develops associative networks
• Bases associations on collocations
• Focuses on

• multi-word units (e.g. formulaic expressions such
  as See you later., Have a good trip!)
• collocations (e.g. go shopping,
• have a shower, play football)

• Associated with productive vocabulary

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Multiple Exposures to New Words

• How often do students need to meet a new word
  before they remember it?
• Research into the effectiveness of extensive
• reading for vocabulary uptake shows that the
  new
• vocabulary gains from reading of novels is
• disappointing. Participants were able to select
  only
• one correct definition in 12 of the new words
  in
• text (Horst 2000)
• Far more vocabulary is learned if the same text
  is
• read several times (Horst Meara 1999)

6 to 20 times
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Vocabulary-focused Games Activities

• Games could be used in the instruction, practice
  and revision of vocabulary items to
• - lower students anxiety
• - enhance students motivation in learning
  English
• Vocabulary items should be introduced in
  context and not just as a time filler

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• Introduction to the Resource Package on
  Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and
  Teaching
• at Primary Level

Web version can be accessed at http//cd1.edb.hke
dcity.net/cd/eng/vocab09/index.htm
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• Contents
• Chapter 1 Theoretical Underpinnings of
  Vocabulary Learning and Teaching
• Chapter 2 Learning and Teaching Materials for
  Vocabulary Learning and Teaching
• Chapter 3 Vocabulary Games and Activities
• Chapter 4 References
• Appendix 1 Preamble to the Development of the
• Wordlists for the Primary
  English Language Curriculum
• Appendix 2 Learning Targets for KS1 KS2

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Development of Wordlists for the English Language
Curriculum
Background

• Recent evidence of inadequate vocabulary of HK
  university entrants
• Most 2004 entrants to CUHK knew between 2000 and
  3000 English words only (Chiu 2005)
• International research suggests that students
  need at least 5000 words to cope with university
  study in English (Laufer 1989 and 1992)

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Development of Wordlists for the English Language
Curriculum
A collaborative project with CUHK on Vocabulary
Study

• to strengthen the vocabulary component of the
  English Language curriculum
• to propose vocabulary targets set for each key
  stage of learning
• to develop wordlists for schools or teachers
  reference

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Vocabulary Targets
Key Stage Stage Target Cumulative Target
KS1
KS2
KS3
KS4
1000 1000 1000 2000 1500 3500 1500 5000
It should be stressed that the number is
indicative rather than prescriptive.
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Vocabulary Study Sources of wordlists
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Vocabulary Study
References of the frequency-based wordlists

• General Service List (GSL) - West, 1953
• Academic Wordlist (AWL) - Coxhead, 2000
• British National Corpus (BNC)

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Principles guiding final selection of words

• Relevance to learners
• Usefulness
• Combinability (collocations)
• Word class distribution
• Superordinates

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Uses of the Wordlists

• for reference only
• the target number is indicative rather than
  prescriptive
• a general indication as to what words (and how
  many) words students should learn at different
  stages of learning

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Uses of the Wordlists

• Dos
• ? design meaningful tasks and activities to help
• students develop their vocabulary knowledge
  and
• provide ample opportunities for vocabulary
  use
• ? add words to the lists (or replace words)
  according
• to the topics and materials students have
  studied
• in their classes
• ? provide students with the flexibility to
  develop a
• vocabulary that is personally meaningful
• Donts
• ? ask students to memorise the words mechanically

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Developing English vocabulary across stages of
learning
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• Enquiries
• English Language Education Section
• Ms Iris Chan 2892 6414
• Ms Charmaine Kwok 2892 5855