Teach English in GuishAn Zhen - Huanggang Shi

One of the things that teachers need to do in their classes is teaching vocabulary for their students. A different teacher has different ways of teaching vocabulary. Although teaching vocabulary seems very easy, it is more complicated than people expect. When teaching vocabulary for students, teachers not only explain the meaning of words but also need to tell students whether that word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. In some cases, teachers also need to give examples of those new words to make the word easier to remember. In the essay, I will talk about three things or actions that teachers should do when they teach vocabulary for students such as giving explanation, practicing activity, using related pictures when describing the word. First, one of the things that teachers should do when they teach new vocabulary is using pictures related to the word that they are teaching. Teachers should use pictures that match with the new words and show the picture in front of students before she tells students what the word is. When teachers use the picture to describe the new word, students’ brains will remember the picture and the word together. For example, teachers should use the picture of two people running when she teaches students about the word “run”. On the other hand, teachers need to use the picture of two people walking when she teaches about the word “walk”. If a teacher just explains new vocabulary words without pictures, students will forget the new words as well as the meaning of the words after they get out of class. A word which is described through a picture is easier to remember for students. In some cases, students more likely to remember the new words through the pictures that remember the new word through phrases that teachers use to explain the words. Thus, pictures would help students remember the new vocabulary word easier. Another important thing in teaching vocabulary for students is explaining the meaning of words for them. The explanation should have two parts which tell students which part of speech the words belong to and the meaning of the word. Teachers should tell students which part of speech the word is so that student would not misunderstand and use the word in a wrong way. If teachers do not tell students which part of speech a new word is, students may use the word as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb while the word is a verb. On the other hand, teachers should use normal and simple words or phrases to describe new vocabulary words for students. Teachers need to make sure that their explanations are easy for students to understand and make sure that words or phrases that they use to explain are clear and easy enough for students to understand. Teachers should write their explanation down on the paper, look at it, and make sure that the explanation is easy to understand before she tells the explanation in front of the student. Furthermore, teachers should not use one word or one phrase to describe to a new word. Teachers should give multiple words, multiple phrases, and multiple explanations so that student can understand the new word easier and accurately. For example, when a teacher is teaching a class of kindergarten students about fruit and the new vocabulary word is “orange”, teachers should tell their students that “orange” is a fruit with a circle shape, and its color is reddish yellow. And teachers should repeat their explanations for each word more than two times in front of the class so that students have time to process the word in their brains. The last thing that teachers need to do when they teach vocabulary is practicing new vocabulary words in class. Day by day, students have to learn a lot of new vocabulary words which make them easy to confuse. When students get confused, they will forget the new words that they just learned. Thus, the easiest way to make students remember new vocabulary words is practicing the use of those words. Teachers can use fill in the blank as a way for students to practice the new words that they just learned. Teachers also can let students create a sentence based on new words. For example, after teachers explain the new words to students, teachers can write some incomplete sentences on the broad and ask students to complete those sentences using the new words that they just learned. Students can fill out the blank as a class or fill out the blank as an individual. By doing this, students will remember the words easier because they are learning the meaning of the words through the time they fill the blank. Practicing the new vocabulary words not only help students remember the words but also help students know how to use or apply the words into a sentence. In conclusion, teaching vocabulary is not an easy task for teachers because teachers not only explain the word but also try their best to help students remember the words. While using pictures and explanation helps students understand and remember new words easier, practicing new vocabulary word will not only increase their memory with the words but also help students know how to apply the new word into a complete sentence.