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Employ Ready-Made Materials
Of course, you can always use packaged programs to build your vocabulary units. Why not try Vocabulary in Context? Each book in the series—Wilderness Survival, The History of Hip-Hop, and Mysteries, Curiosities & Wonders—introduces over 125 vocabulary words in high-interest contexts and uses classroom-proven lessons to make sure that students remember the words they encounter.
But what does this have to do with vocabulary development and instruction? In the 2018 Oxford Language Report, Teresa Cremin highlighted the power and importance of teaching language in context:
“Language is most effectively learnt in the context of use, through interaction and through hearing words spoken and read in affectively engaging situations that prompt a desire to understand and to use it for one’s own purposes.”
This view is mirrored in the UKLA’s Vocabulary Viewpoints paper, which states that vocabulary will take root “when children have opportunities to use newly learned words.”
When planning contextual vocabulary instruction in the classroom, we have an opportunity to knock communication out of the park by facilitating opportunities for our learners to choose and use language for different purposes.
Consider the ‘context’ as a deliberately chosen and focused bank of language that, when amplified, provides a vehicle for discussion, thinking and communication around a particular idea or concept.
Vocabulary knowledge and contextual instruction
But what might these opportunities for contextual instruction of vocabulary look like? One idea is to select words from a particular picturebook, poem, information text or novel that you’re sharing with learners. In this scenario, you trawl the chosen text, carefully plucking suitable words to teach directly from the pages.
While this is one approach to contextual vocabulary selection, there are also other methods to explore. The key is to give learners a purposeful outlet – something real and relevant to do with language that is taught.
To explore these other outlets, let’s consider the context of sport and physical activity. From football to rock climbing, there are a range of physical activities, experiences and literature that we can tap into to make word-learning authentic – not only encouraging active, healthy lifestyles but also connecting personal interests to drive communication.
When deciding which words to teach in this context, first consider what language learners will need to use to communicate. This could be:
Language mentioned explicitly in the PE programmes of study – skill, sequence, movement, compete
Technical language related to physical activity in general – aerobic, health, warm-up, cool-down
Technical language related to a specific sport or activity. For ultimate frisbee that might be airbender, handler, break, corkscrew
General language to describe the importance of physical activity – wellbeing, challenge, perseverance, dedication
Language that would be useful giving a match report – verbs to describe the action: pass, tackle, cross, strike
Language used in fitness apps – application, programme, device, user, sync
Language from books with a sporting theme – some fun choices include Chasing a Rugby Dream: Kick-Off by James Hook and David Brayley; Armistice Runner by Tom Palmer; Kicking Off by Eve Ainsworth; the Track series by Jason Reynolds and Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Biographies of sporting heroes also make a great choice
Once the purpose for communication is clarified, unlock what learners already know about the chosen context. Which words do they already use when talking about this idea? What are their personal associations and experiences?
In the words of my favourite track cyclist, Christine D’Ercole: “In order to get where you’re going, you need to know where you are.” This idea is the same for vocabulary instruction – be crystal clear about learners’ starting points before planning the journey.
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