I have made a 3500 basic dictionary which will be in the new grammar part II. Anyone interested in how it is organised and with what accompanying tasks, can e mail us. In the meantime there are 27 sets of vocabulary for you to use. They are divided into easy and more difficult 

One of the reasons why students often show a very restricted knowledge of vocabulary is that it is not sufficiently revised and modern teaching techniques don’t require extensive reading . 

The following activities are the sort of thing that can make a lively 10 minutes at the end or beginning of a lesson. In the grammar book we have given you packets of vocabulary so that you will have easily to hand groups of vocabulary. These ideas should help you to activate them as should the play ideas and the kits of suggestions in the "Life charts. Many of the following activities could be used in activities using the grammar example sentences (nuggets) .These activities should be done quickly. They are to be used to reinforce vocabulary and they are also useful for the simple reason that all variation in a classroom is a relief! (a good example of this aspect is activity 41).

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO TEACH PACKETS OF VOCABULARY

Tent cards. Take a vocabulary set. As class activity, pair the words (choose which to pair with which by general agreement). Ask the students in groups of 4 to make tent-shaped cards (i.e. bent over like a tent), and write one of the paired words on each side of the ‘tent’. Place them between the players. The game lies in remembering which word is on the hidden side. These tent cards could be robust and reusable if you make them with self-adhesive memo paper, and so stick words on a tent face. They could be coloured attractively and kept in sets. For example sets of adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, time words etc.

Learning by association. Put together a verb from a verb set with a word from a vocabulary set in a memorable way. The same word could be used, lets say, 4 times. This works best when the pupils have a verb list and vocabulary list open before them for free association. The verbs could go in one tense. The verbs could be freely taken from a page of the glossary or just from 10 indicated verbs.

e.g. parts of the body + verbs

Her hands cried. Her hands laughed.

Her eyes sank. Her eyes spoke.

Her body fell. Her body sang.

Vocabulary dictation. The teacher reads a set of 20-30 words from a set in steady continuation. Then there is a competition to see which student (or pair) succeed in first writing them all down. This activity can also be used with the nuggets.

Simple poems. Use sets of vocabulary for writing short poems or Haiku (a Haiku contains 17 syllables though the pupils needn’t respect this). e.g. Use body vocabulary :

Hands to hold, for teeth to devour:

brain to describe for time to sour.

As in this case, a grammar unit could be indicated. Here it is unit 24 on the infinitive and its use to indicate aim/purpose.

Ping-Pong with lists. Activity for two students (A and B). One word has to be answered with another from the set, or if using a verb list, a given tense can be required; e.g. an infinitive followed by a past tense:

A. When did she come? - B. She came yesterday.

A. Who did you see? - B. I saw the queen.

or A. go B. went A. see B. saw

A. come B. came A. tell B. told

or A. hand B. nail A. finger B.. arm A. leg etc. until all of a list has been named.

Memory game. Put 20 Vocabulary / verbs on the board. Then progressively cancel them, and let the students recreate the lists.

Variant I After an activity that requires a vocabulary set on the board, rub out part of the words. Then ask the students to complete the words with full spelling.

Cards. As a class or home work activity. Each student is given a vocabulary set. They have to make a visual-decorative card. Place the words on a piece of paper twice the size A4. The words are coloured and lettered by hand, and in between are placed patterns or suggestive photos. These sets can be used for subsequent memory activities or poem writing.

[Teachers may say that there is not time for such card making or that it is like primary school. This is mistaken. Vocabulary sets can be used for many activities and remember that with vocabulary which is so neglected, these 5-10 minute activities save vocabulary from its usual oblivion. These cards will be used by other classes who in their turn make others for general use. They can be stored in envelopes or plastic boxes for study periods. The only way to make up for the huge deficit in vocabulary learning is to make long-term plans. The secret is to do short but frequent activities that are fun. ]

Riddles. One player has to give a hint of the word which then has to be guessed (this is relatively easy, because both players are familiar with the whole set), e.g. You use it with other food, it’s like strong onions = garlic. To score a point you kick it between two posts = football. 

Word association. One word from the list is used as a magnet. Brainstorm all the vocabulary you can associate with it, e.g. foot: toe, ankle, shoe, run, slip, walk, big, nail, heel, tiptoe. Have a competition, in pairs or singly to see who can think of more words.

Connotation. Take a vocabulary set. Each word is said several times by the teacher, meanwhile the students write down, in L1, all the associated words they can think of. Then ask the students for their 5 or more words in L1. The class translates them as the teacher arranges them around the original word from the set at the centre of the board. These word associations can be made use of as class poem material.

A Chinese poem. (by Chinese we mean simple and brief).

Put adjective and noun together in imitation of a simple poem format. Possibly as here the last lines could change syntactic structure. Adjective + noun....noun + verb

Slow legs,

bent head,

tired eyes,

sun sinks.

Night spreads.

4 line poem. Choose a word and make a 4-line poem. Everyone might be helped by a whole-class free association activity.

Evocative phrases. Use unit word lists to invent suggestive phrases. Use a collection of these for poem materials (they can also be modified). In this case I’ve chosen some difficult but interesting sound verbs. Oddly pupils more readily learn these sound verbs and find them fascinating.

The Birds

Listen!

They

chatter croak crow and cluck,

chirrup chirp cheep and chatter,

then clap their wings

and flitting

flapping

fly fly free

Choose a poem. Cut off parts of its lines and ask the students to fill in the ‘lost’ poetry. Tape the results and follow up by showing the students the original poem.

Random poems.  Have the students make almost random poems. This is an activity that imitates an often seeming arbitrariness in some modern poetry. By encouraging near random combination the students feel freer to invent and often the results show them the expressive possibilities of language.

Variant I

Recite short poems dramatically - you can exploit this even in the case of banal vocabulary sets and verb sets - verb + noun: I swim in bathrooms - I sleep in baths. These associations can be easily done with a pile of vocabulary and verb cards: She feeds me promises and they taste of snow..

Nonsense. The students make use of a word from a set to make a nonsense sentence, such as

The mouse ate the cat.

Extempore dialogues. One speaker starts with a word from a common vocabulary set, making a statement which includes it (e.g. I bought a goose vocabulary set from Unit 2, Animal and insects). The other speaker asks questions. Why did you buy a goose? This can last for several extempore exchanges. These extempore and almost random dialogues produce funny things and are enjoyed by the spectators.

Guessing. End of lesson vocabulary session. The teacher or a student says a sentence, substituting the target word with a buzz sound. The other students guess the missing word

(e.g. I went to the buzz to get a knife = kitchen).

Variant I

A student goes out. The class choose a word from the vocabulary list. The student returns and has to guess the word, but cannot use any words from the list, using roundabout questions instead, e.g. spoon: Is it a metal object? / Is it a thing that is used to carry soup to your mouth?

Riddles. Make ‘riddles’ of words from a set as guessing material, e.g. This animal gives us something white we pour on cereals (writing, listening exercise).

Definitions. The teacher or a student defines a word (the teacher can make the clue as long as desired - this increases concentration and provides listening practice): If you want to eat an egg, you can fry it (they may shout frying pan), or you can boil it (they may shout saucepan); when it’s ready, you usually put it in a special container so that it doesn’t roll about = egg cup.

No hesitation. A student chooses a word and has to speak without hesitation or pauses about it for 30-45 seconds. This works best after a period of preparation. This preparation might include a session in which the teacher dictates a set of useful phrases that help the definitions. e.g. it’s something that you use......... see...... etc. When you........ you....... It can be done in pairs, with 2 words to every pair.

Word call. Each student takes as his name, a vocabulary word. One student starts by calling out another student’s name-word; the student indicated by that word then immediately calls out another student by her/his word. Each student has 3 lives, and any hesitation loses one life.

Revision. A vocabulary set is given to the class. The students have to revise a given number of grammar units. To give an aim to this revision, ask them to combine a vocabulary set with the exemplifying sentences from a grammar unit.

Variant I

As an alternative, the grammar structure to be practised can be put together with a vocabulary word that each student has chosen to do a quick no-hesitation drill. e.g.

Structure: whose vocabulary clothes Whose is that sweater?;

or Whose is that tie?

Structure: will vocabulary clothes I’ll wash the shirt

Explain yourself. Would you prefer to be a spoon or a fork? Why?

The odd one out. Choose a vocabulary set and put in an odd word. The students have to argue that it isn’t really the odd one out, but may fit perfectly.

Variant I

A student recites a vocabulary set and tries to slip in an odd word unnoticed.

Make a list. List all the uses of any given object, and all the situations in which you could see that given thing.

General knowledge. Use a word from a set as a keyhole, e.g. Ant (Insects & Animals). Ask the students to go home and find information in an encyclopaedia as a source for them to use in a mini-talk for which they have also prepared some comprehension questions. Even such objects as knives and forks can yield interesting facts, e.g. first use, design and so on; they can be good material for short talks later. These talks could be given a further ingredient. The student could be instructed to use a grammar page. e.g. modifiers; more, much more/less, a few etc.

Go on, smile! A student sits in front of the class, and has to role-play complete misery. The students say any words from a set in such a manner as to provoke a smile. The word can also be incorporated in a sentence: Would you like a to go on holiday with a pig?

Simultaneous translation. Divide the class into 2 teams. A student from one team says a word in L1. The other team must give an immediate L2 translation; everyone writes it down. This could be done in groups of 4.

Pair them. Dictation of jumbled L1 and L2 words from a vocabulary set. After all words are dictated, the students have to ring together the L1 and L2 of words. The exercise is timed.

Variant I

Choose a verb set. The activity lies in associating 1-5 words from a vocabulary set with a verb from the list. Alternately, use the see, hear, smell etc. set as the one to associate with the vocabulary words, e.g. I can hear the socks. As oral practice the students can each remember their odd combinations; this reinforces memorising. Use the same idea with adjectives as focusing lens: Sad windows - followed by Why? - Because nobody lives there now.

Variant II

Use paired sets of vocabulary which are stimulating in combination, e.g. vegetables + parts of the body. Offer a construction that allows their combination, e.g. like: His ears are like cauliflower’s. This can be done with a set of adjectives plus another set of vocabulary.

"No problem": revision. Take a set of vocabulary or verbs. Along a line, each student reads a word of the set. Now repeat the procedure. Ask the class to cover the lists and repeat this recitation along the line. Each will have managed to memorise their single word. This is also useful for nugget revision (this simple activity reinforces a fading memory of a vocabulary set). A possible fun-variant is that at any mistake you must start again from the opposite end or make 2 teams and do a timed relay race.

Scrabble. Use the 5x5 numbered board. Choose a vocabulary or verb set. In turn the students call out a letter. All the students have to fill a square with the letter. Make words that are multiple, as in the game scrabble.

Crosswords .Use a 5x5 board. All students place their vocabulary set in a maze, they place the words interlocking and then fill all remaining squares with a letter to distract attention. Change papers and time to see who is the first to discover all the hidden words.

Bingo. Use an unnumbered board 5x5 squares. The students are told what the target vocabulary list is. If you use 15 words, you tell them that 10 of the words will appear twice in order to fill up the 25 spaces. They now fill in their 25 spaces with words making sure that they appear at least once. After they’ve filled in their board, let the students call out a word on their own board, and all the others tick off that word if they have it. The first to have all the 25 words called is the winner.

Quick glance "dictation". Take a set of 25 words. On the blackboard arrange them on a 5x5 grid. Tell the class to study them carefully without copying them. Now cover the blackboard with a sheet. Tell the students to fill in their grid with the words placing them so as to mirror those on the blackboard. Draw back the sheet from time to time for a quick look. They might be asked to translate the words on the grid which could be either in L1 or L2.

Variant I

At a later stage (it maybe a day later) give the students an empty grid 5X5 and ask them to write the translations in them. Possibly an activity for pair work.

Public spelling. A student comes and writes a word on the board. The teacher invites them to introduce a false spelling when they want to. For example in writing the string of words, in each word one letter can be altered. Other students silently correct if necessary. This is only partly a spelling game. It is useful as just another way to remind the students of a target vocabulary set- perhaps a set of words that have given particular difficulty, or they may be words that are to be used in a subsequent activity.

Variant I

The teacher writes up or photocopies a very reduced version of a word, such as k-t--n, for the students to complete.

Jumble. Each student writes down the vocabulary set without spacing as one enormous word. Change papers. Race to see who divides each word correctly with a spacing line. When all the students have finished, exchange the papers back and correct

Riddles questions. The students, in pairs, take a vocabulary set and possibly a particular grammar unit page (in this example lets say it’s so, because etc.). One player silently chooses a word and says a partial sentence: I was hungry, so I went to ----. The other player has to provide the missing word (the kitchen, fridge, restaurant, supermarket etc.).

Fit them in. Ask the students to write their own monologue/dialogue, which has to include a whole vocabulary set. If this is difficult, ask them to modify a play by fitting into the play 50% of a vocabulary set. They can make any changes that they want to the play.

Sentence maker. Choose a vocabulary set + a verb set. Students have to create as many sentences from these 2 sets as possible. Words can be used twice but always in new combinations. He filled the pan. She filled the bottle. The bottle fell.

Chorus response. First, establish a sequence of words by association, or simply by assigning each student with a word. Do a relay race, i.e. the words should be called out at maximum speed passing along the rows of students. The teacher now calls out a word from a set and all the class shout out the next one in the sequence.

Sounds/spelling. Stick on the walls posters of sound families with words which present both common and rare spellings of that sound during the following weeks.. Ask the students to recognise where new words will fit.

Newspaper headlines. Create newspapers’ headlines which utilise words from a set.

Riddle dictation. Tell the class to look at one of the unit vocabulary lists. Tell then you are going to dictate a sentence and they have to just write down the target volubly that it associates with. e.g. I’m feeling very cold. = fire/snow.. If we didn’t have it we’d just eat cold food = fire/stove.

Sort it. Tell the students that you will dictate vocabulary taken at random from 4 sets of vocabulary and they write the words in the appropriate 4 columns of categories.

Extend the dictation. The teacher could dictate verbs and the pupils have to immediately write a surrounding sentence. You possibly direct them to use a target structure, tense or modal.

e.g. The target is mustn’t have to etc. You dictate spill. Someone may write You mustn’t spill the milk.

Vocabulary card game. Enlarge the print size of a vocabulary list (a set of 10-15 words) and give out 4 copies of the vocabulary sheet to each group of 4 students. The groups mount each single word on card. The group will therefore have a set of 15 words X 4 copies. (15x 4 = 60 cards). Six cards are given to each of the 4 players and the remaining 36 are left as a pack in the middle. The first player takes one card from the pack and one from the previous player (or extra from the pack for the first player). The player then makes up a sentence (receiving 1 point for each word used) and throws away one card (adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions can be freely introduced and are worth a 1/2 point). The next player takes the thrown card and 1 from the pack and plays. When there are no cards left in the pack, 2 are taken from the neighbour player and only 1 thrown out) the players can start to make sentences (maximum 3) using the displayed cards of the other players. A maximum of 3 such sentences is allowed per turn.

Vocabulary charts. Choose 2 sets of vocabulary; 10-15 Students make a 10 X 10 or 15 X 15 grid. Along the top they write one set of vocabulary and another set down the side. Where the line meet could be the seed of various extempore activities which are suggested by these 2 words together.

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