I want to explain to you in this letter, about vocabularies, assessment of vocabularies and methods that can be used to teach vocabularies both in school and at home. Vocabulary in English is any new word. Comprehending English requires a student to be able to know the meaning of the words used (Armbruster, Lehr & Osborn, 2001). Therefore, if a student is well equipped with new words, he or she will find it easier to understand a text.
Furthermore, students with enough vocabulary find other subjects such as mathematics and sciences easy. I have realized that students who know many new words will read more material and expand their knowledge. This is because vocabularies improve student’s communication skills, especially those in grade three onwards.
Vocabulary can be assessed in the various ways. One assessment method is checking familiarity because it will be difficult for students to comprehend a text if they are not familiar with the meaning of word in a passage. The other method of assessment is testing comprehension of the text because understanding of words results to overall comprehension of the text (Stahl, 1999). Last, and not the least, one can assess vocabulary by evaluating whether students know the meaning of vocabularies. This can be done by, for example, getting a word and letting learners tell the possible meanings.
There are many methods of teaching that parents and teachers can use to introduce new words to students (Armbruster, Lehr & Osborn, 2001). A teacher can use one to one teaching method where familiar words are used to teach students. In most cases, I prefer if the words are against an illustration that students are familiar with. For example, the name ‘wallet’ can be accompanied by the drawing of the wallet and so on. This way, a parent for example, can buy a poster with names and make sure the student master the meaning of words and be able to use the words to construct sentences at home.
Students can also learn new words by substituting a familiar word with another word with the same meaning. For example, if a student uses the word “same” I usually teach the student to be substituting it with the word “similar”. I would also recommend accompanying words with facial expressions. For example, parents can introduce the word “happy” during weekend picnic. In this case, the parent will ensure the student is happy and may ask him or her ‘are you happy?’ while smiling. This facial expression will connect well with the word usage. I similarly use facial expressions in class when teaching new words especially adjectives (Gunning, 2010).
Moreover, I also recommend motivation technique where students are encouraged to learn more word by discovering object names in their surrounding. This method involves use of real life objects like clothes, vegetables, photographs and toys. Another method that I use is giving students reading assignments with simple new words and asking them to tell the meaning as used in the passage. This helps students to make out the meaning of words from its usage.
Therefore, the method used by a teacher to teach vocabulary is important in helping students with new words. When students are helped to know more new words, they perform well in class and are able to communicate well and express themselves. I kindly encourage all parents to be teachers when students are at home. Students will succeed if they are helped by both teachers and parents.
You as a parent can help your student to know vocabularies while at home. For example, you can pick a word from the dictionary and introduce it to the child accompanied by a real life object. If you pick the word “ample”, you can make sure you bring the child an ample whenever he mentions it to you. You can also introduce a new word and encourage the child to use it when communicating in the house. This will enable your child to know more vocabulary and it will be reflected in school performance. These are just simple tactics you can use to boost your child’s performance at school and beyond.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
References
Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2001). Put reading first: The research building blocks for teaching children to read. Washington, DC: Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA), University of Michigan.
Gunning, T. (2010). Creating literacy instruction for all students (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson Education.