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N - Vocabulary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2023

Edited in consultation with
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Summary

For most children, learning new words is motivating and gives them a tangible sense of progress. It also supports their ability to interact and express personal meanings using a limited range of language chunks or grammatical structures.

However, learning vocabulary is more complex than it seems. Children need to recognise a word when spoken and decode it when written. They need to understand the meaning of the word and how it relates to other words, for example, the difference between small and tiny. They need to know how a word is used grammatically, for example, we say she's a good swimmer but not she swims good, and how it collocates with other words, for example, we say a high mountain but not a high person. Children need to be able to recall the word and know how to say it and spell it. Depending on their age, children also need to know the grammar of the word, for example, whether it is a noun or adjective, and be aware of register.

Children's vocabulary learning is influenced by their other languages and cultural background. As children develop greater maturity during the primary years, they also bring new understanding to vocabulary in English and this influences their learning too.

Children learn vocabulary through frequent, repeated exposure in meaningful contexts which allow opportunities for personal and social interaction and experiential use.

My key tips for vocabulary are:

  • 53 Move from concrete to abstract

  • 54 Recycle frequently

  • 55 Develop vocabulary learning strategies

  • 56 Don't over-focus on spelling!

53 Move from concrete to abstract

It's usual to teach concrete vocabulary first and leave more abstract vocabulary until children develop greater cognitive maturity. In either case, make sure that the meaning is clear and encourage children to notice the form.

Concrete vocabulary refers to items that relate closely to children's lives and that they can see, touch or act out in the immediate here and now of the classroom. Examples include classroom objects, food, actions and animals. Abstract vocabulary refers to items that are harder to illustrate and typically include more verbs, adjectives and adverbs than nouns. When teaching vocabulary, you need to use appropriate ways to make sure that the meaning is clear.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Vocabulary
  • Carol Read
  • Edited in consultation with Scott Thornbury
  • Book: Carol Read’s 101 Tips for Teaching Primary Children
  • Online publication: 28 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009086431.015
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Vocabulary
  • Carol Read
  • Edited in consultation with Scott Thornbury
  • Book: Carol Read’s 101 Tips for Teaching Primary Children
  • Online publication: 28 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009086431.015
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Vocabulary
  • Carol Read
  • Edited in consultation with Scott Thornbury
  • Book: Carol Read’s 101 Tips for Teaching Primary Children
  • Online publication: 28 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009086431.015
Available formats
×