Vocabulary is one of the most essential parts of language, but it can be hard to know where to begin when teaching new words. A good way to go about it is by topic, using imagery to explain words effectively and easily.
As your learners begin to grasp the English language more fully, they will need to know vocabulary relating to specific areas of life, instead of only the more common words and phrases. These free vocabulary lists are useful for that purpose: they provide vocabulary lists by topic, and include worksheets for your learner to test their knowledge.
These lists are also good for teaching specific uses of otherwise commonplace words. One list, called "News and Journalism", includes the words 'to cover' and 'anchor', among a list of otherwise straightforward terms related to news and journalism. In its most common form, we know that 'to cover' means 'to place something over an object'. Your learner probably does not know that the verb 'to cover' also means 'to talk about a story' when used in the context of news and journalism. Similarly, they might have learned that 'anchor' means 'a metal object that keeps a boat in place,' while in this context it means 'someone who presents news.' Words with multiple meanings should only be approached extensively if your learner is fairly advanced in their English skills.
When you're teaching your learner new vocabulary, you might come up against the obstacle of how to explain to your learner what the new word actually means. Trying to tell them the equivalent word in their native language runs the risk of choosing an incorrect word, unless you're fluent in that language as well. Trying to describe the new term in English is tough also, because if your learner doesn't know the word, they might not know all the words used to describe it.
However, there is one constant throughout languages: imagery. Simple pictures are great for teaching vocabulary, because while different languages use different vocabulary words to describe things, the things they're describing don't change when they're talked about in a new language.
Tufts University, Class of 2016
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
As your learners begin to grasp the English language more fully, they will need to know vocabulary relating to specific areas of life, instead of only the more common words and phrases. These free vocabulary lists are useful for that purpose: they provide vocabulary lists by topic, and include worksheets for your learner to test their knowledge.
These lists are also good for teaching specific uses of otherwise commonplace words. One list, called "News and Journalism", includes the words 'to cover' and 'anchor', among a list of otherwise straightforward terms related to news and journalism. In its most common form, we know that 'to cover' means 'to place something over an object'. Your learner probably does not know that the verb 'to cover' also means 'to talk about a story' when used in the context of news and journalism. Similarly, they might have learned that 'anchor' means 'a metal object that keeps a boat in place,' while in this context it means 'someone who presents news.' Words with multiple meanings should only be approached extensively if your learner is fairly advanced in their English skills.
When you're teaching your learner new vocabulary, you might come up against the obstacle of how to explain to your learner what the new word actually means. Trying to tell them the equivalent word in their native language runs the risk of choosing an incorrect word, unless you're fluent in that language as well. Trying to describe the new term in English is tough also, because if your learner doesn't know the word, they might not know all the words used to describe it.
However, there is one constant throughout languages: imagery. Simple pictures are great for teaching vocabulary, because while different languages use different vocabulary words to describe things, the things they're describing don't change when they're talked about in a new language.
For example, the image above is something many people are familiar with. In English, we call it "tree", while in Spanish it's "árbol" and the French call it "arbre". No matter what language is used to describe the object, it still looks the same. This technique will help embed the word in your learner's mind, because they will understand the concept of the word instead of just memorizing letters.
Happy tutoring!
Kris
Kristofer Pieper
Programs and Social Media Intern, English At LargeTufts University, Class of 2016
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
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