Creating Learning Partners: A facilitator’s guide for training effective adult literacy tutors

Section 4 Building Vocabulary

Although your tutors should be able to help learners build vocabulary, they may want some extra ideas.

Activity A

Using real objects, games, themes, idioms

These demonstrations should help tutors think more creatively when looking for resources to teach vocabulary.

Demonstration, use of video
Materials and equipment Real objects: vegetable or fruit, cutting board, knife for cutting vegetable or fruit, family photo, and so on Card sets with pictures (no words or numbers) if you have any handy Five slips of paper with the names of sports written on them Video clip Creating Learning Partners: Building Vocabulary Using a Theme TV and VCR Flip chart and markers Preparation Find a selection of the items listed above. Write down five very different sports on slips of paper. Pick an idiom (expression) that you like and think of a story that includes the idiom in such a way that the meaning is clear. Cue video clip Building Vocabulary Using a Theme. STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS Introduce this section. Say that vocabulary builds upon previously learned vocabulary. Learners are constantly learning more words and phrases as they build a base of words and phrases that they can use to access the meaning and pronunciation of more words. Initially, lessons will focus on words related to survival needs but later lessons may include a wide range of themes. Ask your learner to write down or remember any words or phrases that they have heard and need to figure out. Suggest that the tutor could also offer a few topics from daily living (for example, shopping, asking directions) and see if that reminds the learner of words or phrases he has been trying to figure out. Demonstrate the use of real objects to teach vocabulary. Pull out a fruit and vegetable, a cutting board, and a knife to show verbs such as slice, chop, dice or mince. (You can hand out the fruit or vegetable pieces to your tutors.) Pull out a family photo and discuss words such as aunt/uncle, mother/ father and son/daughter.

Demonstration, use of video

Materials and equipment

Real objects: vegetable or fruit, cutting board, knife for cutting vegetable or fruit, family photo, and so on
Card sets with pictures (no words or numbers) if you have any handy Five slips of paper with the names of sports written on them
Video clip Creating Learning Partners: Building Vocabulary Using a Theme
TV and VCR
Flip chart and markers

Preparation

Find a selection of the items listed above.
Write down five very different sports on slips of paper.
Pick an idiom (expression) that you like and think of a story that includes the idiom in such a way that the meaning is clear.
Cue video clip Building Vocabulary Using a Theme.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

Introduce this section.
- Say that vocabulary builds upon previously learned vocabulary. Learners are constantly learning more words and phrases as they build a base of words and phrases that they can use to access the meaning and pronunciation of more words.
- Initially, lessons will focus on words related to survival needs but later lessons may include a wide range of themes.
- Ask your learner to write down or remember any words or phrases that they have heard and need to figure out. Suggest that the tutor could also offer a few topics from daily living (for example, shopping, asking directions) and see if that reminds the learner of words or phrases he has been trying to figure out.
Demonstrate the use of real objects to teach vocabulary.
- Pull out a fruit and vegetable, a cutting board, and a knife to show verbs such as slice, chop, dice or mince. (You can hand out the fruit or vegetable pieces to your tutors.)
- Pull out a family photo and discuss words such as aunt/uncle, mother/ father and son/daughter.