0053. SBS School. What to do with all these new English words?

L’articolo ci invita ad entrare nuovamente in English literacy e a scoprire che la lettura, accompagnata a un metodo di memorizzazione e riutilizzo del nuovo lessico, può essere lo strumento vincente per un apprendimento sicuro ed efficace della lingua.

The topic of this month’s literacy article is connected to our reading project and the new weekly reading journal. As part of this worksheet, each child is invited to write down one new word from the story. However, what became quickly apparent is that one word wasn’t enough for some students! The inevitable question became, what is the best way to record all the new vocabulary that we have been discovering?

Curiosity as a stimulus for language learning has become somewhat of a hot topic in recent years. So, the first step is to be inquisitive about new words. Step two is to discover what they mean. Looking at the context of the story and accompanying pictures are great ways to discover meaning. Thinking or speaking about the pictures on the page is a great way to stimulate curiosity and reveal new words. If any words still evade understanding, translation is always an option. Just remember that not all words convert easily into another language so always check that the meaning fits with what you have just read.

Step three is recording the vocabulary and here we have many options available: mind maps, flashcards, notebooks and blackboards are some popular choices. Then you can decide how to group the words. Options are by topic (for example food, furniture etc), types of word (nouns, adjectives, verbs), alphabetical order or grouped together under the title of the story. I recently asked students the word for ‘cupboard.’ Not a single hand went up. Yet when I reminded children that the word appeared in the story ‘Jack and the Penguins,’ several hands immediately shot up in the air. The memory of the story encouraged children to recall all the new language they had learned.

Something that has struck me, is the pride with which pupils have remembered new vocabulary and how pleased they are to share how they have recorded it. Finally, some wise advice from the British Council is that: ‘Different ideas will work for different people, so try some of them out and see which ones work for you.’