Student-Centered Activities for Teaching Vocabulary

The essential literacy strategy goes along with the standards and learning objectives by using context clues to help the student figure out unknown or unfamiliar words. Students will build reading comprehension skills by using context clues for figuring out unknown or unfamiliar words while they are reading. Then the students will perform the strategies individually. The related skills address the use of prior knowledge of synonyms and antonyms during the hook and transition portion of the lesson. The reading and writing connections go along with the learning objectives, because the students will read their assigned book and picking out words they do not understand. The students will have to write the sentence with the unknown word in it, and use context clues to figure out the definition of the unknown word. The central focus for this unit of study is for the students to use context clues to better their comprehension of what they have read in their assigned books. The students will be able to use context clues within sentences to determine the meaning of unknown or unfamiliar words. These lessons deal with comprehending text by using context clues to help figure out unknown words. The lessons build off each other by adding more detail to learning about context clues. As the lessons progress the students will be more independent when using context clues. The first lesson is learning about what context clues are. The second lesson will focus on using context clues to figure

Encourage students to think back to this lesson when they are reading text. “If you come across one of these words or a new word that you do not know, use the sentence or sentences around the word to figure out the meaning.”

Consequently, learning a new language is not about just knowing the words, but also memorizing the words and getting to know what they mean in their local

However, new language learners most face some difficult and boredom in reading, so teachers should try to give students books that can attract students interest and curiosity. Reading stories and novels can create great interest and suspense that ELL student’s need. Through my reading to this book ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ I strongly recommend it as one of these books that can benefit ELS students. According to Krashen (1993) reading is an effective way to increasing and improving improve spelling, grammar, and writing for ELL students, especially reading for pleasure. Krashen also said that students who read for pleasure have better reading comprehension, writing style, and increasing vocabulary. The author also emphasized that the best way to develop Vocabulary is through real encounters words within context (Krashen,

In addition to the vocabulary in their readings, students have been expected to learn twenty-five new vocabulary words per week. The focus is not on rote memorization of definitions; students must know synonyms, antonyms, and especially how to use vocabulary words in the context of the entire sentence. They study how to choose the right word for their purpose (diction) and analyze the subtleties of language.

When working with English Language Learners (ELL) students, they are usually grade level behind of their peers. Tompkins (****) reference the importance of the teacher to find out what the students know regarding the reading, and build from what they know. He explains how knowing their prior information, the teacher can fill in the gap with the knowledge they are lacking before beginning the reading. (***, 89). Taking the additional steps to fill in the information students need before reading can avoid confusion. ELL students will have to information fresh in their learning, so they will be able to make the connection towards the reading. The importance of assessing the students prior knowledge before starting the reading can avoid the student not understanding the context in the reading. Knowing the level of information will make a difference in the students capability to grasp the reading. Overall, it will not only make it easy for the student, but the teacher as well by knowing the areas the student might need additional

The established higher education model that I tend to gravitate toward and support in my higher education philosophy is the student centered learning theory also sometimes called learner-centered teaching or a student-centered model. The theory of student-centered learning can be contributed to Hayward as early as 1905 and in 1956 to John Dewey (O’Neill and McMahon, n.d.). The student centered model is driven by a need for a change in the traditional educational environment and when incorporated and implemented correctly we will see

The biggest difference between student-centered education and traditional education is that with student-centered education a variety of teaching methods are used (Blumberg, 2008). People all learn in different ways and at different levels and using just one standard teaching method does not always work for everyone. Learner-centered education is beneficial to both the teacher and the student in that it provides the perfect environment for hands on learning. It allows for the instructor to tie the material to real work examples and situations while allowing the learner to relate the learning to their own experiences.

However, the second method being discussed in this paper, the whole language approach, focuses much of its attention on making sure the student understands and enjoys what he or she is reading. Whole language instruction occurs when a student acquires language rather than learning it through direct instruction (Brooks 35-36). This method is more child centered than teacher dominated, because the objective is for the student to learn how to read through talking and doing rather than through passive listening. Unlike phonics, whole language uses a variety of ways to give students the opportunity to interact with the text they are reading. Questioning, discussing, problem-solving, listening, writing, drawing, and dramatizing are among the ways students interact with text. Students are also encouraged to implement simple strategies while reading such as: reading the sentence and guessing what word will come next, looking at the picture on the page to help figure out the sentence, and also rereading the sentence for clarification. This method also does a good job in allowing the students to engage in text at their own speed and often in their own ways (36).

Although vocabulary is the sub-skill of a language, it plays a very important role in language learning and teaching. In fact, vocabulary is central to language and is of paramount importance to language learners. On the other hand, words are the building blocks of a language that are used to label objects, actions, and ideas. In other words, people cannot convey the intended meaning without knowing vocabulary. It is widely accepted that vocabulary is a very important part in English language learning because no one can communicate in any meaningful way without vocabulary. As McCarthy (1990) stated, the single, biggest component of any language course is vocabulary. Nation (1990) also affirms that vocabulary can be considered as the most important element in language learning because Learners think that many of their

There are several ways that student-centered learning can be described, and they all lead back to the same basic idea, the student. First, student-centered learning can be defined as a discipline that involves the interaction of a team of students that experience creative learning to be used in the real world (Thornburg, 1995). Thornburg (1995) also mention that students are essential to the classroom, just like a team member is essential to a game. He says that teachers are part of the definition of student-centered learning, but they are not the main attraction. The students are the focus, and the teacher is the one who can assist among small groups of students. Eaton

Vocabulary plays a significant role in English as second language learning process. For the majority of English as Second Language(ESL) learners, the ultimate goal of learning the language is to understand (read and listen) and communicate (write and speak) with little difficulty and the lack of sufficient vocabulary may be the constraint of such goal (Folse, 2004). As the bedrock of English and as well as language, vocabulary also facilitates the development of other language skills: lexical richness leads to the progress in the use of language, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing skills (Nation, 1994). Reversely, The improvement in such skills may enhance learners vocabulary size as the exposure to more learning materials improves the capacity to acquire new vocabulary. (The importance of learning vocabulary/ why vocabulary?)

Extensive reading is a reading strategy that read longer texts for global understanding. This study was assessed the culture of extensive readers and the difference between extensive and non extensive readers speaking fluency. Additionally, assessed that students who read extensively could speak fluently and the role of extensive in developing speaking skill was well assessed. The study was delimited on third year English language and literature student of Wolaita Sodo University. The researcher also used purposive sampling by non- probably sampling technique due to the number of subjects were 52. To gathered information researcher used questionnaire for students and interview for teachers and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through table and percentage. Based on the data gathered through questionnaire and interview the culture of extensive readers and main role as well as level of importance of extensive reading in developing speaking skill was identified. Through the research finding, extensive reading has significant impact to develop speaking skill and students who read extensively have better vocabulary ability than others and this situation help them to speak their idea freely. Researcher conclude that extensive reading major role to learners and the mode of teaching speaking is more use full to students thought reading as a means of facilitating them about the acquisition of English language and recommend that most student considered them as responsive only

Reading is an act of perception, analysis, and interpretation done by the reader to get the message to be conveyed by the author in media writing. According to Farr (in Dalman, 2013: 5) suggests that "Reading is the Heart of Education, the reading of reading comprehension is an essential prerequisite for mastery and enhancement of students' knowledge, so after reading the text the reader should be able to understand the text. First, give information, for example by reading newspapers and magazines, secondly, give entertainment, for example by reading a novel.The third one, most importantly reading can provide new knowledge.The book can provide understanding as well as entertaining and providing information.

According to J. Harmer in his book The Practice of English Language Teaching, “receptive skills are the ways in which people extract the meaning from the discourse they see or hear”. In the following text the main skill which is going to be practiced is reading, the sub skills will be reading for gist and details, also using new vocabularies in the context. Enhancement of receptive skills will increase the rate at which students comprehend English language and allow students to practice