1. How children learn the
meaning of words
Young Learners Workshop
Cecilia Maller A

2. Ideas
 Bear in mind that kids are still
building their L1 vocabulary, still in
the process of acquiring and
organizing concepts.
 So learning L2 complex.
 Learning is a continuous process- all
your life.

3.  Children faced to 3 diff. But related
vocabulary learning tasks:
 1. Labelling
 2. Packaging
 3. Network-building

4. Labelling
 Discover that sequences of sounds
can be used as names for things.
 Ball

5. Packaging
 Kids must discover which things can
be packed together under one label.
 Kids learn basic words before their
subordinates.
 Ex. Chair before furniture

6. Network building task
 Kids must work out how words relate
to one another.
 Ex. Family relationships

7. Knowing a word
 It involves many diff. types of
knowledge.
 In the early stages:
Less attention to: aspects of form
( spelling, grammatical description,
grammatical changes that a word
may suffer, etc.).

8. More attention to:
 How a word is pronounced
 Its meaning
 Its use.
 * Depends on the use: active or
receptive use.

9. Vocabulary size, selection and
learnability
How many words to teach?
 500 words a year.- depending on
factors like learning conditions, time
available and learnability of a word.

10. Factors related to LEARNABILITY
(7)
 1.Demonstrability: When a word is
easy to convey.
 Concrete basic level: CAR
 Abstract: Transport

11.  2.Similarity to L1: Similar words?
 Vehicle- ……………
 3. Brevity: Short or long word?
Short=easier. ( assumption)
Plane Aeroplane

12.  4. Regularity of form: A word that has
regularity in form.
 Ex. Apple______Apples ( easier)
 Foot___________Feet
 5. Learning Load: Part of a word
already known.
 Ex. Bed Room
Bedroom.( effort to learn it -lower)

13.  6.Opportunism: Relevant word to the
kid?
Ex. Classroom environment vocabulary
Vs
How to build a house.

14.  7. Centres of interest: Relevant and of
interest to children.
 Coursebooks:
 Basic vocabulary essential for
communication as well as child-centred
words.
 Fun ________value
 Kids: like to learn, easiest to learn and
remember.
 Read pages 83-85 ( whole article)

15. The vocabulary teaching and
learning process
 Kids in their effort to learn new words
will go through 5 main stages:

17. Stage 1: Understanding and
learning the meaning of new words
 Ideally presented in context familiar
to the child.
 Visual support- to convey meaning
and help memorize new vocabulary.
 How to introduce them:
- Lexical sets: shops, fruit, rooms in a
house
- Rhyming sets: bat, rat, hat, mat

18.  Colours sets: things that are green:
A pea, a leaf, an apple.
-Grammatical sets: adjectives, verbs,
prepositions, nouns. Help recognize
patterns; e.i. –or, -er,c- ist for jobs.

19. Patterns or collocations: Play the piano,
ride a bike.
-Opposites or male and female:
hot/cold,
Boy/girl.

20. Techniques to introduce new
vocabulary
 Using objects- Helps to memorize the
word through visualization.
 Using drawings- board or flashcards*
( card covered with plastic).

21.  Using illustrations, pictures, photos,
flashcards ( your own, from
magazines)

22.  Using action, mime, expressions and
gestures. Sad/happy., swim/run
 Pointing, touching, tasting, feeling,
smelling whenever possible- pupils use
their senses, memorize words and
understand meanings.

23.  Using technology

24. Verbal techniques
 Explaining- analytical description.
Ex. A present is something….
 Definig the context: The winner of the
swimming competition gets a medal.

25.  Eliciting What does the winner of the
swimming competition get?- more
memorable and motivating than a list
of words.
 Describing: It´s made of metal and
looks like a coin----medal. Using
opposites
Kids associate words with a concept they
understand in L1.

26. Stage 2. Attending to form
 Depending on the age and level.
 Listening and repeating
 Listening for specific phonological info
( consonant and vowel sounds,number
of syllables, stress patterns, etc)

27.  Looking at/ observing the written form
( shape, first and last letters, spelling)
 Noticing grammatical information.
Ex. AN apple
 Copying and organizing

28. Stage 3: Vocabulary practising,
memorizing and checking activities
 This requires to do things with the
words __to make strong memory
connections by learning words in
groups.

29.  Classifying/sorting. Kids sort words
into categories. Ex. Hot and cold
drinks.
 Giving instructions. T. focuses on
specific vocabulary. Ex. Show me a red
square

30.  Picture dictation: Kids draw what you
say.
 What´s missing: Look at a picture
ans say what´s missing.

31.  Kim´s game: Objects are used and
displayed on a tray or table.
 Wordsearchers: Kids love searching for
English spelling patterns.
 Sequencing: Put pictures on the board
as required. Put the red square next
to…

32.  Labelling: Kids label a picture in order
to practise different nouns from lexical
sets.
Christmas tree

33. Stage 4. Consolidating, recycling,
extending, organizing, recording
and personalizing vocabulary
 Kids seem to learn fast- take care of
their long term memory: practise
regularly, consolidate and recycle
words in diff. contexts.
 How?

34.  Vocabulary books
Create their own VB:
Ex. Alphabetically, pictures and drawings,
by topic, situation, grammatical
groups, etc.
 Collages: Around a particular theme

35.  Word network/ webs/trees.
Create their own ones; taking as
starting point a topic.
Ex. Transport….

36.  Clines or steps degrees of temperature:
Hot/ warm/ cold/ freezing. Animals from
big to small.
 Word stars. Pupils arrange words which
rhyme on a star diagram which will
help them recognize letter-sound
relations.
 Reading pg. 90- 91