How to teach vocabularies in the context

孫玲

【Abstract】This paper aims to advise the contemporary teachers to guide students to learn vocabularies in the context to help them foster the English thinking way rather than learning vocabularies by the method of translation.

【Key words】Vocabularies； Context

1. introduction

With the need of individuals，families，and society，more and more students choose to go abroad to finish junior school ，high school or further education， more and more students will contact with more foreigners in the life or in the future job， so now the teachers are given more and more expectations to help students learn English better. In recent years， helping students to foster the English thinking way is the key point in English learning.While in English learning，vocabularies learning is the basic knowledge for students.Therefore，how to teach vocabularies to help students really cultivate the authentic English thinking way is a novel challenge for the contemporary teachers and should get every educators attention.

2. The method of teaching vocabularies for different level students

In most vocabulary teaching classes，the teacher always adopt the the method of translation way to help students to learn words. For example， if the teacher want to help students learn whats the meaning of NASA. In the traditional class，the teacher will tell students its Chinese meaning.But in the novel class，the teacher may guide students to guess and conclude the meaning of the NASA from the context （Gordon & Barbara， 1974）.Take some sentences in the English text as an example： NASA can help people go into the space.Many people want to go into space，but just a few can be chosen.In 1994，NASA told Mae Jemison can go to space.From the context， students will conclude NASA is a person or a place and NASA will help people go into space from guessing and discussing by themselves.Later the teacher can show them some pictures about NASA through the whiteboard to help them realize NASA is a place in the USA and can help people take a shuttle to go into the space.The teacher also can guide them to know more about NASA via drawing the pictures through the blackboard.This teaching method is for low level or middle level students，and they are about 8-13 years old in the primary school.For the high level students，the teacher first still can guide them to learn in the context first，then let them read the text，the next is to explain its meaning directly ： Its the abbreviation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .Last is the question time to check their understanding of this word.

For the low level students，such as the kids.Teacher are also supposed to teach them foster the English thinking way in the study. For instance，if teachers want to teach students five senses in the English class，they ought to lead them to learn the five senses from the context （August & Hasbrouck ，2014）. The teacher can repair an apple as an teaching aid.First let them see it，then touch it， smell it and taste it.In teaching the sense hear part， the educator can organize the role play activities in the classroom to let students play the part of animals to make the animal sound and let others hear the sound and tell which the animal of the sound （Richard， 1985）.

3. The conclusion

No matter the educator teaches the students in low level， middle level or high level ，he should inspire them to focus vocabulary learning more in the context rather than by the method of the translation，which is beneficial for them to foster English thinking way to learn real English，to communicate with authentic foreigners， to know more about other countries cultures， and to go further to know this world.

References：

[1]August，D.& Hasbrouck，J.（2014）.Wonders.New York，NY.

[2]Goron，B.& Barbara，L.（1974）.The context of foreign language teaching.Rowley：Newburry house publishers inc.

[3]Richard，J.C.（1985）.The context of language teaching.Cambridge：Cambridge University Press.