Research on the Importance of Vocabulary Teaching in Middle School

鄒光蘭

Abstract：If English is a building，then vocabulary is the tiles of the building. If you dont have enough tiles，you are unable to complete the construction. At present，English has come into focus as an important subject in elementary and middle school. Therefore，the teaching method of English vocabulary has also been a matter of concern. It is hoped that English teachers can better guide vocabulary teaching through this research.

Keywords：Middle school English；Vocabulary teaching；Importance

For many years，China has paid more attention to written tests than oral English，forming a unique phenomenon called "dumb English" in China which has been questioned and criticized by education experts. With the development of globalization and informatization，English plays an important role in communication as a global language. Therefore，it is necessary for teachers to explore and use new theories for English vocabulary teaching in middle school.

1 Vocabulary is the basic unit of English

Vocabulary is an important part of English teaching，and vocabulary teaching is an important part of language teaching. In the English Syllabus for Middle School in Compulsory Education Period，the graduates are required to be proficiency in spelling through basic spelling rules and able to do the language training for derived words and compound words based on word formation. However，in practical teaching，students feel confused about "vocabulary teaching" called by some teachers. They only put emphasis on the teaching of pronunciation，grammar and sentence patterns with repeated explanation and practice in order to tirelessly make students get high scores in the exam. Some teachers even don't pay attention to vocabulary teaching，they think that there is no need for vocabulary teaching. They only teach students to read words and understand the meaning，and ask them to recite and dictate after class.

2 Vocabulary is the foundation of English skills development

For students，vocabulary learning is boring with long-time learning and short-time memory，it is difficult to bring a sense of achievement for students in a short time like other subjects such as mathematics. This is why many students dislike English. In vocabulary teaching，teachers should emphasize the learning interest of students and create a relaxed and harmonious learning atmosphere for students to achieve better teaching results. Considering that vocabulary learning is important to future English learning，teachers should take specific steps in practical teaching. Teachers should try their best to establish a real context in class，summarize the rules of related vocabulary，master the characteristics of vocabulary and encourage students to answer questions individually through problem solving and good communication in order to improve the effect of vocabulary teaching. The tasks assigned by teachers should enable students to use words better rather than automatically learning language forms. Students can apply the knowledge they have learned in the text to real life through consolidation. English teachers should try to create a democratic，equal，happy and harmonious learning atmosphere to treat every student equally. They should also treat students equally regardless of their grades to tolerate their mistakes.

3 Pay attention to vocabulary teaching and consolidate students' foundation

Vocabulary learning is very important to language understanding and output. If you have enough vocabulary，you can understand and speak second languages easily even if you know almost nothing about structure. In such a country without English environment，it is impossible to master language knowledge without sufficient vocabulary which causes an empty talk of cultivating social skills. Without grammar，it cannot be expressed well，and without vocabulary，nothing can be expressed. In order to maximize the learning involvement of students，it is necessary to form a teacher-led and student-centered teaching model that prompts students for an active learning concept. The essence of active foreign language learning is the teaching process. Under the guidance of teachers，it is necessary to establish the viewpoint that students are the masters of foreign language learning to fully motivate students to participate in the process of English vocabulary learning.

In summary，English vocabulary teaching in middle school not only needs outstanding teaching concepts，but also needs to understand the teaching requirements of improving listening，speaking，reading and writing abilities to fulfil non-intellectual factors of students for promoting the development of intellectual factors and English quality. Through many years of practical experience，the author found that only by doing this well can it help develop students' thinking and improve their academic performance.

References：

[1]? Cheng Xiaotang；English vocabulary teaching[M]；Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press；2018（5）.