An Exploration of Principles and Strategies in Middle School English Vocabulary Instruction Under New Curriculum

【Abstract】：Vocabulary， the essential unit of languages，is basic for human communication.This thesis aims to explore a systematic framework for vocabulary instruction， and work out solutions to the problems in the practice of vocabulary instruction.

【Key words】： vocabulary instruction ; teaching strategies; new curriculum reform.

1. Basic Principles of Vocabulary Instruction

1.1 Global Vocabulary Practice Principle

Listening and speaking first， and then reading and writing. Teaching vocabulary "from these four aspects simultaneously can receive surprising effects. We learn a word that means we need to learn its pronunciation，spelling and meaning. So we English teachers need to emphasize the simultaneous practice of vocabulary in listening， speaking， reading and writing， and to emphasize the combination of explanation and practice. In this way， students can master the pronunciation，spelling and meaning of a word for a long time and know how to use them actively in communication.

1.2 step-by-step Principle

When English teachers explain the meaning and the usage of word， we should stick to the principle of from few to many， and from the easy to the difficult and complicated. When a word first appears should within the coverage of the material they have learned. With the appearance of a word’s new meaning and its new usage， we should expand and deepen explanation of its new meaning and usage gradually and step by step. English teachers had better teach English vocabulary in a progressive and step-by-step way， and not act in haste which teach students too many vocabulary， or they will not learn efficiently.

1.3 Contextualized Principle

It advocates that language roots in the base of social and cultural field， language understanding and use are interactively related and connected to each other. So English teachers should pay attention to the establishment of a real and effective context in order to activate students’ interest and initiative in learning vocabulary.

1.4 Principle of “proper time， proper degree and proper amount”

This principle means English teachers need to pay more attention to the time， degree and amount in vocabulary instruction.Firstly ，amount refers to the amount of vocabulary ， which should not be less or more， and teachers can distinguish receptive and active vocabulary. Secondly， degree refers to “frequency--the times of reviewing words” and “intensity-attention and energy devoted to learning vocabulary”. Last but not least，proper time refers to when to teach vocabulary， It is necessary for English teachers to avoid teaching a new words and its antonym and polysemy at the same time.

2. Strategies of Vocabulary Instruction

2.1 Building a Vocabulary System

English vocabulary is systematical. if we teach vocabulary in an isolated way， we will receive little results.it is advisable that we adopt various methods to stimulate students’ interest ， train their memory， and guide them to build vocabulary.

2.1.1 Word-formation "In vocabulary instruction， we can impart some knowledge about word-formation to students. Such as the inflectional way， the derivational way， compounding way and abbreviational way. We also can tell students some affixes，

2.1.2 Vocabulary Classification "In vocabulary instruction， we had better advice our students to classify the words we have taught， which are conducive to their vocabulary learning and can be a task in classroom or outside. Words belong to a same topic can be put together.

2.1.3 Word Chunk "There are many word chunk in English language， which frequently appeared in the certain structure and semantic. English teachers need to connect new words with its relative word chunk. When we teach a verb， we also need to present its present participle， past participle， past form and its singular form in third person. When teach "a noun， we also need to explain its plural forms， verb forms， adverb forms and adjective forms. In this way， students’ amount of vocabulary can be enlarged and their interest in learning vocabulary can be stimulated.

2.2 Contextualized Teaching Method "The fifth level of English New curriculum requires that students can understand the basic meaning of words and its meaning in specific context. It is of vital importance to teach vocabulary in the specific context.

2.3Expression methods

The best way to consolidate the vocabulary is to use them in expression. The methods that can improve students’ memory through expression are following.

First， making your own sentences with new words. Teachers had better warn students to fully demonstrate the context and pay attention to the expression of contents and the integrity of sentence， and encourage them to express their real and genuine feelings. Second， creating situations for students . They can use situations created for them to communicate in order to practice their ability to use vocabulary.Third， retelling. Retelling the text is an effective methods to help students understand the contents of text， memorize relative vocabulary and improve the ability of language expression.

3.Conclusion

English is a widely used language. Vocabulary instruction is an important part "in the English teaching. Middle school English is a vital stage in the whole language learning. Students should lay a solid foundation in this stage for their following learning. So English teachers need to try their best to design teaching methods and procedures. We must rack our brains to stimulate students’ interest in learning English vocabulary and adopt different teaching methods on the basis of different situations.

References

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