How to present the vocabulary

Ideas for elementary levels – Visual & Listening Presentation
1- Prepare a PowerPoint with picture + sound and picture + written word. Present to
the students, first they see the picture and listen to the sound, repeat in chorus;
then they see the same picture with the written word and repeat the picture’s name
again.
The PowerPoint presentation may be prepared normally to be shown online or in a
pc if you have one in the classroom.
2- If you don’t have a pc in the classroom but have a DVD, prepare the PowerPoint
with picture + picture and written word, save as image. So you’ll have a folder with
all the images, open Moviemaker, import the pictures and insert the sound in the
first pictures.
3- If you are not totally secure about your pronunciation or intonation to insert your
own voice in the presentation, just sign in to , it’s easy and free.
After registering, search a word you want and you’ll find several pronunciations
recorded for the word you want. Hear all and download the one that better fits your
purpose. The files are in mp3 format that play in most DVD’s and sound players.
4- After choosing the sounds you want to insert, just introduce it in the first pictures
in your presentation.
5- The same process may be used for PowerPoint presentations.
Ideas for elementary levels – Flashcards
1- Prepare flashcards for the words you want to present.
2- You may have two kinds of flashcards: with and without the words. For the first
presentation I recommend flashcards without words.
2- Present the flashcards and let the students realize what the picture represents
asking questions:
• do you have this in your house?
• how often do you use this object?
• where do you normally see it?
• what do we use it for?
• do you have one like this?
• what color is it?

• where do you keep yours?
• or other questions you feel will help students realize the object name, its
functions, objective, where it can be found, etc.
3- In the next step, show the picture with words and ask:
• is this a …. (word they have already learned)?
• is this a ….(word they have already learned) or a … (object real name)?
• What do we use to…? (have the student say the new word – don’t correct
pronunciation)
• and other questions that lead the students to use the new word in different
contexts.
4- Make students ask questions with the new word
• Ask….(another student) if s/he uses a …(new word) very often.
• Ask… (another student) if s/he has a …(new word) at home.
• Ask… (another student) if a …(new word) is expensive.
Take the chance to use words the students learned in previous lessons, like expensive,
enough, later, against, etc. If the students learned Present Continuous in the previous
lesson, lead them to use the Present Continuous in their questions and answers.
5- Ask students to complete your sentences:
• when I’m at home and want to make a juice I use a …. (new word)
• last week I went to the supermarket and bought a … (new word)
• (gesture) I’m using a … (new word)
• (gesture) I’m eating a … (new word)
• and so on.
6- Give answers, the students have to ask questions that match, using the new word.
• No, I don’t have any.
• Yes, I need to buy one.
• I bought it yesterday.
• Yes, I’m using it right now.
• No, I can’t lend you mine, sorry.
pay attention if all the

students are repeating the
new words.
play again if you are not
completely satisfied with the
results.
you may want to present the
pictures again without words
or sound and ask the students
to say their names.
show each picture without
sound (after the first
presentation) and point a
student to say its name aloud.
show the pictures without
sound (after the first
presentation) and ask the
students: how do you say this
in English?
don’t correct students’
pronunciation when
presenting the words,
they’ll have time to
familiarize with the
words and then you’ll
correct their
pronunciation.
if you correct the
students they may feel
insecure and refuse
saying the new words

until they feel completely
sure about its
intonation and
pronunciation.
the most important thing
at this step is make the
students understand the
pictures names and how
to use them.
ask many questions to
show the students how
to use the new words
inserted in their routine.
Important: to get all the
students attention, first
ask a question and then
point a student to answer
it.
If the student doesn’t
understand the question,
choose another student
to answer and then ask a
similar question,
returning to the previous
student.
If the student makes a
grammar mistake, just
say it correctly to give the
student the chance to
say it again correctly.

After presenting the new words, the students will use them:
• reading a text with comprehension questions or
• with cartons without the text for them to fill with sentences using the new words or
• watching a short video with the new words and answering some questions after watching it several times or
• watching a video without sound (where the new words fit) and suggesting sentences to describe or to insert in it or
• watching a video without sound and writing the dialogs in group or
• reading a text and filling the gaps with the new words or
• a game where they will use them in a context or
• in a role playing.
If you are teaching kitchen vocabulary, a role playing “in the kitchen”; if you are teaching ingredients, “let’s make a cake”; and so on.
Intermediate & Low Advanced Levels
Give a text with gap-filling and the new words definitions (in alphabetical
order). The students have to read the text and to fill the gaps with the new
words, according to the definitions they have. It’s better developed when
students work in pairs.
After this activity, you may want to check it. The students can read the
text completed in loud voice (a paragraph for each student) and then you
ask the other students if they agree, if they completed differently and they
have to support their choices.
Another way to correct this activity is playing the text sound so the
students will correct it while listening. Play it several times, stopping after
each paragraph, to give students the opportunity to correct their mistakes.
After listening, students read the text to the entire class (each student
reads a paragraph) to see if the other students agree with their choices
and corrections.
Sites to download texts and sound files in
mp3 format:
/>al-listening-downloads-stories.htm
(British accent)  There are several texts with
activities, you can copy the texts and download

the files to play after they fill in the gaps. To
download the files, just right-click on the title of
the story and choose “save the link as”. If you
have a lab classes at your school, your
students can read and listen directly from the
site.
/>(different accents)  You have texts and mp3
files to download, each short dialog has people
from different nationalities and accents, you
can choose the ones you want to show.
Lesson development
1- Find a text, video or story you want to teach;
2- Prepare flashcards or PowerPoint (basic levels) or gap-filling (intermediate and low advanced levels) with the new
words or expressions;
3- Ask questions orally as described here;
4- Use games (board games, word searches, crosswords, etc) to practice the new vocabulary;
5- After the text or video, give comprehension questions. For advanced learners, promote debates, discussions and to
write original stories.
6- Intermediate learners may write original stories, imagine hypothetical situations related to the text or prepare dialogs
for a role playing.
7- You may print and cut the dialogs separated and give them to students to put them in the correct order.
8- Cut the text into sentences and the students reorder it while listening.
Higher advanced
1- Prepare a gap-filling exercise with the text to be taught.
2- Give the students a new words list in alphabetical order with the words class.
3- Divide students into groups and ask them to look up the new words in an English to
English dictionary.
4- Give them the text to complete using the new words.
5- Play the text sound for the students to correct their mistakes.
6- Ask students to read the text in paragraphs for the whole class. After each

paragraph ask students whether they agree or completed differently.
7- Ask students to support orally their choices.
8- Ask comprehension questions about the text, focusing on the new words.
9- Ask students to write / say original sentences using the new words.
10- Give students some situations related to the text to discuss or to write a text about.
11- Ask students to find grammatical topics (verb tenses, modals, passive voice, etc.)
and explain their use in the text.
12- If the grammar topic is new, ask students to do a research on it and explain next
class.
Abstract concepts
1- Prepare flashcards or PowerPoint if
possible;
2- Gesture and act to demonstrate the
new concept;
3- Tell a small story and insert the new
word in the context;
4- Give students several magazines (in
English) to cut pictures related to the
new concept (basic and intermediate
levels)
5- Ask students to write a short story
with a situation in which they could use
the new word (advanced).
6- Show a scene taken from a movie or
a sentence in a popular song with the
new word.