Initiatives experience: Some methods to help students in grades 6 to memorize English vocabulary effectively

Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
A.

Introductory

Today in the trend of international economic integration English become a very
important means that we cannot ignore. According to the forecast of analysts, at the end
of this decade 1/3 of the world population will participate in learning English. This
English learning need regional and global shows that the communication demand by
english is more and more increasing to the economic and social development in national
reach as well as for individuals in society.
Can say that if we consider learning English as building, the vocabulary learning is
laying foundations of the house. have a solid foundation, the house can be built up.
English vocabulary learning, too. The vocabulary of the students are rich, vivid and
abundant, they can easily practice and develop the language skills: listening, speaking,
reading and writing in the specific situations. The foundation of the secondary school
level is 6th graders. Therefore, they need building a solid "foundation" vocabulary in
order to "build" the house of knowledge of the following grades.
In recent years, the innovation teaching methods has brought into play many
strength points, helps students to work more actively and positively in occupying
knowledge. However, with particular difficulties in rural areas in the conditions of
economic, cultural information exchanges updatedly, a student at my school acquired
English necessary vocabulary was hard ,so as to memorize and deeply understand and
apply it flexibly in communication situations is more difficult. Recite the Vietnamese
meaning of the English word. That led to a situation they would just memorize
vocabulary immediately, do not understand how to use and the type of words so after a
certain period of time, their vocabulary decreasing. Increasingly, English will become
fear for each student.
As a secondary school English teacher, through practical teaching for many years, I
am very anxious, think and creatively explore "A number of measures to help students in
grades 6 to memorize vocabulary efficiency", in order contribute to overcoming these

problems, help students increasingly enriching their vocabulary, supporting for the
learning of language skills. I would like to send to my colleagues refer to this topic.

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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶

B.PROBLEM SOLVING
I. Basis of reasoning.
In order to continue to perform effectively one of topic in the academic year 2014 2015 "Building a friendly school, active students' and teachers whose role is a instructor
and help students to comprehend the knowledge, are active in all activities to transform
teachers' knowledge into their knowledge. So how do students actively and positively
occupy the knowledge of a subject with this new customs and culture? How do they
understand the content of the lesson to apply effectively on the skills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing? To do that, we cannot deny the first role is that students
should be equipped with a rich vocabulary.
However, not everyone also has the way to learn vocabulary effectively contribute
to enrich their vocabulary. In order to increase the effectiveness of learning vocabulary
(namely memorize and use the vocabulary proficiently) Teachers should encourage
students to apply the measures they have known and guide them to learn the new
effective measures, easy to remember, save time.
Firstly teachers need to have specific orientation in choosing the new necessary
word to introduce students. These words should be actively trained to help students
initially has the impression, for learning by heart the word becomes easier to memorize at
home. In addition, teachers must continually take measures for checking the language to
encourage and promote they use the words they have learned in the most effective way.
The test must be fieldwork, can imply these words that teachers guide students, even we
learned in previous lessons..
I.

Practical basis.
In fact, the teaching of English in the schools is going on with the innovation in
methods of education, reforming the textbook, down load content curriculum in order to
fit the awareness of students, so that students can access to content, modern knowledge.
The amount of English words in the the curriculum can also be used consistently with the
development of society. Besides, the majority of parents concerns and create basic
conditions that are convenient for children to learn. They are fully equipped with books
and school supplies.
But besides that they also encounter difficulties in learning English. Most of the
students live in the remote areas, there is no way to learn vocabulary effectively. Their
learning way is often reading many times the words just learned. Thus, if the time is not
much, the level of learning by heart these words is very limited, especially students who
have to enlist the spare time to help parents work home. Especially for difficult words, if
they are less likely trained when access to this words in another lessions, the students
often do not know to resolve the situation in lesson lead to low scores. Moreover, many
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
students often forget the words that the teacher introduced at a later time if not practice
again. Many words has difficult constitution or pronounciation, Similar words can cause
the confusion for students or ability to remember is not high. Moreover, many parents
interested students but not every parent knows about this particular subject, so checking,
guiding the children at home met many difficulties.
In addition, teaching English in schools also take place in an environment of
communication between teachers and students is limited. Teaching in a large group
(usually unit class has about 30-40 students), the level of awareness in many different
levels, the support vehicles of teaching are not very uniform, affecting the students's
acquisition of knowledge.

After a few test about the vocabulary has been learned show that the level of student's
remembering vocabulary is very limited. Most of them only remember recently learned
words, the words before, they either do not remember anymore, or do not remember
exactly.
In this grade students should have a certain vocabulary knowledge to do the
groundwork for the next study levels. But only with the innovation in teaching methods
and textbook content knowledge of teachers is not enough. They need guiding specific,
appropriate and effective measures to obtain the necessary knowledge for themselves.
II.

●
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●
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Performance measures.

To learn vocabulary effectively depends largely on the preparation of students and
teachers, contributing to the first impression for those words. Depending on the
characteristics of each class. Each subject, content and knowledge capacity of lessons that
teachers can choose to teach the most appropriate words for each lesson.
Preparing vocabulary:
For teachers:
Whenever introducing any new words that, to impress and attract the attention of
students, the teachers need to invest time searching for documents, images related to the
topic, while constantly updated information to support daily lectures.
Regularly make simple, visual teaching aids to inspire in the lesson.
Prepare carefully, detailedly before class.
Select words appropriately for teaching.

For students:
Students collect documents and pictures related to the lecture along teachers
Find new words at home, preview the meaning, kind and the pronunciation of the word..
Regularly practice pronunciation.
Actively, voluntarily practice in pairs, groups teachers when request; attentively
enthusiaticly utterance opinions, build lessons.
Principles of teaching new words:
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
-Steps for presenting new vocabulary
1-Use a suitable technique to elecit or show the meaning of the new vocabulary .
2-Model the pronunciation clearly ( 3 times )
3-Ask students to repeat the word chorrally and individually.
4- Correct students’ s pronunciation
5-Write the words on the board and students’ s copy down on their notebooks.
6 Check that students clearly understanding the meaning and pronunciation.
7- Draw students’ attention to aspect of vocabulary such as part of speech,
callocation, frequency etc…..
8-Give students a written record.
(May be teacher checks that students write well in their vocabulary notebooks )
Eleciting techniques for teaching vocabulary

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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶

2.Measures to learn vocabulary

After they have been acquiring new language through each lesson, students have
been practiced a lot with that vocabulary in class through each specific context. But to
remember these words it depends so much on time in the student's home school. Most
of them spend time learning vocabulary at home. But not all children have also been
learning how to save time most effectively.
2.1. Write new words learned many times.
Beginning of the school year, teachers request each student to prepare the
necessary books, especially they need to have an English draft notebook and a
notebook to store other words. In English class, students are often introduced 5-8
words. On that day the children need to spend time memorizing the words right. If they
learn within that day, only about 5-10 minutes that they remember words. If the more
they leave to the next session, the harder they work and the more forgettable.
Way of learning: Write the English vocabulary on the page vertically. Write type
of words and meaning of the word Vietnamese side. Please read through few turns and
then if there are any letters that form this English words . Use a thick cardboard cover
entire the English words section ; from Vietnamese words meaning to write English.
After writing out a turn of the English word, to cover the English and Vietnamese
words part before, only the English just finished writing. From the English there, write
its Vietnamese meaning. So on until memorize all that Vietnamese meaning, type and
writing of the English word.
* Example with some vocabulary in Unit 4 – B 1-5.
Have, grade, class, floor
First draft:

Second draft:

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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶

Third draft:
*Note to memorize words:
- Whenever learning do not learn more than 8 words. If the amount of words on that
day more than 8 words then divide it into 2 times to lean.
- Learning words both mentally read the word in English.
- Must choose quiet study space, most easily focus. If a fixed time everyday learning
is noisy, will remembering words will be neglected, more difficult to memorize.
- After memorizing these vocabulary, need to empty some white paper. The next day
or after a unit or lesson, turn the page and write all the words in accordance with the
operations as presented. This helps students to practice, review the level of words's mind.
If you have forgotten which words or not remember much, please write again as the
newly learned words.
* The effect of this measure:
- Students can save time studying vocabulary.
- The level of remembering the vocabulary is very high because it is inculcated each
time written on paper.
- Every time you learn like that, students may learn by heart English, Vietnamese
meaning, the type and pronunciation of the word.
- After each unit or each topic, students can review a lot words in the same time
scientificly.
2.2. Write the word on a small piece of paper.
Another quite effective method of learning English words is that students write it,
Vietnamese meaning and its usage on a piece of small paper and pin it to somewhere in
your house or study corner that is the most visible to repeat every passing it.
Example:

* The effect of this measure:
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
- Students can learn the words on any time, anywhere.
- In addition to the Vietnamese meaning, English writing, students can understand the
use of the word through a few examples with realistic context for life.
- For some words show things around family life, students can paste their piece of
paper to the side of things there. Thus, when exposed to that things children also recall
the English word.
2.3. Learning words with diagrams.
After memorizing the vocabulary of a topic, students should arrange words
systematically in a notebook. This means that all words have a relationship with each
other in terms of the semantics needs to be sorted into groups according to a certain topic.
In this way, when referring to a certain words of the words system which were saved then
they may remember words that are related. There are many ways to organize and students
can also themselves create a more convenient way based on the following:
2.3.1. A tree diagram – Biểu đồ hình cây.

S
pace (.........) used to add new words to fill in the chart.
2.3.2. System silhouette.
Example: Unit 2- C1, 2, 3

The empty silhouette
2.3.3. Table words divided branch.

was used to fill new words to the system.
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
TV

Bed
Stereo
Bedroom
Living
room
Clock
Armchair
lamp
Telephone
table
Couch

Soap
towel
shower

Bathroom

hou
se

Kitchen

Table
Chair

- The blank space is used to add words to the system in the other classes.
The effect of this measure:
- Students may remember logically, systematicly and scientificly the terms in a
certain topic. Memorizing new words will inspire more and become easier for you.

- Through the word tables, students can form thinking about a certain topic. They
will have no difficulty in writing assignments such as: Write a paragraph describing the
home, school, his family ....
- The topic, the point is compiled in textbooks in the grade were compiled block
style spiral. When store new words in this way, they will be easy to add the word in
same subject in the higher education sector, very handy for apply vocabulary in
activities skills, especially in speaking and writing.
- When you remember one word of the system from above, they also easy to think
of other words related. Therefore, remembering word are deeper and richer.
2.3.4. Table words combined together:
Example : Unit 5 – A; B
Soccer To bed Video games To school Volleyball sports Home
To go
✓
✓
✓
To play
✓
✓
✓
✓
At
At seven o’clock
At the weekend
At christmas
……………

In
in the morning
afternoon

evening
in August

On
On Monday/ …..
On Monday morning
afternoon
evening
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
in winter / summer / spring /
night
autumn
On June 12th
in 1988
The effect of this measure:
- Students can distinguish the use of the words easy to confuse.
- Combination of the new words with grammar knowledge.
2.3.5. Table words according to the categories:
Verb
Noun
Adjective
Adverb
Meaning
Deepen
Drive
Lengthen
Play

Rain
Sing
Teach
Widen
Work

Beauty
Depth
driver
Length
player
Rain
singer
Teacher
Width
worker

Beautiful
Deep

Beautifully
Deeply

Long

Longly

Rainy
Wide

Widely

Xinh đẹp
Sâu
tài xế
Sâu
cầu thủ
Mưa
ca sỹ
giáo viên
Rộng rãi
công nhân

- - Students can expand their vocabulary more and more abundant in the family words.
- If store words according to this table, the student will be easier in solving exercises
choose the correct form of the words in brackets.
2.4. Sáng tác thơ / bài hát (compose a poem / a song)
●
- Teachers compose the words in the same topic in a poem or song.
●
- Students practice in extracurricular hours or at home:
● Poetry of adjectives:
Tall cao short ngắn long dài
Big to small nhỏ thin gầy khoẻ strong
Dày full yếu weak tròn round
Beautiful đẹp vui nào happy
● Poetry about of the human's parts.
Cái mũi thì nose
Cái đầu là head
Từ neck cái cổ

Nhìn rõ nhờ eyes
Đôi tai là ears
Từ hair mái tóc
Dáng vóc body
Ta đi bằng legs
Ta xách bằng hands
Khi ăn dùng teeth
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
Full lips môi dày
Từ face khuôn mặt
Gánh nặng shoulders
Fingers cầm bút.
● Poetry about the season and feeling in that season:
One year có 4 seasons
Summer mùa hạ, mùa đông winter
Spring xuân đến nở hoa
Mùa thu mát mẻ đó là từ fall
Summer hot lắm ai ơi
Winter cảm giác lại cold vô cùng
Spring cảm giác thì warm
Fall thì cảm giác nghe cool cực kỳ.
● Poetry about fun activities:
Có nhiều hoạt động vui chơi
Soccer bóng đá play chữ gì
Xem phim thì watch TV
Music nghe nhạc listen to đi cùng
Câu cá thì go fishing

Còn ai đi bộ go jogging cả ngày
Volleyball gắn với play
Thì tôi biết được là chơi bóng chuyền
Nhưng mà nhớ help your mom
Nghĩa là giúp mẹ đừng nên chơi nhiều.
● Song (Based on music song "Both family love together")
In the morning, I go to school
In the afternoon, I play volleyball
In the evening, I do my homework
I go to bed at 10.30
* The effect of this measure:
- Students interested in learning vocabulary, especially those who prefer music or
literature.
- Learning vocabulary becomes richer because students can learn words anytime,
anywhere.
Some test vocabulary exercises.
Parallel with guiding measures of vocabulary learning for student , teachers need to
have exercises to test the level of memoring words in oder to promote their learning
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
and take measures to support and improve their timely method. Here are several types
of exercises are often incorporated into the lesson:
3.1. Xếp từ có cùng chủ điểm (Choose the suitable topic)
- Teachers make a appropriate table words.
- Students arrange words according to appropriate topic.
EX:
Soccer chicken
cold

milk
head
eggs
oranges
noodles
nose
wet
rice
mouth
swimming
tennis
warm
beef
ears
fish
arms
meat
bananas
hands
apples
carrots
basketball
soda
hot
potatoes
dry
coffee
lemonade
volleyball
legs

cool
bread
table-tennis
Food & drink
eggs

Key:
Food & drink
-chicken; milk
Eggs;oranges
Noodles ;rice
Beef ;fish
Meat ;bananas
apples ; carrots
soda ;potaotes
coffee ; lemonade
bread

Weather
Cold

Sports
Badminton

Body

Sports
Badminton
swimming
tennis

basketball
volleyball
table-tennis
Soccer

Head

Weather
cold
wet
warm
hot
dry
cool

Body

Head
nose
ears
mouth
arms
hands
legs

3.2. Tìm từ khoá (Find the key words)
- Teachers make suggestions related to the keyword. -Students think and find that
keyword.
volleyball
soccer

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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
swimming
tennis
Key: Sports
3.3. Write a paragraph:
- After a certain unit, the teacher can give exercises require students to write about just
learned topics.
- These exercises can give students to do at home.
- Some of the topics:
+ Write a paragraph about 80 words describing your home, based on words table that
divided by group.
+ Write a paragraph of about 100 words describing people in your family based on tree
diagrams that you were stored in the notebook..
+ Write a paragraph of about 100 words describing your school, based on graph
silhouette.
+ Writing about food, drinks that you and everyone in your family love. (About 80
words)
4. Results of the implementation
Before the use of these measures in the process of teaching, quality memorize vocabulary
of students is very low. The lessons have to practice speaking or writing thematically
have little results. During the past school year, after applying the guidance of pupils
measures such memorizing new words, I noticed many students remember a lot of
vocabulary, though the word is not used in a long time. The vocabulary of students
increased significantly. The weak students can use words to speak and write simple
sentences. The strong students can apply flexiblely vocabulary in sentences or more
complex assignments. Therefore, the study results are significantly improved.
Studying result of students in grade 6 school year 2014-2015 achieved as follows:

Class
Total
Good
quite
medium weak
bad
6B
31
15,5%
35,5%
36%
10%
3%
semester
I
semester 6 B
31
18,5%
36,5%
38%
7%
II

5. Lessons Learned
In the process of teaching, using measures of vocabulary learning truly effective,
the teacher should
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶

1 - Always close and open for students to grasp the situation of children learning
at home, creating emotional teachers and students through the teaching and learning
activities. Since then attract students of English love more.
2 - Prepare lesson carefully and thoroughly, to suit each student audience.
3 - Given the specific situation, understandable to inspire students to guess the
correct word, contributing to inspire them to learn from.
4 - Do not confined corpus and vocabulary within the textbook. Depending on the
ability of students that teachers can expand the content of the corpus and vocabulary to
the extent possible, encourage them to use vocabulary to practice the language.
5 - Teachers prepare teaching materials carefully, collecting more pictures from
magazines or perhaps simple painting .... to deeply impress the students, to help them
remember the words right in class.
6 - Regularly check their English vocabulary learning drafts notebook, timely
motivate students to learn words hard.
7.Guide for children to play some games (due to the monitor controls ) in checking
old lesson hours to help them to learn new vocabulary review.
8.Encourage them to buy more books and collect many simple English story to
read so as to develop their vocabulary.
9.Especially teachers need to seriously carry out professional activities, subjects
about English of schools or clusters, unite the focus of the teaching's content and
examination in order to close to the program and students .
Moreover, the teacher should always explore,create good ways , cultivate their
teaching skills, improve their professional qualifications in order to bring useful lessons
for the students to help them achieve high academic results further.
C.CONCLUSION
These are methods of teaching with practical teaching myself, I found that in the
teaching process, teachers try to apply the teaching methods flexibly to suit the content of
and suit all pupils simultaneously combined with the pedagogical tricks and personal
experiences to stimulate interest in their learning and help them achieve good result.
Because of the future of our children every teacher in general and myself in

particular to bring out the spirit, responsibility, conscience and enthusiasm about work to
assist and equip students with the knowledge to build, train them to become good citizens
of the country, promote the capacity of their creative thinking, to meet the goals and
requirements of today's education in the spirit of the movement, each teacher is a shining
example of self-learning, self-practising and creativity.
Innovation in program content, teaching English to suit current trends in the world
and in accordance with the conditions of our country is growing. To contribute to the
expansion, more enriching for students, I have drawn the experience, measures of
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Mét sè biÖn ph¸p gióp häc sinh líp 6 häc thuéc tõ vông TiÕng Anh hiÖu qu¶
vocabulary learning is effective for them. These are practical measures, consistent with
the cognitive characteristics of students, consistent with the educational goals of the new
era. They can apply their knowledge in everyday life. This is a practical method to
improve the overall quality of learning for pupils.
D.RECOMMENDATIONS, PROPOSALS
To improve the quality of teaching English efficiently : Schools need interest and
meet the demand for facilities such as classrooms functions, connect to the Internet so
that students can access to different channels of learning; school library should add
reference books and short stories in English.
For the students, should actively participate in self-studing at home with the
orientation and regular testing of teachers, combine with parents in order to promote the
best performance for measures . Because of the subject of receiving knowledge, after all,
is the objects of students.
Above is my own effort has drawn some small experience to use in teaching.
Certainly some shortcomingsis are inevitable . We wish receive the comments of leaders
and colleagues so that the topics can be completed soon and more feasible.
I sincerely thank!
ngày

tháng

năm 2015

14