Name: Silva Angraini

Class: 6C
NPM: 186310525
Source: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

How to teaching vocabulary at SD, SMP, and SMA?

1. To teach vocabulary a teacher must be able to make the students exited about and enjoy
learning. As stated by Henson and Janke (1984:46).

The primary goal is not “fun”, but it is well accepted that given several activities which
help children acquire an established objective, using those the student enjoy most is more
fruitful. It is permissible for learning to be enjoyable. According to forts and Thomas in
principle and problem in the elementary school (1969:305-306). The instruction effective
to elementary school students.

1. Teacher must be provided that with opportunities for viewing the unique development
pattern of each child while simultancously is not similar characteristic in all children.

2. Teacher should help each child realized how own unique growth and style by mastery
vocabulary, including how to pronounce, to spell it, then language such as, structure,
fluency, and to pace his efforts as. He deals with his learning in his own time.

3. Teacher should encourage children to participate in group,

The mastery vocabulary, including how to pronounce, to spell it, then will very much
help the students learn the other components of the language such as, structure, fluency,
and vocabulary it self. The vocabulary selection must be adjusted to th6 goal of the
teaching of learning language. For example, the Inaction word necessary for the make
their teaching succesfull.

Teaching vocabulary at elementary school is different with other levels, so it’s better to
teacher to using a good teaching technique at elementary school.

Teaching vocabulary is a process in which teacher gives some new words to the students
and hoping that they can recognize, pronounce, practice and remember those new words
may they haven’t heard those words before (Surachmat, 2008:21).

In teaching vocabulary, students not only should know the meaning of a word, but they
should also be able to use it in context. According to Surachmat (2008:21) here are some
techniques for teaching vocabulary:
 Using realia

Realia means the use of real object that can be seen by the students. The teacher
gives such a real thing either in the classroom or beyond the classroom. So,
vocabulary can easily explain. This is effective and satisfactory technique, even
though, it si limited to a certain single thing or word that can be taken into the
classroom or confront the students to the things usually exist.

 Showing picture

Picture is indispensable media for language teaching since they can be used in so
many ways. They can be wall picture, blackboard drawing, charts, flashcards,
table or statistic and etc.

 Synonyms

Synonym is two or more words which have the same meaning but different in
spelling and writing. Comparing synonyms help to the students see the
relationship between words of similar meaning. Students can learn to distinguish
of words by nothing words that belong to certain classes or groups, such as the
word big similar with the word great and huge.

 Antonyms

A studying antonyms can be part of a word analysis. Antonyms also studied as

adjectives, early-late, smooth-rough, thin-fat.

 Homonyms

Homonyms are words identical in pronunciation but different in meanings.

Teachers can use written exercise to give the students an opportunity to
discriminate between the spelling and meaning of homonyms.

 Mime, action, gesture

The teacher can walk, cry or write for the words walk, cry, and write. While in
exploring the words such as to up, from, etc, the teacher can use gestures.

 Enumeration

When the teacher find difficulties in explaining words, for example the teacher
want to teach the word ‘animal’, the teacher can enumerate a number of animal
like lion, tiger, horse, cow, cat, etc.

 Explanation or definition
 The teachers give explanation or definition of the word given. For example, the
word “pencil”, the teacher explains it is used to write something on the paper.

 Translation

The teacher sometime has to translate it into students’ mother tongue.

 Games and play-acting

Game provides an excellent opportunity for he use of grammar, structures, and

vocabulary. At the beginning learning levels, we may ask students to take
prearranged objects out of the box and practice such expressions as what’s in the
box. Play acting can also be very effective. Students acting out roles may speak in
the present tense, as I’m John and I’m working in an office (A toy, papers, and
other office product will be helful).

 Derivation

Derivation involves all kinds of English word changes, such as verb, noun,
adverb, adjective, etc. the changes are in parts of speech or in inflation. (word by
prefix and suffix).

 Demonstration

It means an act of showing something as an explaining the meaning of the words.

 Song

Song can also be a technique to get the meaning of words, in this case the young
learners usually like singing very much.

2. Teaching vocabulary at junior high school

Teachers have to can use more than one strategy to teaching vocabulary, so that students
do not feel bored. The best way of learning vocabulary is when the meaning of the words
is illustrated, for example by a picture, an action, or a real object.”
In teaching vocabulary, we can use strategies in grammar translation method. According
Fauziati (2002: 150), classroom techniques of grammar translation method are
synonyms/antonyms, fill in the blank, memorization, and translating.
The Strategies Used by the Teacher in Teaching Vocabulary
1) Memorization
This was done to make the students to understand the reading text easier. Teacher
also directly translated difficult words encountered in text. This strategy was believed
to develop vocabularies of the students. Mostly, the teacher used memorization to
improve the students vocabulary. In every meeting the teacher always wrote new
 vocabulary related with the reading material in the whiteboard. She asked the students
to write and memorized the words.

2) Synonym/ antonym
In this activity, the teacher helped the students to translate the difficult word.
However, she did not directly translate in Indonesia, but she often used the synonyms
of that words or she used that word in context to make the students easy to understand
their meaning. The teacher mostly used Indonesia language to explain the material.
The teacher explained the generic structure, goal, and function of procedure text.
After that, she asked the students to provide examples about procedure text. This
strategy was found at the first, second and third observation. The writer did not find
this strategy in the fourth observation, because the fourth observation was used for
daily exam. Synonym/antonym strategy was used by the teacher when there was
students asked about difficult vocabulary, teacher did not directly give the meaning of
the word but the teacher gave the students the familliar synonim or antonym of that
words.

3) Translating
The other strategy that the writer found was translating. That strategy was observed
by the writer at first, second and third observation, but the writer did not find this
strategy in the four to observation because the observation of the four used by
teachers for daily tests.

3. Teaching vocabulary at senior high school might not seem like the most interesting
subject for students, learning new words and their meanings is essential to any student’s
education. There are a variety of different methods teachers can deploy aside from the
textbook and test method. Here’s a look at five high school vocabulary teaching methods
that are fun, interesting and sure to engage students.

 Vocabulary Bingo
After teachers put students through the typical curriculum (i.e., learn the word and
what it means), it’s time to engage students in fun, lighthearted activities that will
help them retain the information. One such activity is vocabulary bingo. Have the
students make bingo cards, placing words they just learned in the various places
on the card. Then, read the definitions of the word. If the students have that word,
they’ll color in the box on their cards where it exists. This helps students put the
definition with the word itself. Teachers can also reward students who complete
bingo with prizes or extra credit points.

 Word charting
The goal of teaching vocabulary is to expand a student’s word knowledge. One
way to do this is by encouraging students to use vocabulary words in their lives.
This is where word charting comes in. Teachers can encourage students to do this
 outside of the classroom while they’re at home. For instance, if students have just
been taught the word “cacophony,” which means discordant sounds, encourage
them to look for real-life scenarios to use it. Have students chart when they used it
to describe something in their lives. For instance, a student may drop a dish on top
of another dish in the sink and use “cacophony” to describe the sound it made.
Give extra credit or prizes to the students that chart the most vocabulary words
over a certain time in their proper contexts.

 Short stories
Another way to make teaching vocabulary more fun is to have students create a
short story or screenplay using the words they’ve just learned. Teachers can also
make this a final project or midterm project. Typically, this will go over much
better than a final exam, and students will be more willing to engage and get
creative with such a task, especially if a large portion of their grade depends on it.

 Write songs
To piggyback off the previous point, another way for students to better retain
words is to have them write songs using them. This is also a project that will get
the creative juices flowing with students. Break them up into groups and have
them write lyrics with their new words in context of their definitions. Be sure to
also offer extra credit for students who go above and beyond just writing lyrics,
such as for groups that actually put music with their songs or record them to play
them back to the rest of the class. Writing poetry with newly learned words is
another option that could fall within this category.

 Pictionary
Games have proved to be a better way to engage students and help them retain
information in the classroom. And one game that could apply to new vocabulary
words is Pictionary. Have students divide into groups and then diagram word
definitions as best as they can, as their peers attempt to guess them. Another game
might consist of students acting out words in short skits for classmates to guess.
Such games are fun and are sure to produce a lot of laughs as students learn new
words.