ELL 3 Pre-training Handouts - Teaching Vocabulary - The Communicative Approach and Grammar

Sep 28, 2026

Handouts for ELL 3 pre-training guide effective vocabulary instruction and grammar teaching. Vocabulary guidance covers limiting new words per lesson, choosing consistent phrasing, and teaching words through context using pictures, realia, grouped themes, and common phrases, with repetition and multiple examples. Practice routines include listening, student repetition, comprehension checks, peer use, games, dictation, and role plays. A second section explains the Communicative Approach, emphasizing real communication, contextual real-life experience, usage over rules, interaction, trial and error, and the tutor as facilitator.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Handout: Teaching Vocabulary

Key guidelines for teaching vocabulary

Vocabulary practice and reinforcement

Handout: The Communicative Approach and Grammar

Six elements of the communicative approach

Grammar teaching question

Handout: Teaching Vocabulary The first step in preparing students to communicate in English is helping them acquire a basic vocabulary of useful words and phrases. It can take as many as 20 or more exposures to a new word in written or oral form for a language learner to truly understand that word. Keep in mind the following guidelines when you are teaching vocabulary: Teach only a few new words at a time. Aim for no more than 8 to 10 new words per lesson. Choose one way of saying something and stick with it. For example, if you teach the expression “Turn off the light,” don’t give other versions of the same expression (“Switch off the light,” “Turn out the light,” or “Put out the light”) . Contextualize vocabulary. There are several ways to do this: 􀁸 Use pictures that show the word in context. For example, it’s easier to define the word “deer” by showing a student pictures of deer in the woods than it is to tell them it’sa four legged animal that eats grass and has antlers. 􀁸 Use realia. Bring in the actual objects you are teaching. For example, bring in an apple, orange, pear, and banana if you are teaching fruits. 􀁸 Teach words in groupings. For example, if you were trying to help a student develop the vocabulary needed to talk to the doctor, you would teach body parts together as one lesson, and teach ailment words (such as cut, ache, or burn) in the next lesson. 􀁸 Teach words contextualized in common phrases. If you were teaching vocabulary words to help a student order food, you wouldn’t just teach individual words like large, small, drink, pizza, pepperoni, or sausage. You would teach the phrase “I would like a small pepperoni pizza and a small drink,” then let the student practice using different vocabulary words in the phrase. 􀁸 Use themed pictures to group vocabulary words and phrases. Show students a picture like this one and ask them what they see. Write the words on the board, then put the words in phrases and sentences. For example, students might use the vocabulary woman, books, and buy. You can put those words together in as the sentence “The woman is buying books.” 􀁸 Act it out. If you are teaching verbs like sit, stand, walk, or jump, act them out. Use several examples of the vocabulary word for clarity. That way, there is no danger that students will misunderstand what the word means. For example, to teach the word yellow, show students three different things that are yellow: a pencil, a lemon, and a picture of a taxi. If you use only one, students might mistakenly think that you are teaching the word pencil or write. Teach vocabulary in a consistent fashion. Aim for a routine each time you introduce a new group of words. For example, you might routinely follow these steps: 􀁸 Say each word or phrase and have students watch and listen. 􀁸 Say the word or phrase again and invite students to repeat it. 􀁸 Check for comprehension by asking direct questions. “What is this?” 􀁸 Have students practice using the word or phrase with each other. Use repetition. To learn new words permanently, students need to hear and use them over and over again. Your teaching routine should include recycling new words in later lessons. Here’s an example: You are helping a student prepare for a job interview, and you are teaching related vocabulary words such as application, manager, interview, and thank-you note. You present the vocabulary, practice it in a comprehension exercise, and have the student use the vocabulary in sentences. In the next class, you can review the words through a game, a dictation, or a job interview role play. Link vocabulary to practical application. For most ESL students, learning English is a means to an end. Students want to learn English so they can meet basic needs (buy groceries), access resources in their community (make a doctor’s appointment), and interact with others (introduce yourself to coworkers) . Choose words and phrases that help students accomplish these

FAQs

How many new vocabulary words should be taught per lesson?

Teach only a few at a time, aiming for no more than 8 to 10 new words per lesson.

Why is repetition important in vocabulary learning?

Students need to hear and use new words over and over again, and later lessons should recycle the vocabulary through practice activities.

What are the six elements of the Communicative Approach?

Learning happens through real communication; language learning is contextualized in real-life experiences; the focus is on usage; there is lots of interaction; trial and error are part of learning; and the tutor acts as a facilitator.

Sep 28, 2026

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