How To | Teach Vocabulary Thornbury Pdf
We’ve all been there. You spend 20 minutes presenting a set of beautifully illustrated vocabulary words. Students repeat them chorally. They copy them into notebooks. Then, the next day... nothing. It’s as if the words never entered their brains.
What’s your biggest struggle with teaching vocabulary? Drop it in the comments—let’s solve it together. how to teach vocabulary thornbury pdf
Don’t present vocabulary alphabetically or thematically in a simple list. Instead, use mind maps , word webs , and semantic grids . Connect fast to quick , rapid , swift —but also to its opposites ( slow ) and common partners ( fast food, fast car ). 2. Don’t Teach Meaning – Teach Context (The "Lexical Approach" Light) Thornbury emphasizes that words rarely operate alone. A student might know the word run , but fail to understand run a company , run out of time , or runny nose . Meaning is derived from collocation (words that go together). We’ve all been there
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The problem isn’t you—it’s the traditional "present-practice-produce" model. They copy them into notebooks
