You teach ten new words. Next week, students remember two. This is not because they are lazy. It is because a word needs many meetings before it stays.
Teach fewer words
Ten words in a lesson is often too many. Choose five, and use them well.
Five words used ten times beat twenty words used once.
Show, do not tell
Use a picture, an action, or a real object. A meaning that a student sees is easier to keep.
Hold up a cup. "Cup." Drink. "Drink."
Make students use it
A word becomes yours when you say it about your own life.
Use "borrow" in a sentence about your family.
Meet it again, three times
Plan three more meetings: tomorrow, next week, next month.
Today: learn it. Tomorrow: use it. Next week: test it.
Put words on the wall
A word wall with pictures gives students a place to look. Change five words each week.
Test with use, not translation
Ask students to finish a sentence, not to translate.
I want to ______ a bike for the weekend.
Words to remember
- vocabulary — all the words you know
- meaning — what something says or shows
- meet — to see or hear something again
- test — a short check of what you know
Questions & answers
Q: How many new words per lesson?
Five to seven for most classes. Fewer for beginners.
Q: Should students write the words down?
Yes, with a picture or a short sentence. A list alone is easy to forget.
Q: Is translation bad for vocabulary?
It is fast but shallow. Use it for a quick check, then make students use the word in English.
Q: How do I review old words?
Start each lesson with three old words, used in a question.
Q: What about spelling?
Add it later. Meaning and use come first. Spelling grows with reading.