Vocabulary Building – New Words And Reading Basic 2 English Studies Lesson Note

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Describe vocabulary building
2. Generate new words from passages
3. Analyse techniques used in reading

Content

What is Vocabulary Building?

Vocabulary building means learning new words and understanding their meanings. The more words we know, the better we can read, write, speak, and understand others.

Why Build Vocabulary?

• To understand stories and books better
• To express ourselves clearly
• To do well in school
• To communicate with more people
• To become smarter and more confident

Techniques for Learning New Words

1. CONTEXT CLUES TECHNIQUE

What it means: Using other words in the sentence to guess the meaning of new words

Example Passage: “The enormous elephant walked slowly through the forest. The huge animal was looking for water.”

New word: enormous Context clues: “huge animal” tells us enormous means very big

More Examples:

• “The child was famished after playing all day, so he ate three sandwiches.” 
  1. famished = very hungry (clue: ate three sandwiches)
• “The fragile glass broke when it fell on the floor.” 
  1. fragile = easily broken (clue: broke when it fell)

2. PICTURE CLUES TECHNIQUE

Use pictures in books to understand new words

• Look at what the picture shows
• Match the picture with the words
• Use pictures to guess meanings

3. WORD FAMILIES TECHNIQUE

Learn words that are similar or related

• Family words: mother, father, sister, brother, baby
• Animal words: cat, dog, bird, fish, rabbit
• Color words: red, blue, green, yellow, orange

4. BREAKING WORDS APART TECHNIQUE

Compound Words: Two small words make one big word

• sunshine = sun + shine
• rainbow = rain + bow
• bedroom = bed + room
• football = foot + ball
• toothbrush = tooth + brush

Sample Reading Passage for Vocabulary Building

“A Day at the Market”

Mama and I went to the bustling market this morning. The vendors were selling fresh fruits and vegetables. I saw enormous watermelons, tiny berries, and colorful flowers. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. We purchased some ingredients for dinner. The shopkeeper was very courteous and helped us carry our heavy bags.

New Words from the Passage:

1. bustling = very busy and full of activity
2. vendors = people who sell things
3. enormous = very, very big
4. tiny = very small
5. aroma = pleasant smell
6. ingredients = things used to cook food
7. purchased = bought
8. courteous = polite and kind
9. fresh = new, not old

Reading Techniques

1. PREVIEW TECHNIQUE

• Look at the title
• Look at pictures
• Read the first sentence
• Guess what the story is about

2. SLOW AND CAREFUL READING

• Read each word clearly
• Stop at periods
• Think about what you read
• Ask questions if you don’t understand

3. READING ALOUD TECHNIQUE

• Say the words out loud
• Listen to how words sound
• Practice pronunciation
• Read with expression

4. REREADING TECHNIQUE

• Read the same passage again
• Understand better the second time
• Notice things you missed