Vocabulary Development – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

Vocabulary development means learning new words, how to spell them, what they mean and how to use them in sentences. Spelling drills help students remember the exact letters in difficult words. In this lesson, students study words that begin with B, learn the meanings of some of them and practise writing them correctly.

Behavioural objectives

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

• spell correctly the B words in the spelling lists;
• give the meaning of at least ten of the words;
• use some of the words correctly in sentences;
• break difficult words into syllables to help them spell.

Spelling drills: List 1

bachelor, baggage, bailiff, babble, backlash, backlog, balderdash, ballyhoo, bamboozle, bay, ballast, ballerina, banana, beneath, banister, bankruptcy, banquet, barbecue, barometer

Spelling drills: List 2

barrister, basis, bassoon, battalion, bazaar, bedlam, belch/burp, bellow, beguile, behaviour, beleaguer, belief/believe, belligerent, benefited, bequeath, berserk, besiege, bettered, bewitch

Spelling drills: List 3

bibliography, bigotry, bereft, beseech, besotted, bestial, bestow, beautiful, befriend, bigamous, bigoted, bilingual, biscuit, blaze, blight, biennial

Spelling drills: List 4

bigwig, billow, biography, blitz, boffin, bohemian, bizarre, bias, bicycle, boisterous

What do some of the words mean?

How can I spell hard words?

• Say the word in syllables, then write it: ba-nan-a, ban-quet, bar-be-cue, bank-rupt-cy, bel-lig-er-ent.
• Learn the pair belief and believe. Belief is the noun and believe is the verb.
• Notice the double letters in words such as ballerina, bassoon, bellow and bamboozle (double o).
• Use British spelling: behaviour, with the letter u.
• Look, cover, write and check. Look at the word, cover it, write it from memory, then check each letter.

Evaluation

Study the spelling words above. Copy the lists neatly, then write ten of the words from memory. Answer these questions as well.

1. Write the word from the lists that means “nonsense”.
2. Choose the correct spelling: (a) bankrupcy (b) bankruptcy (c) bankruptsy.
3. Write the noun that goes with the verb “believe”.
4. What do we call a person who can speak two languages?
5. Write the name of the instrument that measures air pressure.

Answer key for teachers

1. balderdash
2. (b) bankruptcy
3. belief
4. bilingual
5. barometer

Assignment

Write the word from the lists that matches each meaning.

1. A large, formal meal for many guests.
2. A market.
3. A scene of noise and confusion.
4. Happening once every two years.
5. The story of a person’s life written by someone else.

Answer key for teachers

1. banquet
2. bazaar
3. bedlam
4. biennial
5. biography