Describes total physical response storytelling, which provides the critical vehicle--storytelling--for utilizing and expanding vocabulary. High-interest stories contextualize the vocabulary, enabling students to hear and see a story and then to act out, revise, and rewrite. A brief outline of the sequence of steps for using TPR storytelling in…

Students' approaches to vocabulary learning were surveyed in two distinct learning environments: one in which English was studied as a second language (ESL), and another where it was a foreign language (EFL). A questionnaire was administered to 47 ESL and 43 EFL students about their vocabulary-learning activities. Cluster analysis identified eight…

Examines traditional techniques for teaching second-language vocabulary and compares them with the use of language games for vocabulary presentation and revision to determine which approach is more successful. (Author/VWL)

The focus of this article is on the role of lexicon-internal links in the development of second-language vocabulary knowledge. The study examines the role of the links in vocabulary learning by beginning learners of Korean as a second language. (Author/JL)

Studies the effectiveness of the keyword method of learning vocabulary employed by students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Finds this method appears to be effective in helping LEP students to recall word definitions rapidly and efficiently, to comprehend sentences, and to retain vocabulary learning over a one-week period. (NH)

Describes a computer assisted word acquisition program (CAVOCA) that tries to operationalize current theoretical thinking about second language vocabulary acquisition. Its contents are based on a systematic inventory of the vocabulary relevant for the target group. To test its efficacy, the program was contrasted in a number of experimental…

Broadens some of the techniques that assist teachers in the direct instruction of vocabulary development. Presents strategies that experienced teachers have used but may have forgotten. Encourages teachers to take a new refreshing look at vocabulary skills that can assist teachers in developing a balanced reading program as they foster vocabulary…

Argues that regular homophone practice enhances vocabulary knowledge, spelling skills, pronunciation ability, and overall reading proficiency. Describes how card games played with decks of homophones helped to accomplish these things. Notes particular benefits of homophone games to English-as-a-second-language students, and outlines key advantages…

Focuses on the origin and history of Guignol, including the classic repertoire and its character types, and on suggested techniques for teaching with the authentic Guignol in the French classroom. Guignol can be used effectively in the classroom because the French teacher-marionnettiste has only to improvise the scenarios according to the needs of…

Students with learning disabilities may gain from use of "flip-flop" study guides to gain key vocabulary and concepts. Rather than providing definitions for terms, the student provides terms for definitions and concepts in the study guide. Such guides allow the teacher to focus on particular concepts and provide repetition of information for…

Challenges Gentner's (1982) claim that nouns are universally predominant in children's early vocabularies, noting that when a conservative method of counting nouns was used, 9 out of 10 22-month-old monolingual Mandarin-speaking children produced more verbs or action words than nouns or object labels in their naturalistic speech. (MDM)

Discusses materials that help primary-grade students develop a richer supply of words: books, audiotapes, and magnetic poetry kits for teachers and/or for students. (SR)

One hundred sixth-graders studied a list of new vocabulary items according to either a semantic-context or mnemonic learning strategy, combined with either an individual or pair format for studying and testing. Results indicate that when a scripted learning pair-learning/testing format was incorporated, vocabulary learning benefits were observed…

Examines which of the image modalities--dynamic video or still picture--is more effective in aiding vocabulary acquisition. Thirty English-as-a-Second-Language students were introduced to a hypermedia-learning program, designed for reading comprehension. Concludes that a video clip is more effective in teaching unknown vocabulary words than a…

Over 2,500 secondary students in the Torrance (California) Unified School District who read below the 30th percentile on state tests have access to a second-chance program. Participants engage in extensive recreational reading and vocabulary development, address comprehension on multiple levels, and use writing to assist comprehension. (MLH)