Throw Away Your Throw Away Your Dictionary!Dictionary!

By Yvonne HynsonBy Yvonne HynsonCLESOL 2008CLESOL 2008

Throw Away Your Throw Away Your Dictionary! Workshop Dictionary! Workshop

objectives:objectives: To show the need for this bookTo show the need for this book

To show how the book worksTo show how the book works

To give hands on communicative practiceTo give hands on communicative practice

To show the many ways needed to guessTo show the many ways needed to guess

Find Your partnerFind Your partner

1. You should all have a strip with either a question(orange) or an answer on it. Find your partner so that your question and answer make sense. Introduce yourself.Do you agree with the answer? Can you add anything from your own experience? Ask others about their strips.There will be a quick feedback in 5 minutes.

2. In small groups match the strips. Discuss,introduce yourself and add anything from your own experience. There will be a quick feedback in 5 minutes.

Do you agree?Do you agree?

Why teach how to guess unknown words?

What are students who are unable to guess meaning of new words in context lacking?

What do many teachers do in a situation where there are unknown words?

Because it is an important Because it is an important literacy skill.literacy skill.

The guessing strategies The guessing strategies that native speakers take that native speakers take for granted when they read.for granted when they read.

Preteach vocabulary, give Preteach vocabulary, give the meaning on request, or the meaning on request, or say, “Look at the words say, “Look at the words around the unknown word.”around the unknown word.”

Do you agree?Do you agree?

Are the strategies for guessing unknown words the same at all levels?

Why are some language students better at guessing than others?

Are mother tongue instructions OK for teaching these strategies?

Yes, just the vocabulary is Yes, just the vocabulary is more advanced and more advanced and sometimes the grammar sometimes the grammar markers are more complex.markers are more complex.

Because their script is Because their script is similar to English, they are similar to English, they are proactive learners, or they proactive learners, or they already know some already know some strategies.strategies.

Yes, the strategies are not Yes, the strategies are not dependant on English dependant on English language but actively language but actively using them is.using them is.

Do you agree? Do you agree?

Do you have to learn all of these ways?

Why not teach all the strategies at the same time?

Isn’t learning about these strategies more of a self-study, self-development activity?

Yes, if you want to know Yes, if you want to know the ways a native the ways a native speaker guesses and speaker guesses and ways to read better.ways to read better.

For Upper Intermediate For Upper Intermediate students it isn’t a students it isn’t a problem but one at a problem but one at a time is more effective for time is more effective for lower levels.lower levels.

Yes, independent Yes, independent learning is fine but it can learning is fine but it can be communicative as be communicative as well.well.

LAYOUTCurrently, there are three sections exploring the strategies by category: 1. Illustrations, styles and punctuation (Other ways)2. Grammar markers and inference3. Word inference. The fourth section provides revision activities and overviews,and the fifth section contains answers.

Table of Contents is laid out to give an overview of the number of units in each section, as well as reading skills and study/language skills for self-study development.

SECTION Unit Reading Skill Self study skills and language development

1 Illustrations, styles

and punctuation

1 - Have you

heard...?

Gist; making connections between captions &

illustrations

On top, under and beside:

Practicing prediction of meaning from illustrations and headlines

2 -Jobs

underground

Inference from punctuation; prediction and gist

of the text, title and pictures

Dots and dashes:

Using punctuation clues for guessing unknown meaning of words

3 - Health

dangers for

coal miners

Inference from font styles, using illustrations,

side-notes and glossary; prediction of content

from title and diagrams; comprehension of

details

Things to look for:

Finding given meanings of words; the use of arrows and text on a

diagram; revision of punctuation and uses of font styles

2 Grammar markers 4 - Where can

I smoke?

Prediction of content from a time-line and title;

inference from pronouns; in depth

comprehension

Back and forth:

Identifying the word or words referred to; connecting meaning to

reference words

5 - Energy in

our homes

Inference from a graph and conjunctions;

prediction of content from title, graph and

photo; scanning for numbers

Joining words:

Identifying +/- meaning of unknown words and phrases from: and,

so, but, because, or, however, on the other hand, another, the

other(s)

6 - Millions of

years ago

Prediction of content from title, map and

pictures; in depth comprehension; inference

from examples

It’s like ...:

Using comparison and examples to help with meaning; like, similar

to, the same as, different from, for example, e.g., for instance,

such as, which includes.....; finding given meanings of words

7 - Do you like

me?

Prediction from title and pictures; inference

from definition words

You know... :

Identifying definitions and definition words to help with word

meaning; revision of all grammar markers in Section 2

3 Word

Inference

8 - Wild West

Coast beaches

Prediction from title and pictures; positive and

negative inference from other words

Yes and no:

Understanding meaning from other words around the unknown

word(s) (Collocation); connecting meaning from answers to who,

what, when, why etc

9 - Big Day

Out

Prediction from title, pictures and word form;

scanning for similar words

Again and again:

Identifying feeling from repetition of idea with different words;

identifying links to a main idea and word form

10 - Little

things

Scanning for details; prediction of meaning

from word parts

Bits and pieces:

Extending word family from the root form, prefixes and suffixes

The graded text in each unit is embedded with punctuation, syntactic and lexical clues for guessing unknown words and builds on previously introduced strategies.

Reading skills are exploited: gist, inference, prediction, analysis of format, comprehension, skimming and scanning for detail.

Each strategy is interactively tested with yes/no/don’t know questions to develop students thinking but they are encouraged to use the answer section if they are unsure. The analysed strategies are then tested and extended.

There is constant revision and repetition of the strategy in the tests, instructions and metalanguage. Matching exercises in section 4 regularly recycle vocabulary and strategies too.)

Simple mind maps train students in usage and creation as well as reinforcing the strategies and providing overviews of the topics.

SECTION:

1 Illustrations,

styles and

punctuation

Unit:

1 - Have you

heard...?

Reading Skill:

Gist; making connections

between captions &

illustrations

Self study skills and language development

On top, under and beside:

Practicing prediction of meaning from

illustrations and headlines

2 -Jobs

underground

Inference from punctuation;

prediction and gist of the text,

title and pictures

Dots and dashes:

Using punctuation clues for guessing unknown

meaning of words

OK ! Let’s try out a unit in small groups: Unit 2 - Jobs underground

Instructions:1. As there is very little time, please talk through the answers rather than writing them and simulate a student environment. 2. Two (or three) ‘students’ should occasionally act ignorant as the other ‘student’ acts as the teacher and is always looking atthe answer section, correcting or giving information if ‘don’t know’is the choice.

Mind map of waysMind map of ways You should have this simple mind map of You should have this simple mind map of

ways to guess unknown words in context. ways to guess unknown words in context. Add examples.Add examples.

Throw Away Your Throw Away Your Dictionary!Dictionary!

A simple mnemonic to help you remember A simple mnemonic to help you remember is GOV.is GOV.

G is for Gr _ _ _ _ _ Ma _ _ _ _ sG is for Gr _ _ _ _ _ Ma _ _ _ _ s

O is for Ot _ _ _ waysO is for Ot _ _ _ ways

V is for V _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _V is for V _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Throw Away Your Throw Away Your Dictionary!Dictionary!

Another mnemonic FEAR WORD PC helps you remember Another mnemonic FEAR WORD PC helps you remember

the ways.the ways. F is for formF is for form E is for ex _ _ _ _ _ w _ _ _ _E is for ex _ _ _ _ _ w _ _ _ _ A is for as _ _ _ _ qu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A is for as _ _ _ _ qu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R is for re _ _ _ _ _ _ _ wordsR is for re _ _ _ _ _ _ _ words

W is for word f _ _ _ _ _W is for word f _ _ _ _ _ O is for other ways eg O is for other ways eg

illustrations, illustrations, glossary, side-glossary, side-notesnotes

R is for repe _ _ _ _ _ _ of id _ _ s R is for repe _ _ _ _ _ _ of id _ _ s and f _ _ _and f _ _ _ D is for def _ _ _ _ _ _ _ wordsD is for def _ _ _ _ _ _ _ words

P is for pu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _P is for pu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C is for co _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _sC is for co _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _s