Education Bureau Funded
Professional Development Programme on English Language Learning and Teaching
— Enhancing the Learning and Teaching of English Vocabulary
for Cross-curricular Learning
in the Secondary English Classroom
Nicole Tavares and Simon Chan
Faculty of Education, HKU
1Outline
What can we expect from this workshop?
• Reflections on (cross-curricular) vocabulary and the teaching and learning of it
• Connection between English Language and non-language subjects in the development of vocabulary-building
strategies
• Vocabulary building and development of reading and/or writing skills
• Demonstration on specific vocabulary-building strategies
• Recommendations on materials for vocabulary teaching
• … anything else?
The power of
cross-curricular vocabulary
Vocabulary Challenges:
1. ‘thickened atmosphere’
= ‘thickening the atmosphere’?
= ‘increased air / atmospheric pressure’?
2. Does ‘warm’ collocate with ‘atmosphere’?
3. ‘lost four billion in market share’
= ‘lost four billion’?
4. What does the word ‘industry’ mean?
How does it relate to ‘companies’?
3
Reflection on (cross-curricular) vocabulary
Discussion Task (5 mins.):
‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’
- Which of the above words would you regard as
‘vocabulary’? How do they affect the meaning of the whole expression? To what extent are they
‘cross-curricular’?
- What is your definition of ‘vocabulary’?
- Is there a vocabulary syllabus in your school’s
curriculum? If yes, to what extent are the above
words covered?
Discussion Task (Cont’d):
‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’
- Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who said the above immortal words, once revealed that there was
miscommunication between him on the moon and the people on the earth, and that a word actually got missing from this famous quote! Do you know what word it is (find it out from the Internet if
not)? Is the meaning changed by adding it back?
To what extent is the above task contributing to our
students’ vocabulary learning? Any pedagogic implications?
Reflection on (cross-curricular) vocabulary
How about ‘on earth’
vs ‘on the earth’?
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From vocabulary to vocabulary teaching
To what extent do you agree with the following propositions ?
a) Vocabulary teaching is a major part of my English lessons.
b) Teaching vocabulary covers the spelling, pronunciation, and the dictionary meaning of words.
c) Vocabulary treatment in the English language and other content subjects is different.
d) Teaching vocabulary from content subjects would
enhance students’ general English proficiency.
Cross-curricular vocabulary and reading comprehension
5-second Reading Challenge:
You will only be given 5 seconds to read the text below. Your task is to identify the topic and the genre of the text.
Place plain flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add in warm water and press the mixture. If the mixture is too dry then add in a little more water. Keep the salt dough in the bowl and add some white paint. Add the white paint twice to get the desired whiteness of the salt dough. Press well until the white paint is thoroughly mixed then place on a surface.
IMPORTANT - At this point WASH your equipment and hands. Roll out to around 1/2cm thick. Cut out your desired shapes. Place them on a lined baking tray. Set the oven to 100ºC. Put it into the oven for around 1 hour.
Turn over and check that the mixture is thoroughly dried if not return and continue drying. Leave to dry in a warm dry place for around 12 hours.
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Cross-curricular vocabulary and reading comprehension
5-second Reading Challenge:
You will only be given 5 seconds to read the text below. Your task is to identify the topic and the genre of the text.
Place plain flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add in warm water and press the mixture. If the mixture is too dry then add in a little more water. Keep the salt dough in the bowl and add some white paint. Add the white paint twice to get the desired whiteness of the salt dough. Press well until the white paint is thoroughly mixed then place on a surface.
IMPORTANT - At this point WASH your equipment and hands. Roll out to around 1/2cm thick. Cut out your desired shapes. Place them on a lined baking tray. Set the oven to 100ºC. Put it into the oven for around 1 hour.
Turn over and check that the mixture is thoroughly dried if not return and
continue drying. Leave to dry in a warm dry place for around 12 hours.
Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
- What type of text is it?
- What is the topic?
- What did you spot that makes you think so?
Vocabulary is an important resource for reading
=> Cross-curricular vocabulary is an important resource for cross-curricular reading
=> Cross-curricular vocabulary can best be taught through cross-curricular reading
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Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
White Salt Christmas Ornaments
Place plain flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add in warm water and press the mixture. If the mixture is too dry
then add in a little more water. Keep the salt dough in the bowl and add some white paint. Add the white paint twice to get the desired whiteness of the salt dough. Press well until the white paint is thoroughly mixed then place on a surface. IMPORTANT – At this point WASH your equipment and hands. Roll out to around 1/2cm thick. Cut out your desired shapes. Place them on a lined baking tray. Set the oven to 100ºC.
Put it into the oven for around 1 hour. Turn over and check that the mixture is thoroughly dried if not return and continue
drying. Leave to dry in a warm dry place for around 12 hours.
Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
White Salt Christmas Ornaments - How cross-curricular is this text?
- Which subject(s)/KLA(s) can we cross it over with?
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Cr oss-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
- Do you know who invented the art of salt dough making?
Ancient Egyptians is a topic in…?
Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
Ancient Egyptians
is a topic in…?
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Cro ss-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
And there is potential
in
crossing it over
with…
Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
A possible alternative cross-curricular
reading text:
Procedural text for making Egyptian
style salt dough scarab amulet
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The Genre Egg Model
(Adapted from Rose, D. (2010). Reading to learn: Teacher resource books, book 1, p. 8 . From http://www.readingtolearn.com.au/)
Curriculum Context
e.g. Science, Geography, Economics, English language arts
Text Type
e.g. Procedural texts, Information reports, Short stories
Paragraph / Sentence
Grammar & Rhetorical functions:
e.g., Compare & Contrast, Defining
Word
Lexical Phrases
Let’s focus on the text-type and word levels
this time.
In addition to History and VA,
are texts of the above type found in our English subject
as well?
What kinds of vocabulary are
expected in all
these texts?
Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
White Salt Christmas Ornaments
Place plain flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add in warm water and press the
mixture. If the mixture is too dry then add in a little more water. Keep the salt dough in the bowl and add some white paint. Add the white paint twice to get the desired whiteness of the salt dough. Press well until the white paint is thoroughly mixed then place on a surface.
IMPORTANT – At this point WASH your equipment and hands. Roll out to around 1/2cm thick.
Cut out your desired shapes. Place them on a lined baking tray. Set the oven to 100ºC. Put it into the oven for around 1 hour. Turn over and check that the mixture is thoroughly dried if not return and continue drying. Leave to dry in a warm dry place for around 12 hours.
Vocabulary task suggestions:
- Circle all the words suggesting the exact actions to be taken to make salt ornaments. What would be the grammatical pattern in which these words are shown in the text?
- Which of the following words do NOT show actions we have to take to make the ornaments: place, add, press, dry?
- What are your comments on the time/sequence expressions used in the text?
- Why is the word ‘IMPORTANT’ in capital letters? What does it mean in the text?
Useful for cross-curricular writing as well!
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Cross-curricular vocabulary and cross-curricular reading
What further potential is there for using the above text in promoting cross-curricular vocabulary learning?
- Vocabulary in Technology and Living, Life and Society etc.
- Action verbs in Science experiment procedures (e.g. add, mix, place)
- Time adverbials in Mathematics word problems (e.g. gradually, twice)
… also the potential for teaching vocabulary in context and lexico-grammar (e.g. action verbs in imperative
structure)
Cross-curricular vocabulary and reading comprehension
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Cross-curricular
vocabulary-building strategies:
Using graphic organisers for
meaningful vocabulary learning
Graphic organiser 1: Mind maps
e.g.: Mind map for animal kingdom
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Graphic organiser 2: Concept maps
e.g.: Concept map for climate change
Especially useful for
cross-curricular
writing!
Graphic organiser 3: Venn diagrams
e.g. Venn diagram for series circuits vs parallel circuits
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Graphic organiser 4: Frayer model
e.g. : Frayer model for reptiles
Word?
Graphic organiser task :
What is the target term below?
Word?
25
Try to remember these words:
water life rabbit line home
field ball dog apple sheep
head picture year sky hill
cloud horse chock-a-
block pen wind
pig cow foot door snow
flower cat
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How many of these words could you remember?
water life rabbit line home
field ball dog apple sheep
head picture year sky hill
cloud horse chock-a-
block pen wind
pig cow foot door snow
flower cat
What does this tell us?
Now it’s time
for some hands-on practice!
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Be as creative as you can be
Study the 2018 HKDSE Reading B1 text.
What insights do you have for exploiting the text for cross-curricular vocabulary teaching, learning, enrichment and consolidation?
As a team, select ONE main area of teaching focus . Consider…
what you will teach about the area, why and how,
the linkage between this and (an)other subject(s) / KLA(s),
how you could extend your teaching to promote cross- curricular vocabulary development,
strategies for vocabulary building and consolidation, and
briefly sketch a task / an activity for one of the ideas above.
Teaching Points
subject-specific vocabulary
topical vocabulary
parts of speech / word class // word formation
collocation
pronunciation & phonological cues
synonyms (& antonyms)
phrase level:
e.g. comparatives & superlatives, imperatives, …
sentence patterns, e.g. conditionals
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The Language of Science
Draw a graphic organiser to show your understanding of the meaning conveyed in the text (and write a paragraph about it).
bee stings pollinating
stinging insects
colony
species sting sac
pump poison
allergic reaction
pharmacist stinger
tweezer
insect bites insect stings
Word Class
v. n. adj. adv.
sting
sting stang stung sting stings stinger
stinging
itch ---
cause(d) itchiness
itch itching
itchy
allergy ---
cause(d) allergy
allergy allergies
allergic
react react(ed) to reaction reactive
swell swell(ed) swell
swelling
swollen
poison poison(ed) poison poisonous
inject inject(ed) sth. into injection pollen pollinate(d)
spread pollen
pollination pollinator
pollinating
sensitive sense(d) vs
cause(d) a sensation
sensation vs sensitivity
sensitive sensational
provoke provoke(d) provocation provoking
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Word Formation
v. n. adj. adv.
sting
sting stang stung sting stings stinger
stinging
itch ---
cause(d) itchiness
itch itching
itchy
allergy ---
cause(d) allergy
allergy allergies
allergic
react react(ed) to reaction reactive
swell swell(ed) swell
swelling
swollen
poison poison(ed) poison poisonous
inject inject(ed) sth. into injection pollen pollinate(d)
spread pollen
pollination pollinator
pollinating
sensitive sense(d) vs
cause(d) a sensation
sensation vs sensitivity
sensitive vs sensational
provoke provoke(d) provocation provoking
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Collocation
v. n. adj. adv.
sting
sting stang stung sting stings stinger
stinging
itch ---
cause(d) itchiness
itch itching
itchy
allergy ---
cause(d) allergy
allergy allergies
allergic
react react(ed) to reaction reactive
swell swell(ed) swell
swelling
swollen
poison poison(ed) poison poisonous
inject inject(ed) sth. into injection pollen pollinate(d)
spread pollen
pollination pollinator
pollinating
sensitive sense(d) vs cause(d) a sensation
sensation vs sensitivity
sensitive vs sensational
provoke provoke(d) provocation provoking
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Behaviour of Words
v. n. adj. adv.
sting
sting stang stung sting stings stinger
stinging
itch ---
cause(d) itchiness
itch itching
itchy
allergy ---
cause(d) allergy
allergy allergies
allergic
react react(ed) to reaction reactive
swell swell(ed) swell
swelling
swollen
poison poison(ed) poison poisonous
inject inject(ed) sth. into injection pollen pollinate(d)
spread pollen
pollination pollinator
pollinating
sensitive sense(d) vs cause(d) a sensation
sensation vs sensitivity
sensitive vs sensational
provoke provoke(d) provocation provoking
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Pronunciation & Phonological Cues
v. n. adj. adv.
sting
sting stang stung sting stings stinger
stinging
itch ---
cause(d) itchiness
itch itching
itchy
allergy ---
cause(d) allergy
allergy allergies
allergic
react react(ed) to reaction reactive
swell swell(ed) swell
swelling
swollen
poison poison(ed) poison poisonous
inject inject(ed) sth. into injection pollen pollinate(d)
spread pollen
pollination pollinator
pollinating
sensitive sense(d) vs cause(d) a sensation
sensation vs sensitivity
sensitive vs sensational
provoke provoke(d) provocation provoking
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Nominalisation
Maths: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, factorisation, simplification
Science: evaporation, condensation, crystallisation, vaporisation, polymerisation
PSHE: colonisation, trade liberalisation, localisation, polarization, … …
39
CROSS-CURRICULAR COLLABORATION
Word Class
adj. adv.
usually quickly promptly
immediate immediately
particularly
common commonly
likely
Synonyms
Find a word in the text / in Paragraph __ which has the same meaning as… or Match the words that share the same meaning in the given context or
Read Paragraph __ and circle the word that best explains / conveys the meaning of ‘xxx’’.
relieve ease, reduce
cause result in
pump inject
promptly quickly
severe serious
venomous poisonous
humans people
sensation pain
41Comparatives & Superlatives
What do we notice about the structure when more / less is used?
less dangerous than
(much) more sensitive to… than
(much) less likely
not as sharp as
more than a minute / day
Comparatives & Superlatives
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Comparatives & Superlatives
Collaboration between
a Maths and an English teacher
Verb Phrases
Imperatives
To clean the wound, wash it with soap and then reduce swelling…
To relieve itching, apply anti-histamine cream… or take an oral anti-histamine tablet.
If the itching is severe, consult your pharmacist about…
Call an ambulance immediately if…
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Imperatives
Acknowledgement: Miss Cheung of Munsang College, Hong Kong
Verb Phrases
by
It stings by injecting…
… reduce swelling by bathing… or by covering it…
result in
The effect is immediate and results in a sharp, burning, sensation.
Bee stings have the potential for an allergic reaction, resulting in anaphylactic shock, a serious medical condition that…
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Sentence Patterns
Conditional Sentences
If stung by a bee, the pain will be reduced significantly if the stinger is removed promptly.
If the itching is severe, consult your pharmacist about steroid creams.
Call an ambulance immediately if someone has a severe
reaction to an insect sting.
Conditionals
How is rain formed?
1. When the sun heats up the water in oceans, rivers and on land, water evaporates to form water vapour.
2. The water vapour is carried upwards by warm air.
3. When the water vapour rises higher, it condenses into tiny water droplets because the surrounding air is cooler.
4. When the tiny water droplets gather, they form clouds.
5. When the water droplets in the clouds form large drops of water, they fall as rain.
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Comparatives, If & Imperatives
Others
A Guide to Bee Stings
Bees are known for their role in producing honey and pollinating flowers to produce fruit.
While some insects sting as a form of defence, some bite to draw blood.
The most common insects that sting are wasps…
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Specific term Is / means/
refers to …
General noun (a class)
Defining relative clause
Ingestion is the process which takes food into the
alimentary canal through our mouth.
General noun (a class)
Verb phrase (adverbs)
Number Nouns
(referring to groups)
The food substances
are (normally) classified into
seven types.
Defining
Classifying
Name of the example
Verb phrase (adverbs)
Noun General noun (the group
that it belongs)
Vinegar is an example of food preservatives.
Exemplifying
Sentence-making Tables
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What must be taught?
Harmer (2015, p. 158)
Recommendations on
EDB materials for vocabulary teaching
1. English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum- development/kla/eng-
edu/Curriculum%20Document/ELE%20KLACG_2017.pdf
(e.g. vocabulary-building strategies on p. 21;
Example 2: Connecting Students’ Learning Experiences between English Language and Non-language Subjects through Promoting Language across the Curriculum at the Junior Secondary Level)
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Recommendations on
EDB materials for vocabulary teaching
2. Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and Teaching at Secondary Level (2012)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/kla/eng-
edu/Enhancing%20English%20Vocabulary%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20at
%20Secondary%20Level/Booklet.pdf
Recommendations on
EDB materials for vocabulary teaching
3. Connecting Students' Learning Experiences
through Promoting Reading and Writing across the Curriculum in the Junior Secondary English
Classroom (2020)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/
kla/eng-edu/references-resources/RWaC/RWaC_JS.pdf
57
Some Final Tips
on how to enhance collaboration between teachers of English and those of non-language subjects in facilitating students’ development
of vocabulary building skills / cross-curricular learning
Lesson-focused
(e.g. Algebraic expressions, comparatives / quantifiers)
Project-based (e.g. Statistics + Visual Arts + English)
Cross-curricular collaboration
(e.g. Technology and Living + BAFS + Maths + English)
Curriculum alignment
Consultation on material selection
Cross-curricular assessment
Conclusion
• Connection between the English Language and non-language subjects in the development of vocabulary-building skills
• Importance of raising students’ awareness of
vocabulary-building strategies introduced in the English Language, which are transferrable and can be applied in decoding unfamiliar words across subjects and in their everyday life.
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