| It can easily be said that every teacher's goal is to | | | | skills. When vocabulary lessons are integrated with |
| ensure his or her students grasp the concept of a | | | | additional resources tools to engage the students, |
| new idea or subject. When the student can take that | | | | learning becomes knowledge for life. |
| comprehension and apply it on their own, the teacher | | | | Engagement |
| has done their job well. The challenge is to identify the | | | | For some students, nothing is more dry and boring than |
| tools to use in the classroom to achieve this | | | | learning vocabulary words. They may feel it is a |
| comprehension. Teachers who develop a lesson plan | | | | useless activity or they are simply not engaged in the |
| for vocabulary understand it takes more than words | | | | lesson and therefore gain very little from it. It is up to |
| to achieve complete learning. | | | | the instructor to engage the student in the lesson. |
| Industry research has shown that there is a significant | | | | When the lesson plan for vocabulary is developed, the |
| difference in post-test favoring of words taught by | | | | teacher should focus on incorporating those elements |
| instructors with extended and embedded instruction | | | | in the lesson that will not only grab the students' |
| applied in the curriculum versus mere reading | | | | attention, but also keep it. Those tools that focus on |
| exposure. This research supports the argument that | | | | the latter will be much more successful over time. |
| tools such as educational videos can be used to | | | | Goals |
| extend the value of a lesson and enhance | | | | Before selecting any type of curriculum or additional |
| comprehension of vocabulary. This is especially true in | | | | tools such as educational videos, the teacher should |
| young students. | | | | first determine exactly what the goals of the class |
| Deep and Wide | | | | should be in order to develop a strategy. If the teacher |
| Vocabulary learning has gone beyond mere flash | | | | is not sure where the class should be going, it is that |
| cards and required memorization. Students today must | | | | much more difficult to figure out how to get there. |
| be challenged in whole new ways to learn words and | | | | The teacher who develops a lesson plan for |
| their meanings. When educational videos are used to | | | | vocabulary that is focused on specific goals will be |
| enhance the recognition and comprehensions of | | | | significantly more successful than the instructor merely |
| extended vocabulary lessons, not only are students | | | | going through the motions. Students need to do more |
| more engaged in the lesson, they acquire more | | | | than just memorize vocabulary words or how to spot |
| knowledge and improve overall vocabulary capabilities. | | | | specific words. Students need to be able to develop |
| A lesson plan for vocabulary should always include | | | | vocabulary knowledge that can be built upon and |
| resources tools that take the lesson deep into the | | | | applied all throughout their educational experience and |
| subject to cover the wide area of possibilities. | | | | on into life. |
| Longevity | | | | Not every lesson plan for vocabulary will be exactly |
| Another challenge in the classroom, regardless of the | | | | alike, but those teachers who extend the instruction to |
| subject, is teaching to a level where the information | | | | include additional material to engage their students in |
| becomes part of the student's knowledge. It is one | | | | the learning process will be much more successful. |
| thing to understand a concept long enough to be | | | | Tools such as educational videos or DVDs can greatly |
| tested on it; it is quite another to be able to apply the | | | | enhance the curriculum in this area, to make learning an |
| knowledge in other areas and develop critical thinking | | | | exciting experience. |