Ell Vocabulary Development

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Vocabulary is important to the English language, because without sufficient vocabulary students cannot understand others or express their own ideas. Understanding vocabulary knowledge is essential for success in reading. The more vocabulary a student knows the better they will be able to understand the text that they read. According to Colorin Colorado, the average native English speaker enters kindergarten knowing at least 5000 words, on the other hand, the average English language learner may know 5000 words in their native language, but few in English (Vocabulary Development, 2009). It may be surprising at how fast an ELL student will pick up the verbal language so that they can communicate with peers, but as educators we must remember that there is a difference between the vocabulary used between peers and the academic vocabulary need to succeed in class. In the classroom it is important to allow the ELL student to have time to practice the new vocabulary they are learning. Practice is so important because having a base of vocabulary to draw from makes learning easier. The more frequently ELL students are exposed to the new vocabulary; the more likely they are to remember it, and use it. …show more content…

As an educator my over all approach to vocabulary development is to pre teach vocabulary to the class, using some of the follow ESL methods, such as role playing, gestures, pictures, showing real objects, and listing vocabulary in English and other languages as need in the class. In the class, ELL student need to master the words and concepts, to do this we will define and explain the meaning, provide examples, ask the students to repeat the vocabulary words in English, and engage the students in activities to encourage understanding and