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English vocabulary review practice for high school students based on academic situation
fu Xiangdong
Abstract: This article is based on the three problems that students have in vocabulary review. Referring to the " College Entrance Examination Question Analysis " of the Academic Committee of the China College Entrance Examination Report, the "Vocabulary Classification" practice has been carried out in the class taught for nearly three years. By targeted classification of textbook vocabulary, accompanying acquired vocabulary and written expression vocabulary, students' lack of time for vocabulary review is solved, students' motivation to learn English and improve students' vocabulary review efficiency, which has certain practical significance for the basic grades of high school and the preparation for vocabulary review in high school. At the same time, in classification practice, from building a self-built vocabulary corpus to extracting vocabulary, compiling vocabulary, and using word lists, the author provides practical and feasible operation methods.
Keywords: Scientific Analysis; Vocabulary Classification; Vocabulary Review
1. Introduction
Vocabulary has always been the core of English teaching, and various discussions about vocabulary teaching have been underway. In terms of methods, Li Yongda (2013) believes that the three most commonly used methods of vocabulary teaching in the teaching world (with acquisition, explicit teaching, and independent strategy development) have their own strengths, and whether they are practical determines the success or failure of vocabulary teaching. He suggested that vocabulary teaching should focus on explicit teaching, and teachers should increase the effort to explain vocabulary knowledge. However, some studies believe that side learning is an effective means for students to expand their vocabulary. Teachers improve students' morphemes awareness and word meaning reasoning ability, and thus improve vocabulary learning efficiency (Zhuang Yufeng, 2019). Of course, a large number of empirical research on have been carried out on vocabulary teaching. Huang Jianing (2017) helps students maximize vocabulary acquisition based on student ability gradients, and helps teachers carry out stratified and personalized teaching through vocabulary classification and student stratification. Wei Hengjian (2020) proposed a "three-dimensional" vocabulary teaching model in view of the drawbacks of traditional "planar" vocabulary teaching. He believes that teachers should determine the way and degree of vocabulary processing based on the nature of vocabulary (receptive vocabulary and output vocabulary) and vocabulary characteristics (curriculum standards, word frequency, word domain, collocation), and put forward different requirements for different students. This is also consistent with the requirements put forward by the "English Curriculum Standards for Ordinary High Schools" (2017 edition revised in 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the "Curriculum Standards")) on the content of vocabulary knowledge, but this is only for teaching. However, Qiu Jing (2019) proposed a teaching model for English vocabulary classification and reorganization in senior high school English vocabulary classification and reorganization based on the relevant research results of psycholinguistics. She believes that this can change the current phenomenon of time-consuming and inefficient English vocabulary review, improve the efficiency of vocabulary review, and reduce students' burnout in review. In fact, not only high school seniors, but also basic students have the same problem, which has long attracted the attention of teachers (Fu Xiangdong, Li Yanru, 2019). Therefore, based on the actual situation of students, the author refers to the "Analysis of College Entrance Examination Questions". In the past three years, he has made some attempts in the classification of English vocabulary in high school, trying to explore English vocabulary review methods suitable for learning situations, and effectively make up for the amount of vocabulary learning and learning time in classroom vocabulary.
2. Student learning situation analysis
The position for students to learn vocabulary is in the classroom, but extracurricular vocabulary review is also indispensable. However, there are certain difficulties in reviewing extracurricular vocabulary, which are mainly reflected in the following three aspects.
(I) Student vocabulary review time is less
The author teaches in the area where the Renaissance version of the textbooks are used in junior high schools, while the People's Education Edition is used in high schools. Let’s not consider the textbook version for the time being. Even if students reach the vocabulary of junior high school graduation, they still have great difficulties in learning English vocabulary in high school. At first, teachers believed that the main reason for the difficulty in student connection was just a problem of vocabulary, and finally found that students' vocabulary review time was seriously insufficient. Of course, it may also be related to the sharp increase in the vocabulary of high school textbook units. Class time is limited, and teachers' vocabulary teaching takes up a lot of time, and there is a serious shortage of time to review and consolidate vocabulary in class. Students must complete other subject tasks after class, which directly increases the burden on students to remember new vocabulary.
(II) Students' vocabulary learning effectiveness is low
Generally speaking, students cannot remember new vocabulary and have already forgotten vocabulary quickly. There are roughly three reasons: First, the impact of other subjects on the English subject. This directly leads to students' mentality of "focusing on theory and neglecting literature", especially in certain subjects; secondly, students have weak pronunciation foundations and have greater obstacles to self-study vocabulary. After class, students cannot accurately read pronunciation, which forms a certain language barrier and increases the difficulty of vocabulary learning; again, students cannot treat vocabulary differently, cannot understand the requirements of vocabulary, and cannot handle the pronunciation, form, and meaning of vocabulary well.
(III) Students’ motivation to learn English vocabulary is insufficient
Learning motivation should be the meta-motor for students’ English learning. However, the reality is: students have memorized a certain number of vocabulary, but they cannot make obvious progress in subject grades in the short term, so students think that memorizing words is useless, and gradually lose motivation to learn. Moreover, students have a more psychological attitude towards improving their subject scores, and their subject scores are faster, which is also one of the reasons why students are tired of memorizing vocabulary. In addition, vocabulary learning at lower levels cannot meet students' reading needs, which means that in the first grade of senior high school, the vocabulary of compulsory first-year vocabulary is too small. In fact, whether in the basic grade or the graduation grade, the depth and breadth of students' vocabulary are a big problem. Without enough vocabulary, how can you talk about other abilities?
3. English vocabulary review practice for high school students
In response to the problems existing in students, the author believes that in addition to giving students certain guidance from the perspective of learning strategies, research on the vocabulary itself should also be strengthened. In combination with the requirements for vocabulary in the "Analysis of College Entrance Examination Questions" compiled by the Academic Committee of the China College Entrance Examination Report (see Table 3.1), the author believes that vocabulary classification can improve students' time utilization of vocabulary review, improve vocabulary, and enhance students' confidence in vocabulary learning. Starting from the vocabulary itself, the breadth of the vocabulary (i.e. vocabulary) determines whether you have the ability to read text (i.e. vocabulary meaning), especially the ability to read comprehension (understand specific information, main theme, opinion and attitude, article structure, etc.) is even more indescribable. The depth of the vocabulary (i.e., the multiple meanings of one word and the multiple nature of one word) determines the height of students' English. Of course, Table 3.1 also provides a theoretical basis for vocabulary classification. Some studies have also pointed out that teachers can guide students to classify vocabulary based on textbooks and learning situations to improve the efficiency of vocabulary review (Luo Zhihui, 2013). Through vocabulary classification, students' blindness and arbitrary nature of vocabulary review can be avoided, and students' vocabulary self-confidence can be enhanced in a short period of time and changes students' misunderstandings about vocabulary review.
(I) Vocabulary classification, accurately review
combined with academic situation and theory, and the following will explain the further vocabulary classification basis and classification practice in turn.
1. Classification based on
In terms of vocabulary, the most common one is the actual words (verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs). In real words, not every word is a high-frequency word, which requires teachers to be familiar with the characteristics of high-frequency words and low-frequency words. When classification, review vocabulary for students in a targeted manner and implement the principle of high-frequency words priority. In terms of vocabulary sources, textbook vocabulary, accompanying acquired vocabulary and written expression vocabulary are the main three categories, and textbook vocabulary is the main source.
textbook vocabulary is mainly divided into the following three categories: the first category is mainly based on the textbooks used by students (Compulsory 1-Electronic 8) Appendix "New words and idioms in each unit", and according to the three parts of the curriculum standard vocabulary (without △ symbol), key vocabulary and phrases ( bold part) and the vocabulary (with △ symbol). Uncommon place names and personal names are not within the statistical scope. Among them, there are 1,433 vocabulary in the curriculum standard, 649 key vocabulary and phrases, and 511 vocabulary mastery is not required; the second category, taking into account the characteristics of the vocabulary, 296 phrases are individually sorted out, including 31 the phrases and 56 a/an phrases; the third category, taking into account the multiplicity of individual vocabulary, 155 verbs/nouns and 57 adjectives/nouns are sorted out according to the order of the textbook.
comes with learned vocabulary. Generally, students organize students' writing errors, understanding errors, new words, meanings and some good words outside the outline when vocabulary changes (also called tortuous changes) from the exercise paper and other text materials.
word block learning is a meaningful way of learning vocabulary. It is conducive to students integrating vocabulary and ensuring the correctness of sentence output. The "Curriculum Standard" also reminds that "teachers should pay attention to the presentation of word blocks, help students pay attention to the habit of verb phrases, preposition phrases, noun phrases, adjective phrases and adverb phrases. ( Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , 2020)" Therefore, in order to standardize students' written expression and use vocabulary, the author uses the sample essays of the college entrance examination questions in previous years as the corpus, and screens a total of 715 vocabulary/word blocks that are close to students' lives (mainly including noun phrases, verb phrases , preposition phrases, passive sentences, and attaches Chinese definitions. Taking the word blocks of have as an example: have ... in common has a lot in common; have a better grasp of better; have a brief understanding of...; have a discussion about...; have a discussion about...; have a good command of mastery; mastery, etc.
Then, as the vocabulary classification becomes more specific, the efficiency of vocabulary review has been significantly improved.
2. Classification practice
Below, the specific operations of vocabulary classification will be briefly introduced.
(1) Self-built vocabulary
First, according to certain classification standards, the author tries to enter vocabulary into Excel and ﹡.txt files. When entering Excel, enter the vocabulary source and serial number respectively to extract vocabulary (see Figure 3.1.2.1.1). Each file can be named separately, or multiple files of the same category can be entered in the same Excel, and then type the file name in the sheet at the bottom left of the document to show the difference. Finally, the sorted files can be stored in a fixed folder. Generally speaking, the first-level folder should be named textbook vocabulary, accompanied by acquired vocabulary and written expression vocabulary, and then the second-level and third-level file names are set according to the situation.
(2) Extract vocabulary
vocabulary extraction methods are not exactly the same. If you are quick to search for word frequency and collocation, use the corpus software AntConc to organize the precipitated vocabulary for use (see Table 3.1.2.2.1). However, if it is another type, you can easily extract vocabulary through the relevant functions of Excel table files. For example, the frequently used "filter" and "sorting" functions are to intuitively see the target and number of filters, and "sorting" is generally used for vocabulary sorting (positive order or reverse order).
ntConc can extract files separately (such as Table 3.1.2.2.2) or cross-base extraction, and can also be further refined. For example, vocabulary with ly can be further extracted according to -ely, -ily, -bly, -lly; suffix-ent can be followed by -cent, -dent, -ment, -lent, -nent, -rent, -sent, -tent. In a similar way, the author has compiled 67 types of characteristic vocabulary. Therefore, this can accurately grasp the characteristics of vocabulary and facilitate memory.
(3) Printing vocabulary
Printing vocabulary is to better review vocabulary. Through practice, the author has found that the paper for editing vocabulary should be the best in A4 vertical four columns, with the page margin "narrow", and the serial number is attached. In this way, students will have a sense of vocabulary quantity during the review process, otherwise the vocabulary review will be a general number. After printing is finished, they will be divided into four columns to facilitate students to write and carry. When a certain amount is reached, they can also be bound to facilitate secondary review.
(4) Use word list
to compile word lists are generally used for early reading or students' self-vocabulary feedback. The writing time involved is best controlled within 10 minutes. Practice has proved that no matter students are exposed to vocabulary for too long or have too large vocabulary, they will automatically develop an impatient mentality. After feedback, students can also mark unfamiliar words or meanings with markers to review after class and save review time.
To sum up, vocabulary classification is not a random vocabulary sorting, but a systematic, complex, and a scientific process. In particular, by building a self-built corpus, teachers can completely avoid subjective selection of words and accurately position vocabulary. By building a library, picking up words, editing and using it, it is convenient for teachers to review appropriately at any time according to students' vocabulary situation.
(II) Selected text, reproduce vocabulary
Single word contact is a method to reproduce vocabulary, but reproducing learned vocabulary in the context can activate the part of speech and use the meaning of the word. The "Curriculum Standards" points out: "In addition to guiding students to understand more deeply and use the vocabulary more widely in high school, the focus is to cultivate students' awareness of word blocks in the context, and through extensive reading, further expand vocabulary and improve the ability to accurately understand and express meanings using vocabulary." (Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China, 2020) Then, corresponding vocabulary classification, textbook text, complete text of real questions and written expression example sentence text are undoubtedly the best corpus.
1. Textbook text
"Theme provides the theme scope or theme context for language learning. (Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China, 2020)" As for textbooks, there are 40 units in total, including 123 texts of 87 topics (see Table 3.2.1.1). The theme context completely covers three major themes: man and self, man and society, and man and nature. Moreover, from the perspective of textbook arrangement, the vocabulary and sentences in the topic and text are in line with the characteristics of high school students, which not only increases the reproduction of the vocabulary learned, but also helps to understand the meaning of vocabulary in the context. However, for basic students, due to vocabulary and grammar reasons, the text reading of the textbook cannot be too advanced. Therefore, the author tried to "use textbook texts" and "use textbook texts" to consolidate vocabulary by using morning reading, classroom or after-class time.
Note: Considering the layout reasons, the specific content of the unit, topic and text is not specified. Interested colleagues can refer to the textbooks.
(1) Use text text
The author adapts the text text into grammar fill-in-the-blanks or corrects the errors based on the college entrance examination questions. In this way, when the text text is limited, students can be gradually trained to use textbooks, discover vocabulary grammar features, and also discover text discourse features, and then change from passive reading to active reading. Of course, when adapting text, you can also try to adapt the same text into multiple types of questions, such as Example 1 and Example 2, and perform variation training on the same test point. For example, the Communist Party of China sets five questions, which test the attribution clause relational words (whom), noun clause guide words (what), conjunction (so), tense voice (would be caught), and preposition (down), respectively, and test students' mastery of language knowledge from different angles. However, in order to strengthen students' understanding of language points, the same test point was adapted into a short article to correct errors, namely who, which, but, are caught, and up. Although this narrows the scope of the test points, students need to analyze the knowledge points, which will help students to deeply master the usage of vocabulary. In fact, the advantage of doing this is that it can cultivate students' ability to observe language and pragmatic skills, stimulate their interest in learning, and get out of the misunderstandings of the sea of questions.
example 1
Do you want a friend 1 you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand 2 you are going through? Anne Frank wanted the first kind, 3 she made her diary her best friend.
Anne lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. Her family was Jewish so they had to hide or they 4 (catch) by the German Nazis. She and her family hide away for two years before they were discovered. During that time the only true friend was her diary. She said, “I don’t want to set 5 a series of facts in a diary as most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty." Now read how she felt after being in the hiding place since July 1942.
(adapted from compulsory one page 2)
example 2
Do you want a friend who you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand which you are going through? Anne Frank wanted the first kind, but she made her diary her best friend.
Anne lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. Her family was Jewish so they had to hide or they are caught by the German Nazis. She and her family hide away for two years before they were discovered. During that time the only true friend was her diary. She said, “I don’t want to set up a series of facts in a diary as most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty." Now read how she felt after being in the hiding place since July 1942.
(adapted from compulsory one page 2)
(2) Use text text
according to normal class schedule. The basic grade completes two books every semester, and then one unit is completed every two to three weeks. Moreover, generally speaking, there is only one text for each unit to be read intensively, and the others are either extensively or not. Based on this, select certain paragraphs of the textbook to deeply explore and retain the annotation method for interpretation, which can not only relieve students' pressure, but also provide convenience for students to further self-study. In Example 3, the relationship words (that, who, whom), passive sentences ([2]), indefinite pronouns (it), one word multiplicity (judge), and easily misunderstood points ([6]/[11]) of the attributive clause are annotated and marked in the text, which makes students consciously pay attention to vocabulary pragmatism in text reading.
Example 3
Congratulations! We are pleased to tell you that [1] you have won the high school speaking competition about new Tangshan. Your speech was heard by[2] a group of five judges[3], all of whom[4] agreed that it[5] was the best one this year[6]. Your parents and your school should be very proud of[7] you!
Next month the city will open a new park to honour Those who[8] died in the terrible disaster. The park will also honour those who helped the survivors[9]. Our office would like to have you speak [10] to the park visitors on July 28 at 11:00 am. As you know[11], this is the day the quake happened thirty-_____ years ago.
(selected from the compulsory 1 of the People's Education Press version)
Note: Abstract of text grammar interpretation.
2. The complete text of the old questions in the college entrance examination
The old questions in the college entrance examination (Past Papers) has rich genres, comprehensive topics, authentic language, and especially the vocabulary that meets the ability level of high school students. Therefore, it is very suitable for students to read and is a useful supplement to the textbook text. In addition, due to different question types, there are certain differences in the selection of words and sentences in the text, which is of some significance to students' stratified English reading. Taking into account the completeness of the text and the need for reading, the author handled the cloze-filling , 7-choose 5, grammar fill-in-the-blanks and short essay errors during the collation process, and returned the alternative/filling answers to the place. At the same time, in order to let students feel the test points, the font size or font processing was done for the selection/filling answers (see Example 4). Among them, the grammatical fill-in-the-blank text also retains the original traces of the proposition.However, reading comprehension texts are compiled based on common style types of narrative, argumentative essays, explanatory essays, and applied essays to facilitate students to be familiar with their discourse structure, text characteristics and expression methods. At the same time, students gradually grasp the situation of long and difficult sentences in different styles through reading, which is of certain significance to improving reading speed.
Example 4
I love doing housework. I always assist my parents in doing the dishes after meals. I also water the flowers in the yard and tidy up my own bedroom whenever necessary. In my opinion, students can benefit a lot from doing some housework. Firstly, doing housework is helpful for us to be a responsible person. Also, it Given our parents more time to do what they like and it improves the family relationship. What’s more, doing housework can be a form of mental relaxation from study. That’s my view on housework. And hope this can inspire more thinking on the topic!
Note: Bold is the vocabulary after the correct answer.
3. Written expression text
English written expression is the key to "expression", but the actual situation is that students are difficult to express and cannot express. In order to guide students to express accurately, authentically and truly, and to get out of sentence templates, the author combines the non-predicate, clause, and beautiful structural sentences that high school students want to use in combination with students' lives, aiming to be proficient in structure and accurately use words. Below, a typical non-predicate sentence description is excerpted (see Example 5). The post-article attributives include sentence 1, sentence 3, and sentence 4, which are passive infinitives, verb past participle, past participle + preposition; the adverbial attributives include sentence 2, sentence 5 and sentence 6, which are do as accompanying adverbial, to do as goal adverbial, and Done+ preposition as reason adverbial. Through sentence contact, internalize the learned word blocks and structures, and be familiar with the differences in expressions in English and Chinese.
Example 5
Sentences 1. On behalf of our class, I will participate in the speech contest to be held in school, which makes mum delighted.
Reference translation: I want to participate in a speech competition organized by the school on behalf of the class. This incident made my mother very happy.
sentence 2. I am delighted to receive your letter, saying that you have made great progress on English.
Reference translation: I am very happy to hear from you and learn that you have made great progress in English learning.
sentences 3. I greatly cherish the beautiful and unforgettable days spent in high school.
Reference translation: I cherish the wonderful and unforgettable time I spent in high school.
sentences 4. Any student interested in the activity is welcome.
Reference translation: Students who are interested in this activity are welcome.
are welcome to actively participate.
sentences 5. To enrich your spare time, we host the speech contest.
Reference translation: In order to enrich everyone's extracurricular life, we organize this speech competition.
sentences 6. Interested in English, I am keen on writing and reading newspaper in English. Naturally, I am ranking first in my class.
Reference translation: Because I am interested in English, I always like to write diaries and read newspapers in English. Naturally, my English scores have always been the number one in our class.
4. Conclusion
This article is based on the three problems that students have in vocabulary review (less vocabulary review time, low vocabulary learning effectiveness, insufficient motivation for vocabulary learning). Referring to the requirements of the "College Examination Question Analysis" of the Academic Committee of the China College Entrance Examination Report for vocabulary, it took nearly three years to practice "vocabulary classification" for the classes taught (first year, second year, and third year of high school), effectively improving the efficiency of vocabulary review and achieving certain results. This has certain practical significance for the English learning of basic high school grades and the preparation for the English review and exam in the third year.
Through research, the author focused on vocabulary classification and explained the necessity of vocabulary classification and the rationality of how to classify it. This can not only solve the problem of students' low vocabulary review time, but also improve students' motivation to learn English and improve vocabulary review efficiency.Especially for basic students, the vocabulary should be mainly based on textbook vocabulary, and vocabulary should be classified according to students' needs. Pay special attention to 649 key vocabulary and phrases to ensure that you can read, write and use them. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the changes in word meaning and word shape. The accompanying acquired vocabulary should be consolidated in a timely and repeatedly through word lists to increase the frequency of vocabulary contact. In addition, due to the differences between students in the same class, vocabulary strengthening is carried out according to the students' vocabulary level. Students with better foundations should be more comprehensive (word form and meaning). Students with poor foundations should be given priority in word meaning, especially compulsory textbooks.
References
[1] Fu Xiangdong, Li Yanru. Problems and improvements in English vocabulary learning for high school students [J]. Research on foreign language teaching in basic education, 2019(4).
[2] Huang Jianing. Discussion on English vocabulary teaching based on ability gradient [J]. References in middle school teaching, 2017(31).
[3] Li Yongda. On the goal misalignment and method misunderstandings in vocabulary teaching [J]. Research on foreign language teaching in basic education, 2013(10).
[4] Luo Zhihui. Example discussion on stage review teaching strategies for high school English vocabulary [J]. Foreign language teaching in primary and secondary schools (secondary school), 2013(5).
[5] Qiu Jing. Classification and reorganization teaching of senior high school English vocabulary based on psychological lexicon characteristics [J]. English teacher, 2019(22).
[6] Wei Hengjian. Summary of three-dimensional vocabulary teaching of high school English [J]. Jiangsu Education: Middle School Teaching Edition, 2020(2).
[7] Academic Committee of the China College Entrance Examination Report. College Entrance Examination Question Analysis • English [M]. Beijing: Modern Education Press, 2021.
[8] Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. General High School English Curriculum Standards: 2017 Edition Revised in 2020 [S]. Beijing: People's Education Press, 2020.
[9] Zhuang Yufeng. Summary of Research on Vocabulary Learning in English Foreign Languages［J］. Research on Foreign Language Teaching in Basic Education, 2019(9).
The Practice of English Vocabulary Review for Senior Students in Accordance with the Learning Condition
Fu Xiangdong
Abstract: Based on the problems existing in vocabulary review for senior students, the practice of vocabulary classification has been conducted for three years under the guidance of vocabulary requested from Analysis of NCEE Test Questions. The problem that less time is spent on vocabulary review has been solved, and students’ motivation has been boosted. Besides, its efficiency has been greatly enhanced, which is of great benefit to anyone in senior high school, especially the senior 3. In addition, some practical approaches to the practice are also provided, including the self-corpus of vocabulary to build, words to collect, words to edit and the words list to use.
Key words: students analysis; vocabulary classification; vocabulary review
(This article was first published in "Research on Foreign Language Teaching in Basic Education" 2022 Issue 1)
