Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
Mr. Mitra is going to introduce the meaning now. And this is where Mr. Mitra’s preparation pays off. He has prepared a student-friendly definition of the word!
Student-Friendly Definition
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
What does behavior mean? Behavior is the things that a person or an animal does. So, when we go to the zoo, we want to watch the animals’ behavior – what the animals do. What does behavior mean again? It’s the things that a person or an animal does.
For instructing other words on his list, Mr. Mitra may use some other techniques to tell the students what the new word means. Let’s look at two of his options: using morphological anlaysis and cognates.
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
Morphological Analysis
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
I can ask my students if they know any other words like behavior and I may hear behave.
Hmm...I might have more luck using this technique with a word like adaptation that features a root word and a suffix -ation which turns a verb into a noun.
Knowing how to derive the meaning of a new word by analyzing its parts is an essential skill for all learners as they encounter progressively difficult texts throughout their academic careers. Studies often found that both MLs and their monolingual peers benefit from learning and using this practice both in the classroom and on their own (Ajayi, 2014; McKeown et al., 2018; Silverman et al., 2013).
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
Using Cognates
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
Hmm... I wouldn’t have much luck with behavior – it doesn’t have a cognate in many languages my MLs know. But I may be able to easily elicit camuflaje or hábitat if these are words my Spanish-speaking MLs have encountered before.
Using cognates (words that have a similar spelling, meaning, and pronunciation in two languages) to teach new vocabulary can be particularly helpful if they exist in an ML’s L1. By using a cognate, a teacher can connect new information to a learner’s prior knowledge, focus on important sound differences between the two languages, and further involve MLs in the classroom dialogue.
Step 2: Introduce the Meaning
