Video 6: Off List Words

Off List Words

Off-list words here mean low-frequency words other than K1 and K2 words. In most cases, these words will be rephrased by replacing them with simple synonyms, or the teacher will take some time to explain them. The teacher may also give example sentences to encourage understanding.

When a story has a lot of words that a teacher who's not a native speaker doesn't know, it can be tough for both the teacher and the students. That's why it's helpful to figure out how many of these unfamiliar words there are in a story and decide how to deal with these “OFF-LIST words."

Sometimes, the best approach is to replace these unfamiliar words with simpler synonyms that the students already understand or they may be ready to acquire. If you spend too much time explaining words that are new to the students, it can make the story confusing and not very enjoyable. It depends on the students and their readiness to learn whether you should explain what these unfamiliar words mean. 

I often share stories with my students using only the words I think that they already know because the most important thing is for them to enjoy the story. The main goal is not to teach them new words but to make sure they understand the story and find it interesting. Also, even if the teacher thinks the word is easy, for some students it may be the optimal input (i+1) that they are just ready to acquire. Even when a teacher thinks she's telling a story using words all the students know, there might still be some new words they need to hear. So, there is no need to worry if there are a lot of Off-List words. The key is to make the story engaging and fun for your students.