THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENT
QUAN SON EDUCATION & TRAINING DIVISION

RESEARCH TOPIC

USING PICTURES IN TEACHING ENGLISH AT GRADE 6 IN
SOME SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN QUAN SON DISTRICT.

Writer : Hà Mai Quyên
Position : Official
Place to work : Quan Son Education and Training Division
Research topic of subject : English

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THANH HOA, 2016

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INDEX
A. INTRODUCTION
I.The general points......................................................................................page 1
1.The reasons for choosing the topic............................................................page 1
2. Aims of the topic......................................................................................page 1
3. Research objects.......................................................................................page 1
4. Research time...........................................................................................page 1
II. Theoretical basis and practical basis.................................................. .....page 1
1 Theoretical basis........................................................................................page 1
2. Practical basis...........................................................................................page 2

not effectively.
From that fact, I have decided to research the topic "Using pictures in
teaching English at grade 6 in some secondary schools in Quan Son District".
2. Aims of the topic
Teaching and learning English have been strongly developing both inside
and outside schools not only in Viet Nam but also all over the world. Thus, the
purpose of the application of picture cards and word cards in teaching in grade 6
is improving the quality of basic steps of students` learning, create interactively
educational environment, students are encouraged and facilitated to actively
seek knowledge, streamline the learning process and self - discipline themselves.
The application of pictures in teaching English will increase the efficiency
to absorb lessons. The lessons using pictures will help students contact with the
real life and make lessons more vivid, rich and attractive for students. Teachers
do not need to explain a lot, students are still interested in learning and it is very
easy for students to understand the lesson as well. They will remember words a
lot and use sentences fluently.
3. Research objects
The students are in grade 6 at Quan Son Boarding Secondary School and
Quan Son Town Secondary school.
4. Research time
From 09/2015 to 04/2016.
+ From 09/2015  10/2015 : the time of research topic.
+ From 11/2015  01/2016 : applying research topic for grade 6.
+ From 02/2016  03/2016 : evaluating the effectiveness in using the research
topic.
+ 04/2016 : completing research topic.
II. THEORETICAL BASIS AND PRACTICAL BASIS

1. Theoretical basis
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The practication of teaching "Helping students in grade 6 learn English
well by using pictures in teaching vocabulary” brings quite positive
effectiveness. Through the techniques of using pictures in the tested classes,
students really like to learn English. Pictures have made students bolder and
more vibrant in English learning in class. Every time I use pictures to teach
them, the lessons are very successful. In the learning process, students have
absorbed and acquired quite much knowledge, especially the number of new
words and model sentences in the content of the lesson. They also improve the
listening and speaking skills. They pronounce better about the stress of the
vocabulary as well as that of the sentence.
Using pictures make students easy to see, easy to aquire and by inference,
students could have predicted about the mean of new words and grammartical
structures.

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Applying English cards in teaching will enhance the quality of learning for
students, create the educational environment high interactively not merely
teachers lecture, students listen or teachers read, students write. Teachers can
lecture whenever or wherever. Students can self - study with pictures, or parents
also teach their children by themselves when they use pictures.
B. CONTENT
I. THE STATES OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC

Through practical teaching, I find that every lesson, which does not have
real objects in general or pictures is very boring, Therefore, students are not
interested in learning, they are bored with learning the subject, even they hate
the English lesson. Especially for students at Quan Son Boarding Secondary
School, most of them have not been aware of learning well yet, parents neglect

Word cards have English words or Vietnamese words. Pictures are used for
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presenting words, checking words and sentences in units; present and check
letters in the alphabet in the studentbook.
Every lesson has pictures based on pictures and words in the studentbook,
so they are really attractive and interesting and they help students a lot in
leanring English as well.
2. Some effective techniques in using pictures cards to teach English
for students in grade 6.
We have known the advantages of pictures in teaching vocabulary, but to
use them effectively in teaching is not simple. How flexibly we can teach all
new words to students who are studying in the smallest grade and at the smallest
age in secondary schools? Now, I would like to show you some wonderful
techniques that brings high effectiveness in teaching English.
a. Using pictures to introduce new words.
There are quite many benefits to present new words by pictures. Teachers
can be easy to use picture cards in order to teach new words for students who
learn English by listening, speaking without writing the lesson in English. So, if
teachers do not use pictures to introduce new words, it is difficut for students to
learn.
Example 1 : Unit 6 – Places – B- In the city (B1,2,3).
Firstly, we give out the picture “A restaurant” which students observe
what it is, then teachers will pronounce that word as modal several times, then
teachers ask students repeat again :
T : Look at the picture! This is a restaurant.
S: A restaurant.
S read after teacher and remember the word.


T: Look at the picture! This is a museum
S: a museum
S read after and remember the word.
* The word: bookstore

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T: Look at the picture! This is a bookstore
S: a bookstore
S read after and remember the word.
So, with the new teaching method, teachers do not need to translate into
Vietnamese, students only look picture cards, they will pronounce, know the
meaning of the words and remember the letters in the word. Especially, all
students are very excited and they always look forward to the English lesson
because they do not know what new words they are going to learn and they are
also curious that today what picture cards teachers are going to let them observe.
Everything is magical for students in each English lesson.
b. Using pictures to teach model sentences.
In many units in grade 6, apart from new words, there are many simple
sentences that students must learn to speak. To help students speak those
sentences well, teachers have to know how to use pictures flexibly. Thus,
besides the words in the unit that students are studying, teachers should provide
some extra pictures of different words which students learnt the last lessons. So,
this will help students use model sentences with learnt words better.
Example 1: Unit 4 : Big or Small – C1-2-3.
Teachers give out each pictures, students will speak aloud the full
sentence :
I………………………………………


4. A : What would you like?
B : I’d like a cake.

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c. Using pictures to check the words.
Teachers use pictures to check the words at many different stages such as
checking after presenting the new words, checking in the warm – up stage,
checking in the review lessons… There are also many ways to check the words
which students have learnt.
c1. Using pictures after presenting the new words:
After presenting the new words, teachers use pictures of the words that
students have leart to check the meaning:
Example:
Teachers give out the pictures and ask students read aloud its names:
Teachers: What is this?

Student: It’s an orange
Teachers: What is this?

Student: It’s a mango
Teachers: What is this?

Student: It’s a banana
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Teachers: What is this?


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and guess quickly and correctly. As result, these pictures are truly practical and
useful not only for teachers but also for our students.
C. THE ACHIEVED RESULTS AND THE PROPOSALS
I. THE ACHIEVED
SOLUTIONS

RESULTS

AFTER

APPLYING

THE

ABOVE

After reseaching and applying this reseach topic, I find that students`s
learning results have improved a lot, and become higher than the beginning of
the year, presented as below :
* Before applying the research topic:
Quality
Class

6A
6B

Quantity

(%)

Good
(%)

Fair
(%)

Unsatisfactory
(%)

22
1 (4.5%) 4 (18.2%) 10 (45.5%)
7 (31,8%)
Students’ results in Quan Son Town Secondary School

* After applying the reseach topic :
Quality
Class

6A
6B

Quantity

6

Good
(%)



Unsatisfactory
(%)

22
7(31.9%) 10 (45.5%) 4 (18,2%)
1 (4.5%)
Students’ results in Quan Son Town Secondary School
II. THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC.

Through my teaching experience, I find that teachers can use Pictures in
teaching English because they brings us the great effectiveness. With these
pictures, teachers also can design attractive, vivid lectures, especially in teaching
new words, grammar and listening, speaking, reading, writing skills to inspire
from the smallest students at secondary schools – students in grade 6.
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However, the application of real objects in general or pictures in particular
to innovate the content, teaching methods is a difficult long-term task requiring a
lots of infrastructure, finance and capacity of teachers. Thus, to promote the
development and application of real objects in teaching in the next time to be
effective, the State should increase the investment to constantly improve, and
provide full of pictures for teachers to teach English better and students in
different grades at secondary schools can be learnt with pictures to increase the
vocabulary.
Besides, teaching English at secondary schools is a diverse and complex
process. The effectiveness of teaching English is determined from the two sides
both teachers and students. The teacher not only masters the language of cultural
knowledge but alo uses teaching methods on lessons proficiently. Not only


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