Professional Documents
Culture Documents
-Algiers -
Department of English
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Acknowledgement
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Dedication
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Abstract
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Table of Contents
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Introduction
Vocabulary represents a crucial component in teaching English syllabus; that’s why it should be taught in a
well-planned and organized method. A good mastery of words knowledge is essential for English learners to
produce and communicate effectively, especially for those who learn for specific purposes. Thanks to the
emergence of new approaches that highlight the learner’s needs and autonomy in the process of acquiring
English language in relation with their field of study, ESP has gradually developed to facilitate vocabulary
learning in each targeted field. “It is wise to direct vocabulary learning to more specialized areas when
learners have mastered the 2000-3000 words of general usefulness in English”( Nation….citation needed.
Accordingly, language acquisition would be most effectively mastered if it could be embedded with the
learners’ field of study. To help ESL improve their comprehension, it is very essential to teach these primary
specialized vocabularies and their meanings in a way that allows them to retain them for a long time.
Accordingly, the students’ poor comprehension of their English test is due to the lack of specialized
vocabulary knowledge. The reason why; teaching vocabulary especially in ESP courses is becoming a
challenge for both English Language Teachers and learners. Though ESP has known a great launch in
English teaching sphere, nowadays teachers still encounter some difficulties in teaching vocabulary to high
school students in conformity with their specific fields of study. That’s the case with the most of English
learners in the Algerian high school who know very little about many core words which are frequent and very
important in their discipline. Otherly stated; The Algerian high schools ‘curriculum lacks diversity in topics
that may activate their knowledge linking it with vocabulary acquisition especially in scientific stream
classes. Most of the texts involved in the English textbooks are limited with certain topics that don’t meet all
learners’ needs, preferences and learning styles. Likewise, they find themselves limited to certain subjects
such as history economy and education in a way that makes them less enthusiastic and active in classroom
when acquiring the same general words. This deficiency of technical vocabulary in the texts provided by the
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textbooks makes the learners unable to grasp the new items from a specific context related to their major. The
purpose of this research paper is to highlight the importance of implementing ESP terminology in Algerian
high school textbooks in accordance with the students’ mainstreams and areas of interests so as to pave the
way for future studies in their chosen technical major. In addition, this study aims to give a prompt to
curriculum specialists and stakeholders to design suitable instructional materials, learning strategies and
appropriate techniques to facilitate the acquisition of ESP vocabulary. To achieve our aim form carrying out
What is the importance of using ESP vocabulary to teach English in high schools according to the
students’ mainstreams?
How ESP vocabulary benefits the students in their English classes and their future studies in university
How can English teachers implement ESP vocabulary in their courses, lesson plans and activities?
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Chapter One:
Literature of review:
Part One:
This chapter presents the literature review of the importance ESP vocabulary teaching in high schools. We
will first define ESP, state its importance and history and explain how it comes to be considered as one the
main fields in nowadays courses, then talk about both vocabulary as a skill and teaching vocabulary to ESP
learners as well. The shift in teaching English from the traditional trends and methods to the modern ones like
CLT (communicative language teaching) led to the emergence of ESP. Accordingly, ESP has become one of
the substantial areas of English teaching, and has received increasing attention during these years. Almost all
educational institutions all over the world have ESP courses with the aim of teaching the kind of English
vocabulary that the students may confront in their field of study.. In the literature of ESP, many scholars have
pointed out the importance of vocabularies for ESP learners and suggested the ESP teacher to use different
strategies to handle this issue. For instance, Akbari & Tahririan (2009) have asserted that students in an ESP
context frequently encounter unknown words in text material and they urgently need to adopt some deliberate
Definition of ESP:
Defining ESP has proven to be problematic to most of the researchers and “producing a simple
definition of ESP is not an easy task”(Strevens,1987:109). The reason why many definitions of ESP were
provided by many scholars. According to Mackay and Mountford (1978: 2) “ESP is generally used to
refer the teaching of English for a clearly utilitarian purpose.” That is to say, English language is being
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taught in real situations so as to give the learners a chance to link what they acquired with their needs in
their profession by helping them to acquire new specific skills in language. Anthony (1997: 9-10) argued
that “some people described ESP as simply being the teaching of English for any purpose that could be
specified. Others, however, were more precise describing it as the teaching of English used in academic
studies or the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes”. This indicates that, ESP main
goal is to help EL to build up and promote the necessary skills and capacities related to their field of
inquiry, profession; occupation and workplace. Hence in ESP, “language is learnt not for its own sake or
for the sake of gaining a general education, but to smooth the path to entry or greater linguistic efficiency
According to Hutchinson and Waters, there are three reasons that led to the emergence of ESP
movement. After the WW1 an enormous expansion of technology, economical progress and commerce
necessitated people around the world to acquire English language for the sake of getting access to technology
products in commerce fields especially.(Hutchinson & Waters 1987,p 06).Later on , after the outburst of the
economy and technology ,a shift emerged from describing language usage including grammar and simple
rules to exploring the context in which language is being used to communicate. As a result, new
characteristics of English use evolve among various group of learners that started using English for specific
needs that differ from one situation to another (Widdownson, 1978).Besides, a great emphasis on learners
needs came into light causing English for specific purposes courses to develop in relevance with learners
‘interests and preferences so as to motivate them and facilitate learning English. (Rodgers,1969). To sum up,
the combination of those three paramount factors led to the emergence of ESP in order to cope with the late
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ESP Characteristics:
ESP consists of English language teaching designed to meet specified needs of the learner.
Related in content to particular disciplines, occupations and activities.It is not taught according to any
preordained method.
Evans and John (1998) modified Strevens’ characteristics to form their own, they offered a modified
definition as follows:-
2. ESP is centered on the language, skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities.
5. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work
Types of ESP:
1. English as a restricted language: The language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of
2. English for academic and occupational purposes: English for science and technology(EST), English for
Business and Economics(EBE), English for social studies(ESS), English for academic purposes(EAP), and
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3. English with specific topics: This type concerned with anticipated future English needs of, for example,
scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending conferences or working in foreign
institutions.
ESP Importance:
“The difficulties which the students encounter arise not so much from a defective knowledge of the system of
English, but from unfamiliarity with English use, and that consequently their needs cannot be met by a course
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which simply provides further practice in the composition of sentences, but only by one which develops a
knowledge of how sentences are used in the performance of different communicative acts.”(Allen and
Widdowson,1974). From this passage we deduce that ESP main concern is not only
language use description but also language learning processes descriptions in different contexts and
situations. So, it’s crucial to distinguish between language use at the level of the sentences and language
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, ESP has been proven to be so crucial that it became a necessity to make it part of the English
teaching curriculum for EFL.It evolved gradually throughout history due to the growth of English learners
needs which became the center of designing methods and techniques that best work to cope with it effectively
Part Two:
Vocabulary Teaching:
Basically, vocabulary learning and teaching represents a great challenge for both the teachers and the
learners due to the minimum focus put into the importance of regular instructions and tasks that may lead to
enhancing its knowledge.In this chapter, we will be discussing the way vocabulary should be taught and
learned using some applicable methods and strategies both as a skill in general and as a crucial component in
ESP field.
Widdowson points out that every language learner should start first from the primary stage which is
represented by the whole words gathered to form meaningful grammatical utterances by stating ;« The more
one considers the matter,the more reasonable it seems to suppose that lexis is where we need to start from,
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the syntax needs to be put in the service of words and not the other way round.»( Widdowson to
Lewis,1993,115).
McCarthy (1990, p. viii) also mentioned , “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how
successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider range of meanings,
communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way” (McCarthy 1990, p. viii).
From the two definitions mentioned above, we can assume that vocabulary has become a indispensable
sphere in teaching English language for both general use and specific purposes ;as a result a wide variety of
techniques and methods based on specific approaches has emerged.As a result,linguists have developed some
techniques and methods to teach first English vocabulary in general then for specific purposes in the targeted
field chosen by students in high schools.However, we need first to classify the ESP vocabulary into
categories to facilitate the process of choosing the right techniques that best match with the learners ability of
grasping and preferences linked with their field of studies. According to Hatch and Brown (312) special
lexical items are found in every field chosen by learners ,and abstract concept are being covered by particular
vocabulary in each profession.To put it another way, Kennedy and Bolitho (56-58) identified three distinct
categories of ESP vocabulary that differs from one field to another as follows:
Technical Abbreviations, Symbols and Formula – they represent a challenge for teachers to
explain. Teachers start often with their form and they move on to their meaning ;and students should practise
Sub-technical vocabulary – words which are not directly a part of specific technical branch,
but they occur generally in scientific and technical texts – e.g. lava , ultra violet rays,homoeostasis..etc.
Highly technical vocabulary – words that have a close thematic relationship and belong to a
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Selecting Vocabulary:
The initial step to start teaching vocabulary is selection of words that teachers or instructors want their
learners to acquire and that best match with the unit they are dealing with.This process of selection according
to Gairns and Redman (59) depends on some cultural reasons,learners needs and levels since these criteria
pave the way to explore the inalienability of learners and teach-ability for the instructors.The reason why,
most of teachers start with concrete words that are easier to be learned by students especially when being
illustrated or found in their educational setting like chair,copybook,board ...etc.Then later on , they move to
more complicated words called abstract items and that require some extra efforts, teaching materials or visual
aids that suit the words meaning.For instance, the word ‘resistance’ signifies in medicine the immunity of the
human organism against diseases while it refers to opposition in military context as it refers in physics to the
material opposition to an electrical current.The best way from which teachers can start to teach new items is
to prepare a words list that cover all the items that they are expected to teach to their learners in relation with
the unit they are studying.Accordingly,learners will have a systematic reference that illustrates the main
academic words they need to grasp and use in a relevant context.Teachers may also use concordances;i,e, the
context of the words that learners may cross in real life situations outside the classroom such as : collocations
idioms ,words family members, homonyms, synonyms and grammatical patterns. «The use of concordances
can challenge the learners to actively construct generalizations, note-patterns and exceptions» ( Nation,
2001:111).
Presenting Vocabulary : Teachers and instructors tend to introduce new vocabulary to English
learners using myriad of techniques to insert not only the form and the meaning of the new lexis but also
its usage in different contexts.Choosing the right method to do so is up to the teacher first who must be
aware of his students ‘learning styles and their preferable acquisition way.Moreover, the topic is
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necessary when it comes to learn new words since they should be presented within a given context that
helps the learners to both learn and use the words inside and outside the classroom.
According to Gairns and Redman (73), there are some traditional methods and techniques used to present
new vocabulary:
Visual techniques:
Visuals – photographs, flashcards, blackboard drawings, pictures, videos, wall charts, pictogram and real
Demonstrating: mime/facial expression and gesture – useful for teaching action verbs.
Verbal techniques:
Illustrative situations (oral or written) – this technique is helpful when the words are more abstract using for
Synonyms and antonyms – using the words students have already acquired to insert them in their memory
Definitions and explanations – appropriate for intermediate learners. To make definition of words can be
Scales – if students know 'wide’ and ‘vast’', for example, other steps could be to teach ‘stretched’ and
‘magnificent' etc.
Translation – it is a common activity used for presenting the meaning of a word in classes.
Guessing from the context, matching/labelling – learners match words to words or sentences or pictures. It
belongs to so called discovery techniques; they activate the learner’s background of a previously acquired
language terms and initiate the activity given with the new vocabulary.
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Vocabulary Practice:
The vocabulary practice is divided into two categories controlled and free .The teachers make a
decision first whether they want to focus on accuracy(controlled practice) that requires the learners to
produce certain structures in a given pattern or fluency(free practice) used by teachers to ensure that the
learners will be able to use the new vocabulary to communicate in the classroom using some situations of
integration from real life.The vocabulary practice is best exemplified by a sum of activities that not only
foster fluency but also promotes pronunciation and give the learner the opportunity to retrieve the words he
learned and stored in his memory so as to communicate properly.These practice activities are divided into
Receptive practice (the learner does not really produce the target words) includes these types
(Thornbury 94-99):
1) Identifying – means finding words in a text or listening script, e.g. underline specific words or expressions
in the text, or tick, put in the correct column or list items that you hear.
2) Selecting – means recognizing words and making choices among them, e.g. circle the odd word in the line.
3) Matching – includes recognizing words and then finding their synonym, antonym, definition, pictures to
words etc. It can be intended to matching parts of lexical items to create collocations (there is a very popular
4) Sorting – putting the lexical items into different categories, e.g. put these adjectives in two groups –
5) Ranking and sequencing – putting the lexical items in some kind of order, e.g. ordering items
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Productive practice: (the productive skills – writing or speaking – are incorporated in the vocabulary
- Completion tasks (context is given), often called gap-fills, are widely used not only in practice but also in
revision stages. They include open gap-fills or closed gap-fills (multiple choice activities),
crosswords,
- Creation tasks: the learner uses the word in a sentence or a story, in writing, speaking or both forms, he
may also use affixes to build new naming units from given words.
According to Hutchinson and Waters, (1987) ESP should be seen as an approach to language teaching to
facilitate the learning process of the technical words that English learners need in their future majors.
Likewise,the prior researches have propelled to the forefront ESP vocabulary necessity to develop a wide
range of academic skills like analyzing research papers, thesis or dissertations in some specific fields,writing
academic papers and giving oral or written presentations about many different areas of research. Frequently,
instructors focus on both academic and semi technical vocabulary which are both given a certain priority.
According to Dudley-Evans and St John (1998:83), this type of vocabulary not only is used in general life
contexts but also has a higher frequency of occurrence in scientific and technical descriptions and
discussions.For instance we have some general vocabulary on which teachers should focus since they may
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.collocations: carry out, overtake.
Conclusion:
ESP has become a widely used and necessary sphere in teaching English.The reason why;the demand for
the teaching of English for clearly stated purposes necessitate from language teachers to take into
consideration the specific demands imposed by the learner’s personal needs and special study fields.
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Chapter two:
Methodology:
In this part of the research paper, i will be suggesting some texts taken from ESP vocabulary in use books
from different fields to be implemented in the third year high school textbook.I will also provide some extra
activities accompanied with the text that best cover myriad of skills and vocabulary related to the units of the
textbook.
I have chosen the method of evaluation in order to collect data and analyze the given texts and activities in
The third year textbook of the Algerian secondary school “New Prospects” has six units that cover different
topics according to the students streams.Concerning the scientific stream, there are three units as follow:
Ethics in business, Safety first and advertisement and finally astronomy.My aim is to suggest other texts from
In use series of the global books Cambridge that target the different scientific subjects so as to motivate
learners to acquire technical ESP vocabulary in accordance with their areas of study.First i did an analysis of
the textbook and i found some sections that are not that interesting in terms of the vocabulary they cover that
should be directed toward strengthening their technical words knowledge about the main theme of the unit.
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Business / Physics / Computer S / Engineering vocabulary in Use is a combination thematic/topic-based
and semantic syllabus. I have chosen to use the texts provided with some activities in these books to present
the technical vocabulary in the topics related to the units of the textbook for the branches available in the
secondary school.I have also designed some activities that provide the learners with the different words
interpretations in both general and technical use keeping the same reading passages in the textbook. These
practical exercises provide a better understanding of the basic meaning of unfamiliar new words and how to
use them in appropriate contexts and collocations and easy-to-understand definitions. They will also help
students o extract information from the written texts including a variety of skills connected, above all, with
the content of a reading course. Among the most important skills is the capability to understand the main
idea of a passage (skimming). Further skills involve the ability to find quickly specific information (scanning)
In Unit 02 Ethics in Business: Page 57 Take a break: omit this part and replace it with the text and the
activities below.
add it on unit two named Ethics in Business page 59 instead of “Take a Break” in order to foster and cover
the unit vocabulary about the different issues in the domain of business.In addition to the this text below the
activities that come with it help the teacher to engage the students in the learning new technical vocabulary
that help them to guess the different contexts in which they are used.
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'I'm Sam Woo. I've been a fraud squad detective for 20 years and I've seen a lot! Once, a gang counterfeited
millions of banknotes in a garage. We found US$10 million in counterfeit notes. They were very good
quality. Counterfeiting or forgery of banknotes was a problem, but now all the forgers are in jail. Faking
luxury goods like Rolex watches was also a problem, but we're working hard to close workshops where fakes
are made. There have been bad cases of fraud where someone offers to lend money, but demands that the
borrower pays a "fee" before they get the loan. People can be stupid. And there's embezzlement, a type of
fraud where someone illegally gets money from their employer. One accountant sent false invoices to the
company he worked for, and paid money from his company into bank accounts of false companies he had
"created". He embezzled $2 million - quite a scam. There used to be a lot of racketeers demanding
"protection money" from businesses. If they didn't pay, their businesses were burnt down. Money
laundering, hiding the illegal origin of money, is common - gangsters buy property with money from drugs.
When they sell the property, the money becomes "legal". But banks now help by telling us when someone
1/ Read the text and find synonyms of the words written in bold.Try to guess from the context using one
word or a sentence.
Fraud Squad= police department that investigates fraud Embezzlement= theft of funds
Forgery= fraud
Racketeer= a person who engages in fraudulent business Money Laundering= concealing the source of
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2/ Read the words given in the table below and find their collocations:
Preposition
standards
Property Economy biology Of Market price Physical personal Hold own value
chemistry boundary
Medicinal Buy acquire
Interpretation:
The text given begins with a presentation of vocabulary from a given topic related to the unethical
practices in business( Fraud and embezzlement) . The important words are selected and identified by bold
type. After the text, i added some key definitions that may help the learners to grasp the general issue of the
text. Likewise,.students are expected to take notes of the vocabulary relevant to their technical area which is
business here. In this way a student is actively involved at this presentation phase.For this reason,i used
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collocations activity.It is highly recommended to train students to use correctly strong collocations that shows
an excellent command of English language for Specific Purposes. Collocations are very common in business
settings when certain nouns are routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a
contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc Not knowing collocations may lead to wrong word
Section Two:
Activity one: I suggest to use the words semantic maps activity.This activity induces the learners to
activate their previous words knowledge and make efforts to link them with the word that generalizes all of
the suggested items.The instructions of this activity can be formed as follow: Read the words in bold type in
the text then suggest some others that have relationship below.
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•Capacity
Energy •Fuel/ Electricity /radiations/Gas
• Environement sun wind water biomass
•Security
Security •Safety
• instructions
System • scheme
•Rules
Activity Two:
In this activity students are supposed to fill in the blanks with too much, too few and too many.The key terms
in this text are diabetes, sun rays, polio disease, overweight,radiations,skin cancer,beriberi disease,B12
vitamin,immunity,Anaemia , poor eyesight and blood cells.My concern is to focus on these terms so as to
teach the learners how to make use of these technical words in the other scientific subjects they study.I
suggest to supplement an activity where students have to classify the words mentioned above according their
own categories after guessing each word definitions using synonyms explanations,examples ...etc.
Diabetes → a condition or disease where the body can’t use glucose normally.
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Polio disease →infantile paralysis where the muscles suffer from a hard weakness that the body cant
move.
Skin Cancer →you can mention skin cancer types (Carcinoma, Basal cell....)
Beriberi disease → caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency.it caused inflammation if nerves and heart failure.
Immunity →the ability of the organism to resist again infections and diseases.
B12 vitamin →it maintains healthy nerve cells and it helps to produce DNA
Interpretation:
The two activities above are one of the most favourable clues to help learners to acquire the different
technical meanings of one word.The learners will be able to cover the different glossary items of one single
word.Sometimes they can not guess each word’s definition ;that is why, it is necessary to use the glossary
words that have relationships with the word provided instead of giving directly its meaning.Accordingly they
will cover most of the technical words related not only to the unit but also to their specialized field of study.It
helps them also to imagine the different concepts and items that can be put under each word cluster.For
example the word “energy” is often encountered by students in different fields ;the fact that will help them to
deduce its miscellaneous uses in various areas of research.Coming to the second activity,sorting or
categorizing can also support the teacher’s aim to use ESP to teach vocabulary.When they do so using the
technical words they will able to grasp more than the word itself but also its category, type,use ,function and
so on forth.
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Section Three:
In this unit learners are expected to distinguish between facts and opinions and raise their awareness about
the negative effects of the different interpretations of humour. The learners should be able to discriminate
,contrast and compare the different ways in expressing emotions and feelings in different cultures.A closer
look to the reading passages however, reveals a number of gaps and shortcomings concerning the scientific
stream side.The unit content is more suitable to the literary stream students since the subjects being tackled
are more about culture,myth and history.The first reading passage is about feelings in both British and
American culture while the second reading passage is about a story called a unicorn in the garden.After
reading them and analyzing the whole vocabulary covered in this unit, i suggest two other reading passages
related to the engineering and physics subjects that students encounter in their courses.
Alternative suggestion:
I suggest to replace this unit topic with another which targets the civil engineering students in high
school.Regarding the fact that the whole content of the textbooks lacks such variety of subjects that attract
civil engineering students, it is necessary to take their area of study into account.To begin with, i looked over
the third year engineering program in secondary school so as to suggest reading passages that have
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Getting started:
Before reading:
4- Does force or mass influence the speed of a moving solid? and how?
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Acceleration and motion
If an object is at rest (not moving) and is free to move (not fixed), an external force-a force from outside -
will make the object accelerate. This means the velocity of the object (the speed of its movement in a given
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direction) will increase. Velocity is measured in metres per second (m/s). If acceleration is constant-that is, if
the rate of acceleration remains the same-it is measured as the increase in velocity (in metres per second) that
is achieved each second. The unit of acceleration is therefore metres per second per second - stated as metres
If an object is in motion (moving) and is subjected to an opposing force-that is, one acting on it in the
opposite direction-the object will decelerate. As with acceleration, deceleration is measured in m/s2• If
something moves in a straight line, we say its movement is linear-a car accelerating and driving along a
On earth, acceleration due to gravity is roughly 10 m/s2• In other words, if an object is dropped and left
to free fall, its velocity will increase by 10 m/s every second (not allowing for air resistance). Acceleration
and deceleration, such as that generated by aircraft and cars, can be compared with acceleration due to
gravity. This relative measure is called G-force (G stands for gravity). An acceleration of 10 m/s2 is
1- Complete the table below then check you answers with your classmate. You can use the dictionary
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linearity linear No verb Move in straight line
2- Match the words in the left with their associated words on the right.Then use them to form illustrative
sentences
5- Motion E - an earth force that alter any body speed and trajectory
3- Read the text again and summarize it in few sentences using some words from the two activities above.
Concrete
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Cement a key material in construction. It consists of a very fine powder. When water s added to cement,
a chemical reaction occurs, and the cement begins to set - it starts to become solid. The most widely used
cement-based material is concrete, which is made from cement, fine aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate
(gravel) and water. After concrete has set, it needs time to reach its structural strength - the strength needed to
perform effectively.Generally, engineers consider that this strength is reached after 28 days - a point called
28-day strength.
Concrete mix designs, which are specified by engineers, state the proportions of cement, fine aggregate
and coarse aggregate to be used for specific structures. For example, a 1:2:4 (one-two-four) mix consists of
one part cement, two parts fine aggregate and four parts coarse aggregate. For mixing precise quantities-
known as hatching-proportions are measured by weight. Mix designs also specify the water-cement ratio -
the amount of water added relative to the amount of cement used. Excess water reduces the strength of
concrete, so the quantity of water is kept to a minimum. But as drier concrete is more difficult to work with,
an additive (added chemical substance) called a plasticizer is often used. This helps the concrete to flow more
easily. Other additives can also be used-for example, a retarder may be added to delay setting, which gives
Find words and expressions in the text to match the descriptions (1-10).
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5 -Move steadily and continuously= to flow
Interpretation:
The practical exercises I designed aim to revise, consolidate, exploit and reinforce the main features of
the unit that cover most of the technical vocabulary that students are expected to acquire. I tried to make the
texts suggested diverse in terms of the technical topics that students tackle in other subjects.That’s why after I
analyzed the last unit “Keep Cool” , i suggested to replace It with another unit related to engineering and
physics fields.the first text target initially physics subject that is about acceleration and motion.All of the
words mentioned in the text are encountered by students in their main field of study.Likewise they will be
more engaged and familiar with the processes in texts that they have already seen in their current or previous
curriculum.The second text is about Concrete ;that matter used in construction which is one of the most
prominent subjects that engineering students deal with in third year secondary program.The objectives i set
for activities suggested with the texts are mainly about draw the attention of students towards the different
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Language functions:
I focused on two functions that third year students of English are intended to learn through the
different types of activities that aim to teach both general and technical meanings of vocabulary.
subjected to an opposing force-that is, one acting on it in the opposite direction-the object will
decelerate.”
processes.Ex: Polio disease →infantile paralysis where the muscles suffer from a hard weakness that the
The following points provide examples of some functions (types of exercises) covered in the texts suggested
Exemplifying: Acceleration and deceleration, such as that generated by aircraft and cars,
Expressing purpose: which gives workers more time to pour (place) the concrete
Describing measurements: The unit of acceleration is therefore metres per second per second.
Teacher’s role:
The teacher´s role should be eminent in teaching vocabulary using ESP.The teachers should give the
learners a chance and space to figure out words ‘meaning and lexis by allowing them to be part of the
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appropriate learning materials,aids and initiating activities. However, because of the students levels in terms
of the technical words meanings and their use , there are mostly expected situations when teacher-centered
learning has to be given priority. Firstly, in situations when the new vocabulary is expected to be extremely
difficult for students, or when the meaning of key words cannot be deduced from the context, selected items
should be presented and explained through the pre - teaching activities before students start to read the given
technical text. It is also necessary for the teacher to do a summary/revision of the unit to cover the main
vocabulary or other main points learners are expected to see ; e.g. technical meaning or definition. In
addition, teachers can think out further examples or exercises to explain some problems or practise
vocabulary.
Since most of the students would not be familiar with all of the topics technical terms , teachers have
to make sure that students grasp both new vocabulary and new technical information. Besides, students
should be stimulated to raise their curiosity and interest about information from the branch they study or
prefer. The tasks are designed to involve the students actively in the process of gaining the new information.
This corresponds with the idea that they are reading texts for the sake of learning both general vocabulary
technical terminology. The aim of using ESP is also to teach students how to work with the technical texts
in order to reach a high level of understanding and vocabulary luggage to manage different tasks in their
future careers.
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Sample Lesson Plan:
Sample lesson plan is made for Unit four which i suggested to replace with another unit that targets
engineering and physics students in high school. The text is Acceleration and Motion.
Lesson Plan
Material used: Syllabus Topic 4, whiteboard + markers, , bilingual and monolingual dictionaries (e.g.
Aims:
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to practise the new vocabulary in reading, writing and speaking activities.
to develop both: ESP vocabulary and knowledge about the field of physics.
Assumptions:
- Students have some experience with physics phenomena, laws and rules.
- Students have some experience with doing practical activities in the textbook (matching, filling in the
- Students´ knowledge of physics laws f motion and measurement will be boosted through English
vocabulary.
Stage 1: Warm up
Aim:
- introduce the unit using a video or pictures from which students are expected to deduce the main
concepts.
Stage 2:
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Pr-reading phase:
- Ask them to look at the pictures provided before reading the text.
- Ask them to write some notes about the pictures subject individually then exchange drafts to work in
pairs.
Aims:
- introduce new technical vocabulary and activate their previous background about physics laws.
- Present the new vocabulary with reference to the unit main theme
- Explain these words without giving the exact word that refer to their meaning
- Ask the students to guess their meanings from the teacher’s explanation or use the dictionary.
Stage 4:
Aims:
- Students extract the new difficult terms that they could not understand
- Teacher explains those words in context related to the technical theme of the unit.
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- Students check their answers of the arm up questions.
Stage 5:
Practice:
Aims: Consolidate ESP vocabulary by practising new words in context and use these words in
appropriate sentences to write a good summary.Activate both general English knowledge and its technical
use.
Procedures:
- Students summarize the texts using the new words they acquire or their synonyms.
- Teachers asks students to suggest any other physics law or theory they know and matches it with
pictures if available.
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