TEACHING ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS TO PRIMARY SCHOOL LEARNERS (3rd–4th GRADE)
Keywords:
collocation, primary school, EFL, vocabulary teaching, young learners, communicative competence, Uzbekistan, language acquisition, lexical approach, 3rd–4th grade.Abstract
This article examines the significance of teaching English collocations at the primary school level, specifically focusing on 3rd and 4th grade learners. Collocations — natural word combinations that native speakers use instinctively — are frequently neglected in early language instruction, yet they constitute a fundamental pillar of communicative competence. The article analyses existing theoretical frameworks on collocation acquisition in young learners, evaluates age-appropriate pedagogical strategies such as context-based learning, visual aids, games, and repetition-driven techniques, and proposes a set of practical recommendations for primary school English teachers in Uzbekistan. Findings suggest that systematic, playful, and contextualised collocation instruction from an early age significantly enhances vocabulary breadth, reading fluency, and overall language confidence in young learners.
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