Analysis of Vocabulary Teaching Activities in 5th Grade Turkish Textbooks of the Middle School

Words which are the most important elements of language are important in terms of providing communication among people. The richness of words allows for better use of language and more effective communication. Another importance of words is related to the development of mental skills. Language and mind are constantly in interaction. Therefore, it can be argued that the more an individual has the opportunity to use the language, the more his/her mental skills will increase. It is known that the teaching of vocabulary starts from pre-school period; however, a conscious and effective teaching process starts with school life. What is expected from Turkish courses is to develop the students' comprehension and production skills. Vocabulary teaching activities are very important for the development of these skills. When the Curriculum of the Turkish Course (2018) is examined, it can be seen that the vocabulary teaching starts from the first grade and continues to the eighth grade. The aim of this study is to examine the vocabulary teaching activities in the 5th grade Turkish textbooks. Document analysis method was used in the study. Secondary School Turkish Course Student Workbook (2017) and Secondary School 5th Grade Turkish Textbook (2018) were determined as the main sources of data in the research. Word teaching activities in Turkish textbooks were determined and classified according to their activity types. After the classification process, percentage and frequency analysis were performed and types of data between two books were evaluated. At the end of the study, it was found that there were differences between the two types of books and activities. In the 5th Grade Turkish Course Book (2018), the types of activities of teaching words were attached more importance. Although the activities in the books vary in terms of the type of activities, they were found to be insufficient to include the elements of vocabulary