EDUCATION questions and understand key vocabulary is a key requirement in all subjects. For example in History, a tower in the inner part of a castle where stores were usually kept and where defenders would retreat as a last resort was called…? This is a literal question which requires a one-word answer. However, if children don’t understand ‘defenders’, ‘retreat’ or ‘resort’ then they can’t answer the question.
Closing the vocabulary gap
In Maths, children can come across the same issue in problem solving. These can be vocabulary rich multi-step problems which rely on an ability to break down a question before applying maths skills.
Language excites me, writes Embley’s Head of Prep, Sheina Wright. From refusing to get out the car when I was reaching the end of The Twits to excitedly scribbling notes about the symbolism of weather in my copy of Wuthering Heights. Books and reading make me happy. My dad adores books and passed that love on to me. Vocabulary, therefore, was prioritised and part of my world from a very young age at home as well as beyond the school gates. Vocabulary is learned implicitly and incidentally as well as explicitly and the vocabulary gap can appear from a young age. Unless addressed it begins to widen, and in turn, so does the attainment gap. Literacy is everyone’s responsibility. Being word poor can impact on a child’s learning across the curriculum. An ability to break down
So how do we improve this vocabulary deficit as teachers? Across the subjects we make sure that vocabulary is taught not just caught. It is planned in and explicitly taught. We use diverse vocabulary in our talk. We value it and use a structured approach and academic language. Alongside this we encourage independent reading of quality texts, so that children can experience more sophisticated sentence structure and more complex vocabulary. The explicit teaching of vocabulary helps to offer children strategies so that they can increasingly unlock more challenging texts and therefore gain pleasure from reading texts which will make them word rich. So next time your child is studying a subject at school or you are hard at work, consider the language of your subject, discuss it with those around you or when you get home. Make a conscious decision to be word rich and mind that vocabulary gap. For further information, please visit www.embley.org.uk or email admissions@embley.org.uk
Embracing Ambition
I N D E P E N D E N T D AY & B O A R D I N G S C H O O L FO R B OYS & G I R L S AG E D 2 - 1 8
Where boys and girls fulfil their academic ambitions to achieve their personal best, develop belief in themselves and compassion for those around them.
OPEN EVENTS WHOLE SCHOOL OPEN MORNING Thursday 14 th October RECEPTION CLASS OPEN MORNING Tuesday 12 th October To speak to our Admissions team or to book to attend an event please call 01794 512206 or email admissions@embley.org.uk
SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Thursday 4 th November
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