Literacy fortnightly focus… Ysgol Uwchradd Casnewydd Newport High School, enriching lives through writing, reading and oracy

‘Vocabulary at the age of 5 is a powerful predictor of GCSE achievement’ (Research from The Communication Trust) Learners face a huge range of complex subject specific words that they need to learn and understand. They also need to grow their ‘word power.’ Learners who use a range of varied and interesting vocabulary are successful communicators who can articulate their views – verbally and in writing – with flair and interest. Learners rely on their parents and teachers to introduce and help them discover new words and their meanings. If you make learning more words interesting and make it an important focus in your lessons, you will keep learners engaged and help them develop the ‘word power’ they need to succeed. Ysgol Uwchradd Casnewydd Newport High School, enriching lives through writing, reading and oracy

The only way we can be certain that learners have learnt the key words for our subjects is when we hear or see that they can use them correctly. A simple but effective way of testing vocabulary is to play ‘odd one out’: Display three words and ask learners to consider which one is the odd one out. This will get them thinking critical and reflectively about not just the words’ meaning but about their links with other words. Sometimes there might be a clear right answer, other times there might need to be an important discussion. Which is the odd one out? In Mathematics: obtuse, parallel, acute?In RS: tallith, rosary beads, dreidel?In English Literature: personification, ode, simile?

It is important to encourage learners to use more interesting words and sophisticated vocabulary. If they constantly recycle the limited number of words that already know, their writing and expression can be dull – it needs to sparkle to engage the audience. Try writing a word or sentence on the board and give learners 3-5 minutes to improve it. Learners then share and discuss each other’s improvements and ensure that words are used correctly. The crowd cheered as the ball went into the net. Becomes: The ecstatic crowd roared as the ball smashed into the back of the net.

Encourage learners to think about the meaning of specific words and reflect on the language writers use. A simple but effective activity is to remove some of the interesting words from a piece of text. After reading the text, learners must individually note down words they think would work well in the gaps. Their choices can be discussed: which words work best and why? The full original text can be revealed and vocabulary choices discussed and compared. This task can be used with any type of text and really helps learners think about their word choices. Come to sunny Wales for a ____________ holiday. Nestling in the welsh countryside is a _____________ holiday cottage, equipped with all the luxuries you need for a _____________ and ___________ holiday.

Diolch