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At Carrwood Primary School, our English teaching programme follows the structure of the National Curriculum for each year group. Improving children’s vocabulary is a whole school priority. We want all our children to acquire a wide vocabulary and gain a good understanding of words. We use research-based evidence to structure the teaching and learning of new vocabulary. This is currently a whole school focus and we teach two vocabulary lessons per week. During these lessons, in Years 1-6, teachers use the SEEC model as a structured approach to teaching, learning and understanding new vocabulary.
Strategies used to support vocabulary development:
- The ‘SEEC’ model is used as a structure for introducing new words:
- Select – Here words are selected.
- Explain – Child friendly definitions are given, multiple meaning examples are explored and misconceptions are clarified.
- Explore – Etymology, synonyms and antonyms are explored, as are strategies to remember the word or concept.
- Consolidate – The word is used in different contexts and will begin to be used across the curriculum.
- ‘Word of the Week’ on the school newsletter.
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary posters.
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary added to planning & knowledge organisers.
- Vocabulary Books.
- Word Pots.
This builds upon the vocabulary rich environments that our children experience in Buttercups, Petals, Nursery and Reception where every interaction with our youngest children, provides an opportunity to extend vocabulary, model standard English and encourage the use of extended sentences.
It is our intention that by the end of their primary education, all pupils have a good understanding of many different words and their meaning, are using and understanding these words in their speech, reading and writing and have developed a ‘word consciousness’ to help them understand academic vocabulary as they move into Key Stage 3 and beyond.
Useful Websites & Blogs
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-vocabulary/
This website provides lots of advice and tips on how to develop vocabulary.
This article provide practical tips for developing vocabulary in children.
Books to support vocabulary development
Useful tips
- Teach children to use a dictionary and thesaurus.
- Play word games such as, ‘Boggle’, ‘Scrabble’ and ‘Bananagrams’.
- Label objects around the home and use a wide range of adjectives to describe them.
- Read different types of books, discuss the meaning of any new words that are read.
- Read the weekly newsletter, use the ‘word of the week’ when talking to each other.