Closing the Vocabulary Gap

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According to research, vocabulary, alongside socioeconomic status, is one of the key factors that determines whether a child will go on to achieve a grade C (now grade 4) at GCSE in mathematics, English language and English literature. Rich, structured talk is a solution to closing the vocabulary gap in our classroom. If this is twinned with high-quality reading instruction, then we are well on the way to helping children thrive with any curriculum.

This book brings together research evidence and teaching experience to provide practical knowledge and resources for primary and secondary teachers. Quigley draws on research to distinguish academic from everyday words; and cross-curricular words (for example, “analyse”) from subject-specific words (for example, “photosynthesis”). Vocabulary knowledge involves information about spoken words and their meanings. Teach academic vocabulary explicitly and clearly, with coherent planning throughout the curriculum. Limited vocabulary prevents students from accessing their learning, developing self-esteem, and enjoying meaningful social interactions, severely affecting their future life chances. And over 60% of secondary teachers surveyed for the Oxford Language Report Why Closing the Word Gap Matters believe this vocabulary deficit is increasing.To stretch and challenge all children or for older children, they could explore the word class(es) and/or apply their knowledge through grammar, e.g. they might write a sentence using a subordinate clause or a command. (Please see my webinar and accompanying resources for further examples of this.) The RESCUE strategy can be used in one lesson but the explain section could be completed at a later date and/or the word could be applied to their writing. Support for schools – Reception (P1), Year 1 (P2) and Year 2 (P3) Supporting children to read more is vital to helping them grow their vocabulary, but we need to ensure that we teach better reading and don’t rely solely on pleasure.

Word consciousness’ is an “awareness and interest in words and their meanings” (put a little more interestingly, it is pupils “bumping into spicy, tasty words that catch your tongue”). This love of language and continual curiosity about what words mean, where they are from, and their legion of connections, feels like the end-game of great vocabulary teaching. With careful cultivation, this curiosity can be fostered and it can help fuel our pupils’ school success.

Classroom support for primary schools

Education is the process of preparing us for the big world and the big world has big words. Themore bigwords I know, the better I will survive in it. Because there are hundreds of thousands of big words in English, I cannot learn them all. But this does not mean that I shouldn’t try to learn some.” David Crystal, ‘Words, Words, Words’ You cannot explicitly teach all the words! With over a million words in the English language, teachers make careful selections regarding subject specific vocabulary and those sophisticated Tier 2 words. It is clear that reading rich texts, both in the classroom and beyond the school gates, is critical for language and vocabulary development. Put simply, the more words you read, the more you learn.