Choosing which words to teach

Overview

You can't teach children every word in the English language, but you have to start somewhere. But, where? Ofsted of course wants to see word knowledge embedded in a school's curriculum, and know that there's a logical progression in the words you teach your pupils. In this session you'll explore the different categories of words you need to consider when planning vocabulary instruction, and relating this to the ways in which they can be taught. Words belong in family groups that share the same root or origin, and there are approximately 80,000 of these in the English language. Sounds a lot, but over time you can teach many of these words, and teach them in a way that makes sense for children with growing vocabularies to learn. It looks at the effective vocabulary learning techniques you need to combine, and how direct and indirect instruction can be used.

Course Materials:

Presentation Slides - Download

.pptx file

Course Trainer

Former headteacher Ruth is now an independent education advisor, supporting schools, trusts and other organisations across the UK. She is currently chair of the National Association of Advisors in English (NAAE), an associate consultant for the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and a member of The United Kingdom Literacy Association's (UKLA) awards and members committee.

About the Course

This series of 8 units has been developed in partnership with The National Literacy Trust to help you develop a cumulative, rich vocabulary curriculum throughout your school. During this course, Ruth Baker-Leask will explore the research that underpins what we know about words and how they work, as well as the essential word knowledge that children need and practical strategies that you can embed into your teaching.