Bridging the Word Gap at Transition was published after the first U.K. COVID-19 lockdown. Six months on, it’s even more relevant. Although the conclusions are stark, it contains positive case studies and an outline of steps that schools can take, especially to address ‘academic vocabulary’.
Are there enough opportunities to explore and discuss new words encountered in reading and to build and consolidate word webs?
- Bridging the Word Gap
Here are some specific, practical approaches that I recommend. These will have an immediate impact on vocabulary:
Take the decision to deliberately teach 5-10 words every week. Plan at least six frequent encounters with those specific words.
Use simple structures again and again to make planning easy. You are probably familiar with structures like Would You Rather, Good Idea/Bad Idea? and What’s the opposite of…? Make these work for vocabulary.
Link vocabulary to talk – spend ten minutes every day exploring and playing with words.
Over 70% of teachers believed that addressing pupils’ vocabulary gap when they returned to the classroom would be a high priority in their school. – Bridging the Word Gap
