Developing vocabulary in secondary schools

Throughout secondary school, the curriculum becomes more knowledge-rich, and literacy demands increase as this new knowledge is largely expressed through new words. Vocabulary size is a strong predictor of academic attainment, so secondary teachers will recognise the importance of conscious, planned vocabulary teaching to consolidate and enrich students’ store of words.

These resources summarise key research into vocabulary size and explain five key principles for vocabulary development. We provide practical examples of effective methods for teachers to build vocabulary through reading and direct instruction in various subjects.

The resource includes

• Developing Vocabulary in Secondary School - principles and practice: an introduction to concepts of word knowledge and the five key principles for vocabulary instruction, together with examples of activities to support direct vocabulary teaching.
• Word of the Week - word building across secondary school: a reflection on 'word of the week' and how to utilise this as a whole school provision for vocabulary development.
• Vocabulary development research: A collection of research reports and resources that provide contextual knowledge and insight.
• Vocabulary in the subject curriculum presentation: A CPD presentation to share with colleagues to support with subject-specific implementation.
• Academic word list: high-frequency words that are key for understanding academic writing.

These resources are designed to support the development of a rich and robust vocabulary, making them valuable across all curricula and learning contexts where language, expression, and communication are key.