Transcript Document
“In the Beginning Was the
Word…”
Building vocabulary
through story,
to develop complex ideas,
from Foundation to KS3
Michael Jones
www.talk4meaning.co.uk
How to describe the causes
of the economic downturn
in one word…
Banksters
Gangsters
Hucksters
Freeloaders
Hijackers
Carjackers
Phonejackers
Bankrolling
Freewheeling
Words that conjure up big
images and ideas
Larry, Franz Marc’s ‘The Red
Horses’, German
Expressionism, Appleby Horse
Fair and Larry’s Granddaddy in
Ireland….. and ‘scumbling’.
Lizzie at 9 years old, talking about a
trip to the USA, and ‘stuff and
places’
What are her needs, and how would
we meet them?
The need for flexibility.
Focusing on vocabulary to replace
‘stuff and places’
Ice cream, potatoes and jelly
Darkness is the Absence of
Light:
Developing language through
teaching science in Year 1
•Choose a core vocabulary
•Use stories to introduce
ideas
•Relate teaching to the
children’s experiences
• New Star Science
•Set up a display about the
topic….
•Which changes as the topic
progresses
•Language always supported by
visual aids and practical
activities
•Make links with the
children’s home
•Balance investigation,
measurement and recording
over the topic
•Paola. Albanian. In UK for 12
months
•Recorded before topic
•Recorded at end of topic
•Recorded eight weeks after
topic
P: I know- I know how many
yellow stripes there are.
There’s a yellow stripe there, a
yellow stripe there and a
yellow stripe there. And the
jacket has got yellow and grey.
But it’s shiny now.
The grey bit is shining.
MJ: And why is it shining?
What’s making it shine?
P: The thing that’s making it
shine is … mm.
MJ: can you remember what
we call that word about this
strip- when you shine a light
on it, do you remember what
we call that?
P: Ok. In this picture there’s a man. A
man riding a bicycle. And the man is
riding on the bicycle and the man has
got – mm..
MJ: Reflect
P: Yes. He’s got a reflective coat and
the strips are shining and the car is not
shining at all. It’s dull. ‘Cos when you
call dark you call it dull. When you call
the sun –mm- light, you call it reflect.
And it’s about this picture, is that bricks
are not shiny
MJ: Now tell me about the picture