Oracy and Developing Vocabulary

Oracy is an important part of our curriculum at Gatehouse Primary Academy as we believe by teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

Back and forth interactions with adults:

• thinking out loud, modelling new language for children
• paying close attention to what the children say
• rephrasing and extending what the children say
• validating the children’s attempts at using new vocabulary and grammar by rephrasing what children say if necessary
• asking closed and open questions
• answering the children’s questions
• explaining why things happen
• deliberately connecting current and past events (‘Do you remember when…?’)
• providing models of accurate grammar
• extending children’s vocabulary and explaining new words
• connecting one idea or action to another
• helping children to articulate ideas in well-formed sentences.

By developing vocabulary and the acquisition of language, it is our aim that:

• Teachers will develop vocabulary actively, building systematically on children’s current knowledge.
• Children will increase their store of words and make links between new and known vocabulary.
• Children will discuss the shades of meaning in similar words.
• When writing, children will expand the vocabulary choices that they draw upon.
• Children will understand the meanings of words they meet in reading across subjects.
• Children will understand and use language which defines certain subjects, as with mathematical and scientific vocabulary.
• Children will be interested, motivated and confident in vocabulary learning and develop a curiosity about words.
• Every child will have opportunities to access high level vocabulary from ambitious texts, with reading not being a barrier to learning.