Words matter. The words we choose when we speak or write can have a profound effect on those with whom we share our thoughts and ideas. Last week, inspired by the poets of World War 1, Year 8 were writing their own war poetry. Children chose words from their vocabularies to create stanzas that could lift spirits in rousing calls to action, or share a deep sense of loss. The impact of their poetry on their reader very much depended upon the words they were able to choose.
Over two decades ago, I was so struck by an article in a newspaper that I tore it out and kept it. The author suggested that words actually enabled us to think, and without words, certain concepts were beyond us.
In the classroom we see on a daily basis the impact that the vocabulary of a child has on their ability to share their ideas both verbally and on paper. The more words children know, the more sophisticated their thinking and conversation can be. Therefore as teachers and parents we have a responsibility to ensure that children in our care are exposed to a rich and varied diet of words. It is no surprise that children who read regularly have the broadest vocabularies. Experts tell us that we have to encounter a word up to twelve times before it is transferred into our long term memory and is likely to be used.
So how can we support word acquisition? This advice comes from Reading Rockets, a national literacy organisation based in the USA:
What parents can do to help at home
There are a number of books and resources published to support vocabulary acquisition and I have shared a few below but nothing beats exposing children to words in conversation and reading!
Age 3-6 years
The Word Collector Paperback – 5 Aug. 2021
Age 4-8 years
An Interesting Word for Every Day of the Year: Fascinating Words for First Readers: 1 (Little Word Whizz) Hardcover Age 7+ Years Mrs Wordsmith Storyteller's Word A Day, Ages 7-11 (Key Stage 2): 180 Words To Take Your Storytelling To The Next Level
Age 8+ years
Britannica's Word of the Day
Age 9+ years
11+ Vocabulary Flashcards - Ages 10-11: for the 2023 exams (CGP 11+ Ages 10-11) Cards
Age 10+ years
Shedwords 100 words to explore: 100 rare words to explore and enjoy (Corwin Ltd) Paperback – 2 Jun. 2021
Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim
“It does not matter where they’re from, all desperate men are the same.”
Freedom Swimmer is based on a true story. Set during China’s Cultural Revolution, Freedom Swimmer is the story of two Chinese boys from very different backgrounds and the unlikely friendship they create when forced to work alongside one another in the fields. It’s a story of friendship, suffering, hope and freedom.
Ming is an outcast in his village even before the arrival of the youths from the Communist Party re-education program; it is rumoured that his father died in an attempt to make a freedom swim to Hong Kong and that has broken Ming’s reputation in the village. He also lost his mother in the last famine and was left an orphan. Ming was only eleven when he needed to take his deceased and rotting mother away because he was the only one left in the family (he had to “bury” her in a river).
Six years later the famine has passed but the village is still very poor and all of the villagers are working hard in the fields for minimal rations. When the city boys arrive to “re-educate and enlighten” the villagers, they look healthy and well fed – a drastic and sharp contrast to the villagers. The first night the city boys cook a meal like the village boys haven’t seen since before the famine. It fully displays their differences as starkly as their appearances. However, the time that the two groups of boys live together both highlights and diminishes their differences. As each group of boys learn more about the other, their way of thinking changes.
Throughout the book you watch how the villagers learn Mao’s philosophies and begin to memorise his teachings whiles some of the city boys start to question Mao’s ideals and the treatments carried out in his name. Ming and Li (a dedicated, patriotic Red Guard), become inseparable. They discover a mutual love of swimming and they begin to share their dream of a different life. At the dramatic and unexpected ending Li and Ming are faced with the final obstacle to reach Hong Kong.
Do you think they will make it? Not every book has a fairytale ending…
Recommendations: For Year 7 or 8. This is not an easy book: it is imbued with heartache. It is highly relevant today as it tackles issues concerning the plight of refugees and asylum seekers.
By School Journalists, Sophie G and Sienna D Y6
To get some answers we had the privilege to go to the Edge Grove Headmaster’s office and interview him. We were really interested to hear what he likes about Edge Grove, his favourite experiences so far and any ideas that he would introduce or change if he could stay longer. He said that he has loved every minute of his time with us so far, especially meeting all the children in assemblies, at drop offs and around the school grounds. With more time he said that he would have liked to understand why we mostly transfer to secondary school before we get to Year 8, and would like to see more of us staying on.
Mr Stanley has two hobbies that take him outdoors - walking and bird-watching. He also likes to read and right now, Mr Stanley is reading a brilliant book called Lincoln Highway. We were interested in his taste in music and his favourite piece of music - he likes Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone and his favourite instrument is the violin although he has never played it. [You can listen to Gabriel’s Oboe here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7w-IeNR9ko ]
Because sport is so important to Edge Grove, we asked him which was his favourite. To our surprise, it was golf! His reason for being a fan of this sport is that you can get exercise by walking around the course, if you choose not to get a golf cart. Furthermore, he added that his favourite sport to watch is the very popular sport of football.
Our wonderful chefs would be glad to hear that Mr Stanley’s favourite school lunch is mince and pasta or spaghetti with a side of delicious, leafy and nutritious salad.
The last school where Mr Stanley was headmaster and where he taught was called The Ridge and is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.. Amazingly, he taught year 5 to year 8 and has taught all academic subjects at some stage during his forty years as a preparatory school teacher. You have to be very intelligent to be able to do that. As a boy, his favourite subject was geography mostly, because, he shared, “My teacher was a wonderful man who encouraged a love for geography because he shared it in such a fun way.”
Our head’s most recent pet was a Rhodesian Ridgeback, with the lovely name of Leila. Sadly, Mr and Mrs Stanley had to leave her back in South Africa with some of his caring family members. He looks forward to visiting her again. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very strong, big dogs so they are a bit hard to travel with.
We are lucky to have such a friendly, knowledgeable and experienced interim headteacher for this term - he showed us that he puts the interests of the children first and listens to their views.
