Knowing the essential words in advance makes it easier for a child to connect ideas while reading. The review should focus on a few important meanings rather than become another spelling test.

Review meaning in context

Ask school for important vocabulary before a new topic or book. If they cannot send a list, the school website often shows each term’s topics, and some schools post a one-page list of key words, often called a knowledge organiser. Choose a small set and, for each word:

• say it together;

• explain it in plain language;

• connect it with a picture, object or familiar experience;

• use it in a simple sentence; and

• return to it briefly later in the week.

For a topic on rivers, connect source with where a river begins and mouth with where it enters the sea. A short free clip from BBC Bitesize can show a real river using the same words.

Ask the child to explain or show the meaning rather than recite a definition. If they can use the word accurately in a new example, the knowledge is becoming more flexible.

Keep the words visible during related reading and homework. Do not question after every sentence or assume that one unfamiliar word means the whole text was misunderstood.

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