Key Terminology and the Frayer Model

Exposing Mangotsfield students to a greater depth and complexity of vocabulary is one of our key priorities moving forward. Recalling the INSET session delivered by Rachael Hobson:

1.They must help to drive the learning in the lesson.
2.We must insist on students using them aloud and in full sentences.
3.We must print them off with definitions for SEND, PP and EAL.

Caroline Bates writes: As we know from our increased focus on key terminology it is not enough to just introduce new terms to students but that we also need to give students the opportunities to explore these terms and practice using them in different contexts. At a recent Religious Studies conference I attended Joanne Harris (@JoanneH_RE for those of you on Twitter) spoke about a number of different methods she uses to introduce new vocabulary to her students in ways that mean they can revisit the terminology and use it more consistently in their written work. 

One particular example I found useful was an adapted version of the Frayer model. This is a graphic organiser that has been around for several decades and helps students to unpack new terms. 

This page http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/frayer-model has a video of some American teachers and students using the model to good effect in the classroom. The version of the model (see image) that Joanne shared with us has been altered to include a space for students to draw an image to remind them of the term. This allows for the possibility of dual coding where we process verbal and visual information in different ways and so can retrieve this information using both channels. 

Joanne keeps piles of these sheets in her classroom so that students can use them as part of their own self study as well as for use in lessons. For other versions of the Frayer model which may be more appropriate in different subjects, Alex Quigely (Author of Closing the vocabulary gap) has shared some suggestions here https://www.theconfidentteacher.com/2018/04/vocabulary-knowledge-and-the-frayer-model/

This type of organiser can be used at a variety of different points in a lesson or throughout a topic. It is another technique to add to the repertoire that we have been building throughout recent CPD sessions.