11 Plus Exams Forum

I wasn't sure where to post this, as I realise that vocab is all part of verbal reasoning as well but I wondered what were parents' approaches to vocab? Do they encourage DC to note down new vocab in a book and write a brief definition? Or do they just let their DC absorb it through continually reading these words (some words one doesn't come across very often, so I'd be worried about forgetting them). Do they periodically revise new vocab?

Thank you for any tips/ advice

Hi
Encourage new vocab go be written into a vocab book and then get child to find a synonym and antonym if possible - that way they have learnt 3 words! It is also useful to test them on it, try and make it into a game, - perhaps they can test you while you are driving!

Cocoa, that's a brilliant idea with the antonyms etc. Do you use an address book, or similar, to alphabetise (is that a word? !) the words or just drop them all in randomly?

Testing me is a great plan too because I'm sure they would remember just from testing me. Will make sure they promise not to do it when I'm parking, or there could be a few choice words in their vocab book

My daughter is a reluctant writer so I'm using Pink Porcupine 'Flipper' cards on a ring for her vocab. She writes the word and a definition down. And sometimes, if she's on a roll, a synonym aswell.

We found books too intimidating - the temptation was to get her to write too much and she noted hardly anything down at all in the end. Now we write the words down immediately she doesn't know them, then do definitions and then revise. Because the Flippers are so portable you can take them anywhere and talk about the words when there's a free moment.

Have never heard of those but they sound like an appealing format. Am going to google them right now! Thanks a lot.

It's not for everyone, and can lead to some entertaining discussions if they venture into the Thursday filth section of the G2, but I encouraged my children from an early age to leaf through the reading material that came through the door. The Guardian worked well: the G2 is very readable, but challenging for a ten year old who will learn a lot from wading through an article. We have subscriptions to several magazines which have rich and varied language in them which the kids were encouraged to leaf through. Although occasionally Private Eye can trigger conversations that require a touch of tact to explain why something's funny, it's nothing they're not going to hear on Radio 4 (we were, in fact, listening as the immortal line "The Tories, the party that put the n into cuts" went out). If you can encourage children to read widely, and read outside the "children's literature" ghetto, they'll build a vocabulary and also a sensitivity to style and register far more rapidly than they would otherwise. Reading the stuff they see you read is the best way, because then they see reading as something that everyone should be doing.

My husband has a habit of using over complicated vocab. This has worked in their favour over the years. he'll use 15 long words where one would do, and then I translate, so they know what he's on about. But it does mean they're continually learning new words and their meanings, and aren't phased by new vocabulary. So track down a word geek and hang out with them!

You could also get some adult or KS3 and above wordsearch books, go through the meanings and then get them to find the words.

have you tried http://www.freerice.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

brilliant!

Tokyo: We had a similar experience when a cousin left behind a Simpson's magazine and we were asked to explain some of the meanings ...

Menagerie: The wordsearch ideas are great. And your tip about the word-geek means my DH will also find a newly-appreciative audience

Yoyo: Freerice - I've signed up to that; I'd completely forgotten about it!