Teaching and Learning

At SEPS, we understand the importance of developing students who are independent, confident readers. We want our students to be able to read successfully for a range of purposes, e.g. to acquire new knowledge, follow instructions, research an area of interest, understand different perspectives and, importantly, simply enjoy a great book.

One of the key foundations of becoming an independent reader is developing a broad and rich vocabulary. When students encounter a new or unfamiliar topic, the words they already know provide important connections to new ideas. The greater their vocabulary, the more background knowledge they can draw upon and the more successfully they can make sense of what they are reading. Vocabulary therefore supports not only reading comprehension but learning across all areas of the curriculum.

There is a strong relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. The more words students know, the more they can understand when they read. On the flip side, the more they read, the more words they are likely to learn. Vocabulary also plays an important role in writing, oral language, thinking and overall academic success. 

Vocabulary development does not happen through reading alone. Our teachers have been building their knowledge of effective strategies for expanding students’ vocabularies, including the explicit teaching of word meanings, related words and derivatives, and morphology (helping students understand how words are constructed and how their parts contribute to meaning). Repeated exposure is also essential. Research suggests that students may need to encounter a new word many times before it becomes part of the vocabulary, they can confidently use themselves. Revisiting and retrieving words through reading, classroom discussion, writing, word games and across different curriculum areas strengthens memory and helps students apply new vocabulary independently and with confidence.

Families can support this at home too. Reading together, talking about interesting or unfamiliar words, discussing what a word might mean in a particular context, and encouraging children to find a more precise or interesting way of expressing an idea all help build “word consciousness” (an interest in, and curiosity about, language). By combining explicit vocabulary teaching with wide reading and rich conversations, we can help our students at SEPS develop the knowledge and confidence they need to become capable, independent readers and lifelong learners.