: Speaking Scientifically – Part 1 Supporting children’s language development in primary science

Katherine Branco is the Director of the North London Alliance Research School and in this blog she considers the benefits of supporting children’s language development in science.

Teacher: Today, in our science lesson, we are learning about ​‘light’!

Student: Oh, I know what that is – it’s like when something is not heavy!

Teacher: You’re thinking of the adjective ​‘light’ which relates to the weight – how heavy something is. The ​‘light’ we are learning about today is a type of energy that makes it possible for us to see the world around us.

Nothing out of ordinary here. Just like ​‘light’, there’s a whole plethora of words that may spark confusion for our young scientists, potentially jeopardising their understanding of scientific concepts and facts. How can teachers mitigate against this? Well, our role in supporting children’s language development is essential. There is evidence that the rate at which children develop language is influenced by the amount of input they receive from adults- the quality of input being more important than the quantity (Law et al. 2017). The case for quality language input is made even stronger by the claim that strong oral language skills impact children’s educational success and improves life outcomes (Dobinson & Dockrell, 2021). Whilst many children may struggle with developing competence in speaking and listening, it is those from areas of high economic deprivation that struggle the most (ibid). 40% of children are reported to have delayed language (Law et al., 2011). Inevitably, the ​‘language gap’ was further widened by school closures during Covid-19 (Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group, 2020:3).

Recommendation 1: Developing Pupils’ Scientific Vocabulary

The English language is not always straightforward. Yes, we may not have to contend with the grammar intricacies of masculine and feminine like in French let’s say, but, there’s no escaping the conundrum of multiple meanings. Explicit vocabulary teaching is key. The new EEF Primary Science Guidance Report reminds us that everyday words, in a science context, can ‘ suddenly have new meanings’ (EEF, 2023:5). Say hello to ​‘polysemous words’!

Force is one of these. In everyday use, force can be treated as a verb, meaning to break through something using physical strength, but in science, it can be taught as a noun which, in turn, means a push or pull which happens between two objects. Such semantic complexities with word learning just reinforce the importance of shining the light on recommendation 1 of the report, which is to develop pupils’ scientific vocabulary. The first step (recommendation 1a) in doing this, is to take some time in the planning stages, to decide which words to teach. Considering:

1) The scope of vocabulary.


2) The necessary ​‘background knowledge to fully access the science being taught.’ (EEF, 2023:6).


Next, as outlined in recommendation 1b, we need to plan when to introduce new words and definitions, ​‘ensuring they link directly to the content being taught, and build on prior knowledge.’ (EEF, 2023: 7).

Let’s take a Year 6 example to illustrate how a teacher can build on prior knowledge of scientific words.

The unit is ​‘Animals Including Humans’ and the pupils need to understand how the circulatory system works and the function of its constituent parts. Here, the sequence of vocabulary teaching is key. Initially, the children need to be taught the vocabulary linked to the parts of the circulatory system, followed by the functions of these parts. The former can be executed through explicit teaching of vocabulary (such as arteries, veins and atrium) and matching definitions. The latter may require more teacher scaffolding to support the application of language taught to the conceptual understanding of the process of the circulatory system.

A way in which this can be done is through the use of a summary bullseye (see image above). An activity developed from the Voice 21 resources – a game where children can consolidate vocabulary that has already been taught. Words of varying difficulty are identified and organised into a bullseye with Tier 3 words (specific to a science topic) on the inside of the bullseye. The students then use the bullseye to score points for using the language in a discussion related to a key question.

Using the sentence stems and summary bullseye, they may be able to come up with sentences like the following:

‘The circulatory system is made up of arteries.These are the blood vessels that transport oxygenated blood from your heart to all of your body’s cells.’

​‘The aorta is the largest artery of the body and it carries blood from the heart to the circulatory system.’

Read our ​‘Speaking Scientifically (Part 2)’ to learn how dialogue and collaborative learning can support the teaching of science concepts and facts.

Further Listening and Reading

​‘Evidence into Action EEF Podcast: High Quality Talk’. This podcast includes Neil Mercer, who gives a great background to oracy and its role.

Oracy Cambridge – blog series.Oracy Cambridge have a range of blogs that go some way to help teachers understand what oracy is and what it isn’t.

References

Dobinson, K.L. and Dockrell, J.E., 2021. Universal strategies for the improvement of expressive language skills in the primary classroom: A systematic review. First Language, 41(5), pp.527 – 554.

Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group, 2021. Speak for Change, Final report and recommendations from the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry

Law, J., Charlton, J., Dockrell, J., Gascoigne, M., McKean, C. and Theakston, A., 2017. Early language development: Needs, provision and intervention for pre-school children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. London Education Endowment Foundation.