: Decoding the Language of Science: A blueprint for developing scientific vocabulary at post-16 Don’t know the difference between glycolysis, glycogenesis, glycogenolysis? Neither did our students until we tried this.

Nicola Canham is Course Leader and Biology teacher at Oldham Sixth Form College with 16 years’ experience. In this blog she unpacks Recommendation 6 of ​‘Improving Secondary Science’ Guidance Report and stresses the importance of developing scientific literacy skills as a key to unlocking higher achievement for many students in science.

Welcome to a world where the realms of biology and English converge. A‑level biology boasts over 4000 new keywords, surpassing the vocabulary load of GCSE French. This turns biology not just into a subject but into a linguistic adventure. How can we, as teachers, navigate this linguistic landscape and ensure that our students not only comprehend but fluently use these scientific terms? The answer lies in a systematic approach to explicitly teaching Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary. Teaching vocabulary explicitly, rather than sporadically, offers a dual benefit. Not only does it shore up students’ content knowledge, but it also equips them to navigate more complex reading materials and develop their scientific writing skills.

How do teachers develop students’ Tier 3 scientific vocabulary?

Firstly, we need to activate prior knowledge. An awareness of GCSE science terminology is our starting point, adding to it to increase its complexity is a good way to link together schemas in the students’ knowledge bank. When the students begin learning a new topic, the first tasks we give them are independent ​“flipped learning” activities requiring the students to read certain texts and complete a glossary of the topic they are about to study. By doing this before learning the topic, the students have more confidence in the lesson to use the words they are already familiar with.

How do we show links between words and composite parts?

In biology, keyword prefix and suffix displays in every laboratory help the students understand the components of key terms. Understanding the composite parts of keywords is crucial. For example, most people know that chlorophyll is a green pigment found in leaves, but don’t know that the prefix ​“chloro-” means green when used in scientific words, meaning chlor-ine is a green gaseous element. Another example is the suffix “-in” which indicates the names of proteins found in the human body like keratin, haemoglobin or ferritin. We emphasise these components of words within our teaching and schemes of work to enable students to break down unfamiliar terms into components they do understand.

How do we support students to develop their scientific writing skills?

As experienced teachers, many of us with examiner experience, we recognise the challenges students face in structuring answers. A page of lines with a question at the top can be daunting and students struggle with layout. A simple table to contrast two microscopes or paragraph titles on two types of diabetes helps build student confidence. We also use the idea of generating a keyword list from class discussion which are written in a margin of a question, and these can be ticked off as students write an answer, which is a good way to ensure all points are covered. Use of a visualiser as a tool for modelling excellent exam technique during Q+A works very well. Students contribute their own answers and can follow a teacher’s explicit instruction to achieve a very high-quality answer. The teacher can also use the visualiser to show student work to address any misconceptions within the answers of the class.

Linguistic Competence: A gateway to science success

Achieving linguistic competence in the language of science is not just about rote memorisation. It’s about comprehending, analysing, and interpreting texts, using the language of science to articulate ideas. By focusing on the essential words, teaching vocabulary explicitly, and illustrating the interconnections between words, we empower our students to not only grasp but also excel in the language of biology. 

1. Be aware of the vocabulary demands of a topic and make a conscious choice about the words you are going to teach and when to introduce them.
2. Focus on the words that students really need to understand and make sure they understand them well.
3. Teach new scientific vocabulary explicitly.
4. Direct instruction has benefits, but this is not about rote learning; you need to show students how words are linked and how to use them in a range of contexts.
5. Give students the opportunity to engage with authentic scientific books and texts from a range of sources.