: Unlocking the Secrets: Nurturing Scientific Vocabulary in Primary Science How can we develop pupils’ scientific vocabulary?

Katie Moores, ELE for Primary Science and Early Years Lead at Werneth Primary in Oldham, considers the importance of language rich learning opportunities in Primary Science.

On a busy Thursday afternoon, Year 1 children collect in their classroom ready for an exciting lesson about the ​‘Animal Kingdom.’ They are bright eyed and bushy tailed at the prospect of learning about their favourite wild animals from all around the world and being able to finally talk about their adored pets. But with the introduction of a new science unit comes the challenge of navigating complex scientific terms such as ​‘amphibian,’ ​‘reptile,’ ​‘carnivore,’ and ​‘herbivore.’ A robust command of scientific vocabulary is essential for these young minds to actively engage in scientific discussions, participate in science learning, and effectively communicate their newfound understanding..

The question arises: How does their Year 1 teacher impart this scientific language to an excited class of 5 and 6 year olds all the while keeping their enthusiasm for the topic intact?

The Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) ​“Improving Primary Science” guidance report offers a valuable roadmap. Recommendation 1 outlines the importance of explicitly teaching scientific vocabulary, whilst considering the breadth of vocabulary and background knowledge needed in order to fully access the science being taught.

1a Identify science specific vocabulary

The report emphasises the importance of categorising vocabulary into different tiers:

What key knowledge do children need in order to understand the newly introduced vocabulary?

The recommendation highlights that effective learning takes place when scientific vocabulary is explicitly taught. At Werneth Primary School, the adoption of tiered vocabulary across the curriculum ensures that students comprehend not just what specific words mean but also why and when to use them. Carefully mapping the language means that teachers methodically plan lessons that promote language rich learning opportunities empowering pupils to use a wide range of vocabulary both accurately and confidently in all subjects.

Why is it important to teach polysemic words?

In the intricate world of science, many words have an everyday meaning as well as a scientific one. This is another reason we need to teach scientific vocabulary explicitly to ensure accurate use of the words. If we think of the Year 4 Science unit ​‘Sound’, there are plenty of examples of words which have a different everyday meaning to a scientific meaning, such as ​‘soft ’ (to describe an object that is easy to mould /​a very quiet sound) , pitch (football pitch/​the measure of sound frequency)and ​‘volume’ (the amount of space that a substance occupies/​how loud or quiet a sound is). Carefully unravelling these meanings and defining their relevance when discussing scientific concepts is crucial to comprehending scientific concepts fully. For more detail, this blog from Huntington Research School explains polysemic language at the primary/​secondary transition.

1b Explicitly teaching new words and their meaning, creating opportunities for repeated engagement and use over time

Recommendation 1 also makes it clear that when teaching words that are essential across many science topics, such as ​‘predict’, ​‘compare’ and ​‘evaluate’, we explicitly teach their meaning. Creating opportunities for repeated engagement and use over time fosters children’s confidence and fluency in using these words across all, or most science units.

Model the use of the new word in context

If we think back to our bright eyed Year 1s, the need for this becomes more obvious. The word ​‘herbivore’ becomes much more accessible when modelled in a simple sentence with familiar words such as ​‘eat’ and ​‘plants’. Children may have prior knowledge of the root word ​‘herb’ and can be guided to relate this to plants. If we teach them that ‘-vore’ means ​‘eat’ they take a step closer to being able to decode the word ​‘carnivore’.

Create a context for words that need to be learned

Making abstract vocabulary relatable is crucial in order to build on children’s pre-existing knowledge and understanding of the world. A quick recap that links the animals that our children know, suddenly makes the words ​“herbivore” and ​“carnivore” more understandable. It is important to stress that we need to be mindful of children’s prior knowledge when planning the vocabulary that will be taught.

Expose children to new vocabulary across all literacy activities

Repeated exposure to the taught vocabulary is the key to retention and active usage. A Year 5 class writing a narrative that describes a magical story travelling across the galaxy through space, provides an opportunity to revisit and reinforce words like ​‘asteroid’, ​‘atmosphere’, ​‘orbit’ and ​‘gravity’.

Use vocabulary approaches that promote language connections

Encouraging children to draw pictures and diagrams can help them to understand the meaning of new words. Visual aids and discussing the origin and structure of words enables children to make connections and embed meaning.

Scientific vocabulary forms the bedrock of primary science education, enabling children to actively participate in conversations, share opinions, and grasp fundamental scientific concepts.

The 2017 EEF report ​‘Good literacy skills crucial to closing attainment gap in Science’ found that, ​“the strongest factor affecting pupils’ science scores is how well they understand written texts. According to the report, poor literacy skills can affect how well a pupil is able to understand scientific vocabulary and to prepare scientific reports.”

The barrier appears to be, not knowledge of science, but the literacy of science. With this insight, it is vital that we promote and develop pupils’ scientific vocabulary throughout Primary Science teaching and learning, ensuring a solid foundation for their academic journey into the captivating world of science.