Firstly you begin with a word the child has picked up in English, e.g. “toilet”. The child picks a lego brick/ building block to represent that word. We write the word on the block in erasable marker and repeat it aloud several times. This block is now the subject of their sentence.

I then model how we could add a word to extend the phrase, e.g. “toilet, please.” We write the new word (please) onto another block and place it next to the first word. Here you can begin to play around with the order and explain which order the words need to be in to make sense. The visual representation creates a hook for the child to place new words onto.

The child repeats the phrase and is encouraged to use it.

This activity can then be repeated in future, when the child is confident with the phrase. 

We can then extend the phrase to a sentence e.g. “Go to the toilet, please” and developed into longer sentences e.g. “May I go to the toilet, please Miss O’Grady”

You can choose whether to have individual words, clauses or phrases on the blocks. Each should be a different colour to indicate to the child how the sentence is extended.

If utilised effectively it can also be transferred into English lessons to scaffold constructing sentences (similar to a concrete version of colourful semantics.) You could also change and/or add punctuation where appropriate.

For older children, a block can also be built on top of. If teaching more colloquial expressions that are synonymous, for example, or introducing alternative words. E.g. ‘toilet’ could have the word ‘bathroom’ on top, or ‘go to’ could have ‘use the’ - this demonstrates to the pupil how the same phrase may be said in different ways.

It works well because it is progressive, building on the students' knowledge rather than overwhelming them with too much new information at once. Also, when used to develop ‘survival’ phrases, the strategy has immediate benefit to the child and therefore becomes meaningful. 

By chunking information down, the child is able to enjoy success at many levels. By using a kinaesthetic approach, the child has a visual, tangible object to refer back to when searching for the correct vocabulary.

Draw/ use pictures of the nouns/ actions for verbs next to the words to help the student remember each new part.

Firstly you begin with a word the child has picked up in English, e.g. “toilet”. The child picks a lego brick/ building block to represent that word. We write the word on the block in erasable marker and repeat it aloud several times. This block is now the subject of their sentence.

I then model how we could add a word to extend the phrase, e.g. “toilet, please.” We write the new word (please) onto another block and place it next to the first word. Here you can begin to play around with the order and explain which order the words need to be in to make sense. The visual representation creates a hook for the child to place new words onto.

The child repeats the phrase and is encouraged to use it.

This activity can then be repeated in future, when the child is confident with the phrase. 

We can then extend the phrase to a sentence e.g. “Go to the toilet, please” and developed into longer sentences e.g. “May I go to the toilet, please Miss O’Grady”

You can choose whether to have individual words, clauses or phrases on the blocks. Each should be a different colour to indicate to the child how the sentence is extended.

If utilised effectively it can also be transferred into English lessons to scaffold constructing sentences (similar to a concrete version of colourful semantics.) You could also change and/or add punctuation where appropriate.

For older children, a block can also be built on top of. If teaching more colloquial expressions that are synonymous, for example, or introducing alternative words. E.g. ‘toilet’ could have the word ‘bathroom’ on top, or ‘go to’ could have ‘use the’ - this demonstrates to the pupil how the same phrase may be said in different ways.

It works well because it is progressive, building on the students' knowledge rather than overwhelming them with too much new information at once. Also, when used to develop ‘survival’ phrases, the strategy has immediate benefit to the child and therefore becomes meaningful. 

By chunking information down, the child is able to enjoy success at many levels. By using a kinaesthetic approach, the child has a visual, tangible object to refer back to when searching for the correct vocabulary.

Draw/ use pictures of the nouns/ actions for verbs next to the words to help the student remember each new part.

Firstly you begin with a word the child has picked up in English, e.g. “toilet”. The child picks a lego brick/ building block to represent that word. We write the word on the block in erasable marker and repeat it aloud several times. This block is now the subject of their sentence.

I then model how we could add a word to extend the phrase, e.g. “toilet, please.” We write the new word (please) onto another block and place it next to the first word. Here you can begin to play around with the order and explain which order the words need to be in to make sense. The visual representation creates a hook for the child to place new words onto.

The child repeats the phrase and is encouraged to use it.

This activity can then be repeated in future, when the child is confident with the phrase. 

We can then extend the phrase to a sentence e.g. “Go to the toilet, please” and developed into longer sentences e.g. “May I go to the toilet, please Miss O’Grady”

You can choose whether to have individual words, clauses or phrases on the blocks. Each should be a different colour to indicate to the child how the sentence is extended.

If utilised effectively it can also be transferred into English lessons to scaffold constructing sentences (similar to a concrete version of colourful semantics.) You could also change and/or add punctuation where appropriate.

For older children, a block can also be built on top of. If teaching more colloquial expressions that are synonymous, for example, or introducing alternative words. E.g. ‘toilet’ could have the word ‘bathroom’ on top, or ‘go to’ could have ‘use the’ - this demonstrates to the pupil how the same phrase may be said in different ways.

It works well because it is progressive, building on the students' knowledge rather than overwhelming them with too much new information at once. Also, when used to develop ‘survival’ phrases, the strategy has immediate benefit to the child and therefore becomes meaningful. 

By chunking information down, the child is able to enjoy success at many levels. By using a kinaesthetic approach, the child has a visual, tangible object to refer back to when searching for the correct vocabulary.

Draw/ use pictures of the nouns/ actions for verbs next to the words to help the student remember each new part.

This is how it works:  Before a new topic is introduced, I would go through the plan and pick out key words and concepts.  New vocabulary would be categorised and reproduced into visual word mats.  I would also try to create diagrams and charts for concepts they would cover in class.  The Knowledge Organiser will also have some words translated into the child’s home language.  It will contain simple videos where required to help explain new concepts.  

It works well because it allows the child the time to discuss ideas with their parents in their home language.  The child may already have some prior knowledge of topics / concepts and will simply need the appropriate language to support their knowledge.  It also helps to keep parents involved in their child’s development.

To make it even more effective, next time perhaps I could tie in grammar covered in class to their topic.

I got it from a colleague 

This is how it works, its a silent ‘discussion’ where children move around the room responding to different prompts by adding their inputs and responding to other students. See full explanation here https://www.2peasandadog.com/2020/06/chalk-talk-teaching-strategy.html

It works well because it allows all children to join in the discussion, not just the confident ones. Also you can give children to join in the discussion by using images if they can’t find the right words.

To make it even more effective, next time perhaps I could use a talking frame that I’ve just learnt about!

I got it from a colleague

This is how it works An example is in the picture when we were pre-teaching topic vocabulary around a water cycle science unit. Each child experimented with a 'water cycle' bag and saw the process of condensation and evaporation.  
It is folded into 4 pieces, and in each quarter, there are headings: definition, non-definition, drawing, examples. Students fill this in for each scientific process they have observed.

It works well because they are clear with the vocabulary before they start to use it in the context of the fast-paced classroom. 

To make it even more effective, next time perhaps I could as the children to 'teach' their classmates the words when they go back into class.

I got it from … my school uses the White Rose Hub materials for Mathematics, which is based on the mastery approach and the different stages of demonstrating mastery (concrete, pictorial, abstract).

This is how it works … I find that an often overlooked aspect of Maths teaching is the quantity of unknown vocabulary that our learners have to face, and ideally use. As my students explore a concept, speaking and writing frames help my EAL learners greatly. They use sentence stems to verbalise or write their ideas and make use of banks of vocabulary. This is, of course, all related to activities that allow my students real experience of the concept (concrete, pictorial, abstract).

It works well because … I find that my EAL students initially rely on the speaking/writing frames and then gradually move away from them, making use of the keywords or phrases independently. They can also demonstrate said concepts in a number of ways, so my assessment shows that they understand the ideas at hand.

To make it even more effective, next time perhaps I could … Building on an idea in this thread, I could send home the sentence stems and word lists, to flip the learning process and to allow the children more time to become even more familiarised with the vocabulary.

I got it from a previous Bell Foundation Training called ‘Using substitution tables to support learners who use EAL’

This is how it works. Firstly, pre-teach vocabulary. Secondly, once learners have a grasp on the needed vocabulary, choose or create content-based text. Next, identify the target language and its components. After that, decide how to divide the table. The next step is to then select clipart/visuals as needed. Lastly, use it to help scaffold tasks in class.

It works well because it focuses on speaking and writing accuracy using vocabulary already taught. I feel that it is truly effective on many levels.

To make it even more effective, one may create differentiated tables increasing in difficulty with gaps and also with vocabulary specific to the learner or school environment.