English: Oracy and Vocabulary
At Kirkstall Valley Primary, we are committed to empowering children to find their voice. We believe that the ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas, and listen to others is a fundamental skill that underpins success in school and life.
We are proud to be a Voice 21 Oracy School, partnering with the national charity to embed high-quality oracy education across our curriculum.
You can view the Primary National Curriculum for English here:
Oracy: Finding Your Voice
Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding, and engage with others through spoken language. Our goal is to ensure every child becomes an articulate, confident speaker who can communicate effectively in a range of contexts.
How we teach Oracy Our approach is built on two key pillars:
1. Learning TO Talk We explicitly teach the skills needed to be an effective speaker and listener. This involves planned, modelled, and scaffolded instruction where children learn:
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Physical skills: Voice projection, body language, and eye contact.
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Linguistic skills: Choosing the right vocabulary and register.
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Social & Emotional skills: Listening actively, taking turns, and managing differences of opinion.
2. Learning THROUGH Talk We use talk as a tool for learning. By discussing ideas, debating concepts, and explaining their reasoning, children deepen their subject knowledge.
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Sentence Stems: In all subjects, children are encouraged to use "sentence stems" (e.g., "I agree with X because...", "Building on that idea...") to structure their thinking.
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Full Sentences: We have high expectations for spoken language, encouraging children to speak in full sentences to develop clarity of thought.
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Discussion: Opportunities for talk range from quick "talk partner" discussions to formal presentations and debates.
Vocabulary: Closing the Word Gap
We value the importance of vocabulary in every lesson. We believe that a rich vocabulary is the key that unlocks the curriculum, empowering children to understand new concepts and articulate their thinking with precision.
The Three Tiers of Vocabulary To ensure a structured approach, we categorise vocabulary into three 'Tiers':
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Tier One: Common words used in everyday conversation (e.g., through, know, chair).
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Tier Two: High-frequency academic words that appear across many different subjects but are not often heard in daily chat. (e.g., examine, crucial, persistent, analyze).
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Tier Three: Subject-specific technical words that are specific to a single domain (e.g., photosynthesis, igneous, denominator).
How we teach Vocabulary
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Discrete Teaching (Key Stage Two): We provide discrete vocabulary instruction focused heavily on Tier Two words. By teaching these high-utility academic words, we help children access more complex texts and express themselves more maturely in their writing.
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Contextual Learning: Tier Three words are taught within their specific subjects (e.g., Science or Geography) to ensure children understand the technical language of that topic.
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Shared Reading: Daily shared reading lessons are a key driver for vocabulary growth. Key words are identified, discussed, and displayed in classrooms alongside definitions to support reading comprehension.
Children also learn daily vocabulary in shared reading lessons to support their reading. These words are displayed in classrooms alongside definitions and examples to aid children’s learning.
For further information about our Oracy curriculum speak to Mr Lund.
For further information about our English curriculum speak to Mrs Bridges.
Our governors with responsibility for English is Cath Scanlon..
