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How to help your child understand the vocabulary used at secondary school
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How to help your child understand the vocabulary used at secondary school
When your child starts at their new secondary school, they will come across some new words that they may not have heard before.
At secondary school, there are some new lessons that they won’t have done before or that may have different names to ones they used at primary, for example, food technology or music.
They will be expected to use equipment in some lessons that they haven’t used before, such as Bunsen burners and science goggles. There may be buildings or rooms in the school that they haven’t heard of before, for example science lab.
There might be words they know but that can also mean something different in some lessons.
It is helpful if your child has a chance to hear and learn these new words before they start secondary. It will help them feel more confident about finding their way round and understanding what is talked about in lessons.
How can I help my child understand words used at secondary school?
Use the glossary sheets in additional resources and information below that include lists of words with a picture and their meaning. You can use the picture sheets to play games to help the child learn the new words.
Stick some of the pictures on a wall or fridge
Once you can name them or describe them, put them on the ‘done’ pile and add some more. Can you get them all on the ‘done’ pile before September?
Quiz
See how many you can name or describe when the ‘quiz master’ shows you them. Can you beat your score each time?
Category sorting
Have a pile of the equipment picture cards, choose 1 and decide whether it belongs to science, food technology, English or maths. If you want to make it challenging, cut off the borders or ask someone to tell you what is on the card so you don’t have a colour clue!
Describing
Lay several pictures out on the table. Ask your partner to describe 1 of them and see if you can tell you which 1 you were talking about. You could lay out the subject symbol cards and they describe the subject or you could lay out the equipment pictures and they describe what it is used for.
Pairing
Put 2 sets face down on the table and take it in turns to turn over 2 cards. If you find a pair, you keep it. Remember to name or describe each card as you turn it.
To make this game a bit more challenging, you can match cards by:
The symbol and the name
The symbol and the subject description. These cards have a neutral border so the colour doesn’t give you the answer!
The subject name and the description
Top tips
- You can print multiple copies of the pictures if you want to play pairs or cut off coloured borders for a challenge
- If your child isn’t a confident reader, just read the descriptions to them
- Keep it fun – a little and often is better than doing a lot at once
- Don’t panic if they can’t name or describe them all, just hearing them lots means they will recognise them when they hear or see them around school
- Having the same subject pictures on their timetable can be useful, take a look at our resource about timetables.
- You can put a small version of the summary sheets in their planners in case they want to refer back to them. See our resource about planners.
- Repetition is key, the more a child hears the word, the better the chance of them remembering it
Additional information and resources
Contact us
For more information please contact the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Flockton House on 0114 226 2333.
Is something missing from this resource that you think should be included? Please let us know
Disclaimer
Please note: this is a generic information sheet relating to care at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT. These details may not reflect treatment at other hospitals. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professionals’ instructions. If this resource relates to medicines, please read it alongside the medicine manufacturer’s patient information leaflet. If this information has been translated into another language from English, efforts have been made to maintain accuracy, but there may still be some translation errors. If you are unsure about any of the guidance in this resource or have specific questions about how it relates to your child, always ask your healthcare professional for further advice.
Resource number: SL3
Resource Type: Article
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