You know that situation you can sometimes find yourself in when you just can’t find the right…

oh, come on what is it…umm…

Word!

Don’t you just hate that!? Now imagine that never being an issue, a problem that you don’t have to worry about, a concern that you don’t have to concern yourself with. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Fantastic? Stupendous, even?

Imagine, if you will, being able to not only just find the right word but there always being a bank of appropriate words stored up in your head that you can draw from at any given moment, allowing you to choose the most impactful and most interesting word, regardless of the scenario.

Whether it is just chatting to your friends or writing that lengthy essay that’s due by the end of the week, vocabulary is important and there is nothing worse than that moment when you struggle to find that word you need to express what you wish to say. Oh wait, hang on, yes there is. There is that moment when someone uses a word while speaking to you and you do this…

“Huh, what does that mean?”

We in the English faculty here at BMS are committed to ensuring that these types of situations are less of an occurrence for our students. We know just how important it is for each and every one of you to have that bank to draw from and to feel confident in doing so.

This is exactly why we subscribe to ‘Bedrock Vocabulary’ which is an online learning platform that teaches students new words through a variety of fun and engaging activities. Each student is catered for individually through algorithms that can determine each user’s unique capabilities.

Further information can be found in this introductory video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-uRnVWyZk

Currently, our KS3 students spend one lesson a week on ‘Bedrock’ (with an expectation that they complete an additional hour outside of lessons) where they complete the activities independently and are expected to record all new words into a glossary located at the back of their exercise books.

During extended writing tasks, students are then encouraged to try and use these new words and can receive reward points for each one used correctly. The desired outcome being, that when a student reaches their GCSEs and beyond, they have a broader vocabulary at their disposal.

We would very much like to increase student engagement with the platform outside of lessons and with this in mind, parents will see an increase in ‘Bedrock’ being set as part of students’ home learning.

To assist with this, I will be looking to hold an online information evening for parents/carers in which they can learn all about how ‘Bedrock’ works and how it can be used effectively at home. I will also explain the unique access codes that allow parents/carers to track student progress and observe the vocabulary that is currently being taught.

Please watch this space for future details regarding this session, it would be wonderful to see as many of you there as possible.