Sunday 8 November 2020

Vocabulary is just a little piece of hokum

Houston, I think we have a problem with vocabulary. A tiny problem when it comes to writing and, occasionally, reading. The interconnectivity of words. How a simple word has tendrils that reach to other words and sentences within a paragraph.

We’ve always had an issue with vocabulary and the perception of some words seemingly to show a great level of sophistication. Students are impressed with the word ‘discombobulated’ yet poets and famous writers alike avoid such an ugly word. Story writing is shaped by the student around the word rather than the word be used to help express an idea. Therefore, you get clunky writing. It might look impressive, but it doesn’t fit the meaning or the syntax of a sentence.  Plus, there’s only about six writers in the whole world who’d consider using it in a piece of writing and that will probably be to obscure their meaning.

We have students learning lots of words which is, in part, great but we are getting students with lots of words but no idea of how these words have tendrils and links to meaning. When students learn terms like socialism in association with ‘An Inspector Calls’, they tend to either define it or flag it up in their writing. Is there an understanding of the concept and its meaning in relation to this context and text? Very little, if we are honest. Let’s call it ‘flagging’. The student is flagging they know something. Yet, it doesn’t have the depth of understanding to go any further.  You need to explore the idea in great depth to make it of use.

I feel that we have to teach more than vocabulary. We need to teach phrases and, in particular, noun phrases to add meaning and to unlock elements of analysis. Take the phrases  ‘socialist tendencies’  or ‘socialist agenda’. When faced with these phrases and trying to put them in a sentence, students will have to justify why there is an agenda or a tendency for socialism. There’s a greater level of building tendrils and connections to other parts of explanation. The phrase forces the syntax of a sentence. With a single noun, you can place it anywhere.

Partly, based on ‘The Writing Revolution’ by Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler, I have been looking at supporting students with writing and talking about poetry for the GCSE exams. Instead of providing a list of words for each poem, I have been included some phrases to explain some of the aspects. The idea is that the students use the sheet when discussing or writing the poems. There isn’t a need to mention all, but it is about selecting the best choice for the idea they are explaining. In the classroom, we often struggle to find the right way of expressing an idea. This is aimed to help them express ideas with some clarity and hopefully some complexity.

Vocabulary and phrases to extend thinking

Charge of the Light Brigade

Exposure

bombastic

emotive 

epic

fast-moving

glorifying

immortalising

jingoistic

lyrical

passionate

patriotic

rhythmic

romanticised

rousing

stirring

visual

atmospheric

bleak

melancholic

nightmarish

painful

personal

pitiful

psychological

realistic

slow-paced

stoic

visual

imminent danger

personal cost

cannon fodder

failed advance

celebrated sacrifice

inspiring act

valiantly facing death

blind faith

badly outgunned 


bleak depiction of suffering

collective loss of faith

constant feeling of being in edge

driving force

emotional roller coaster of suffering

experienced soldiers

futility of war

harrowing experience

horrific fare

true cost

 


Remains

Bayonet Charge

anecdotal

colloquial

confused

disjointed

dreamlike

graphic 

haunting

informal

nightmarish

patriotic

psychological

questioning

shocking

visual

vivid

warning

challenging

confused

desensitised

determined

discovery

distancing

emotionless

futile

helplessness

isolating

patriotic

proud

questioning

reflective

repressed

stoic

thoughtful

broken soldiers with broken minds

distant memories

functioning minds

hazy memories

immaturity of soldiers

lack of understanding

mental consequences

ordinary people

sleep walking

stain on his soul

traumatic events

a great masterplan

a helpless pawn

a moment of clarity

a tool for war

awaken to reality

blind faith

challenging deceptions

dutiful soldiers

psychological conflict

thoughtless actions

unwanted memories

 

London

War Photographer

accurate

angry

challenging

corruption

critical

freedom

haunting

illuminating

lyrical

moralising

political

realistic

simplistic

uncovering

visual

angry

apathy

cynical

desensitised

emotionless

haunting

moralising

muted

poignant

repressed

simplistic

sombre  

stoic

visual

voyeuristic

consequences of revolution

controlling authorities

impact of capitalism

physical and psychological imprisoning

powerful ruling class

social commentary

stark inequalities and injustice

suffocating society

visible hypocrisy

blind to the truth

contrasting worlds

distraction from life

hidden suffering

insignificance of events

lasting impact

sacred to face the reality

selfish society

simplification of war

the reduction of importance

 

 

Ozymandias

Storm on the Island

anecdotal

arrogance

attacking

bombastic

critical

god-like

ironic

political

pride

satirical

timeless

tragic

visual

vivid

conversational

deceptive

disgusted

inclusive

political

realistic

restless

sensory

symbolic

understated

uniting

visual

 

 

corrupting influence of power

futility of mankind

hierarchical power structures

inequality between different people

ruling class

social commentary

the arrogance of mankind

unstoppable force of nature

 

destructive yet deceptive force

imminent danger

lack of protection

limited power of man

practical nature of living

suffering of humanity

underwhelming power

vast power of nature

 


I really like ‘The Writing Revolution’ because it’s emphasis on developing syntax and ensuring students build up sentences. It isn’t just vocabulary that improves a student’s writing, but the combination of words and how those words are positioned in a sentence.

We’ve recently been using No More Marking for Question 5 and we’ve noticed something that separates the average writing and the really impressive writing: the students with impressive vocabulary don’t do as well as others. It is the students who use vocabulary meaningfully that do better. They often have better combinations of words or phrasing. In fact, we were pointing out how the phrases were lifting pieces and not the words. It is the precision in its use.

Maybe, we should not just be providing students with vocabulary associated to texts, but also noun phrases associated with aspects related to the text. That way we can help students build on their sentence writing and expression. For a long time, it was always about sentence starters. What if forget the start and focus on 'idea starters'? It isn't the start of the sentence that students struggle with, but the ideas in the middle and end. So rather than focus on sentences, we should focus on phrases and look to how students can stich those phrases  together in a sentence. 

Thanks for reading,

Xris

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