Growing your vocabulary from reading
Every book, podcast or documentary you take in is a chance to steal a brilliant word and make it your own.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
Key learning points
- • Notice, don't skip
- • Try it out
- • Borrow structures too
This lesson at a glance
- 22 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 17
Visual introductionPicture this
Growing your vocabulary from reading
Every book, podcast or documentary you take in is a chance to steal a brilliant word and make it your own.
In a nutshell
Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Notice, don't skip
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Notice, don't skip
When you meet an unfamiliar word like 'nocturnal' in a wildlife documentary, pause rather than skipping past it. Working out meaning from context — animals active at night — helps it stick far better than looking it up passively.
Reset break
Part 4 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 17
Learn
Try it out
Reading the word 'relentless' in a book about space exploration ('the relentless cold of deep space') is only step one. Using it yourself — 'the relentless rain ruined the match' — is what turns a word you recognise into a word you own.
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
Part 7 of 17
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Borrow structures too
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Borrow structures too
It's not just words: noticing a sentence pattern like 'Not only did she survive, but she thrived' teaches you a construction you can reuse in your own writing for emphasis.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Reset break
Part 12 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 13 of 17
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 14 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ the word 'relentless' in a book about space exploration ('the relentless cold of deep space') is only step one.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Recall cards
Which record is most useful for a new word?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Growing your vocabulary from reading
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which record is most useful for a new word?
2. Why is ‘utilise’ often a weak substitute for ‘use’?
3. Which is a construction borrowed from reading?
4. Roughly when does a new word become part of your active vocabulary?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
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Best run
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Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 17 · Watch & discover
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Draw on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and use these consciously in their writing and speech