Closing the Vocabulary Gap

Alex Quigley is an English teacher and Director of Huntington Research School, York, UK. He can be found on Twitter @HuntingEnglish and blogs at www.theconfidentteacher.com.

"In the years I’ve devoted to literacy, I have learnt what I should have always have known - that nothing matters more than words. Our vocabulary allows us to interpret the world, to express ourselves with greater clarity, to show confidence, insight and perceptiveness. Words lie at the heart of our quest to narrow gaps between the advantaged and disadvantaged, to address social mobility. That’s why I am so pleased to welcome Alex Quigley’s powerfully illuminating book. It is a vital reminder that knowing about vocabulary is the responsibility of every teacher. It is also the entitlement of every child." – Geoff Barton, General Secretary of Association of School and College Leaders"Expertly weaving academic research with observations from the classroom, Alex Quigley explains why word poverty matters – and sets out what can be done about it. Word knowledge, he argues, is critical for success in every subject and as such it is the responsibility of all teachers to become word conscious. Don’t grab a dictionary. Read this excellent book instead and discover an approach to vocabulary instruction that is rich, organised and cumulative — and relevant for developing disciplinary knowledge across the entire curriculum." – Kate Nation, Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK"This book offers a great overview of the research on learning vocabulary, and practical advice on how to apply this research in the classroom." – Daisy Christodoulou, Research and Development Manager, ARK Schools, UK"A key strength of this book is that it summarises research evidence for teachers, providing a primer on vocabulary, morphology, etymology, phonics, reading comprehension strategies and much more. In addition to being instructive, it provides flexible frameworks so teachers can develop materials, activities and assessments that will meet their needs, and those of their students. The book is essential reading for any teacher hoping to raise levels of vocabulary, reading and writing."– Dr Jessie Ricketts, TES

• 1. Closing the vocabulary gap – problems and solutions 2. What every teacher needs to know about reading 3. What is in a word? Know your roots 4. ‘Wot d’ya mean by academic vocabulary’ 5. Developing vocabulary and ‘disciplinary literacy’ 6. We need to talk about spelling 7. Practical strategies for closing the vocabulary gap 8. Next steps