✦A small step for today
A manageable week: three short learning sessions, two reviews and enjoyable reading.
Week 1: build a small starting set
Choose a few words, hear them and explore their meanings together. Keep a page for words your child can explain and another for those needing help. At the end of the week, ask for a new example of two words without showing the definitions.
Week 2: find words in reading
Keep reviewing week one’s words. Add short shared reading and discuss one interesting word from a passage. Ask what clues helped, check the meaning and reread. New words do not have to appear every day.
Week 3: connect and contrast
Explore a synonym, an antonym or a word family for familiar words. Try careful and careless, or enjoy and enjoyable. Mix a few old and new words in a cooperative game, explaining choices instead of relying on speed.
Week 4: review and choose the next step
Return to words from all three weeks. Ask for explanations and fresh sentences, noting specific confusions. Keep the next month’s plan small enough to sustain. Separately, check your admissions authority’s current test guidance; vocabulary is one part of preparation.
Try this together
At the end of each week, choose three words. Can your child explain each, use it in a new sentence and recognise it in a passage? Note one success and one word to revisit.
See an example answer
A useful note is ‘Understands adjacent in a room, but confuses it with opposite on a map.’ Next week, compare those positions with two simple drawings.
Words in action
environment
Meaning
The surroundings or conditions in which someone lives or works.
Example
“The quiet classroom provided a calm environment for reading.”
integrity
Meaning
Being honest and doing what you believe is right.
Example
“Returning the lost wallet showed her integrity.”
Audio uses your device’s English speech voice. Voice availability and pronunciation vary by device.
A quick check
Further reading
Independent background resources; our activities and examples are original. These organisations do not endorse 11plusVocab.
