I recently heard an interesting statement that encouraged the creation of this vocabulary focused resource: “Research has shown that children from working class families have heard 30 million words less than their middle class peers by the time they are 3yrs.” – One word…WOW!

After using the term ‘Wow-Words’ within lessons, I decided to develop it into a more useful activity that can be completed at any point during a lesson. A very simple ‘glue in’ or ‘staple on’ strip with lots of impact!

Wow-Word Strips can be used in any subject area to embed keyword knowledge. Using the strip, students write down the definition of the word as well as how/when it might be used in a sentence and an exam style question.

After several trials, I’ve found that students really like this resource as a starter task. Especially if the Wow-Word is a keyword learnt in a previous lesson, as the starter task becomes a recap as well as an extension of prior learning. As well as understanding the new word and its definition, students can see how it might be used in context or in a GCSE exam, whereby the keyword is the answer.

The free download below includes an editable 6 strip document, as well as a drop in PowerPoint slide, so that students can visually see an example of how the activity should be completed.

Free Resource: DOWNLOAD