Students at some of Somerset’s schools took part in activities to recognize National Vocabulary Day. The overarching goal of this initiative was to improve literacy and ignite a passion for words. The first of these, at Lyngford Park School in Taunton was a raucous, joyous occasion. It featured amazing costumes, an animated parade, and lots of activities that created a challenging atmosphere of fun just-in-time learning for the students.
Lauren Noone, the Key Stage One lead at Lyngford Park, knows that if her students are having fun, they’re learning. She wants to make it fun for them and engaging to learn. In her opening remarks, she emphasized the focus of the day—to make it an “engaging and memorable” experience. Thus children might be able to build their growing mental “little dictionary” in truly creative ways, learning by leaps and bounds. Noone’s enthusiasm for Riot was apparent upon her arrival as she came in costume literally as the word “luminescent,” embodying her dedication to the Riot theme.
The Vocabulary Day initiative has taken off around Taunton, with four of the primary schools in the area bringing the celebration around the world. Each school embraced the event with vibrant costumes and activities that encouraged students to explore new vocabulary in creative ways.
Year Six teacher and fellow participant Nic Loasby-Seal from Lyngford Park School explained the positive sense of shared learning experience created by the day.
“We are all learning. The effort that the staff and everybody here puts in is amazing.” – Nic Loasby-Seal
One of those participants was Dylan, a student who came in costume as his word “prehistoric.” He was an early proponent of vocabulary expansion as part of the larger literacy picture.
“Learning words is key because it helps us to learn literacy, reading and writing and it boosts our vocabulary.” – Dylan
Lauren Noone noted that over time, educators could observe whether the new words learned during Vocabulary Day were being integrated into students’ writing and communication.
“Over time we can see whether these words are being used in their writing or communication.” – Lauren Noone
The celebration of Vocabulary Day reflects a growing commitment among educators in Somerset to prioritize literacy and foster an engaging learning environment. Schools are already moving forward with initiatives like these. One of their ultimate aspirations is to inspire in students an abiding passion for the beauty of language and reading.
