Literacy
At Fareham Academy we recognise the importance of reading, writing and speaking; not just at school but in society, to be successful in everything our students choose to do. Students are encouraged to recognise that they are literate in lots of subjects; we work with them to read, write and talk like an expert.
Our staff promote the highest standards of literacy through their own subject passions and teaching, our tutor reading programme and library to name just a few. Literacy is a thread that runs through everything we do at Fareham Academy and extends out into our wider community to support literacy at home.
Encouraging Literacy in Young People
In 2023, the National Literacy Trust reported that 56% of young people do not enjoy reading in their free time. Reading regularly outside of school is shown to have a positive impact on academic success in all subjects. Reading can take many forms beyond a traditional book, for example; magazines, reference books, blogs, websites, comics and such. Talk to young people about what they read, what it’s about, whether they recommend it, do they understand it, are there any moral messages?
Young People and Their Phones
Students are experts in ‘scroller reading’ on Instagram, Whatsapp and this type of reading is just as important to recognise. Reading through online apps builds social and cultural awareness and understanding. Talk openly about what they are reading online, ask them questions like what’s making them laugh, what’s annoying them. As adults we often don’t understand some of the things we are reading online, so ask for their support and involve them in what you are reading. You may be struggling with acronyms or the working of an app.
Support Us, Supporting Them
Reinforce to young people how important reading is for their future. Reading has been shown to improve exam outcomes by up to 4 grades. Students who read around their subjects are more likely to achieve success in future employment. If they find reading a struggle, explain that it is like any other skill and requires practice and time.
Spelling Matters
Spelling is important, too. Exposing yourself to a wide range of vocabulary is the best way to improve spelling. There are also quick ways to improve the basics.
-
Mnemonics: Using related pieces of information with images, sentences, rhymes, or acronyms to remember things.
-
ISLAND – Is land surrounded by water.
-
RHYTHM – Rhythm helps your two hips move.
-
PHYSICAL – Pat had yummy strawberry ice cream and lollipops.
-
These can even help with double letters and similar words. For example:
-
When spelling "dessert," to avoid confusion with "desert," you could say: "Strawberry shortcake (double S) is a dessert."
Word Origins
Understanding where a word has come from can often help make it stick in our mind. This can be done through lists or by exploring the word more widely. Here are some interesting examples:
-
Iceberg originates from Germany ("Eisberg").
-
Broccoli is originally from Italy.
Pronunciation
To know how to spell a word, focus on its pronunciation. The way a word is spoken can often help with its spelling. For example:
-
The common spelling rule: "The silent e, at the end, makes the vowel say its name." This means that an e at the end of "dive" makes the "i" sound like "ai." Other words following this rule include: cube, tube, kite, bite, fine, and code.
Fareham Academy Dictionary Series
To support your learning at home, we have created the Fareham Academy Dictionary Series. The first dictionary, found below, focuses on common command words (tier 2 words). These words are often found in exam questions, and it is important for young people to understand their meanings. You can use this dictionary with them to support their continued learning journey at home.
In addition to this, each subject curriculum page contains a subject-specific dictionary. These include subject-specific words (tier 3 words) and should be used by young people and their families to support extended learning at home.
Words & Phonetics
Definitions
Examples
Access
English – To be able to understand/open
Art & Design – To gain entry to or obtain information or resources
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Can you access this text? Can you access your account?
Ack-sess
Analyse
Maths – To compare
Languages – Text analysis to infer meaning
Drama – To watch a performance and identifying dramatic techniques
Music – To look for musical elements/instruments
History – To pick out the wider meaning of the text/source
English – To take apart and consider each part and its value
Science – To use words to describe/explain to do this skill
PE – To break down how the skill was performed
Art & Design – To examine artwork in detail to understand its components
RE – To break down religious concepts and examine them in detail
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Analyse the data
Languages – Analyse the text to find the following components: verbs, etc.
Drama – Analyse which dramatic skill is most used in this scene
Music – Analyse which musical instrument or element is most prevalent in this piece
History – Analyse how useful the source is for a historian studying the Vikings
English – We are going to analyse this poem
PE – Can you analyse their performance?
RE – Analyse the concept of karma in Hinduism and its impact on daily life
An-uh-lyz
Articulate
Music – How you play a piece
Drama – To ensure articulation is clear to be understood
English – To voice an idea clearly
Art & Design – To express ideas clearly and effectively in visual form
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music – Add legato or staccato notes
Drama – Work on your articulation
English – Can you articulate that idea in writing?
Aa-tik-u-layt
Calculate
Maths – To work out or find the answer
Geography – To work out
Science – Involves numerical methods
Art & Design – To determine the dimensions or proportions of artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – 3 + 7 = 10
Geography – Calculate the mean temperature range
Science – Calculate the zone of inhibition
Kal-kyuh-layt
Collaborate
Drama – To work together to produce a piece of theatre
Music – To work together to produce a piece of music
Art & Design – To work together with others on a creative project
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama – You need to collaborate to create a piece of work.
Music – You need to collaborate to create a piece of music.
Kuh-lab-uh-rayt
Communicate
Music & Drama – Non-verbal and verbal communication
English – To share ideas through a variety of forms for different purposes
History – To voice opinions or points, either verbally or in writing
PDL – To share information, ideas, or beliefs
PE – To effectively discuss and listen to others
Art & Design – To convey artistic ideas and concepts effectively
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music & Drama – How do you engage an audience through communication?
English – Can you communicate that to your partner?
History – Communicate your view using evidence from the last task.
PDL – Communicate your ideas with your peers.
PE – Make sure you communicate with your teammates.
Kuh-myoo-nuh-kayt
Complete
Maths – To take into account the additional numbers generated when solving quadratics
Languages – To fill in the gaps
Performing Arts – To complete the creation of a piece
Geography – To complete and fill in the blanks
English – To complete
Art & Design – To finish a piece of artwork or project
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Complete the square
Languages – Complete the sentence with the appropriate word
Performing Arts – Complete the task/work provided
Geography – Complete the bar chart
English – Ensure that you complete the task
Kuhm-pleet
Conclude
Music – Evaluation of listening
History – To summarise and reach an overall point or directly answer the question
English – To draw an argument or point together
Science – To summarise using evidence or data
Art & Design – To reach a decision or judgment about an artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music – What will your conclusion have
History – Conclude why the English won the Armada
English – Conclude your essay by revisiting your main point
Science – Conclude on the effect of slope height on car speed
Kon-klu.de
Conjugate
Languages – To assign a verb a timeframe and pronoun
Art & Design – To combine different elements of art in a harmonious way
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Languages – Conjugate the following in the preterite tense
Kon-ju-gayt
Consider
Music – To think about elements of music
Drama – To think about style choices, skills and techniques
History – To think about ideas that support and challenge something
English – To think about carefully
PDL – To think carefully about something before forming an opinion
PE – To identify all options before acting upon one
Art & Design – To think carefully about the elements of an artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music – Listen to this piece and consider the elements of music
Drama – Consider the dramatic skills and techniques you will add to your piece
History – Consider some potential ideas about...
English – Consider why Virginia Woolf liked lighthouses
PDL – Consider whether you agree or disagree with the outcomes
PE – Consider your options before you pass the ball
Kon-sid-uh
Contrast
Music – Different dynamics and texture
English – To place two things/ideas together and compare
Science – To give 2-3 differences. Usually used with the word compare - using comparative language
Art & Design – To highlight differences between elements in art
RE – To show the differences between religious views or traditions
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music – How will you use contrasting dynamics to engage?
English – What word in the text contrasts ‘black’
Science – Compare and contrast plant and animal cell structure and organelles
RE – Contrast the differences between Buddhist and Christian meditation practices
Kon-traast
Debate
PDL – To discuss different opinions about a topic
English – To discuss and evaluate the key points
Art & Design – To discuss differing viewpoints on an artwork
RE – To discuss differing viewpoints about a religious topic
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
PDL – Debate different arguments for and against
English – Debate: should summer holidays be shortened
RE – Debate whether religion should influence modern-day laws and policies
Di-bayt
Describe
Maths – Transformation type
Drama – To talk in subject-specific detail
History – To say what you see, key features
Geography – To say what you see
PDL – To talk in detail about
English – To paint an image with words
Science – To say what you see: ‘this does this’
Art & Design – To provide detailed information about an artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Describe the transformation of A to B
Drama – Describe your characterisation and choices
History – Describe what is happening in the source
Geography – Describe the distribution of deserts
PDL – Describe the main issues in the case studies
English – Describe the sea using ISPACE to vary your sentence openings
Science – Describe the pattern in this graph
Di-skryb
Determine
English – To judge
Science – Calculation questions, extracting information from graph/picture
Art & Design – To establish the key features of an artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Determine who is more evil
Science – Determine the gradient of the graph
Di-tur-min
Diagnose
Art & Design – To identify issues in an artwork or design
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Dy-uhg-nohz
Differentiate
English – To tell the difference
Art & Design – To recognise or ascertain what makes something unique
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Differentiate between X and Y
Dif-uh-ren-shee-ayt
Disagree
History – To have a different opinion
English – To go against
Art & Design – To have a differing opinion about artistic interpretation
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
History – Why do you disagree with the statement?
English – I disagree with this statement because
Dis-uh-gree
Distinguish
Art & Design – To recognise differences between styles or techniques
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Di-stin-gwish
Emphasise
Drama – To say words with more tone and volume
History – To place importance on a specific point (stress it)
English – To make stronger
Art & Design – To give special importance to an element in artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama – Which word could you emphasise to present the theme
History – Why did the Bolsheviks seize power in 1917? Emphasise what you believe is the main reason
English – How does the language emphasise effect
Em-fuh-syz
Establish
Art & Design – To set up the foundation of a design or artistic style
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
I-stab-lish
Estimate
Maths – To guess to lowest significant factor
Science – To use given information to make an educated guess
Art & Design – To make an approximate calculation regarding size or time
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Estimate 3.9 x 0.9
Science – Estimate the boiling point of fluorine
Est-uh-muht
Evaluate
Maths – To work out with algebra
Drama – To reflect on what went well and what there is to improve
Geography – To say good and bad and come to a judgement
PDL – To think about something carefully in order to decide its importance
English – To weigh up
Science – To give the advantages and disadvantages
Art & Design – To assess the quality or effectiveness of an artwork
RE – To assess the value or impact of religious beliefs or practices
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Evaluate the value of X
Drama – Evaluate what they could improve in their performance
Geography – Evaluate the effectiveness of the urban planning scheme in a town or city you have studied
PDL – Evaluate the main issue present in the story/article
English – Evaluate the impact of Piggy’s decision
Science – Evaluate the use of embryonic stem cells over adult stem cells
RE – Evaluate the significance of pilgrimage in Islam, considering its effects on spiritual growth
I-val-yoo-ayt
Examine
Art & Design – To inspect an artwork closely for understanding
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Ig-zam-in
Experiment
Maths – Trial/probability
Drama – To try different styles and techniques to suit your theme
Science – To carry out and collect results
Art & Design – To try out different techniques or materials in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – A and B ran an experiment with 2 dice
Drama – Experiment with a variety of techniques to engage your audience
Science – Experiment how one variable affects another
Ik-sperr-i-muhnt
Explain
Maths – To reason and show that...
Drama – To discuss in detail why you made certain choices
History – To give reasons for, use words like because...
Geography – To say what and why
PDL – To make something clear to understand
English – To say why you think something
Science – To give scientific reasons – ‘because’
PE – To justify your reasoning
Art & Design – To make something clear or understandable in art
RE – To make something clear by providing detail about a religious concept
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Show that...
Drama – Can you explain why you chose to change your volume on this line?
Geography – Explain the distribution of deserts
PDL – Explain your reasoning
English – Explain how the language creates this effect
Science – Explain why group 1 elements get more reactive as you go down the group
PE – Explain how muscles work in pairs to produce movement
RE – Explain how Buddhist teachings on compassion influence ethical decision-making
Ik-splayn
Explore
Drama – To try lots of ideas and methods
History – To discuss the different reasons for something, or ideas
Art & Design – To investigate new ideas and techniques in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama – Today we will be exploring how we can use vocal skills to communicate effectively
History – Explore the reasons for William the Conqueror winning the Battle of Hastings
Ik-splaw
Gather
Art & Design – To collect materials or information for a project
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Gath-uhr
Hypothesise
Maths – To guess with evidence
English – An idea or theory about what a writer is saying
Art & Design – To propose a theory based on observations in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Hypothesise the outcome of the data collected
English – We can hypothesise that Shakespeare is questioning gender roles in Romeo and Juliet
Hy-poth-uh-syz
Identify
Maths – To recognise
Languages – To select/choose the correct option
Drama & Music – To recognise musical features and drama skills
Geography – To find
PDL – To recognise or point out something/someone
English – To classify or name
Science – To choose, pick
Art & Design – To recognise and name elements in an artwork
RE – To recognise and name a religious concept or figure
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Identify the value of the underlined number
Languages – Identify the present tense endings for er/ar ending verbs
Drama & Music – Can you identify the skills/instruments used in this piece?
Geography – Identify the hazard in the photo
PDL – Identify the main concerns in the case study
English – Can you identify the adjectives in the poem?
Science – Identify the part of the cell labelled A
RE – Identify the main beliefs of Judaism and their significance
Eye-den-tuh-fy
Interpret
Maths – To work out
Drama – To make character choices
English – To make an inference
Science – To extract a pattern from a graph
Art & Design – To explain the meaning of an artwork
RE – To explain the meaning of religious texts or teachings
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Interpret the graph to give a conclusion
Drama – What is your interpretation of that character?
English – Interpret the poem’s message
Science – Interpret graphical data into words
RE – Students were asked to interpret the parable of the Good Samaritan in light of Christian values
In-tur-prit
Investigate
PDL – To look at something carefully and find out more about it
English – To look into
Science – To plan an experiment
Art & Design – To carry out research to learn about an art technique
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
PDL – Investigate the reasoning behind X
English – Sherlock Holmes uses deduction to investigate crimes
Science – Investigate the effect of one variable on another
In-vest-uh-gayt
Justify
Maths – To prove
Languages – To give a reason/explanation
Drama & Music – To give reasons for director/composer choices
Geography – To give your opinion and why
PDL – To explain/give reasons for something
English – To explain/defend your position
Art & Design – To provide reasons for choices made in an artwork
RE – To provide reasons or evidence to support a religious viewpoint
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Justify your answer
Languages – Justify your answer lifting from the text
Drama & Music – Justify why you did this
Geography – Justify the environmental impact of oil extraction
PDL – Justify your answer
English – Can you justify your interpretation with evidence from the text?
RE – Justify your view on whether capital punishment aligns with Christian beliefs on forgiveness
Just-uh-fy
Match
Maths – To pair up
PDL – To pair things that are similar or go well together
English – All elements coordinated
Science – To join 2 together
Art & Design – To pair elements that complement each other in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Match up the answer
PDL – Match the keywords to their definition
English – Does the vocabulary match the register?
Science – Match keywords to the definition
Mach
Measure
Maths – How long? How high?
Science – To physically collect a set amount of liquid or solid
Art & Design – To determine the dimensions of an artwork or project
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Measure the length of the line below
Science – Measure 250ml of water into a beaker
Mezh-uh
Modify
Art & Design – To change or adapt an artwork or design for improvement
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Mod-uh-fy
Objective
PDL – To have a specific goal that describes what students should know
Art & Design – To have a specific goal or aim in creating artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
PDL – The learning objective is...
Uhb-jek-tiv
Paraphrase
Art & Design – To restate concepts in different words in art critiques
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Parr-uh-frayz
Participate
Drama – To take part in rehearsals and contributing ideas
PE – To join in and engage
Art & Design – To take part in discussions or activities in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama – How well have you participated with your group today?
PE – Even without the ball, how can you participate in the game?
Paa-tis-uh-payt
Persuade
Drama & Music – To convince an audience to buy a product
Art & Design – To convince others of a particular interpretation of art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama & Music – Create a persuasive advert
Puh-swayd
Predict
Maths – To take an educated guess
Languages – To pre-empt, identify key words within a given context
English – To make a judgement about future events
Science – To state what you think will happen
Art & Design – To forecast the outcome of a creative process
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Predict where the next prime number will be
Languages – Predict possible vocab in listening task
English – Can you predict what this will be about?
Science – Predict the mass of neon using the mass of the other group 7 elements
Pri-dikt
Prepare
Languages – To plan your answer to a given task (COWPAT)
Music & Drama – To get ready
Science – To produce/make
Art & Design – To make ready for a creative project or presentation
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Languages – Prepare plan for writing assessment
Music & Drama – Prepare a scene/section of music
Science – Prepare an onion slide for viewing under a microscope
Pri-pair
Produce
Maths – To create
Music & Drama – To create
English – To create a piece of work
Art & Design – To create an artwork or finished design
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Produce a suitable chart to show...
Music & Drama – Produce a performance-worthy piece of drama/music
English – Please produce a newspaper article
Pruh-dyoos
Provide
Maths – To give
Music & Drama – To give
English – To give examples
Science – To give/quote
Art & Design – To supply necessary resources or information for art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Provide evidence to support the conjecture
English – Provide evidence to support your ideas
Music & Drama – Provide feedback to the performers
Science – Provide evidence
Pruh-vyd
Publish
Art & Design – To present artwork for public viewing or distribution
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Pub-lish
Rearrange
Maths – To change the subject of an equation
Science – To put in order
Art & Design – To change the order or layout of elements in an artwork
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Rearrange to make X the subject: y = 3x + 5
Science – Rearrange the method for...
Ree-uh-raynj
Refine
Drama – To improve
English – To make more succinct/improve
Art & Design – To improve or perfect an artwork through revisions
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Drama – Refine that section of your performance
English – Please refine your explanation/vocabulary
Ri-fyn
Reflect
Maths – As in a mirror
Music & Drama – To think back to your performance
PDL – To think carefully about previous learning
English – To think about
Art & Design – To think deeply about artistic processes and outcomes
RE – To think deeply about a religious issue or personal belief
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Reflect in the line y = 3
Music & Drama – Reflect on your performance using WWW & EBI
PDL – Reflect on your learning
English – Reflect on this, how can you improve?
RE – Reflect on how religious experiences can shape personal faith and beliefs
Ri-flekt
Replace
English – To change
Art & Design – To substitute one element with another in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Replace simple vocab with higher level
Ri-plays
Research
Music & Drama – To find out more about practitioners, styles, artists, bands
English – To find out about
Art & Design – To gather information and study techniques in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Music & Drama – Today we are going to research...
English – Research the context of...
Ri-surch
Rewrite
English – To redraft
Art & Design – To revise an artwork or design based on feedback
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Rewrite your response to...
Ree-ryt
Simplify
Maths – To reduce the number of terms in an expression
English – To summarise
Art & Design – To make an artwork or design less complex
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Simplify 5a + 2b + 3a + 4b
English – Simplify the information into your own words
Sim-pluh-fy
State
Maths – To give an answer which is already on the page, or is trivial
Geography – To give an answer
Science – To give
Art & Design – To express something clearly and directly
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – State the initial population
Geography – State a reason for...
Science – State the name of the organelle that releases energy
Stayt
Strengthen
English – To substitute words/switch up vocab
Art & Design – To make an artwork or design more robust or impactful
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Strengthen your sentences
Streng-thuhn
Substitute
Maths – To replace a letter with a number
English – To change words/punctuation etc.
Science – To put it in
Art & Design – To use one element in place of another in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – If x = 3, substitute 2x + 4 to solve
English – Substitute that word
Science – Substitute the values into the equation
Sub-sti-tyoot
Testament
Art & Design – To serve as evidence or proof of an idea in art
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Test-uh-muhnt
Transform
Maths – To change the position of the shape
English – To change/rewrite
Science – To change/rearrange
Art & Design – To change the form or appearance of an artwork or design
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Transform shape A by...
English – Transform this sentence into...
Science – Transform the equation
Trans-fawm
Translate
Maths – To move a shape by vector
Languages – To change words from one language to another
English – To simplify wording (Shakespeare)
Art & Design – To convert ideas into different formats or mediums
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
Maths – Translate shape A by...
Languages – Translate the following into...
English – Translate this sentence into modern English
Trans-layt
Update
English – To add to your work
Art & Design – To bring something up to date or improve it
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Update your drafts
Up-dayt
Verify
English – To check your work
Art & Design – To confirm the accuracy or validity of information
DEFINITIONS:
EXAMPLES:
English – Verify your peers' work
Verr-uh-fy
No words found.