How to encourage your child to expand on their answers and use key vocabulary?

From this  blog, you will gain insights into: 

• Why your child might not expand on their answers;
• Why your child might not use advanced vocabulary;
• Strategies to support your child in:
  • Expanding their answers
  • Using advanced vocabulary

Why doesn’t your child expand on their answers?

• Ask them!
• Not sure how
• Feels like they have answered the question already
• Do not know what is expected of them

Helping your child expand on their answers… 

• Go through mark schemes/assessment objectives – what the examiners want.
• Encourage them to look at the number of marks.
• Create answers that lack detail and read them out and see whether your child can guess the question.
• Discuss topics.

Example

What impression does the reader get of Dmitritch? [4 marks]

He does not like the lottery.

Dmitritch does not like the lottery, as the writer states he “had no faith in lottery luck”.

The reader might get the impression that Dmitritch does not like the lottery, as the writer states he “had no faith in lottery luck”. The monosyllabic phrase, “no faith” emphasises Dmitritch’s dislike of the lottery. The reader could also infer that Dmitritch might be a practical person and not a hopeful one, since winning the lottery takes luck.

Why doesn’t your child use new and advanced vocabulary?

• Ask them!
• Lack of confidence
• Unsure really what the word means
• They’ve not been exposed to it enough
• No need

Helping your child use new and advanced vocabulary…

• Use the new words yourself!
• Put a word-of-the-week up around the house.
• Encourage them to look up the word-class.
• Ask them to work out the meaning of words based on context.
• Create meaningful tasks.

Example

Consumed: The children were so hungry they consumed their entire lunch in seconds.

At Christmas many toys are consumed.

Ben felt heavy – his guilt was consuming him.