Vocabulary · Tier 2: academic words
Sentence frames built around target words
Give students sentence frames that use the unit’s key academic words, so they practise each word in a correct structure straight away.
- Bands
- 2 to 4
- Stages
- Lower elementary, Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
- Settings
- Mainstream class, Push-in support, Pull-out support and Small group
- Prep
- Low prep
How to do it
- For each target word, write one or two frames that match the thinking in the unit, such as “The evidence suggests that…”.
- Model using the frame aloud with an example.
- Students say their sentence to a partner before writing it.
- Keep the frames on display during writing tasks.
- Remove the frames gradually as students start using the words independently.
In a lesson
Science (upper elementary)
After a plant experiment, the board shows “The evidence shows that…” and “This suggests that… because…”. A band 2 student writes, “The evidence shows that plants need light. This suggests that light helps plants grow because the plant in the cupboard died.”
What commonly goes wrong
- The frames do the thinking for the students.
- The same frames stay up all year.
- The frames don’t match the task.
Adapting it
For a lower band
Give a word bank alongside the frame.
For a higher band
Offer frames with more complex structures, such as “Although…, the evidence suggests…”.