Domain Vocabulary Across Subject Areas
LANGUAGEAcquire and use accurately academic and domain-specific vocabulary relevant to grade-level topics, including words that signal precise meaning in informational texts across subject areas
Mastery Evidence
- Identify and define academic vocabulary (e.g., compare, contrast, summarise, evidence, interpret) used across multiple subject areas and use these words accurately in discussion and writing
- Determine the meaning of domain-specific words encountered in science, social studies, or maths texts (e.g., ecosystem, democracy, numerator) using context, glossaries, and prior knowledge
- Use newly acquired academic and domain-specific vocabulary in sentences that demonstrate understanding of precise meaning and appropriate context
Assessment Prompt
“When [child] is studying a topic in science or history, do they pick up and correctly use the specific vocabulary for that subject — like "erosion," "parliament," or "habitat"?”
Curriculum Standards4 alignments
L.4.6Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsAcquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
L.5.6Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsAcquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
RI.4.4Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsDetermine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
RI.5.4Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsDetermine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
Prerequisites2
- Discussing and Questioning New WordshardAges 5—11
- Defining WordssoftAges 6—9
Show full prerequisite tree
- Discussing and Questioning New Words hard
Academic and domain-specific vocabulary acquisition builds on the habit of discussing word meanings and linking new vocabulary to known words
- Defining Words soft
Defining academic words requires the ability to define words by category and attribute
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
Unlocks3
- Literary Evidence in WritingsoftAges 9—11
- Inferring Characters' Feelings and MotivessoftAges 7—10
- Vocabulary: historical thinkingsoftAges 6—10