What's so good about Primary Texts Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats?

These Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats were my very first Primary Texts resource. I uploaded them to be shared for free because I found they worked so well in my own classroom. They have been remarkably successful. To date, they have been downloaded an incredible 170,000+ times! These simple resources are not bright and snazzy, but they are effective. They have had numerous five star reviews including the ones listed below:

"Great resource for improving writing skills in year 6."

"Very useful and handy resource, THANK YOU so much for sharing."

"A fantastic resource, will save a lot of time having these on hand."

"Super collection of powerful adjectives. Time saving. Thank you!"

"Thanks for this resource! I use it during my writing sessions; it is quite handy!"

"These are excellent. Thankyou."

"An absolute lifesaver. Brilliant resources. Clear, concise and simple to use. Thank you very much :)"

"Thank you soooooooo much for these. They went down a treat in my Ofsted literacy lesson last week for the MA"

"A great resource for G&T. Fantastic resource-going to use it for my G&T children. So good to have something they can use to really improve their writing. Thank You."

Source: Primary Texts at TES

How much preparation is needed before using the word mats?

Primary Texts Higher Level Word Mats were purposefully designed to avoid the need for extensive preparation and fuss. There are two fiction word mats and another word mat which is simply a list of formal adverbs and conjunctions. This is is likely to be more suitable for use with certain non-fiction text types. If teachers are short on time, the mats can be used straight after photocopying with no prep needed. However, as they are designed for repeated use, if time allows I would suggest laminating the fiction cards back-to-back and giving them to every pupil. This means they will be able to refer to them throughout the school year whenever they are doing fiction writing. The formal adverbs and conjunctions list could also be laminated for future use.

How can teachers help pupils understand how to use this resource?

Simply encourage pupils to use the mats to find better words. Point out that on the fiction mats in many catergories 'boring' words are shown in bold with alternatives listed underneath. The mats can be used at different stages in the writing process. During the planning stage, children could select different words that want to include. They could refer to the mat whilst writing their first draft. The mats are also useful for editing, uplevelling and improving writing.

From previous experience, I would say that children can sometimes get a little carrried away when they have so many interesting words in front of them. Teachers may need to explain to children that they should avoid listing. This happens when children use too many words of similar meaning as in the examples below:

The sunset was attractive, magnificent, awe-inspiring and spectacular. 

The monster was repulsive, grotesque, repugnant and revolting.

Ensure that pupils understand that one or two words to describe a particular aspect or characteristic is enough!

The design of the word mats usually helps children to find great substitutions for words; however, teachers should remind pupils that the synonyms of a word do not have the same exact meaning as the word itself. They should discuss the differences in nuances between synonyms and any word choices pupils make that are not quite right. The important thing is to encourage children to have a go at using new words - even if they don't use them perfectly the first time round. Each time they attempt to use a new word is a step towards them growing their understanding of what that word means. On the whole, I have found that children very much enjoy using the word mats and like having them to hand. The mats lead to them making ambitious word choices and striving to improve their writing.

Are Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats suitable for all children?

Primary Texts Higher Level Vocabulary Mats were originally created for children in upper key stage 2 (age 9-11 years), but I have also successfully used them with higher ability children in lower key stage 2 (age 7-9 years). Teachers in KS3 (age 11-14 years) have also used the word mats with good results so they are very versatile. This simple resource has received so much good feedback that since its creation I have largely left it unchanged. However, I became aware that some of my pupils with dyslexia wanted to use the word mats to find exciting words, but found the sheer amount of information on them to much to process. In response, I have recently created a version of the word mats that has less words and uses dyslexia friendly Verdana font. This accessible version  is definitely preferred by my pupils with dyslexia. It is also useful for pupils who find find reading and writing difficult for other reasons, but still want to explore using advanced words. This version is included in the resource pack.

Shouldn't children be using a thesaurus instead?

I have found that Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats work very well in combination with using a thesaurus. I explain to children that the Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats can be used as a first port of call. I have noticed that quite soon after using the word mats, children become interested in finding alternative synonyms for words other than those listed. In other words, seeking to constantly improve on their word choices becomes natural. My first thought on observing this was to consider making more sets of Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats with different words and their synonyms. Instead, I decided to concentrate on helping pupils to understand how to use a thesaurus if needed. After all, it would never be possible to make enough word mats for all the alternative words pupils might need! I found that pupils were actually more enthused about using a thesaurus after using the Higher Level Vocabulary Word Mats. Though it can take a while for children to learn how to use a thesaurus quickly and effectively, I do feel it is a worthwhile skill to develop. A good thesaurus obviously contains a wealth of words for children to choose from. Using the vocabulary mats as a starting point tends to perk children's interest in synonyms. It guides them towards using thesauruses in a bid to find more great words.

Ready to boost your children's writing using this straight-forward, easy to use free resource  which gets fast results?