Wordshark – school use

Choose, for example, English National Curriculum spellings, or get ideas for lesson plans, drawing from the well-researched ‘Wordshark’ word course. Other courses include ‘Everyday Vocabulary’ – great for EAL students, or ‘Secondary subject lists’ – handy for subject-specific vocabulary.

The multi-sensory activities and the selection of words and sentences are specially structured to support students with dyslexia and other SEND. Equally, the courses and games are ideal for students learning English as an additional language. Wordshark is highly adaptable to specific needs. It develops sub-skills, provides the necessary practice, maintains motivation and develops confidence.

The choice of activities, concepts and words, and the quirky, not too ‘young’ look of the games make Wordshark suitable for all primary and early secondary students. For older students, Wordshark is also useful – for filling gaps in knowledge or for learning specialist vocabulary.

More than just rote practice, each game offers a specific way to develop a variety of skills in reading and spelling. You can use the games to demonstrate a spelling pattern or rule or skill – brilliant for whole-class teaching. Wordshark also includes games to support synthetic phonics skills.

Versatility is what teachers like most about Wordshark. It’s easily adjusted to the learning needs of each student and can be tailored to any preferred teaching method. You can set work for individuals or for group. You can create your own words lists, for example, to introduce a new topic or based on common errors seen in written work.

For KS1 teachers there is a section of word lists to give practice for the Year 1 phonics check. For KS2, the statutory lists are also in easily-accessible lists. Student records allow teachers to see which areas students may be struggling with and to measure progress. Short, regular sessions and a mixture of games provide great results.