**From KS4 onwards, students need to be able to take notes independently in classes. Some students, especially language learners and SEN students, struggle to adapt from scaffolded worksheets to independent note-taking. One issue is worrying about writing down every utterance in full and keeping up with the speaker. ** This activity and worksheet introduce students to using abbreviations when taking notes. Abbreviations can make it much easier for students to make notes more quickly, building their confidence in their ability to follow a lecture or other listening material for details. The activity and worksheet are beneficial at the beginning of courses when students are expected to take notes independently (such as GCSE courses). They also serve as a valuable resource for students preparing to take a listening test where they are allowed to make notes and for preparing students for university. The activity takes students through examples or abbreviations. Rather than giving lots of suggested abbreviations, the activity then encourages students to be creative and think of their own. Creating their own abbreviations can make them easier to remember as they are relevant to the student. Abbreviations can look like another language to some students, so giving them a long list of suggested abbreviations to memorise can be overwhelming. There are two note-taking practice tasks and a page of valuable tips for differentiation and independent practice. Attractive design to engage students White and SEN-friendly background options SEN-friendly font, text colour, pt size and character spacing Part 1 can be completed in class or done as homework to prepare for doing parts 2 and 3 in class Page of useful tips for differentiation and independent practice Independent and collaborative tasks

**This notebook provides students with a guided approach to researching a topic independently. It focuses on the essential skills of recording new vocabulary and summarising key points. It has been designed to be used individually as a study skills tool. There are also elements that can be turned into interactive tasks that allow for speaking and presentation practice. ** Notebook contents: Teacher guide explains how to use the notebook to create a course or as a single activity. Ideas for differentiation included. Student guide on how to use the notebook to boost independent learning. Vocabulary word bank to record new vocabulary during homework and class tasks. Summary pages encourage students to limit key points to check their comprehension and avoid copying large chunks of text. Spaces for mind mapping, sketching as well as writing to develop a variety of ways of taking notes. Self-reflection page where students reflect on the topic and their research skills, and a teacher feedback box. Attractive design to engage students White and SEN-friendly background options SEN-friendly font, text colour, pt size and character spacing Can be used to make a course on research skills Can be used for test preparation courses such as TOEFL and IELTS, where students have to learn different topic vocabulary and contents Can be used as a single activity where students have to research a topic and present/ discuss it in class Easily adaptable - different elements can be used individually or collaboratively with a partner or small group. Can be used with my Note-taking skills resource, which focuses on how to take notes more effectively so students can keep up with lectures/ listening material.

**Students can depend on using the same comfortable and familiar words in their written work. For language learners and SEN students, this can often be down to a lack of confidence or not knowing how to expand their vocabulary. ** This worksheet shows students a strategy for developing their vocabulary. It builds their confidence in using a wider variety of words, giving them a great sense of achievement. The word bank worksheet can be used as a vocabulary-expanding activity for various topics or as a review task. It is also helpful after completing a plan or first draft of written work. This worksheet is also helpful for showing students how to use a dictionary and thesaurus effectively. While some students may feel overwhelmed, others may overuse these tools or struggle to select the best words; for example, using a synonym for technical terms isn’t always appropriate. Vocabulary activities can be overwhelming for some learners without a goal, so this worksheet contains clear goals and flexibility for differentiation. Attractive design to engage students White and SEN-friendly background options SEN-friendly font, text colour, pt size and character spacing Can be used to improve written work but also presentation and speech scripts Can be used as a homework task to prepare for a writing class or as a warm-up activity for a ‘strong start’ before editing time during class Can be used individually or collaboratively with a partner or small group as part of a peer editing task

This vocabulary list template guides students through the process of how to study/ review a vocabulary list in preparation for a new topic. The guided approach makes vocabulary learning more productive by helping them focus on which items they need to look up, review, or practise. All students need to learn and review vocabulary. Giving students a vocabulary list to learn as preparation for a new topic is a popular homework or starter activity. However, giving students vocabulary lists to learn is only sometimes productive. Some just memorise the words for class but don’t retain them. Others don’t do the task - probably because they feel overwhelmed or don’t know an effective way to use vocabulary lists. This method builds confidence in using vocabulary lists. It guides students through the process of not just looking up new vocabulary but also reviewing and actively using them for better retention. These vocabulary list templates can be used as vocabulary-expanding activities for various topics or as a review task. Teachers can differentiate how many vocabulary items students need to learn and are quick and easy to pick up during class for quick review activities. Attractive design to engage students White and SEN-friendly background options SEN-friendly font, text colour, pt size and character spacing L1-L2 version (translate new vocabulary to L1) for language learners (English and MFL, etc), and L1 version for learning new topic vocabulary in any subject for English L1 students as well as ELL students Guided and blank versions included Can be used as a homework task to prepare for a topic in class or as a warm-up activity for a ‘strong start’ Can be used individually to learn and review new vocabulary items Can be used with a partner or small group as interactive activities, such as quizzes and speaking tasks