Designing Vocabulous: a Case Study in Classics, EdTech and English Literacy

This article examines the website Vocabulous, an innovative resource that combines Classics and English literacy. The aim of Vocabulous is to improve students' English vocabulary knowledge and skills using Latin and Greek root patterns. For example, the root ‘scrip’ meaning ‘write’ can help students understand that ‘inscription’, ‘manuscript’ and ‘transcription’ are all related to writing. Students use these roots to work out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, so that by the end of the programme, they have the skills they need to decipher new words on their own. As Alex Quigley notes, ‘over 90% of the vocabulary of academic texts in school has Latin and Greek origins and therefore teaching etymology has positive implications for learning and cracking the academic code of school’ (Quigley, 2018: 71). This article discusses the pedagogy behind the site, the selection of Latin and Greek roots, the design of the questions (based on vocabulary acquisition research) and the use of animated videos to engage students. The article concludes by outlining the current Vocabulous trial with 10–13-year-olds in 50 schools across the UK, combining teacher testimonies with ideas for practical application in the classroom1. Vocabulous is funded by The SHINE Trust and is part of a research trial led by Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Christ Church, Oxford. It will be available for school subscriptions from September 2023.