English Attic

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Words that open doors

Academic Vocabulary

Use academic language to make decisions, explain ideas, and help a real audience. Choose a set and work through a short task; bring familiar words back as you go.

An expanding starter collection: 3 sets · 12 tasks · 60 words. Start with any set. The sets move from describing and explaining toward analyzing and reasoning, and you can begin wherever feels useful. Word difficulty and support level are separate choices.

Free sample: Academic Vocabulary 1, lesson 01, in Guided or Standard, with identify, describe, detail, context and purpose. The wider collection is currently open as a preview.

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My supports — show or hide any time; your writing stays put

Difficulty and support are separate choices: every set works with or without the hint, example, and frame.

Choose how you want to work

Switch whenever you like, in any lesson. Guided and Standard keep separate drafts, so nothing is lost.

A student pins a clear new notice over an old flyer on a school noticeboard, beside books, a pencil, and a room key.
Set 1 · Foundations

Academic Vocabulary 1

Notice key information, make ideas clear, organize a practical plan, and support a focused recommendation. Four short, concrete school tasks.

  1. Lesson 1

    Notice the message

    Repair a notice so students know what to do

    For: Students deciding whether and how to attend the Design Lab session

  2. Lesson 2

    Make ideas clear

    Make a project check-in guide for a new student

    For: A new classmate preparing for their first project check-in

  3. Lesson 3

    Organize information

    Choose and prepare a room for a project showcase

    For: The volunteers setting up the showcase

  4. Lesson 4

    Support a position

    Recommend a time for a project-help session

    For: Student council members who will choose a time and book the room

Two comparison charts joined by thread, a magnifying glass over a dot pattern, and a tabbed library book on an attic desk.
Set 2 · Analysis

Academic Vocabulary 2

Connect details, compare alternatives, and make your reasoning visible in four original school tasks.

  1. Lesson 5

    Read beneath the surface

    Repair the club-fair invitation

    For: Students deciding whether to visit the fair, with an editor’s note for the student fair team.

  2. Lesson 6

    Examine relationships

    Choose a fair test for shorter waits

    For: The librarian and student helpers who will run the next four lunch sessions.

  3. Lesson 7

    Make precise comparisons

    Recommend a room for peer review

    For: The student council member making the reservation and the six students attending.

  4. Lesson 8

    Use sources responsibly

    Prepare an accurate library news brief

    For: School newsletter readers and the editor; the library team will use the reported open question to guide its next decision.

A brass scale weighing stacks of documents against an annotated newsletter draft, with a bus timetable and fanned sources.
Set 3 · Deeper reasoning

Academic Vocabulary 3

Use academic vocabulary to judge sources, connect information, respond fairly, and refine recommendations in original school scenarios.

  1. Lesson 9

    Judge sources

    Advise the newsletter editor on a homework-club claim

    For: The school newsletter editor, who needs to avoid misleading students and families

  2. Lesson 10

    Build a synthesis

    Choose a feasible four-week study-support pilot

    For: The student support coordinator, who must choose and organize a feasible pilot

  3. Lesson 11

    Respond fairly

    Write a fair response to an online-only notice proposal

    For: The student council, including supporters and critics of the proposal

  4. Lesson 12

    Refine reasoning

    Revise a late-bus report into a useful recommendation

    For: The school transport committee, which needs an accurate basis for its next funding decision

How this collection works

Task first, words as tools

Brief recall supports the main meaningful task; it is not the whole learning experience. Recall before revealing support, use the word when useful in the task, then revisit earlier words after another lesson.

Coming back to earlier words after another lesson helps them stick. Nothing is scheduled or sent to you.

Your writing, your review

Your writing is for your ideas — it is not automatically graded. Use the checklist and example to decide what to keep and what to revise. Blank or unfinished writing is not a wrong answer.

Meaning checks show right or wrong. Your task writing is yours to review — one response never decides what you know.

Pronunciation

Capital letters mark the stressed syllable in these approximate American English pronunciation guides. Accent variations are normal. The guides are text only — there is no audio.

For teachers

Standards alignment notes

Instructional alignment, not an endorsement or prescribed vocabulary list: the activities practice contextual meaning, related word forms, nuances of meaning, and accurate academic vocabulary use.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4a-d · CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5b · CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.6 · CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4a-d · CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5b · CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.6

The text pronunciation guide alone does not fulfill reference-consultation practice. Invite students to verify pronunciation and meaning with a reliable dictionary; any audio feature must use an actually available, verified source. These are supplied alignment notes, not a certification.