Describing Yourself, Family and Animals
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The clock is the Tour de l'Horloge in Auxerre. The mechanism has been running since 1483.
Before German had a word for 'year' as a unit of time, it had a word for something returning. That Proto-Indo-European root, yer-, is where both 'Jahr' and the English 'year' begin. They've been travelling in parallel ever since.
View a free sample of this approach: Salut (French) – Structured Vocabulary Support (Free Sample)
The resource
The pack traces 'Jahr' from its earliest reconstructed root through to modern German, with an illustration at each stage. The connection to English 'year' is made explicit — once a learner sees it, the word tends to stop feeling arbitrary.
It prints in two formats. The early pages are designed as double panels — cut along the yellow borders, laminate back to back, and fasten with a binding ring. Different words can be grouped together this way; free Wordhord cards can be added in too. The last page is a comic strip layout, which covers the same content in a single sheet. That's the one I tend to reach for — it's quicker.
The etymological information is drawn from established sources, cited at the end of the resource. As with all historical linguistics, some reconstructions involve a degree of scholarly interpretation — but the connections shown here are well-attested. Etymology is my specialist subject; I have a linguistics degree and spent years teaching Language Change at A-Level, though I'd always encourage checking.
The approach
Traces the word through meaning and origin rather than repetition — useful for any child who finds vocabulary lists hard to retain
Connects 'Jahr' explicitly to the English 'year', so the relationship feels logical rather than arbitrary
Useful where working memory is a factor — the etymology gives the word somewhere to anchor
Each historical stage is illustrated simply, to reduce cognitive load
Short sessions of 5–10 minutes, revisited over time
I made this for my son, who is dyslexic. Repeating words until they stuck wasn't working. Understanding where a word came from made more difference than more practice. My interest in German word origins grew out of summers camping across Europe — the kind of etymological curiosity that starts with a word on a sign and doesn't quite stop.
The learner
Any child who finds rote vocabulary memorisation hard going — whether that's due to dyslexia, a different learning profile, or simply the way their memory works. Your child might be following a school German programme, working through a home education curriculum, or just curious about words. Each pack works independently, so there's no set order and no need to start at the beginning. Particularly useful for KS3 learners, parents supporting German at home, tutors, and MFL teachers looking for a short pre-teaching or consolidation tool.
Some children pick it up themselves — the illustrations are designed to be self-explanatory enough to browse without guidance. I tend to leave it on the kitchen table; my son looks through it over breakfast. It doesn't feel like school work.
How to use
No preparation needed — open the first page and see what happens. You might begin with what the word means today, keeping that part brief. You might just look at the pictures together and see what they notice. The child can lead. It works equally well as a short teaching aid or a pre-teaching tool before a new vocabulary unit, and for consolidation later. Print it, use it in a session, and leave it with your child to refer back to.
It works even if the response is minimal. Looking at the illustrations is enough to start with. There's no schedule to keep.
The Wordhord has a free entry on September — it covers some of the same calendar territory, the Roman year and month names as fossils of older counting systems. Worth a look alongside this. If you're also exploring the French strand, Ancien is a related starting point.
Explore the full collection in The Forge, or find more German vocabulary packs in Die Wortwerkbank. Buying a few packs at once — use code BUNDLEBUY3EMW at checkout for 15% off orders over £16.
These resources are created using AI tools under my direction. My first priority is accuracy — I supply the sources, check each draft, and redraft until I'm satisfied. Each resource typically takes several hours to produce. My son uses these resources, so getting them right matters to me personally.
Other packs in this series: Was, Wann Wer Leben.
For personal use in home education and tutoring only. For school or institutional licensing, do get in touch.
View a free sample of this approach:
Salut (French) – Structured Vocabulary Support (Free Sample)
A structured vocabulary resource designed to support learners who find German vocabulary harder to retain when words are taught as isolated items to memorise. This resource focuses on the high-frequency German word Kaninchen, explaining what it means in modern German and how its meaning developed over time.
Rather than relying on simple translation, the resource shows how Kaninchen is connected to earlier naming patterns for animals and to ideas of classification and familiarity. Earlier forms included in the resource are linguistic reconstructions used by scholars to model how the word is thought to have developed. They are not recorded quotations and are included only where they help make the modern meaning clearer and more logical.
Where helpful, links are made to familiar patterns in English, including how animal names can shift in form and usage over time. This allows learners to anchor the German word in existing knowledge and supports cross-linguistic transfer, rather than treating vocabulary as arbitrary.
Each panel draws attention to one clear idea at a time, such as naming, form, or continuity of meaning, without requiring learners to memorise historical detail. Learners are not expected to remember dates, language stages, or technical terminology. Panels can be explored in order or revisited independently over time, reducing working-memory load and supporting flexible use in short sessions.
The resource is designed with dyslexic and neurodivergent learners in mind, particularly those who benefit from explicit structure, reduced verbal load, and visual anchoring. It supports recognition, confidence, and longer-term vocabulary retention when learners encounter Kaninchen again in lessons or reading.
The accompanying photograph of a rabbit provides a clear, real-world visual anchor, reinforcing the modern meaning of Kaninchen as a concrete, living animal rather than an abstract vocabulary item.
What’s included
• A clear visual explanation of how Kaninchen developed and what it means in modern German
• Explicit clarification of meaning without relying on rote memorisation
• Simple black-and-white illustrations designed to anchor understanding and reduce verbal explanation
• Support for understanding semantic development without requiring memorisation of history
How to use
Best used in short sessions (5–10 minutes), revisited over time. Start with what Kaninchen means today, then use the panels to support discussion and understanding. Panels do not need to be used all at once or in strict order. An adult guides use and decides when to stop.
This resource supports classroom learning, tutoring, and home education, but does not replace teaching or practice.
Who it’s for
• Dyslexic learners studying German
• KS3–KS4 pupils who struggle with vocabulary retention
• Parents, tutors, and intervention teachers
• Learners who benefit from explicit, structured language explanation
© Great Expectations Education
For personal use in home education and tutoring only.
View a free sample of this approach:
Salut (French) – Structured Vocabulary Support (Free Sample)
A structured vocabulary resource designed to support learners who find German vocabulary harder to retain when words are taught as isolated items to memorise. This resource focuses on the high-frequency German word Pferd, explaining what it means in modern German and how its meaning developed over time.
Rather than relying on simple translation, the resource shows how Pferd is connected to earlier ideas of riding, transport, and everyday use. Earlier forms included in the resource are linguistic reconstructions used by scholars to model how the word is thought to have developed. They are not recorded quotations and are included only where they help make the modern meaning clearer and more logical.
Where helpful, links are made to familiar patterns in English, such as older or regional words for ‘horse’, and to related ideas of travel and riding. This allows learners to anchor the German word in existing knowledge and supports cross-linguistic transfer, rather than treating vocabulary as arbitrary.
Each panel draws attention to one clear idea at a time, such as continuity of meaning or change in form, without requiring learners to memorise historical detail. Learners are not expected to remember dates, language stages, or technical terminology. Panels can be explored in order or revisited independently over time, reducing working-memory load and supporting flexible use in short sessions.
The resource is designed with dyslexic and neurodivergent learners in mind, particularly those who benefit from explicit structure, reduced verbal load, and visual anchoring. It supports recognition, confidence, and longer-term vocabulary retention when learners encounter Pferd again in lessons or reading.
What’s included
• A clear visual explanation of how Pferd developed and what it means in modern German
• Explicit clarification of meaning without relying on rote memorisation
• Simple black-and-white illustrations designed to anchor understanding and reduce verbal explanation
• Support for understanding semantic development without requiring memorisation of history
How to use
Best used in short sessions (5–10 minutes), revisited over time. Start with what Pferd means today, then use the panels to support discussion and understanding. Panels do not need to be used all at once or in strict order. An adult guides use and decides when to stop.
This resource supports classroom learning, tutoring, and home education, but does not replace teaching or practice.
Who it’s for
• Dyslexic learners studying German
• KS3–KS4 pupils who struggle with vocabulary retention
• Parents, tutors, and intervention teachers
• Learners who benefit from explicit, structured language explanation
Photograph taken on a high mountain pasture above Andorra.
© Great Expectations Education
For personal use in home education and tutoring only.
View a free sample of this approach:
Salut (French) – Structured Vocabulary Support (Free Sample)
A structured vocabulary resource designed to support learners who find German vocabulary harder to retain when words are taught as isolated items to memorise. This resource focuses on the high-frequency German word Schlange, explaining what it means in modern German and how its meaning developed over time.
Rather than relying on simple translation, the resource shows how Schlange is connected to earlier ideas of winding, looping, and curving. Earlier forms included in the resource are linguistic reconstructions used by scholars to model how the word is thought to have developed. They are not recorded quotations and are included only where they help make the modern meaning clearer and more logical.
Where helpful, links are made to familiar patterns in English, such as words connected to looping, coiling, or bending. This allows learners to anchor the German word in existing knowledge and supports cross-linguistic transfer, rather than treating vocabulary as arbitrary.
Each panel draws attention to one clear idea at a time, such as shape or movement, without requiring learners to memorise historical detail. Learners are not expected to remember dates, language stages, or technical terminology. Panels can be explored in order or revisited independently over time, reducing working-memory load and supporting flexible use in short sessions.
The resource is designed with dyslexic and neurodivergent learners in mind, particularly those who benefit from explicit structure, reduced verbal load, and visual anchoring. It supports recognition, confidence, and longer-term vocabulary retention when learners encounter Schlange again in lessons or reading.
The accompanying photograph of a snake, taken at Westonbirt Arboretum, provides a real-world visual anchor to reinforce the idea of winding shape and movement.
What’s included
• A clear visual explanation of how Schlange developed and what it means in modern German
• Explicit clarification of the core meaning and how it extends to related uses
• Simple black-and-white illustrations designed to anchor meaning and reduce verbal explanation
• Support for understanding semantic development without requiring memorisation of history
How to use
Best used in short sessions (5–10 minutes), revisited over time. Start with what Schlange means today, then use the panels to support discussion and understanding. Panels do not need to be used all at once or in strict order. An adult guides use and decides when to stop.
This resource supports classroom learning, tutoring, and home education, but does not replace teaching or practice.
Who it’s for
• Dyslexic learners studying German
• KS3–KS4 pupils who struggle with vocabulary retention
• Parents, tutors, and intervention teachers
• Learners who benefit from explicit, structured language explanation
© Great Expectations Education
For personal use in home education and tutoring only.
This resource provides a core German vocabulary set focused on describing yourself, members of your family, and animals or pets. It includes the key words learners need to respond to common speaking and short writing tasks, such as personal descriptions, family descriptions, and simple questions about pets and birthdays.
I originally created this resource for my son while he was revising for a German speaking test. He understood the language content, but the combination of listening to a question, recalling vocabulary, planning a sentence, and speaking accurately at the same time created unnecessary difficulty. Making the vocabulary visible during revision changed the task from one of memory under pressure to one of language use.
This resource reduces cognitive load by separating vocabulary retrieval from sentence construction. Instead of needing to recall every word from memory, learners can see the vocabulary while practising. This allows them to focus their attention on the essential aspects of language production: structure, meaning, and accuracy.
For many neurodivergent learners, including those who are dyslexic or autistic, word retrieval under pressure can be a significant barrier. Difficulty finding a word does not mean the word is not known, but it can interrupt thinking, increase anxiety, and lead to disengagement. By removing the requirement to retrieve vocabulary at the same time as forming sentences, this resource helps prevent that breakdown.
Keeping the vocabulary visible also increases predictability and control. Learners can see the full set of expected words, select a manageable subset, rehearse responses repeatedly, and check accuracy independently. This supports learners who benefit from clear structure, reduced uncertainty, and consistent routines.
The vocabulary can be used as:
a word bank for speaking or writing
support when rehearsing likely assessment questions
a planning tool before writing
a reference for checking accuracy after producing spoken or written answers
a way to select and practise a small, personal vocabulary set
This approach supports confident, accurate communication in German. The emphasis is on successful language use, not rote memorisation or recall under pressure, allowing learners to demonstrate what they know and build fluency through supported practice.
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This little set of ‘test’ themed resources is a gentle way to try out how I teach spelling, morphology and vocabulary, without committing to full price.
Each one is 75% off for a limited time and works well as a standalone activity or as a taster before diving into the other packs.
Ideal for: home educators, 11+ candidates and anyone wanting a low cost starting point.
This downloadable pack explores the root ‘test’ (from Latin testari, meaning to witness or affirm). It includes a clear set of printable word cards designed for spelling, reading, and vocabulary practice – with a focus on how words are built.
All words in this set contain the root ‘test’ (e.g. attest, protestation, testimony, untestable), and are organised for ease of printing. These cards are not flashcards in the traditional sense – they’re designed to be used within play-based, sensory-rich tasks. Check out a scroll-through of the resource.
Included in the pack:
✅ 36 word cards featuring the root ‘test’
✅ A simple tracker to monitor blending and reading fluency
✅ 40+ activity suggestions using tactile, oral, visual, and movement-based approaches
Examples include:
• Writing with window pens or tracing in salt
• Playing Snakes and Ladders with a word per turn
• Echo reading, silly sentences, and morpheme matching
• Body spelling, hopscotch games, and torchlight hunts
These activities are especially supportive for learners who benefit from movement, repetition, and meaning-driven reading. The tracking sheet allows you to note when a word can be blended or read automatically – helpful for both planning and celebrating progress.
Decode big words like ‘testament’ and ‘protester’ — morpheme by morpheme.
This downloadable literacy pack helps children explore the morpheme ‘test’ (meaning to witness or to examine), using a Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) approach. Through colour-coded cards, clear explanations, and hands-on activities, learners discover how complex words are built — and what they really mean.
Inside the pack:
A complete set of morpheme cards (in both colour-coded and neutral green versions)
A parent guide that explains word parts clearly — including what a linking vowel is and when to drop the ‘e’
A progress tracking table for blending and reading
10+ multi-sensory word-building games and puzzles
Examples of real ‘test’ word families (e.g. testify, protest, testimony, untested, countertestimony)
Check out a scroll-through video of the resource.
Activities include:
Missing morpheme puzzles
Snap! word family edition
Build-your-own definition games
Word wall creation
Card sorting and classification
Designed by a qualified dyslexia and literacy specialist, this pack supports:
Home educators
Learners who thrive on pattern and logic
Spelling confidence through morphology
Older learners revisiting tricky words with purpose
📎 Part of the How Words Workcollection | ✏️ 75% Off | 🎞️ Scroll-through video included
This sample resource introdu ces learners to vocabulary built from the Latin root “testari”, meaning to bear witness. It’s part of my wider How Words Work: Root Study & Vocabulary collection — a series of tools for building spelling confidence and deeper word understanding.
This pack includes structured grids for exploring words like testify, protest, attest, and testimonial, using:
Clear definitions
Synonyms
Sentence prompts
Etymology (word origins)
The word contest is fully modelled as an example, and suggested answers are provided at the end to support independent learning. Illustrating the words is encouraged, particularly for visual memory or neurodivergent learners.
This sample is ideal for:
🟊 Home educators exploring root-based learning
🟊 Children preparing for 11+ exams
🟊 Learners who benefit from structured vocabulary work
🟊 Anyone curious about how words connect
🎞️ A scroll-through video shows the full resource before purchase
💸 Download it for 75% off as part of the test word collection
📄 Pairs well with my Test spelling sheets and word cards
A ready-to-use set of spelling and decoding grids exploring the root test (to bear witness or show evidence).
From test and attest to testimony, protest, and intestacy, this pack offers structured practice with over 30 derived words — all carefully segmented for reading, spelling, and meaning.
Each sheet supports multi-sensory learning, encouraging children to:
▪️ Explore the sounds
▪️ Create the word
▪️ Read, Spell, and Use it in a sentence
Also includes a page of hands-on activity ideas — from tracing and air-writing to chalk play and morpheme sorting.
Perfect for learners exploring morphemes, building vocabulary, or strengthening reading and spelling fluency.
🟩 You’ll get:
• Three printable spelling grids
• Word lists split by morpheme
• Sentence-writing prompts
• Multi-sensory activity suggestions
• Colour-coded versions to support visual memory
Check out the resource on this video.
Designed for home learning or 1:1 support.
Pairs well with the matching “test” jigsaw word cards.