Vocabulous and Times Tables Rock Stars join forces
Rockin’ Roots combines the strengths of two programmes which both won Let Teachers SHINE awards
Two innovative online learning platforms created by Let Teachers SHINE winners have joined forces to develop a new resource helping children understand the origins of mathematical language.
Vocabulous, a literacy programme based upon Latin and Greek root words, and Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), one of the UK’s most widely used maths platforms, have collaborated on a project called Rockin’ Roots.
The digital resource is now available for schools to download from both platforms’ resource libraries.
The collaboration brings together the strengths of the two initiatives: TTRS’s deep understanding of mathematical learning and Vocabulous’s expertise in etymology and vocabulary development.
Rockin’ Roots focuses on 19 important mathematical terms, each presented with a clear definition, an explanation of its Latin or Greek root, a breakdown of its morphology, an example sentence, and further related words that share the same linguistic origin. For multilingual learners, each term is also shown in other languages.
To support teachers and engage students, each word is accompanied by a short video that introduces the term and its history, narrated by the familiar “voice of Vocabulous” and illustrated with graphics from both platforms.
The videos are designed to be quick, accessible, and classroom-ready, with no preparation required from teachers.
Schools can choose to explore a word a day or word a week, making the resource suitable for use as a warm-up activity during maths lessons or form time. By uncovering the stories behind mathematical vocabulary, the creators hope to deepen students’ understanding, support long-term memory, and build confidence across a range of ability levels.
The partnership began when TTRS founder Bruno Reddy – who won a Let Teachers SHINE award in 2014 for his idea to make times tables practice fun and fast – approached Vocabulous creator Lucy Huelin.
Bruno was also on the judging panel the year Lucy won her own Let Teachers SHINE award, giving him an early insight into Vocabulous’s potential.
“We’re big fans of Vocabulous and could see a great opportunity to work with Lucy and her team,” said Bruno. “This collaboration offers students not only the chance to learn the roots of key mathematical words but also to see their favourite characters from two great platforms coming together.”
Since its SHINE-funded beginnings, TTRS has grown into a global phenomenon, used by one million children every week in more than 17,000 schools around the world. Its gamified approach has been credited with improving children’s confidence and speed in multiplication, and its success has led to the creation of sister platforms including NumBots.
Lucy Huelin received her Let Teachers SHINE award in 2021, enabling her to develop Vocabulous, which uses Latin and Greek root words to help students improve reading comprehension and expand their vocabulary.
The programme has seen rapid uptake, with 12,000 students and over 700 teachers from 75 schools now subscribed.
“I’m very excited that Vocabulous is collaborating with the team behind Times Tables Rock Stars to bring Rockin’ Roots to schools,” she said.
“Bruno has been a great support to me since Vocabulous received its first funding from SHINE, and it’s been fantastic to work together on this project.
“We hope that students will enjoy choosing a mathematical word each day and finding out where its name comes from. Who knew that ‘calculation’ is named after the little stones the Romans used to use for counting?”
The creators say that Rockin’ Roots is just the start. Both teams are already exploring further opportunities to combine their strengths, including the possibility of developing a vocabulary resource for users of NumBots, TTRS’s sister app for learning addition and subtraction.
Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “We always hoped that Let Teachers SHINE would one day become a community of teachers working together to improve children’s outcomes. We’re delighted to see two amazing SHINE-funded teachers joining forces in this way.”
Rockin’ Roots is free for existing users of both platforms and can be downloaded from the resources sections of the TTRS and Vocabulous websites.
To learn more about Rockin’ Roots, click here or to trial the two websites, visit here and here.
Let Teachers SHINE is an annual competition run by education charity SHINE for practising teachers with great ideas. Recipients receive up to £25,000 to turn those ideas into a reality. To find out more, see letteachersshine.org.uk