Transcript Word Walls: Tools for Becoming Better Readers and Writers

Word Walls: Tools for
Becoming Better Readers
and Writers
By
Maria P. Valdez
Clear Creek I.S.D.
McWhirter PDLS
July 15, 2004
Research
“Words are the writer’s primal tools.”
Ralph Fletcher, “What a Writer Needs”, 1993
“Words are the building blocks of
reading and writing.”
Patricia M.Cunningham & Richard L. Allington, “Classrooms
that Work”, 1999
Research
“One of the long, most clearly articulated line of research in
literacy education describes the strong connection
between the readers’ vocabulary knowledge and their
ability to understand what they read.”
Camille Blachowicz & Peter Fisher, “Teaching Vocabulary in All Classrooms”, 1996
“
Words are absolutely essential in our classrooms. As
teachers and students work through texts together in
shared and guided reading, when students encounter
familiar words but unfamiliar spellings, and when we
build concept-related words or topical categories, we
need to have words in full view so that the students can
see them and use them in their writing.
Janet Allen, “Word, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12”, 1999
What is a Word Wall?
“A word wall is an organized collection of
words written in large prints and displayed
in an area of the classroom where it can
be seen.”
Trisha Callella, “Making Your Word Wall More Interactive”, 2001
“A word wall is a place on which important
words are posted as references for
reading and writing.
Regie Routman, “Conversations: Strategies for Teaching Learning, and Evaluating”,
2000
Why use Word Walls?
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Provides a visual that helps students
remember connections between words.
Serves as an important tool for helping
students learn to read and spell new words.
Fosters students’ independence.
Promotes reading and writing.
Holds students accountable for spelling
specific words correctly at all times.
Trisha Callella, “Making Word Walls More Interactive”, 2001
How do I set up a Word Wall?
• Begin with a blank word wall.
• Write the words on cards in large print with black
ink.
• Tape the words onto your word wall, don’t staple
them so that the students can manipulate them.
• Introduce approximately five words per week
depending on your grade level and the difficulty
level of the words. Carry over to the next week
any words students are having trouble spelling.
Trisha Callella, “Making Your Word Wall More Interactive”, 2001
How can I teach a word?
•Look at the word and study it.
•Tell someone you know what you notice.
•Make a mental picture of it.
•Write it on a wipe board.
•Check it.
If you forget a word, look up at the word wall.
If you see the a student copying the word,
remind him/her of the process.
Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis, “Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills
and
Strategies”, 2003
What are the types of Word
Walls?
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High frequency words
Phonograms (Word families)
Contractions
Antonyms
Synonyms
Homophones
Theme Vocabulary
Personal Word Walls
Any other words that will help your students become
better at reading and writing
Irene C.Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell, “Voices on Word Matters”, 1999
What are some tips
about Word Walls?
•Make them memorable.
•Make them useful.
•Make them practical.
•Make them hands-on.
•Make them space efficient.
•Make them your way.
•Make them interactive.
Janiel Wagstaff, “Teaching Reading and Writing with Word Walls”,
1999
How can we assess Word
Walls?
•Matching each word with an icon or a
symbol.
•Writing a definition or a sentence that
makes sense.
•Writing a story using at least five
words and underlining the words.
•Acting out the words and having other
students guess it.
•Playing “spelling bee” teams.
Joan P. Carroll: “Survival Words”, 2001
How do I adapt Word
Walls to different kinds
of learners?
For All Students:
•Use Total Physical Response (TPR)
A technique of learning through actions
developed by James Asher. When people
learn with their whole bodies, the ideas sticks!
ESL Students:
•Write words in English with their Spanish
translation.
Joan P. Carroll, “Survival Words”, 2001
Differentiating
Auditory Learners:
Kinesthetic Learners:
• Have students record
themselves on cassette
tape, reading the words
and their meanings or
translations.
• Have students listen and
repeat.
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Joan P. Carroll, “Survival Words”, 2001
Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell,
“Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades
3-6”, 2001
Allow students to play
games that use their
entire body or allow
movement.
GT Learners:
• Allow students to
research historical
origins of words and
record interesting
derivations in their
notebooks.
Differentiating
Students with Developmental Lags:
•Implement a behavior-modification system
that rewards the students’ independent
learning.
Orton Method: (Multisensory Input)
•Teacher writes the word in cursive, saying it
aloud.
•The student says the word aloud.
•The student traces the word with a finger on
a textured surface (sand, etc.) saying it aloud.
Joan P. Carroll, “Survival Words”, 2001
What are some activities I
can try?
• Get Moving Activity
• Riddles, Riddles, Riddles
• Let’s Get Creative
Trisha Callella, “Making Your Word Walls Interactive:, 2001
• Wild Word Chant
Kathleen Bahr and Lisa Hughes, “15 Minutes a Day to a Colossal Vocabulary”, 2003
Are we on the right track
with Word Walls?
YES!
“It is important for children to develop a
repertoire of words they can spell and read
without applying any word-solving strategies.”
“Many high frequency or word wall words give
writers the word-power to read and write
other words.”
Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis, “Writing for Readers: Teaching
Skills and Strategies”, 2003
Bibliography
• Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell: “Voices on Word Matters”
• Ralph Fletcher: “What a Writer Needs”
• Patricia M.Cunningham & Richard L. Allington: “Classrooms That
Work”
• Camille Blachowicz & Peter Fisher: “Teaching Vocabulary in Grades
4-12”
• Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton & Francine
Johnston: “Words Their Way-Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary
and Spelling Instruction”
• Regie Routman: “Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning
and Evaluating”
Bibliography
• Andrea McCarrier, Gay Su Pinnell & Irene C. Fountas: “Interactive
Writing-How Language & Literacy Come Together, K-2”
• Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell: Guiding Readers and Writers,
Grades 3-6”
• Lucy Calkins & Natalie Louis: “Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills
and Strategies”
• Cathryn Falwell: “Word Wizard”
• Trisha Callella: “Making Your Word Walls More Interactive”
• Kathleen Bahr and Lisa Hughes: “15 Minutes a Day to a Colossal
Vocabulary”