Transcript Document

Building Powerful Word Walls
in Every PAISD Classroom
Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and
School Leadership
August 21, 2007
District-Wide Professional Development
Johnny E. Brown, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Training Outline
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Purpose and Desired Outcomes of Training
Why Word Walls?
Elements of a Powerful Word Wall
Importance of Word Walls
Strategies for Engaging Students in Building the
Word Wall
How to Teach Students to Provide On-Going
Maintenance of the Word Wall
Sharing Ideas for Building Powerful Word Walls
Campus-Wide Word Wall Implementation
Activities
District-Wide Monitoring Expectations
Purpose and Desired Outcomes of
Training
This training is designed to assist teachers in
all content areas to:
 appreciate
 build
 use
 maintain Word Walls
What is a Word Wall?
A word wall is
 a systematically organized collection of
words
 displayed in large letters on a wall or other
large display place in the classroom
 a tool to use, not just display
 designed to promote group learning
 to be shared by a classroom of students
Why Word Walls?
 Words -- the most important tools of a
reader or a writer
 Words -- absolutely essential in our
classrooms
 Words -- must be in full view so that
– teachers and students can work through
texts together
– so that students can see them and use
them in their writing
Importance of Word Walls
 Word Walls promote vocabulary growth and lead
to improvement in literacy.
 Word Walls serve many purposes:
– Provide meaningful building of vocabulary with
emphasis on student engagement and higher level
thinking skills
– Build vocabulary thereby improving reading
comprehension and writing styles
Importance of Word Walls
– Provide students with high-frequency words that
will be encountered in particular units of study
– Reinforce understanding of subject-specific
vocabulary with a focus on students
internalizing key concepts
– Help students to improve spelling and spelling
patterns
Importance of Word Walls
– Provide visual clues for students
– Encourage increased student independence
when reading and writing
Regardless of the grade level or the subject
area, word walls are an extremely effective
teaching and learning tool.
Elements of Effective Word Walls
 Build over time with shared studentteacher responsibility
 Words added with caution—at least five
words per week
 Simple and uncluttered as possible
 Practical and used on a daily basis
 Space efficient -- easily seen
 Hands-on
Types of Word Walls
 Personal
 Content or Thematic
 High Frequency
 Current Events
 Genre
 Common patterns, phonograms,
phases
Strategies for Engaging Students in
Building the Word Wall
 Use students’ ideas and suggestions in
determining words to be used
 Use word walls daily
 Vary activities for using words on the word
wall
Word Wall Activities
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Erasing Relay
Mind Reader
Hot Seat
Word Wall Bingo
Mystery Words
Visiting Words
Word Pictures/Word Relationships
Word Origins and Root Words
How to Teach Students to Provide
On-Going Maintenance of the Word
Wall
Students may
 Serve as weekly Word Wall Monitors to assess
condition of the wall
– Easy to read and use
– Words in good condition or in need of repair
 Suggest words to be added to the wall
 Develop ideas for Word Wall activities
Sharing Ideas for Building Powerful
Word Walls
Word Walls should be used in every content
area and every grade level.
For example…..
Elementary Word Walls
Grade 2
Urbanization
Migration
th
13
Amendment
Middle School Word Walls
Hazardous Environmental
Conditions
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Renewable Resources
Bill of Rights
French and Indian
War
High School Word Walls
1492
1939-1945
Cold War
Albert Einstein
Cultural Change
Campus-Wide Word Wall
Implementation Activities
 Review PowerPoint presentation of Powerful Word
Walls
 Share Word Walls used in the past and ideas for
future ones
 Meet by grade levels and subject areas to
brainstorm appropriate Word Walls
 Make long-range plans for the first six weeks
 Visit peers’ room to view Word Walls
 Assess degree of implementation at each grade
level/department meeting
District-Wide Monitoring
Expectations
 Each teacher will establish classroom Word
Walls
 Word Walls will be appropriate for grade
level/department
 Students and teachers will use Word Walls
daily
 Word Walls will be changed as necessary to
accompany units of study
“Make no mistake about it:
when we teach a child to read,
we change the world.”