Transcript wordwalll 2 - Interactive Word Wall

Interactive Word
Walls
Stella Norman
& Tracey Howse
Definition
 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. It is a tool designed to
promote group learning. A word wall consists of words
that children frequently see when reading and use when
writing.
Purpose
 To give children a reference when reading and or writing
unfamiliar materials.
Examples
 Should be organized
alphabetically.
 Words can be added weekly or
changed weekly.
 Can include student names,
days of the week, or any other
words students use frequently.
Going “interactive”
 Students make more use of word walls they can touch,
help construct, or that are more meaningful to them.
 If possible keep word walls within student reach, so they
can touch or remove words with ease.
 Other options are the portable word wall and the word
wall “wiki”.
Portable Word Wall
More Ideas
 Use index cards or smaller cards on rings for words.
 Have a different set for each subject area and/or topics
within a subject.
 Have a set for home and school.
 Laminate or use card stock for sturdiness and durability.
Word Wall Activities
Scavenger Hunt

1. Create a list of words that are
specific to the text or unit of study.
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2. Give students the list of words and
explain that they are looking for
examples of the word and not the
actual word. It is a bonus if they find
the actual word but you really want
them to discover the word in action.
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3. Students work in groups and
document where they discovered the
word.
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4. If possible, they bring an artifact to
show the word in a new context. For
example, if they find a newspaper
article about a revolution, students cut
the article out and bring that as an
artifact. If they find a photograph of a
revolution, they bring the photograph
(or a copy) as an artifact.
5. Individually, students write what
connection the target word in a new
context has to what they are studying
in the unit on the American
Revolution.
6. If you have a word wall, artifacts
can be displayed under each of the
target words as a visual reminder of
the word, its meanings, and its
applications.
Scavenger
Hunt
Worksheet
Mystery Word
 The first clue is always “The word is on the word wall”.
 Other clues can be: It has ____ beats . It begins like____. It
end like_____. It is a noun, verb, etc. It has a ____ for a
vowel.
 The last clue is usually a sentence with the word missing in
it so everyone can get it.
Integrating Tech
 Creating a slide show of words
to be playing while students
are journaling, silent reading
or are in centers.
 Create a slide show to teach
vocabulary that includes
pictures, synonyms,
antonyms, etc.
 As students become more
comfortable, they can create
either slides, word documents,
or contribute to a blog or wiki
to showcase word knowledge.
Example of tech integration