Word Wall

 

                  

 

"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 to use, not just display. Word walls are designed to promote group learning and be shared by a classroom of children". www.teachnet.com

What is Word Wall? "A word wall is a visual display of words that is used to demonstrate a skill or concept that you are teaching in your class". (By Wendy Mirowski)

 

 

                                                                      

 

  

 

Support the teaching of important general principles about words and how they work

Foster reading and writing

Provide reference support for children during their reading and writing

Promote independence on the part of young students as they work with words in writing and reading

Provide a visual map to help children remember connections between words and the characteristics that

    will help them form categories

Develop a growing core of words that become part of a reading and writing vocabulary

    www.Teachnet.com

 

 

 

promote sight word retention and letter/sound recognition.

help the students in their independent and collaborative writing.

helps the students spell words correctly.

 

 

 

Add words gradually, five a week.

Make words very accessible by putting them where every student can see them, writing them in big,

    black letters, and using a variety of background colors so that the most often-confused words (there,

    their; what, when) are different colors

Be selective about what words go on the wall, limiting additions to those really common words which

    children use a lot in writing .

Practice those words by chanting and writing them

Do a variety of review activities to provide enough practice so that words are read and spelled instantly

    and automatically

Make sure that Word Wall words are spelled correctly in any writing students do

    www.Teachnet.com

 

 

                    

          

 

 

Encourage your students and their parents to create a "Word Wall Display" at home. The children can cut out words using newspapers or magazine letters  and  then place them in alphabetical order under letter headings for each of the letters of the alphabet. Students can write the word on the picture to give a visual description of the word. Also, they can use each word in a sentence or find rhyming words

                                                                                 

                                                     

                                                 

                                                                          

By Wendy Mirowski

 

 Chunking:  Using words to help children spell words that rhyme with other words.  For example, using common word families (i.e. "-ike in like)

Spelling:  Displaying the spelling words of the week on the wall.  Keep the spelling words throughout the year on the wall to help the students memorize the words.

 Word Recognition:  The students see the words on the wall and are able to identify them when the teacher asks to point out a particular word.

 Displaying categories:  You, as the teacher, can separate words into categories and display them on your wall.  For example, displaying the names of the students, names of animals, or maybe the months of the year.

Alphabetical order:  You can teach the children a sense of alphabetical order by having the alphabet on a wall (letters enlarged) and have words that begin with those letters underneath the letter they correspond with .

 

 

                                      

 

Guessing Game:  The teacher thinks of a word on the wall and then gives clues to guess the word. After the child guesses the word, allow them to come up to the board to write the word. They love this activity.

Bingo: Each student has a bingo card with six word wall words written in each space. A set of words in the bingo cards are placed into a box, and one by one they are pulled out. If the child has that word on his/her bingo card, he/she can cover it counters. When your entire card is covered, the child yell "BINGO".

Reading Competition: Divide your class in two groups. Each group takes a turn to read a word from a pile of words.  Score are kept on the number of words each group reads correctly. If one group misses, the other group has a chance to read that word in addition to their regular turn.

Board Games: You can create your own  board games by using  the word wall words.  You need: Old board game, Pile of word wall words cards, dice, and counters. Set up the games rules.

Bang! ( Mrs. Dunkerley's Idea): All the sight words we have learned are put in a box. The children sit in a circle and each take a word from the box. If they can read the word, they get to keep it. If they cannot, the word is returned to the box. If they pull a card with the word Bang! from the box, all the cards they have collected so far must be returned to the box. The child with the greatest number of cards when the game ends is the winner and gets to pick out a sticker.

Secret Word: The teacher and the children are sitting  in a circle. The teacher start the game by reading a word and telling  a secret word to a child (sitting next to her) in his/her ear. The child has to do the same to the next child and so on. At the end of the game, the child say the word aloud and then he/she comes up to the board to write the secret word.