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Introduction of the Use of a Word Wall for Class Activities

Intro:

**Have the large bulletin board where word wall will be placed prepared with

colored paper and a big, clear label that says Word Wall before the students come to

class on the day it will be introduced.- When children are seated, ask if any of them have any guesses of what a word

wall is. Allow for a few guesses before explaining.

- Explain to students the importance and benefits of a resource like the wordwall

o The wall will help them build vocabulary about different subjects and

skill areas

o It will help the become better, more fluent readers

o It will be changing words throughout the year so class will be learning

so much!

o It will be there to help them spell important and often used words

during class activities on that particular subjectSample Activity:

- Make a mini word wall on the overhead (title overhead sheet word wall) and

explain to students that this will be a small scale example of we are going to

do in the classroom- Show easy examples of different types of word walls

o Alphabetical word wall: write out a few letters of the alphabet because

this is only an example and write them spread out on the overhead

sheet in one color marker. (ex. B and P) Come up with a topic tosuccessfully explain this activity, for example, dogs. In another color

marker, have this students come up with words about dogs that start

with one of these letters. (B: bark, bite; P: paws, puppy, pet). Write abrief definition for a couple of these words to show the students theconcept.

o Cluster word wall: having a list of alphabetical word walls but for two

or more topics. Write two topics on the overhead sheet on opposite

sides. Have the students come up with words for each topic and writethem in a cluster around the words respective topic.

o Picture word wall: Could be used for either alphabetical or cluster

word walls except pictures are used for a visual representation of the

word or cluster of words to promote a foundation of understanding for

words and their meanings/relationships

Implementation:- Label the word wall with the main topic that the class will be learning about.

Then determine the best type of word wall to use for the particular activity(alphabetical, cluster and or picture) and label the wall accordingly with the

letters or subtopics. Words should be typed or written very neatly and large so

that students can easily read and see all words. Begin adding words, theirdefinitions and or pictures as the children continue learning about that

particular topic.

Rhea Matar

Resource Book

8/7/2019 Word Wall Resource Book

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Rationale: This method meets the standards ofCC.5.L.4.c: Vocabulary Acquisition andUse because this type of activity activates the use of dictionaries, glossaries and

thesauruses to build the word wall to its full use and intention. The standard states thatthe use of these reference materials to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify

the precise meaning of key words and phrases so the students can build on their word

wall and learn about the relationships between words (synonyms, antonyms, clusters etc)and the various meanings they carry and apply.

Application to students with special needs: A word wall is a really good way for

students with special needs that struggle to expand their vocabulary or make connectionsbetween words and their head topics organize all the information that is being presented

to them. Because the word wall is colorful, organized and engaging, it makes the use of

new words and different vocabulary less scary and more useful to young learners.

Rhea Matar

Resource Book