The last month I seem to have been inundated with one question – ‘What is a word wall?’
And while I have been busy replying to everyone individually, I thought it was about time I just made a blog post on it so that you guys can all come here and read about it yourself.
In this blog post today I’m going to be talking about;
- What is a word wall?
- How to use one.
- Should I have one?
What is a Word Wall?
Let’s start right at the beginning before we dive in.
A word wall is best described as a visual literacy tool. It is usually displayed on a wall with large letters of the alphabet and a collection of words underneath them.
It is an interactive tool and it can be a great support tool for students to use for reading and writing skills.
What Words Do I Use?
You will usually find high frequency words; sight words or words that are used in your classroom on a regular basis. They are often words that your students are learning to read and write.
However, as your students grow and progress, you can also include words that are related to skills and themes that you are currently working on with your students.
Is It Just a Literacy Tool?
Absolutely not! I’ve seen so many classrooms where they have a science themed one – or a math themed one – and included on these are all the vocabulary used in these subjects.
How to Put Together
There are lots of places you can download word walls and put them up in your classroom. I like to include mine in my classroom decor packs which you can get here. You can also find my editable Emoji themed pack here.
Me and my students love having it the same theme as our current classroom decor – but that’s not a must. You can make it however you like – and whichever way you think your students will respond best to.
When you’re creating a word wall, you’re going to want;
- A large space of wall/bulletin board as your display.
- Title for your word wall.
- Flashcards for each letter of the alphabet.
- High frequency words on flashcards to place under the letters of the alphabet i.e a – am t – the.
Here is an example of our recent camping themed one.
Why Should I Have One?
It’s important to remember that you should only have one if you intend to use it. If you’re going to make it look fantastic at the start of the year, but never use it – it’s a waste of your time. And we don’t have endless amounts of time!
Before you make your decision, let me discuss some of the benefits of having a word wall in your classroom;
- It gives your students a place to go to use as a reference for working on their reading and writing.
- Reflection and the chance to go over high frequency words that they have already been taught.
- It is a great way to help students see similarities and differences in words.
- Use for students to be able to hunt out words; fingers, pointers etc.
- Helps to promote independence with your students reading and writing.
- Builds vocabulary.
- Visual reference for students.
There are many more benefits to having a word wall that is being effectively used in your classroom, but these are just a few to get you thinking about how beneficial they can be.
How to Use
Like I mentioned above, you should only get one if you intend to use it throughout the year – otherwise it’s going to be a waste of time. Some ways that you can use your word wall include;
- Adding words to it throughout the year; continuously growing.
- Regularly teach and remind students to use the word wall.
- Word hunt; Can you find the word ________. Find me a word that starts with __. Can you find a word that means _______.
- Use a pointer – or students fingers – to read the words on the wall.
- Spelling aide; When students ask how to spell a word, direct them to the word wall.
- Add a ‘limited time’ word – and get students to try and find the word, and use it in their writing that day/week.
- Get students to write a story using words from the word wall. Who can use the most words?
- Take words down and get students to put them back on the wall in alphabetical order.
- Match words to their initial sound/letter.
- Have students use a laser pen to ‘ZAP’ a word on the word wall and then say it out loud.
- Act out a word from the word wall and get students try to guess what it is.
- Turn off the lights and use a flashlight to shine onto words on the wall and get students to read them out loud.
- Mystery words – Choose one word from the word wall and give your student(s) clues about this word for them to try and guess which one it is.
- Magazine/newspaper hunt; Give students a magazine or newspaper. Ask them to find as many words from the word wall on that page as they can.
Do you have a word wall in your classroom?
How do you use it with students? Let me know in the comments down below.
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