I really enjoyed reading about word walls in Chapter 4 of Classrooms that Work. I have seen many word walls in primary classrooms that I have observed, but they have all been the same, bland walls. It was nice to read about different strategies to use to build your word walls. I like the idea of using different colors for the text and paper to make the wall more appealing. I think it would be good to use a different paper for each week so that the students can see which words are new for the week and which are words they were introduced to previously. Most word walls I have seen were ones that were made before the students even entered the class and remained the same throughout the year. I love the idea of letting the kids “do a word wall” rather than just “have a word wall.” I think allowing the students the opportunity to help create it and watch it grow is a great way for them take ownership and learn the words. I also plan to include my students names on my word wall. I have thought about adding pictures beside the words as well, like in the picture below, if the word has an image that could go with it. Any suggestions on adding pictures?
My thoughts were just like yours. I love the word walls, but I have seen so many plain ones. I am so excited to have more ideas from this article on how to build a fun and exciting word wall in my future classroom. I also love the fact of having the students "do the wall" because it is more interactive and a fun way for them to learn instead of watching the teacher do it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about having the student's "do" a word wall instead of having a word wall. If you are going to go to the trouble have a word wall it just makes sense to strategically use it. I also liked the idea of incorporating a chant activity to review the words on the wall often.
ReplyDeleteMadison,
ReplyDeleteI found a creative idea on pinterest for word walls. This particular word wall was to introduce synonyms as a replacement for commonly used words in elementary school. Just an idea to add to your collection! Nice post.
I also agree that most word walls are plain! I think this would give a creative outlet to the children and us as teachers! What a fun way to explore reading! I also agree with the chants as well, I know as a young student I loved to do chants and songs in class! Love this post!
ReplyDeleteI love your idea for using different colored paper to show the chronological order that the words were added to the borad. I think I will definitely be using this idea in my own classroom. I also like the idea of allowing each student to create their own word wall. This idea reminds me of a capstone presentation I sat in on in the spring. This intern asked every student to make their own list of spelling words (aka individual word wall) in addition to weekly spelling words. She then charted their use of these words in their daily journals and other writings. She saw no improvement or increased use of the words. Kind of depressing. I wonder if there is any research out there that actually proves the usefulness of word walls....?
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