#WORDWALL IMAGES HOW TO#

For example, you can type up the word and a brief definition.

There are so many ways to involve students!

If your students face the front of the room 80% of the time, why would you hang the word wall in the back? Think about the easiest reference point for the students, and if you have to move posters or lamps to place the words in the most convenient spot, so be it. Hang words in a place students will always see them. Plus, laminating and backing helps them to be more sturdy and to stand out more when they are displayed on the wall. Protect all of the hard work that you and your students collectively invested in the word wall. Laminate the pieces and back them with cardstock. For instance, a variable can be defined as “a number disguised as a letter.” Tip 5 Definitions can be straightforward or humorous. If you are creating the word wall yourself or making elements that students have brainstormed, don’t forget to add picture associations, memorable examples, or short definitions in addition to the word. Tip 4Īsk yourself, What will students find confusing about this word, and how can I scaffold their understanding? Simply typing a word on a document is not an effective approach to a word wall. Will students be able to read it no matter where they are? That’s the goal. Before creating a masterpiece to add to a word wall, print out the word by itself, put it on the wall, ceiling, or location of choice, and then sit in various places in your classroom. Sometimes, you just have to play with the document to see if what you have will work. Make sure the font is big enough that students will be able to read it from anywhere in the room. Incorporating color in word walls helps students to transfer the information from short-term memory to permanent memory storage. Using color meaningfully heightens our awareness of information by drawing our attention to it.

Color is a brain-based learning approach. It’s more beneficial for students to have meaningful and repeated exposure to fewer words per week than to be drilled on twenty or more words at a time, most of which they will forget soon after the quiz. I would suggest not adding more than five to ten words per week to your word wall. If you’re interested in using a word wall in your classroom, keep reading for some specific tips that will help you to maximize its effectiveness.

Have students contribute all of the information, but the teacher can be in charge of creating the actual display piece.

#WORDWALL IMAGES HOW TO#

Teach students how to create content for a word wall.There are two ways to address this concern: Plus, students don’t always understand how to design pieces for a word wall so that they are truly a valuable reference. Speaking from experience, it’s really hard for a word wall to be effective when its illegible. Word walls are most valuable when students take ownership. They are especially helpful for English Learners and struggling readers, but they certainly don’t hurt students who are proficient.

While there are many ways to scaffold literacy in ELA and other content area classes, word walls have been proven to work. Each subject has its own set of unique terms students need to master in order to be able to fully comprehend important skills. English, math, science, history, art, physical education – No matter what the content area, students have to be able to speak the language of the class.

Wordwall images