Activities for word wall

Elementary Word Wall Activities and Resources

Activity #1:

• Use four steps:
  1. Write the word
  2. Define the word
  3. Find synonyms
  4. Find antonyms.

Options:

• Use the Lexicon Resource to select and complete a specific number of the 31 activities listed. Consider allowing learners to choose. 
• General Lexicon Elements – based on Marzano’s Six Steps

Activity #2:
Complete at least three.

• Write the word.
• What do you notice about the word?
   1. # of letters
   2. # of consonants, vowels
• Create a math problem with the #’s.
• Count the number of syllables.
• Define the word.
• Draw a picture representing the word.

Activity #3: The Vocabulary Rap

 Find your word and step it out.
Color code what it’s all about.
Blend it, say it, make it complete
Repeat it together, don’t skip a beat.
What’s our word?
Say it again.
Now let’s clap it.
Now let’s stomp it.
Now let’s whisper it.
Now let’s spell it.

Activity #4:
 ‘Jivin’ Words

Using identified words engage the learners in doing the Hand Jive.

•  Pair learners up.
•  Learners clap hands together for consonants and lap clap for vowels.

 Put hands in the air at the end as you say the word.

Activity #5:
 Word Match
Create Word cards that may be cut in half. (See Template) Preprint or have learners write selected vocabulary on the cards. Precut or have learners cut. Collect and distribute randomly. Have learners find the other half of their word card. Have pairs line up and share their word with the group.

Activity #6:
 Spelling Karate

Using classroom vocabulary words learners will stand and extend arms upward for consonants and do leg lifts for vowels.

Activity #7: 
 Mexican Hat Dance

Move feet alternately back and forth in front.

Activity #8:
 Imaginary Chalkboard
Tell learners to:

• Pretend a chalkboard is in front of you.
• Write each letter on the chalkboard.  Make the letters large.
• When you are finished with each word you can pretend to erase it.
• Hint:   If teacher is leading from the front of the room he/she will have to form letters backwards.

Activity #9:
Pumping Iron

• Pretend to be lifting weights, one rep for each letter.  You must strain to get each letter up.
• Pretend to mount the barbell on the stand and sound exhausted as you say the word at the end.

 Activity #10: Surfin’ & Spellin’

• Start out by getting on a surf board, 
• Sing:
  Let’s go spellin’
  Everybody’s learning now
  Come and spell it with me!
  Then while we’re surfing we say the letters of the word!

Activity #11: — TIRED WORDS!

Learners create an ongoing Word Wall with synonyms for overused words.
1. Brainstorm commonly overused words such as good, bad, said, happy,
 pretty, saw, big, nice, little, etc. 

2. Make a display with pockets for each word. Have learners find and write
 synonyms on slips provided that may be put in the appropriate pocket. 
 This is ongoing and words may be added throughout the year. 

3. Direct learners to use the Word Wall to find synonyms that fit into their
 writing or speaking. 

4. Option: Create Personal Pocket Thesaurus – learner creates an individual
 thesaurus for these words. Click on link for printable documents. To see
 example go to Elementary Word Wall Photo Gallery)

 Example:

 Activity #12:
 Learners participate in creating a word wall by finding words, filling out a Learner Word Wall Form and adding it to the Word Wall. The words may be related to a specific book or content area. 
Learner Word Wall Form — Click on link for printable document. If you are using the form on your SmartBoard or iPad, the dictionary links are active to access the online resources in English and foreign languages. 
This may be used to create a vocabulary lexicon resource on iPads, Notebooks, etc. 

Interactive Word Wall Activities:
  Mystery Word 
 Teacher selects a word on the wall and gives five clues to that word.

• For each mystery word have learners number their paper 1-5. Tell them that you are going to see who can read your mind and figure out which of the words is the mystery word. Tell them you will give them five clues. After each clue they are to write the word they think it is by that clue number. By the fifth clue, everyone should guess your word, but if they read your mind, they might get it before the fifth clue.
• For your first clue, always give the same clue:
  “It’s one of the words on the word wall.”
• Learners should write the word they think it might be next to number one. 
• The second clue is:
  It has # of  letters.
• Student writes word.
• The third clue is:
  It begins with a ____________. ( e.g. a digraph ph.)
• Student writes word
• The fourth clue is:
  It has a ___________sound. ( e.g. short e vowel)
• Student writes the word.
• The fifth clue is:
  It begins the sentence: (e.g. ________will lunch be ready?) Word: When 
• “I know you all have word next to number 5, what is it? But who has it next to number 4?, 3?, 2?, 1?” Some learners will have read your mind and be excited to have ‘read your mind’ so quickly.
  

After you do several words and learners get familiar with this activity, allow them to be the one giving the clues.

Web Resources:
Literature:

• MIss Alaineus by Debra Frasier 11:12 min. video
  Debra Frasier website about MIss Alaineus 
  
  HOST A VOCABULARY PARADE! — Debra Frasier — Complete plans for a vocabulary parade

  Learning to Learn with Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster … — OVERVIEW
  After a read-aloud of the picture book Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster, students combine vocabulary exploration with word play by planning their own vocabulary parade, modeled on the activities in the text. Students brainstorm a list of vocabulary terms from a recent unit of study and then design concrete ways to illustrate the terms. The presentation of terms can be in the form of a parade (an appropriate substitute for Halloween activities), or a video, which might play during parent conferences or open house.

  4th-5th Grade Lesson plan on «Miss Alaineus» that focuses on inferencing and summarizing reading strategies

• Donavan’s Word Jar by Monalisa DeGross – video 21:09 min. Grades 2-5
  Donavan is fascinated by words. They seem to leap out at him from books, signs, even the back of cereal boxes. He savors each word as he learns to say it and discovers its meaning. He keeps the words he collects on slips of paper in a big glass jar. But one day the jar is almost full and Donavan has a dilemma. How can he make room for new words without giving up all the terrific words already in his jar? A visit to his grandmother provides the unexpected solution in this heartwarming story about how important words can be. 
  Donavan’s Word Jar» by Monalisa DeGross — Vocabulary for all chapters of book
  «Donavan’s Word Jar» — Scholastic link
• «The Boy Who Loved Words» by Roni Schotter Video 12:34 min. PreK-3 Storybook about boy who loves to collect words. Parents’ Choice Gold Award-winning book. 
  «The Boy Who Loved Words» – Amazon link
  Teacher’s Guide for «The Boy Who Loved Books» Pre-reading activities, Vocabulary, and integrated curriculum connection activities 
• «Max’s Words»  by Kate Banks 5:43 min. Grades K-3 On the NCBLA 2007 list of outstanding literature, Max’s Words introduces us to Max, a little brother without a collection. Wanting a collection like his brothers, Max begins to collect words. His collection grows and grows until he has enough for stories, and for sharing.
   «Max’s Words» video clip from Scholastic 1:09 min. 
  «Max’s Words» Discussion Guide from Scholastic

 Websites for Ideas:

• Word Wall 101 2:39 min. Teacher demonstrates how to make a content word wall that displays and stores easily. 
• Word Wall Activities – Classroom activities plus suggestions for at home
• http://www.vocabulary.co.il/ — 1000 Free online Vocabulary learning games — includes English language, foreign language, ESL vocabulary, and literature games. Choose from myriad of word games — play on iPad, notebook, computer
• Teacher net Word Strategies — Word Wall Activities
• Education World: Word Wall Activities Build Skills
• Five Word Wall Activities to help reinforce vocabulary 

What is a Word Wall?

Word Walls are organized collections of words placed on a wall or other surface in the classroom. They are excellent tools for building word consciousness in students through increased vocabulary interaction and social learning opportunities; especially as students make connections among important concepts and big ideas. Interactive Word Walls, vocabulary notebooks, and periodic reviews are all important ways to revisit and reinforce vocabulary over time.

What does a Word Wall look like?

There are several different types of Word Walls which serve different purposes and focus on different skills. For example, it is common for primary classrooms to display high-frequency Word Walls, but it is unlikely to find such a Word Wall in a secondary classroom. 

Word Walls in classrooms take on many forms. They can be color-coded by content area on index cards that are affixed to the wall. They can be on chart paper, a display board, or a concept map. No matter the way you choose to display Word Walls, the words on the Word Wall must be large enough that they can easily be seen by all students in the room from wherever they are seated.

Regardless of the structure, all grade levels should have content area Word Walls on display. 

How are Word Walls organized? 

How many Word Walls are in a room may depend on how the content areas are organized, whether high-frequency words or retired Word Walls are utilized, or how many courses are taught by a single teacher. For example:

• Elementary classrooms may have one Word Wall for various content areas, color-coded for each subject. Additionally, there may be a high-frequency Word Wall. 
• In secondary classrooms, there may be separate Word Walls for each course, as well as specialized Word Walls, such as testing words.

How to Use a Word Wall in the Classroom? 

Word Walls can be effective learning tools, or they can be wallpaper. Even the most organized Word Walls won’t help students learn words unless they are used. The words displayed on the Word Wall should be words that you currently want your students to use and should come down and get replaced by new words when a new lesson or unit is introduced. The same is true for high-frequency Word Walls. 

Use the words on the Word Wall to create Advance Organizers (i.e. Student Learning Maps and Concept Maps) to meaningfully distinguish and highlight important vocabulary concepts (keywords), characteristics (descriptions or examples), and categories (“chunks” of learning connected to Learning Goals).

How do I retire words from the wall?

Once students are using the words appropriately, the words can come down. When words come down from the high frequency or content Word Walls, they can go to a retired Word Wall elsewhere in the room, or in an interactive vocabulary notebook. Students should use the interactive vocabulary notebooks daily for new word learning and can use them for structured review, writing, word games, and retired words. They are especially useful when learning word parts.

How do I use Word Walls during remote learning?

Virtual Word Walls apply the same characteristics as physical ones. They are most impactful when students know where to find the tool and are expected to use it for a purpose (i.e. writing, review, or as a scaffold for an assignment). Word wall ideas for remote learning are:

• Create a dedicated location in your classroom (or classroom website) to display vocabulary from the current lesson and unit. 
• The size and color of fonts and virtual backgrounds are chosen to enhance visibility, not create “visual noise” that detracts from students’ ability to locate and see displayed words. 
• Avoid busy patterns and small and light-colored fonts (i.e. yellow) to maximize displayed vocabulary. 
• Use a digital “Word Wall” explicitly during a lesson as a scaffold for the assignment and to promote wordplay during Learning Activities. 
• Provide a consistent and easily accessible “virtual” location to display current vocabulary that is used by both the teacher and students in lesson instruction.

More Word Wall Ideas for Virtual Classrooms

• Create a Concept as an editable (or fillable) PDF. 
• Try Google Jamboards, Milanote, Miro, or MindMup to virtually create and manipulate concept maps and other word clusters. 
• Dedicate a space on the main home page of your Google Classroom (or another LMS platform). Create a separate page for words as they are archived. 
• Flip your Word Wall activity to create a super-effective previewing strategy! Create an Advance Organizer for a unit (i.e. Student Learning Map) or a lesson (i.e. Concept Map) and use it to activate students’ thinking prior to the start of a lesson. 
• Use virtual games for wordplay to provide students with multiple opportunities to interact with the words, and as periodic review to improve students’ storage and retrieval of word meanings.

Interactive Word Wall Activities and Games

Primary: LINGO

• Ask students to vote for words prior to the game. Digital Adaptation: Try dotstorming for easy card voting.
• Provide students with a blank LINGO grid (may be a downloadable form or sent home as a part of a packet). 
• Students will practice writing each word anywhere they choose on the grid.
• Shuffle index cards with the words and call the words one at a time.
• Have students chant the spelling of each word and then cover it with an object. (Try Lima Beans as students may not be too tempted to eat them!). 
• The first student to have a complete row covered wins LINGO.
• Students can clear their sheets and play again.

Intermediate: Scrabble Scramble

• Digital Adaptation: Use Google Jamboards to create whiteboard spaces for your students. 
• Each whiteboard should have digital “Post-It” notes for each letter of the alphabet. Some letters may need to be duplicated.
• On the first whiteboard, show students a scrambled up word from the concept map or one of your vocabulary clusters.
• Give the definition of the word or create a story passage about the word. 
• Students take turns unscrambling the words, that is, moving the letters until they correctly form the word. 
• Check students’ thinking by viewing everyone’s Google Jamboard by viewing the expanded frame at the top. 
• Unscramble your word on the first whiteboard to show students the correct answer. 

Secondary: Possible Sentences

• Give students a word bank of words to choose from, and ask them to use some of the words to create possible sentences, predicting what will be learned that day. 
• The teacher displays and discusses the meanings of six new words critical to the lesson.
  • persecution / famine / scarcity / prosperity / migration / exodus
• The teacher adds four related words that are familiar to most students to the above list.
  • homelands / agriculture / survival / poverty
• Students work in collaborative pairs to look for words that are connected and create sentences before reading the text.
• Digital Adaptation: Try it with Padlet. The board can be organized as columns to cluster words and provide a place for the students to post their Possible Sentences.

Want more ideas on how to redesign your current vocabulary activities and strategies for your physical and virtual Word Walls? Join us for our upcoming Effective Vocabulary Instruction Training of Trainers Virtual Institute. Contact us today for a quote.