Sarah Plum

K-5 Resources for Diverse Classrooms

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What day is it? (Mondayyyyyyyy!)

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Another Monday! On the upside, I get to spend a good chunk of my Internet time today looking at all of the amazing things bloggy friends have come up with. On the downside, this means I’m running out of time. Eeeeeeek! I know some of you are heading back into the classroom much sooner than I am, so I don’t feel too bad, but I’m starting to get a bit nervous. I even had my first school-related nightmare! (I showed up at the wrong school and wrong classroom on the first day and it. was. a. trainwreck!)
So: word walls. Let’s talk about them.
In some of my practicum experiences, they were just kind of there. They weren’t talked about or used, they just kind of took up space. In some of my practicum experiences, they weren’t there at all. There wasn’t really an alternative, either, so it was a constant struggle of students not being able to have the independence they craved during writing.
There were some awesome word walls I saw, however, and the ones that were awesome were used. Frequently. They weren’t just an “if you don’t know it” reference, either, they were a centerpiece of learning and kind of the pulse of the room. So that’s what I had in my head when I started on this project: something that is, above all, going to be supportive for my kiddos (especially my ELL’s), and something that made sense with what my goals are this year (see the trusty sidebar).
I need a dynamic word wall.
First, I made these:
*sigh* These colors make me happy.
These are my headers for my word wall, which is going to be placed above the windows, here:
I still can’t believe I have a classroom.
While that’s a readily accessible place from anywhere in the room and has plenty of space for lots of words, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for what I want to do alone. Enter this:
You knew it was going to be Oz-related, right?
The idea is this: my students need to experience independent success in their writing, and I want to remove as many obstacles to that as possible. At the same time, I want to support my ELL’s that may need some visual cues, while also encouraging my wordsmiths to expand their vocabulary. This is where my mobile word wall fits in!
Clear plastic pencil pouch, blank color-coded cards, A-Z dividers, and trading card protectors.
Smaller versions of the word wall headers are on each divider to create a visual link.
Students can have the independence they need and can contribute at their own pace, on their own time using this resource. They can encounter a word that they think should be added — perhaps a content area word or fabulous vocabulary word — and select the correct colored card, write the word, and then add a visual or other thought to make a more concrete connection.
Front of the cards; note the color-coding for content areas.
Back of the cards, with a visual or example.
This can be expanded to include a definition, a sentence, etc.

The color-coded cards open up a lot of possibilities; they can be used to denote spelling patterns, level of difficulty, or as I’ve used them — for content areas. I’ll be taking the lead from my content-area binders and using purple for science, green for math, blue for social studies, and then using red, orange, yellow, and black for the various parts of speech.
These are the blank mobile word wall cards for student use.
There are matching larger cards for the full-sized word wall.
I got through all of the words on my district’s list for second grade, and am now working on expanding it to include words that I know will come up during the year for the various units. The full-size words are more of an undertaking since I’m laminating them for durability.
The mobile word wall will not start out the year with us, but will slowly be introduced as we begin to use our word wall and I model a lot about how to use it to my students’ advantage. This will work well with my implementation of Daily 5 and CAFE, as I can see this hanging out in our word work or writing center!
Whew! That was a lot of post. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I’ve packaged all of my materials and listed this Dynamic Word Wall pack (including editable PPTs for you to customize with your word lists) on my TPT store. Here’s what is included:
I would love to give this word wall set away to three people! Leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I’ll choose three random winners on Wednesday night!
(Speaking of winners, a big congrats to The Meek Moose for winning the Discovery poster — I look forward to seeing it in action in your school!)

Comments

  3. Sarah,

    I'm so loving this! I can't wait to get it in my email… I just got ANOTHER ink cartridge today and I think that I will be needing another one! Ha! You have saved me an elephant-TON of time because I was planning on making labels for my paper-plate word wall as well. This product came out amazing!!! And don't get too nervous, I'm sure you'll do fabulous! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Really cute. I was thinking about doing a portable word wall where each letter hung on a ring and then hung on a push pin. However, this would take up a lot less space. GREAT IDEA! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  10. Neat colors! I love rainbows!! Thanks for sharing. I'm also your newest follower…I'll be teaching Second grade reading and math this year so I'm sure I'll be hopping over here a lot.

    Cheryl
    Spottedaroundtheschool.blogspot.com

    Reply

  28. This is my second year teaching but my first year in 2nd grade and I am super excited!!!!! I had an upper grade last year and no word wall.. this year I need one and this one is perfect 🙂
    Karen
    tommysmom0206@yahoo.com

    Reply

  32. How do you make your printables? I feel so clueless and out of the loop in educational technology!

    Eden
    teachinginflats.blogspot.com

    Reply

    • I make them using Microsoft Publisher, though I know many bloggers utilize PowerPoint. I just find that Publisher is much truer to print and easier for me to work with in terms of layout, uniformity, etc. 🙂

      Reply

  33. This is a fantastic word wall. It amazes me how many teachers do not use a word wall and how many teacher stores no longer sell them premade. Thank you, I would live to win this for my classroom! I am returning to the classroom after staying home with my son for a few years. Thanks- Sarah srieger@srvusd.net

    Reply

  37. I absolutely love this idea! I am teaching a 6-7-8 middle school self-contained class next year for the first time. The kids are working on basic sight words still, so while I want a word wall for reference, I do not want the room to look too elementary either. I also am trying to avoid too many stimulating visuals on the walls and I know Ill want to add to the list as the year goes on. This is the solution to my problem! I would love to be a winner!

    I'm your newest follower! Check out my blog: http://motivatingmindsstocking.blogspot.com/

    Reply

  40. I absolutely love this idea! I am with you as well, I have seen many many word walls not used, they are just "there". I love the colors, it makes them stand out more 🙂 I soon to be in my first year teaching and am nervous but know that I can get through it. It is a fantastic idea and help.
    Thanks, TaushaCastillo
    Tausha.davis@waland.wbu.edu

    Reply

  42. Oh wow!!! I love your mobile word wall!! My word wall for my second graders is like yours and is high up on the wall and easily readable, but not accessible for my students.. I have been to trying to decide on how to incorporate the word wall into everyday instruction. Are you using a high frequency or sight word list on your word wall? My school didn't give us a list of words, so I am stuck trying to decide what to do. My students are all either on or above grade level and will most likely know many of the HF words already or learn them very quickly. Do you have any suggestions about what others words I could use for my WW? Thanks so much!

    Ashley
    That's So Second Grade

    Reply

    • I would look at the words that are a grade level or two above in as many word lists as you can find, and I would also add the vocabulary words from the content areas as you go along. 🙂

      Reply

  43. I am a new teacher desperate for great material like this to post in my classroom and serve better my students. Thank you. God Bless you.

    Reply

  44. I am a new teacher desperate for great material like this to post in my classroom and serve better my students. Thank you. God Bless you.

    Reply

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