High Frequency Word Wall Gadsden Independent School District
What Are Word Walls? A Word Wall is an organized collection of words prominently displayed in a classroom. This display is used as an interactive tool for teaching reading and spelling to students. The high frequency Word Wall displays the words that account for almost half of the words we read and write.
What is the Purpose? Word Walls have many benefits? Teach students to recognize and spell high frequency words See patterns and relationships in words Build phonemic awareness skills and Apply phonics rules
Research Using a Word Wall as a teaching tool began as a way for teachers to motivate students as they worked to internalize newly learned technology (Green, 1993). Word Walls are used to increase student s working vocabularies as we strengthen their conceptual development. Older students learn a wealth of new words as they read independently (Anderson & Nagy, 1992)
Research Early vocabulary and concept development is especially critical for students from low- and moderate- income homes (Snow, 1999). Using a Word Wall to provide daily, systematic instruction is one way to increase vocabulary development (Stahl, 1999). Student learn best when vocabulary instruction is integrated into their classroom routines (Xue & Meisels, 2004)
Research For print in classrooms to be useful, students must attend to and interact with it daily. Word Walls prove to be useful by encouraging student s active involvement in the learning process, rather than their passive reception of information (Shapiro & Kirby, 1997). Incorporating physical activity into instruction increases student s learning (Kong, 1999).
Research Three ways to make the Word Wall active is through movement, music and modeling it s use. Movement promotes student s thinking as it helps their brains grow and develop (Diamond, 2000). Building working vocabularies and conceptual development in students can be facilitated through social interactions.
Research Word Wall activities are incorporated to give students the opportunity to use these words in various ways. These words become anchored in long-term memory allowing quick and easy access, promoting detection of patterns and encouraging connections between words (Hall & Cunningham, 1999). Therefore, Word Wall activities provide interactive ways to learn high-frequency words as they build word recognition by providing a visual and active engagement with words (Cadella, 2001).
Research Word Walls serve to teach word analysis and to build vocabulary. Teachers may also use these words to focus on spelling rules (Brabham & Villaume, 2001). When students are able to retrieve the words from long-term memory, they can become more fluent (Ehri, 2005) and achieve success in reading (Chard & Pikulski, 2005). Fluency is dependent upon recognition of highfrequency words, Word Walls can be the core of many phonics and spelling programs (Bush & Huebner, 1970).
High Frequency Word Walls The main purpose of a Word Wall is to help students build sight word recognition so they can read the words automatically and spell the words correctly. As students are able to automatically recognize and spell high frequency words, their attention is freed to spell and decode less frequent words and more importantly to process meaning.
Word Walls Can also Be Used: To support the teaching of important general principals about words and how they work. To foster reading and writing. To promote independence on the part of the students as they work with words in writing and reading. To provide a visual map to help students remember connections between words and the characteristics that will help them form categories. To develop a growing core of words that become part of a reading and writing vocabulary. To provide reference for students during their reading and writing.
Students should see the words clearly from all angles in the room. Written in large black letters using a variety of background colors to distinguish easily confused words. The size of the text should be 2.5-3 inches or 100 font. Be selective about the sight words that go on the word wall. Try to include sight words that students most commonly misspell or are unable to read automatically How Do I Do It?
How Do I Do It? Add words gradually - parking lot a guideline is five words per week. Kindergarten begins with 3 words per week. Use variety of activities daily such as: chanting, snapping, cheering, clapping, tracing, word guessing games as well as writing them with purpose not repetitious drill. Provide daily practice /activities words must be read and spelled automatically Posted words are always spelled correctly in the student s daily writing.
How Do I Do It? Organization of the word wall should be evident. Content area words should not be displayed on the high frequency word wall. Begin a new display of words from the beginning of the year and continue throughout the year. Add gradually, not all at once. Do not clutter with too many words. (The area should be large enough to display words without clutter.)
Spanish Word Wall
Organization Homophone, synonyms, antonyms and spelling patterns should be displayed on a ladder not the Word Wall. Cutting around a word helps students distinguish one word from another. High Frequency words are organized in an alphabetical display
Provide many opportunities for Word Wall practice. 5-10 minutes on a daily basis Encourage the students to use the Word Wall as a resource when they are independently reading and writing. Must be modeled by the teacher during interactive writing, shared writing, etc. Activities
Activities Portable Word Wall- can be used to meet individual needs. Activities should vary day to day and should be multi-modal. Parking lot words are introduced on Monday reviewed throughout the week. Selected misunderstood/misspelled words on the Word Wall are also reviewed throughout the week. Add Parking Lot words to word wall on Friday
The activities should be enjoyable! Chanting Clapping Singing Cheer Rap Games Make Learning Fun!