Building Powerful Word Walls in Every PAISD Classroom Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and School Leadership August 21, 2007 District-Wide Professional Development Johnny E. Brown, Ph.D. Superintendent

Training Outline Purpose and Desired Outcomes of Training Why Word Walls? Elements of a Powerful Word Wall Importance of Word Walls Strategies for Engaging Students in Building the Word Wall How to Teach Students to Provide On-Going Maintenance of the Word Wall Sharing Ideas for Building Powerful Word Walls Campus-Wide Word Wall Implementation Activities District-Wide Monitoring Expectations

Purpose and Desired Outcomes of Training This training is designed to assist teachers in all content areas to: appreciate build use maintain Word Walls

What is a Word Wall? A word wall is a systematically organized collection of words displayed in large letters on a wall or other large display place in the classroom a tool to use, not just display designed to promote group learning to be shared by a classroom of students

Why Word Walls? Words -- the most important tools of a reader or a writer Words -- absolutely essential in our classrooms Words -- must be in full view so that teachers and students can work through texts together so that students can see them and use them in their writing

Importance of Word Walls Word Walls promote vocabulary growth and lead to improvement in literacy. Word Walls serve many purposes: Provide meaningful building of vocabulary with emphasis on student engagement and higher level thinking skills Build vocabulary thereby improving reading comprehension and writing styles

Importance of Word Walls Provide students with high-frequency words that will be encountered in particular units of study Reinforce understanding of subject-specific vocabulary with a focus on students internalizing key concepts Help students to improve spelling and spelling patterns

Importance of Word Walls Provide visual clues for students Encourage increased student independence when reading and writing Regardless of the grade level or the subject area, word walls are an extremely effective teaching and learning tool.

Elements of Effective Word Walls Build over time with shared student-teacher responsibility Words added with caution—at least five words per week Simple and uncluttered as possible Practical and used on a daily basis Space efficient -- easily seen Hands-on

Types of Word Walls Personal Genre Content or Thematic High Frequency Current Events Genre Common patterns, phonograms, phases

Strategies for Engaging Students in Building the Word Wall Use students’ ideas and suggestions in determining words to be used Use word walls daily Vary activities for using words on the word wall

Word Wall Activities Erasing Relay Mind Reader Hot Seat Word Wall Bingo Mystery Words Visiting Words Word Pictures/Word Relationships Word Origins and Root Words Description to come

How to Teach Students to Provide On-Going Maintenance of the Word Wall Students may Serve as weekly Word Wall Monitors to assess condition of the wall Easy to read and use Words in good condition or in need of repair Suggest words to be added to the wall Develop ideas for Word Wall activities

Sharing Ideas for Building Powerful Word Walls Word Walls should be used in every content area and every grade level. For example…..

Elementary Word Walls

Grade 2 Grade 2

Kindergarten

Color coded with content

Grade 5 color coded social studies

Hanging word wall

Hanging word walls when space is limited

Individual word wall

kindergarten

Urbanization

Migration

13th Amendment

Middle School Word Walls

American history color coded

Dairy of Anne Frank

ELA words using shapes

Hazardous Environmental Conditions

Social studies across the top of the chalkboard

Texas history key words and concepts from the text

Words, illustrations with connotative meanings

Primary Sources Grade 6

Secondary Sources Grade 6

Renewable Resources

Bill of Rights

French and Indian War

High School Word Walls

White board

1492

1939-1945

Cold War World history word wall

Albert Einstein

Cultural Change

Campus-Wide Word Wall Implementation Activities Review PowerPoint presentation of Powerful Word Walls Share Word Walls used in the past and ideas for future ones Meet by grade levels and subject areas to brainstorm appropriate Word Walls Make long-range plans for the first six weeks Visit peers’ room to view Word Walls Assess degree of implementation at each grade level/department meeting

District-Wide Monitoring Expectations Each teacher will establish classroom Word Walls Word Walls will be appropriate for grade level/department Students and teachers will use Word Walls daily Word Walls will be changed as necessary to accompany units of study

“Make no mistake about it: when we teach a child to read, we change the world.”