Over the summer, I scowered Pinterest boards looking for a way to give my word wall a little OoMph! After doing some research I found that my word wall wasn't interactive enough for my students to actually use it. So... I CHANGED it and I am so glad that I did!
If you want your students to benefit from using a word wall, you have to make it interactive. It's an easy change, so what are you waiting for....follow these steps:
Step 1: Make the words accessible to all students. I put my word wall in a central location that all of my students can see and reach.
Step 2: Make it interactive. Allow the words to TRAVEL. My students can take the words right to their desk. This allows them to apply the words directly into their writing.
Step 3: Reinforce problem solving skills. At the beginning of the year, I tell students to follow these steps before asking me how to spell a particular word:
- Find the word on the word wall using their ABC (alphabetical) detective skills.
- Once they have found the word, jot it down in their student dictionary. My school has provided interactive student dictionaries (we call these the purple books).
- Phone a friend. My students are in the habit of using the resources around them. They know to ask a friend before coming to ask me.
- Finally, if students have followed all of these steps they may raise their hand and ask me how to spell a word. This word gets put into their student dictionary right away.
Start 2016 by amping up your writing block by using an INTERACTIVE word wall, it's not too late!
