A change of posts - help please!

Ok, y'all...this wasn't what I was going to originally post about - but I'll save that post for tomorrow...

I have a confession...

I hate word walls...lol.

Well, not really, I just don't ever use ours.  First off, I have no WALL to put them on, so I'd have to use my chalk/white boards. Ummm...kinda need that space for other things.  So I've started using my cabinet doors - it's "eye-ish" level (when they're sitting on the floor - ha!) for the kids to still be able to read, so I thought it would work....

Yeah....this is what it looks like - don't laugh - PLEASE! lol



I started the year off doing pretty well...but then I had an intern, went on maternity leave, and well, I just never thought about it again.

I've never been really good at using a word wall though. I admit it - it's one of my short comings.

So, I NEED your help!!!

WHAT can I do to make sure I use it next year? How can I make it more user-kid-friendly? What kind of activities do you do?? What words do you put up there?? Do you have a blogpost so I could see yours??!

(Should I just make this a linky???)

HELP!!!

Ok, now I must leave you with a smile - or two! :)

Today, it was nerd day at our school - since we are FINISHED with the FCAT testing!! 

This is the lady behind it all - she's one of my buddies - a 4th grade teacher. 


This super-nerd was JUST fabulous!!

(please don't judge our mess - we're seriously purging our stuff in our pod - and it's gotta get worse before it can get better, right?!)

And here is one of my kiddos - LOVE HIM!!!


And it's not a nerd, but B wanted to make you smile too! How could I NOT show you this picture?! :)


Hope y'all had a tremendous Thursday!

25 comments

Unknown said...

My word wall is just a word wall, I really don't use it! I think you can see it in my latest post... I vote for the linky party.. I dont know what to do either!

Amy Dodd said...

I have a word wall, however after about the first 4 weeks of school I don't think I have put anything up there! I vote linky party too, maybe then I can get some motivation for next year!

What a cute idea to celebrate FCAT being over with!

Amy
Spotted in Second Grade

Samantha said...

I have a pretty good word wall...but the kids don't use it! The truth is, unless you do A LOT of activities with it, they pay no attention to it until you send them there to find the right spelling of a word. lol...I just can't get into the swing of word wall games either. And I know that would help greatly! I think a linky party is a great idea!

Samantha
Ms.Smarty Pants

~brookeb~ said...

linky linky linky (just think of me chanting that). I have only just put a a word wall this year and have found some ideas to use, but have yet to implement any of them. And my kids are shocking at sight words too.
Brooke
Teachable Moments

Susie Q said...

I would love a Linky Party as well. I stink at word wall! I do use the sight word chants that Growing Kinders posted http://growingkinders.blogspot.com/2011/06/sight-words-and-chants.html
My students like to do those as I'm introducing the words each week. I also have a Word Wall center each week, where students have to look on the word wall to find the words I've asked for. This week is find 10 "short i" words and use them in a sentence. I know it's lame:| As you can see, I need the Linky Party!!

susieqsclass@gmail.com
http://learningwithsusieq.blogspot.com

Angie said...

I would love a linky to see other ideas! I don't use mine. My room doesn't really have wall space either-and I can't put anything in front of the windows (which is one entire side of my room). I have it up high-and all the words stay up ALL year. I don't like to climb! One year I had them hanging from the ceiling on construction paper throughout the room. We use words that came with our reading series from 10 years ago...

Angie
Rulin' the Roost

Emily said...

I'm emailing you a picture of my new version (pinterest inspired). It's made out of mini file folders. =)

Emily @ Second Grade Silliness 

Elisabeth said...

I did a post on how I use my word wall a while back, check it out here: http://talesofanelementaryteacher.blogspot.com/2012/01/picture-word-wall.html
Hope it's helpful! :)

Sandy said...

Oh good- I'm glad it's not just me that neglects the word wall... :-/

Raye said...

Mine is on my wall...more because I have to have it...but we do use it. We use chants to practice, I found some cute activities that the kids can do to practice the words and made cards out of them (ie "swim" the words, "baseball pitch" the words). I call my word wall the "no excuse word wall". When I am looking at their writing, any word wall words that are misspelled are circled and they lose points on the rubric.

Sandra said...

Make this a linky party!!!! :)
❤ Sandra
Sweet Times in First
sweettimesinfirst@gmail.com

Sandra said...

Make this a linky party!!!! :)
❤ Sandra
Sweet Times in First
sweettimesinfirst@gmail.com

Traci Clausen said...

I'm a word wall lover. I also use my cabinets. A pic of mine is on this post:
...here...
It's an old pic so not many words are there. There are MANY on it now. We use it quite a bit.
1. New high-frequency words go up each week (9 a week).
2. A kid uses a pointer each morning and points to each word while the class reads them. Then the "pointer" draws the stick of another child {random name draw} to read them "solo".
3. I take down words once the majority of the class has mastered spelling it without looking.
4. The kids use it to help them spell. They are not allowed to ask me how to spell a word that is on the wall.
I could go on and on.
I truly love me some word walls. :D
❤Traci❤
Dragonflies in First

Krista Happ said...

My word wall is pretty interactive. My kids use it in their word work center. I have word patterns they can search for etc. written out on notecards on a binder ring, and they use fly swatters to search for them and practice reading them.

I also have it written in as one of the "check" points on their revise/edit checklist for Writer's Workshop. This reminds them to go there before publishing a piece each time to make sure that all words that are there are spelled correctly.

To do these I def. think it is key that it is within their reach/eye level!

-Krista
The Second Grade Superkids

Michelle Tsivgadellis said...

First of all...I love the NERDY pic...hahaha!!

Next: Word Wall Love Affair!!

I love word walls!I used them for writer's workshop and daily vocab building. I always added the HFW, new words we were learning to read, words that students shared and I always had a separate "themed" word wall (well, it was really a pic of some sort - more like an anchor chart feel). I will sift through my old files and see what I can send you.
Oh! Oh!

I always created individual student word books. Just a cute printed book and then I bound them with a metal ring. Students recorded the words from our word wall in their books (alphabetically labeled). I allowed them to use the books whenever they couldn't remember how to spell something or if they were having a hard time thinking of something to write about for a free writing workshop.

I would choose about 3-5 words from the word wall and challenge students to use the words in their stories.
I had a lot of fun with my word wall, but it was a daily part of our classroom routine. The first year I incorporated it...mine looked similar to yours...hehehe.

Just think of how you want to creatively have students interact with those words and then allow your creative juices to take you to the next level (-;

I have missed you!!

Michelle
3amteacher@gmail.com
The 3AM Teacher
Visit The 3AM Teacher FB Page

Shawna Schroeder said...

I have the same problem in my room...no space. This hear I hung cup hooks underneath my chalkboard ledge. I then put index cards on rings and hung them in alphabetical order on the hooks. I added words to the rings as they were introduced in various subjects. The problem is that while it is great for looking up how to spell a word it doesn't work for any other activity. I would love some new ideas on how to use a word wall in a space limiting classroom.

Kelley Cirrito said...

I took at picture of mine today! I will try and post about it this weekend! I put up words according to the months. So each month I put up a new set of words that go with that month!

Tara said...

Hey Jen,
Yeah, testing is over!!! Next, B is the cutest thing ever!!!!!!! What a super cute pic!!!! Love nerd day! We are having kinda crazy week next week with crazy sock day, twin day, crazy hair, and sports day.

Ok, word wall. I found that I really never used my, nor did the kiddos. I started the year strong each year with the best of intentions and then....well.....um....life happened. This past summer I really struggled with how to do it so I would use it and the kids too. Instead of a word wall with the alphabet, I printed out a set of "sounds"....I can't remember who I printed them from...I will look into that and email you! Anywho, when I introduced or talked about a sound, we also talked about patterns and then the kids came up with words following the same rules/sounds. They used it tons more this year than any other year....did I make any sense???? Hope that helps...

4th Grade Frolics

Karen said...

I teach 3rd grade. I use the Cunningham list of word wall words. My word wall has header letters (blue for consonants and red for vowels) with the words underneath. They're typed and printed out with a yellow background. They're cut in the shape of the word (tall letters, low letters, etc.). Like someone mentioned, we act out the words. I introduce 5 word wall words/week. They're placed in a red laminated paper square on the word wall. We focus on those all week...writing them, acting them, using them to make other words, etc. At the beginning of the year, I lead all of the acting. After that, the "teacher assistant" of the week leads (if he/she wants to). They select 3 ways to act them and do each word 3 times. The kids really like it. Month by Month Phonics (Cunningham) has many ideas including Mind Reader that uses the word wall. These words cannot be missed when the students are writing!!

Stellar-Students said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has a neglected word wall. Each year I start out with great intentions. I even have several words placed on my word wall.. but when December approached the same # of words were on the wall with no new ones added. :( I even did a horrible teacher thing and took my word wall down this past winter to put up my Common Core bulletin board.

I like the linky party idea also.

Love the nerdy pics.

Your daughter is adorable. They grow up way too fast. Enjoy!

Krista
stellar-students

Lisa at Fourth and Ten said...

I have space for my word wall but the teacher before me lost half the cards and I've given up trying to recreate the missing cards.

I have a math wall that I use and reference and use way more often!

I actually don't have tons of space in my room, just a lot of cabinets that I turned into my word wall ares.
Lisa
Stories From Second

AthenaPhoenix said...

The favorite thing that we do with our word wall is play Spotlight. We turn out the lights and use flashlights to find and say the words. I started the year telling them that rainy days are good Spotlight days (because the room is darker wooo...) and now when it's raining they come in asking to play Spotlight. We are so good that we have dueling flashlights now. I give 2 kids the flashlight and call out a word to see who can find it first.

A linky party would be fun!

Crystal
Strive to Sparkle

Kim said...

I have not used a word wall per se also because of limited wall space but I went to a Reading workshop this year and came back with this idea. Put up a" Harvesting Words "display. These would be words you choose from read aloud picture books or chapter books that are just cool words. Once on the wall, students use them in their writing workshop when they can. I think pretty soon kids will be eager to find words and your list will always be changing. I am SO using this next year.

Unknown said...

Oh my B is growing so quickly!!!! She's delsih!!!
I love the nerd day :) Thanks goodness the monster is behind us now. It's time for some fun!!!

❤ Mor Zrihen from...
A Teacher's Treasure
Teaching Treasures Shop

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