ELLM/Plus Word Walls

Each ELLM/Plus classroom has a Word Wall that is an interactive tool used by teachers and by children.

We use Word Walls with young learners because they provide an interactive learning tool for teachers and children to use throughout each day. Word Walls…

 

• Encourage the introduction of new words.
• Show the importance of letters and words.
• Promote letter and sound recognition.
• Provide ongoing support for learners at differing levels.
• Develop independence in learning.
• Create authentic learning using words from stories being read.
• Supply a familiar list of words that become part of children’s speaking, reading, and writing vocabularies.
• Scaffold children as they begin reading and writing independently.

• The alphabet will be displayed in alphabetical order, with uppercase and lowercase letters together. Most ELLM/Plus classrooms use the Word Wall Header Cards because they also display the picture of each object named in Come Along, Sing the Alphabet Song.
• No word cards will be on the Word Wall on the first day.
• Sing Come Along, Sing the Alphabet Song a few times with the children on the first day of school, pointing to each letter on the Word Wall with a pointer as you sing. This will introduce the song and teach your class that the Word Wall is arranged in alphabetical order.
• After the class has sung the song a few times, begin adding children’s names and pictures, reviewing the first letters in the children’s names.

• Write children’s first names on index cards and place a picture beside each name.
• Begin adding children’s names to the Word Wall on the first day of school.
• As soon as children’s names are on the wall, begin posting additional word cards.
• Besides selecting Word Wall cards and Vocabulary and Concept cards from the ELLM/Plus instructional packets to add to your wall, you may want to add color words, numerals, or shape words that you introduce to your class.

• Select one or two name cards to add to the Word Wall each day.
• Help children identify the child in the picture, and the letters in the name on each card.
• Letter Count – Count the number of letters in the name as a group.
• Cheerleading – Create a cheer for the name with a motion for each letter.
• Comprehension – Have the class wave to the child as they say the name.
• Add the name card to the Word Wall.

• Talk with the children about new words. Discuss how the word looks, sounds, and how it compares
  to other words on the wall.
• Complete the following activities:
  - Letter Count – Count the number of letters in the word as a group.
  - Cheerleading – Create a cheer for the word with a motion for each letter.
  - Comprehension – Have the class wave to the child as they say the name or word.
• Add the card to the Word Wall.

• Recognition of pictures, letters, sounds, words, rhyming words, and spelling patterns
• Concept of word
• Syllable segmentation
• Spoken words can be written
• Print has meaning
• Alphabetical order
• Spelling patterns

• Shortage of space – words that children are no longer discussing or using in their writing can be removed from the Word Wall to make room for new words
• To allow children to focus on new words
• To create portable Word Walls or posters
• To develop thematic or seasonal Word Walls
• To develop an environmental print Word Wall