Tips - Write the Write Way

Teaching Tips

Word Walls

While working in a primary school in Melbourne, Australia, I was impressed with one teacher's use of wall space. No glitzy bulletin boards or factory-made charts adorned his wall. No, the space was covered with word cards. Students were actively involved in a unit on animals, focused around a Big Book. On the boards were 3" x 5" cards containing student-generated words such as animals' names, habitats, characteristics, and foods. While writing, students were free to remove a card, which was attached with a thumbtack, and take it to their seats. These words were used as needed in their writings. I can't think of a better resource for writing!

I've seen this idea reinforced successfully time and again in classrooms across our country. When words are readily available, young authors feel comfortable using them in their writings. The opposite is also true: when no words are available, young authors are often stymied and slowed in their writing. This holds true in every classroom from kindergarten through middle school.

A "No Excuse" Wall contains high frequency words that students use in their writing daily. These are the words that they are expected to write correctly. There is "No Excuse" for writing these words incorrectly. To help students locate needed words more easily, they are organized alphabetically. Students contribute words to the wall, as needed. What a wonderful resource for spelling self-instruction!

A "Help Wall" such as this pear tree serves as a reference for homonyms. Other types of "Help Walls" could include punctuation, capitalization, and synonyms.

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Good place for a bookmark.