Instructional Activities
1. Word Jars
A word jar is a great addition to every classroom. This is a jar that has a special spot in your classroom where every student knows the location. Students write down words that they come across daily from reading a poster, a sign, a brochure, or anything their eyes come across. They may even write words that just interest them. The students place these new words into the word jar. One day each week, the classroom teacher should look at all the words in the jar and select 3-5 tier 2 words. Once the teacher has determined which words they will share with the class, they will read aloud the words and discuss them as a class, and they will also define what the word means. The teacher can then post the word in the classroom on the word wall.
The teacher and the students should try to use the new words as much as possible. During the week you can give out stickers to students every time they use one of the words from the word wall. Another way to use all the words your students bring to school is by having the students share their words. Then as a class you can sort the words into categories. (Barger, 2006). A great book to read to the class to introduce the word jar to your students is Donavan’s Word Jar by Monalisa De Gross. This is a great read aloud that students love to listen to, it will excite them to use the word jar.
2. Word Wall
Word walls are a great resource for students in the classroom. The purpose of a word wall is to have words posted that helps students to spell and use the words correctly. Many teachers struggle with what words to put on their word wall. Many teachers think it is a place for their high-frequency words or academic vocabulary, but it needs to be a resource that is functional for students, and not a wall covered with words that have not been discussed. The words that are placed on the word wall should be vocabulary words, not spelling words (Feezell, 2012). Word walls should be posted in the room at the eye level of students. If your words are posted too high, the students will not be able to see them. Attaching the words to the wall with Velcro is a great idea, so students can take down the word they need to use and then replace it on the wall.
At the beginning of the year, your word wall should be completely blank. Do not start the year with high frequency words on the wall. As the year progresses you will have conversations about words with your class, those words are the ones that you need to post for your students. As your students show that they know the words, you can take them down from your word wall. Your word wall will change continuously throughout the year.
3. Word Games
Games are a great way to reinforce vocabulary words and their meanings. Students enjoy playing the following games:
· - Lightning Bolt:
This is a game that you place vocabulary words from your word wall on a large popsicle stick. For every 5 popsicle sticks you write words on, you draw a lightning bolt on a blank popsicle sticks. You place all the popsicle sticks in the cup and the students shake the cup (it sounds like rumbling thunder). Each child takes a turn pulling out a popsicle stick. If the stick has a word, they say the words and have to use it in a sentence. If they use the word correctly they get to keep the popsicle stick. If a student pulls out a stick with a lightening bolt on it, all of their popsicle sticks have to go back in the cup. Students continue to play and try to avoid the lightening bolt.
· -Word BINGO
For this game, you give the students a blank BINGO board. The students fill in the BINGO spaces with vocabulary words from the word wall. The teacher will call out a definition ( in student language not a dictionary definition) and the student needs to look on their BINGO board to see if they have the word that matches the definition. If they do, they cover it up. The first student to get 5 in a row or 4 corners wins the game.
· -Vocabulary Corner
This game gets students to get up and move. The teacher picks two locations in your classroom, usually opposite sides of the room. The teacher picks two words from the classroom word wall, words that have similar meanings. For example the two words resemblance and mimic. Then you read a sentence like “The parrot ___________ his owner’s voice.” You label the corners and the students go to the corner of the correct word that completes the sentence. (Feezell, 2012).
A word jar is a great addition to every classroom. This is a jar that has a special spot in your classroom where every student knows the location. Students write down words that they come across daily from reading a poster, a sign, a brochure, or anything their eyes come across. They may even write words that just interest them. The students place these new words into the word jar. One day each week, the classroom teacher should look at all the words in the jar and select 3-5 tier 2 words. Once the teacher has determined which words they will share with the class, they will read aloud the words and discuss them as a class, and they will also define what the word means. The teacher can then post the word in the classroom on the word wall.
The teacher and the students should try to use the new words as much as possible. During the week you can give out stickers to students every time they use one of the words from the word wall. Another way to use all the words your students bring to school is by having the students share their words. Then as a class you can sort the words into categories. (Barger, 2006). A great book to read to the class to introduce the word jar to your students is Donavan’s Word Jar by Monalisa De Gross. This is a great read aloud that students love to listen to, it will excite them to use the word jar.
2. Word Wall
Word walls are a great resource for students in the classroom. The purpose of a word wall is to have words posted that helps students to spell and use the words correctly. Many teachers struggle with what words to put on their word wall. Many teachers think it is a place for their high-frequency words or academic vocabulary, but it needs to be a resource that is functional for students, and not a wall covered with words that have not been discussed. The words that are placed on the word wall should be vocabulary words, not spelling words (Feezell, 2012). Word walls should be posted in the room at the eye level of students. If your words are posted too high, the students will not be able to see them. Attaching the words to the wall with Velcro is a great idea, so students can take down the word they need to use and then replace it on the wall.
At the beginning of the year, your word wall should be completely blank. Do not start the year with high frequency words on the wall. As the year progresses you will have conversations about words with your class, those words are the ones that you need to post for your students. As your students show that they know the words, you can take them down from your word wall. Your word wall will change continuously throughout the year.
3. Word Games
Games are a great way to reinforce vocabulary words and their meanings. Students enjoy playing the following games:
· - Lightning Bolt:
This is a game that you place vocabulary words from your word wall on a large popsicle stick. For every 5 popsicle sticks you write words on, you draw a lightning bolt on a blank popsicle sticks. You place all the popsicle sticks in the cup and the students shake the cup (it sounds like rumbling thunder). Each child takes a turn pulling out a popsicle stick. If the stick has a word, they say the words and have to use it in a sentence. If they use the word correctly they get to keep the popsicle stick. If a student pulls out a stick with a lightening bolt on it, all of their popsicle sticks have to go back in the cup. Students continue to play and try to avoid the lightening bolt.
· -Word BINGO
For this game, you give the students a blank BINGO board. The students fill in the BINGO spaces with vocabulary words from the word wall. The teacher will call out a definition ( in student language not a dictionary definition) and the student needs to look on their BINGO board to see if they have the word that matches the definition. If they do, they cover it up. The first student to get 5 in a row or 4 corners wins the game.
· -Vocabulary Corner
This game gets students to get up and move. The teacher picks two locations in your classroom, usually opposite sides of the room. The teacher picks two words from the classroom word wall, words that have similar meanings. For example the two words resemblance and mimic. Then you read a sentence like “The parrot ___________ his owner’s voice.” You label the corners and the students go to the corner of the correct word that completes the sentence. (Feezell, 2012).