DLTK's Holiday Crafts for Kids
Graduation Word Wall Words
Word wall templates are large flash card printables that you can hang on the wall to aid children when they are learning or using new vocabulary words; in this case, graduation themed vocabulary words.
Word wall words can be used in a variety of games and to help with spelling when the children are writing poems or stories.
How to use word wall words:
- The templates are found at the bottom of this page. They include picture clues to help children read the words. There are four words per template with a choice of solid printed words and dotted letters the children can trace to practice printing.
- Introduce one sheet of word wall words (4 words) per week.
- Hang the words where everyone can see them.
- I like to glue them onto card stock and have a border -- I have one border color for nouns, another for verbs, another for adjectives, another for words that can be a noun or a verb, etc.
- You can display them on a bulletin board, in a pocket card or strung together like a banner around the room (see image for what this looks like).
- When you introduce each word, have the classroom 'chant' the spelling of the word. While they chant, they should clap their hands for each consonant and slap their knees for each vowel. Repeat this exercise for all of the new and one or two of the old word wall words each session.
- Make sure the word wall words are spelled correctly in any writing students do.
Ideas for using the word list:
- Word Wall Guessing Game:
- Summary: The clue giver (usually the teacher for round one) provides clues to the word, when the child knows what word it is, they raise their hand and spell it. If they spell the word correctly they get to be the clue giver (with help from the teacher).
- Example:
- the teacher picks the word "king" but does not tell the class the word he has chosen.
- Clue 1: The clue giver says, "The first clue is that the word was added to our word wall last Monday."
- Clue 2: The clue giver says, "The word starts with the letter K."
- Clue 3: The clue giver says, "The word is a noun."
- Clue 4: The clue giver says, "He wears a crown."
- Clue 5: The clue giver says, "The word rhymes with thing.".
- Rather than doing this in an 'out loud' game format, you can do it as a fun version of a spelling test, where you have the kids spell the words based on clues given.
- Print two copies of these worksheets to play "concentration" (the memory game).
- Or print four copies of these worksheets to play "go fish" or "snap".
- Have the children work in groups to research and discuss the meaning of the words on the word wall, then create individual journals (mini dictionaries) with definitions and an example sentence for each word: Mini Dictionary Template.
- Have the children chose one of the words and draw a picture inspired by that word.
- Have the children write a poem or short story using words from the word wall.
