The crux of the Reading Block in every elementary classroom is the Word Wall. Read further for some word wall ideas, tips, and tricks. Your walls are precious real estate, but the word wall needs to take up most of one wall. You need to choose a wall that your kids can see when writing, as that is the main purpose. It is handy if the word wall can be seen where you line up, as it lends itself to quick “on the back” activities. Instead of waiting patiently for the class to be ready to enter the hall, wasting precious time a quick 2 minute mini lesson finding 4 letter words on the word wall will serve dual purpose.
First, Choose your System
The beauty of the velcro system is that it can go anywhere. If you have bricks like I did, it will work. You might need the location of your wall to be temporary, and this will serve you as well. I always put the soft side on the back of the words and the “hard” side on the wall. This system is not cheap. If you google a velcro outlet, they will send you ends of rolls for free. Velcro is sturdy and easy to keep clean. Make your words first. I would suggest fun foam. Play around with the size of the velcro lines and the spacing. With velcro, it is easy for the kids to just rip off the word and take to their seat.
Bulletin Board System Word Wall
If you are lucky enough to have an extra large bulletin board along one side of your room, (I did in Kindergarten) this system gives you plenty of choices. First I covered my board with butcher paper. Then I moved to fabric, which worked much better as a permanent solution, and did not fade. This was the cheapest system that I used. I divided it vertically in half, so I had two rows of headers. If you laminate the words, you can use staples to replace them.
Magnet System Word Wall
This was my last, my longest, and my favorite system. I bought some magnetic paint from Walmart. You will need several coats. The can says you can cover it with latex paint, but that really affected the strength of the magnet property, so I just left it black. I ran my words off on printer magnet sheets. The cheapest I found were from Walmart. It was a bit of money up front, but they were sturdy and easily moved. Since the wall was black, I did not need to back my words. It was great! Also, it was so easy to transfer what ever word I was teaching to the whiteboard…bonus!
Then, Make Your Words
After you have decided upon your system, the next step is choosing the word list and making the word blocks. There are many different lists to choose from; Fry’s Instant Words, Grade Level Words lists, and every reading series has their own list. But, I’m old school, so I stick with Dolch. It matters less which you choose, and more how you use it. The important thing is to weave your word wall into your daily routine. You’ll be successful, as long as you follow 3 things:
- Configuration: Research dictates that, especially in the primary grades, the words must be cut out in word shape for 50% better word recognition.
- Size: The words need to be able to be seen across the room. This means written in bold print, and between 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall.
- Backing: Your words need to be backed in black. Not just a line, but at least 1/2 inch all the way around. This reinforces the word shape.
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Last, Step Back and Tweak
One last bit of advice. Professional development ebbs and flows as the trends come and go. For one thing, advice seems to change about every three years. Please know I used and loved my word wall for almost 40 years. My wall served me, my teaching, and my students well. You will get out of the wordwall what you put into it. It should reflect what you are teaching at the time. Don’t let it become just another thing you have to fit into your day. Bring it to life in your classroom, and let the kids use it as a tool for reading. Your Word Wall is their first dictionary. I guarantee they will love it. This is the most powerful thing you can do to open up the world of reading to your kids.
Remember, your word wall is not set in stone. You do not put up all the words at once and leave them. You add new words each week, at least one per day. Take examples of words from the wall to study sounds or letter patterns. Have fun!
Click the photo to find a FREE list of “On the Back” games you can play every day on the wall.
Click to read more about my word wall system on Tpt.
