Using Word Walls in the Social Studies Classroom
Word Wall Rationale
A word wall is an ongoing, organized display of key words that provides visual
reference for students throughout a unit of study or school term. These words
are used continually by teachers and students during a variety of activities. In the
content area classroom, word walls can be used to develop academic vocabulary.
Word wall selections should be limited to the words that are essential to the unit
of study. Word walls make the words accessible by putting them where students
can see and work with them. Use the same display area throughout the year for
your word wall. Students, once used to the concept, will look for the wall.
Types of Word Walls
Classrooms may contain two types of word walls. A yearlong general word wall in
the classroom will post words that students will use regularly throughout the year.
A content specific word wall will post words specific to a unit of study. The social
studies word wall can be used to reinforce content vocabulary OR for structural
analysis of word parts.
General Word Wall
Social Studies vocabulary terms that will be used throughout the year can be
placed on the general word wall. Words that will appear in all units, such as
artifacts, customs, etc., will be placed on the general word wall and referenced all
year.
Unit Specific Word Wall
The unit specific word wall will change with every unit. Content and era specific
vocabulary will be posted here. Words such as Pre-Columbian, teepee, and Iroquois
are examples of terms that would be included on unit one’s world wall.
Steps to Creating a Word Wall
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Identify the key vocabulary words.
Print the words in large block letter for posting in a prominent location.
Post the word on the word wall as the terms are introduced.
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Do not overcrowd the word wall. You may want to remove words as the unit
progresses or you may want to display words by unit and then remove the
entire word wall when the unit is completed.
Create a visually cohesive wall so that students perceive it as a “collection”
of words and it is obvious as to how the words are organized.
Note: For classrooms with very limited wall space, words could be placed on chart
paper and displayed. In addition, the teacher would need to put the words on cards
and put together as a set for students to use for vocabulary activities at their
desk.
Interactive Word Work
The key to successful word walls is the word “interactive.” It is a tool to use, not
just a display. Students need to actively interact with the word wall. Make word
wall activities a regular and predictable part of the classroom routine. They make
for natural class openers or closers. The word wall activity should be only 5-10
minutes in length unless incorporated with a larger activity.
Regularly review the terms on the Word Wall. Have students read them aloud as a
“warm up” exercise. Frequently call on students to “refresh” their classmates’
memories of the definitions of these words. Reinforce these vocabulary words by
including them in learning games and activities.
Interaction includes:
 Continually add words encountered to the wall.
 Expanding the students’ understanding of how words work (i.e. sketching the
definitions, use in a sentence, crossword puzzles, “dissecting”, word mapping,
semantic mapping and identifying structural patterns).
 Engage the students in a “learning conversation,” inviting them to discuss the
features that they notice and how the word is connected to the other words.
 Use a variety of activities to review words.
Word Wall Interactions!
1. Student Created Vocabulary Cards
Directions: Have students fold a standard piece of plain white paper into four equal
rectangles. The top left box is for the focus word and its definition. The top right
hand box is for examples (words and phrases—no sentences!) The bottom left box
is for an illustration with labels (should be student created.) The bottom right can
be used for Non-examples (Antonyms) OR specific examples (this works better for
content vocabulary.)
Focus Word: Geography
Students may keep their vocabulary cards in their social studies folders for
reference.
Geography: the science of natural
and human features of Earth’s
surface, and its climate and lifeforms.
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Natural
Landforms/land
Bodies of water
Climate
Human
Culture
Customs
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Iroquois
Heavily wooded
Rivers/Lakes
Harsh winters
Longhouses
Baskets
Lacrosse
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Concept Circle
Directions: This activity should be used after students have had time to work with
their terms. It’s a great review or extension activity. Using the template attached,
the teacher uses new, but familiar vocabulary to reinforce terms or concepts. The
Circle can be used in different ways.
Review terms: Teacher gives the topic; students come up with four terms that
describe it.
Concept Review: Teacher gives the four terms, students identify the concept
relationship.
Describe or name the topic: ____Iroquois
Lacrosse
Longhouses
Palisades
Three
Sisters
Mind Reader
In this activity, students are given clues to identify a mystery word that appears
on the classroom word wall. The teacher selects a mystery word and then gives
the students five clues for identifying the word. Each successive clue should help
students narrow down their choice. As you give each clue, students should select
one word from the word wall that matches the clue.
For example, the mystery word is historian.
Clue 1:
Clue 2:
Clue 3:
Clue 4:
Clue 5:
The mystery word is one of the word wall words.
The mystery word has more than six letters.
The mystery word has three syllables.
The mystery word relates to a person who studies the past.
The mystery word
After you have given the five clues, have students show their responses. Which
student(s) guessed the mystery word with the fewest possible clues? Each
student who guesses the correct word at the earliest possible clue earns a clue.
Tally points at the end of the game to determine which students are the winners.
Hot Seat
This activity can be used as a whole-class activity. If you teach students who can
work independently, you might use it as a small group or pair activity once students
are familiar with the activity’s rules.
In this activity, one student is selected to come to the front of the class and take
the “hot seat.” The hot seat is located a few feet in front of the whiteboard or
chart. The students sit in a chair facing his or her classmates and with his or her
back to the board or chart. The student also should have a clear view of the class
word wall.
The teacher or a classmate selects a word from the word wall and writes that word
on the board or chart. The student in the hot seat is unable to see the word, but
it is his/her job to guess the word by asking questions that help to narrow down
the possibilities. For example, the student in the hot seat might ask
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Is it a noun?
Does it have fewer than 10 letters?
Does it have more than two syllables?
Is it a geographical term?
Does it have a mouth and source?
As the student narrows down the word, the questions might get more specific.
Guess My Word!
Materials: index cards (or quartered paper) with vocabulary words on them, tape.
The teacher selects one student at a time to come and place an index card with the
vocabulary word on their back. The student then travels around the room and
selects a student to give them a one word clue. The student can guess or move to
another student for another clue. The student who gives the winning clue is next!
Numbered Heads Together
Materials: Key terms and their definitions written out for the teacher, a standard
die.
Set up: Students should be in groups of 6 ideally (to coincide with the die), and
have a seat number (if they are already seated at tables, simply assign their seat a
number from 1-6). Each group will have a number one, a number two, etc.
The teacher reads the definition to a vocabulary word aloud. All students are then
given time to discuss the definition with their team and decide which term it
defines (this is the ONLY time the team can discuss, so everyone on the team
should be in on the discussion and decision.) After the time is up (1-2 min.), the
teacher rolls a die. The first die roll is to determine which table will be asked to
answer. The second roll of the die determines the seat number.
Once the die is rolled, there is NO TALKING! Students have to have been
participating to know what the group has decided as the answer.
The rationale behind this game is that everyone (those who already know and those
that did not know) will know the definition to the key term after the group
discussion. It also keeps students accountable because they don’t know who will be
called on until AFTER the discussion. This is a great cooperative learning game!
List-Group-Label
1. List all the words you can think of related to a major concept to be studied.
2. Group the words that you have listed by looking for words that have
something in common.
3. Once the words are grouped, decide on a label for each group.
Steps in Wordstorming:
1. Ask students to write down all the words they can think of related to a given
concept, theme, or target word.
2. When students have exhausted their contributions, help them add to their
individual lists by giving some specific directions: Can you think of words
that describe how you feel when you can express yourself freely?
3. Ask students to group and label their words.
4. Introduce words you think should be included and ask students to put them
in the right group.
i.e.
Ask each student to list all the words he/she can think of in connection to the
word democracy. Dividing the students into groups of three or four, have them
combine their lists of words, group them into categories, and decide on labels for
these categories. You can allow for a miscellaneous category in which you can allow
no more than three or four words that just can’t fit anywhere else. This
compilation of words can then become the core vocabulary reference as you read
about the topic.
Do
Less is more----depth is more
Teach fewer vocabulary terms, but
teach them in a manner that results
in deep understanding of each term.
Avoid
Teaching or assigning words from
textbooks just because they are
highlighted in some way (italicized,
bold face print, etc.).
Teach terms that are central to the
unit or theme of study.
These are terms that are so
important that if a student does not
understand them, he/she will likely
have difficulty understanding the
remainder of the unit.
Teaching or assigning words just
because they appear in a list at the
end of a text chapter.
Teach terms that address concepts
or ideas.
While a text chapter may contain 1520 vocabulary terms, there may be
only 4 or 5 that address critical
concepts in the chapter.
Teach terms that will be used
repeatedly throughout the year.
Assigning large quantities of words.
Assigning words that students will
rarely encounter again.
Social Studies Word Wall
(Example)
Geography
History
Artifact
Primary source
Resources
Political Scientist
Natural Resources
Secondary source
Wants and needs
Power
Climate
Timeline
Scarcity
Rules
Shelter
B.C
Efficiency
Consequences
Culture
A.D.
Ceremony
Millennium
Political maps
Multiple Perspectives
Physical maps
Artifacts
Physical features
Natural/human features
Environment
Economics Government