Word Walls for Secondary Students
A word wall is a systematically organized collection of
words displayed in large letters on a wall in the classroom.
( Cunningham, 1995)
Why do:
1.
Students need teachers who create an interest in words.
2. Word walls build vocabulary which is essential for secondary
students.
3. In order to learn a word students need to see, hear and use the
terms in many contexts.
4. Vocabulary knowledge directly impacts reading comprehension.
How to:
1.
Select five –seven words/unit.
2. Choose a method for displaying words. You may choose alphabetical,
by unit, or by theme.
3. Change or add to the words each time you enter a new topic or unit.
Do the Word Wall!
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 pollution.
Clue
Clue
Clue
Clue
Clue
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
The
The
The
The
The
mystery
mystery
mystery
mystery
mystery
word
word
word
word
word
is one of our word wall words.
has more than six letters.
has three syllables.
ends with the suffix -tion.
rhymes with the word solution.
Students may use mini white boards to write their answers or notebook paper. The student
that guesses the word with the least possible clues gets the most points.
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 a chalkboard, whiteboard, or chart. The
student sits 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 (or from students' spelling or
vocabulary lists) 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





Is it a noun?
Does it have fewer than 10 letters?
Does it have more than two syllables?
Is the vowel 'a' found in the word?
Would this word be found in the first half of the dictionary?
As the student narrows down the word, the questions might get more specific. For example, if
the students gets a positive response to the question, "Is it an animal?" Then the follow-up
questions might include, "Is it bigger than a fox?" Or "Does this animal live in the rain forest?"
If the clues help the student narrow down the word to a handful of possibilities, the student
might ask questions to narrow down those possibilities, such as, 'Does the word mean the
same thing as [a definition of the word]?" Or "Does the word rhyme with [another word]?"
Keep a tally of the number of questions/clues it takes for the student to guess the word.
Which student(s) guess the word in the fewest number of clues?
Koosh Ball Review
Toss the koosh ball to students and have them use the word in a sentence or give a synonym
or antonym.
Word Jar ( Allen and Gonzalez 1998)
1. Write down words from the word wall after you complete a unit.
2. The slips of paper go in a large jar ( such as a pickle jar from the cafeteria). You may
want to color code the words….all words written on orange recipe cards are from unit
1.
3. Each day, the teacher pulls a word or two from the word jar.
4. A student is asked to use the word in a sentence or give a synonym or definition.