WORD WALLS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students are to learn and use thousands of new words in their various subjects every year. The
use of a word wall in a classroom can be a highly effective teaching strategy to improve literacy
skills.
Word Walls can be used in a variety of ways. For instance, they can be placed in alphabetical
order or be classified by categories or by event. In addition, iff a word is misspelled or they are
having problems with it, it should be added (e.g. there/their/theyre, piece/peace,
practise/practice, been/being) to the word wall.
The need for Word Walls:
Provide an approach to meaningful teaching of vocabulary with emphasis on student
engagement and higher level thinking skills
Improve reading comprehension and writing style
Reinforce understanding of subject-specific terminology with a focus on students
internalizing key concepts
Help students improve spelling and awareness of spelling patterns
Provide visual cues for students
Encourage increased student independence when reading and writing

Why Wall Words Works:

It works because it is student generated, allowing a personal involvement in their
development.
It works because it is based on content-area material from the curriculum rather than
randomly selected words (e.g. asking them to provide characteristic word attributes that
represent a key word, such as depicted below with the key word touch). These word
attributes could allow students to develop varying terminologies in their vocabulary,
allowing them to better write strong persuasive essays.
Cronsberry, Jennifer; Word Walls: A Support for Literacy in Secondary School Classrooms