10:2 Word Wall

When and where did I find the word: Word Wall was part of the reading assignment for this week. The word was found in the book Word Wise and Content Rich: Five essential steps to teaching academic vocabulary. By Fisher and Frey.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008).  Word wise and content rich:  Five essential steps to teaching academic vocabulary.  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

What it means: According to Fisher and Frey (2008), word walls are organized collections of words displayed in large letters on a wall.

Level of Familiarity: I have heard of word walls before in school. When I was in school, we had word walls; however, they were only used to display the new and old vocabulary that we had learned that year/week. We never did anything more with the word walls. Through experience in my classroom, I have learned that word walls are only as effective as they are used in the classroom.  

Do I want to know this word well and tell why? I definitely want to know this strategy well. The word walls are a very good resource to help students acquire new vocabulary, as long as they are used well within the lesson. Using word walls increases students exposure to the words, and when used properly, they are highly useful tools to introduce, review, and use words.

Do I think others should know this word well....if so who and why?  Teachers should know this strategy well. Again, it is important to use the word wall in lessons throughout the unit to ensure the students get the most use of the word wall in the classroom. Word walls need to be actively used in the classroom, and shouldn't be considered passive, but relevant classroom decoration.