Word Wall Basics

• To set up your word wall you need a space large enough to put up each letter of the alphabet with room to add words underneath. Use a chalkboard or white board that you don't currently use or mark off an area on your wall and cover it with bulletin board paper. (Black or dark blue works best.) Put letter cards across the top of your word wall area. The cards you use for kindergarten should have both lowercase and uppercase letters and a picture clue. Letter flash cards are an easy way to do this. Space the letters eight to twelve inches apart. If you need to make a second row of letters, leave about eighteen inches between the rows, so that you have plenty of room to add words under each letter.
  
  The words that you put on your word wall should be written or printed in black and be large enough for the students to see easily. Back them on colored paper, making sure to use different colors for similar words. For instance, "like" and "look" should be on two different colors. The colors help your struggling students find the words they are looking for, and they'll use the word wall more.
  
  

Introducing New Words

• Add three to five new words to the word wall each week. In kindergarten you will probably only add three words, although by the end of the year your students may be ready for five. Choose your words from your kindergarten sight word list, your students' writing, or books that you have been reading with the class.
  
  When you introduce a new word, show the word to your students, have them clap out the letters three times, and then write the word on a half sheet of handwriting paper. On the days of the week that you don't add words to the word wall, follow the same routine, practicing any five words. After the students have written the five words, have them turn the paper over for another quick word wall activity.
  
  

Word Wall Activities

• Have youngsters practice five words on the back of the paper, after clapping and writing the five words on the front each day, with different activities.
  
  Mind Reader: Think of a word on the word wall and then give five clues to help the students guess it. Have students write down a guess after each clue. The first clue is always "It's a word on the word wall." The other clues may include any parts of the word such as number of letters or syllable, first, middle or ending sound, and so on.
  
  Cross-Checking: For this game, the words on the front of the paper should begin with the same sound. For the on-the-back activity give the students five sentences with one of the words from the front blanked out. The students have to decide which word completes each sentence and write it down.
  
  Rhymes: Use this activity with sight words that can be used to spell other words, like "look" and "ride." Have the students make a new word with one of the word wall words from the front. For instance, say "Use look to spell book."
  
  Wordo: Wordo, similar to Bingo, isn't an on-the-back activity, but it's a fun word wall activity. Make a grid with nine squares. Have the students choose nine words from the word wall to write in each square. Then randomly call out a word and the students must either cross it out or cover it with a marker if they have it. You can play until someone gets three in a row or covers the whole board. You might decide at the beginning how many winners you will have.
  
  You'll be surprised out well students learn their sight words when they use the word wall.