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Early Childhood Association of FloridaSeptember 28, 2007

Dr. Janice Wood & Dr. Bronwyn McLemore

Using the Word WallWall to Boost Vocabularyand Concept Development

Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus

Goal: Increase

opportunities to

learn and acquire

basic skills needed

to become

successful readers

and learners

Comprehensive,

Research-Based,

Literacy-Focused

Curriculum

for 3-, 4-, 5-Year-olds

Emergent Literacy• Reading Aloud, Emergent Comprehension,

and Independent Reading

• Print Concepts

• Letter and Sound Knowledge

• Phonological Awareness and Phonics

Connections

• Emergent Writing

• Oral Language, Listening, Vocabulary, and

Concept Development

• Parents spend 7

minutes per hour

interacting with a

child who is saying a

few words.

• They spend 20

minutes per hour

with a child who has

learned to talk.

• Parents spend 42

minutes per hour

with a child who is

saying a few words.

• They spend 55

minutes per hour

interacting with a

child who has

learned to talk.

Children from

Low Income

Homes…

(Hart & Risley, 2001)

Children from

High-Income

Homes…

600-Word Gap in Vocabulary by 3 years

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Professional Working-class Welfare

1100

words

750 words

500

words

Es

tim

ate

d C

um

ula

tiv

e V

oc

ab

ula

ry W

ord

s

Children’s

vocabularies

provide them with

opportunities to

access their

knowledge in

ways that will help

them understand

the world around

them. (Watson, 2003)

Young children need teachers who take

time to work with them individually, in small

groups, and sometimes with the entire class

– to help them develop their skills and

interest in learning news things about the

world.

Young children need teachers to teach

new words and concepts, and explain new

vocabulary.(U.S. Department of Education, 2002)

Oral Language Lays the Foundation

for Early Literacy Development

Effective Instruction

for Early Learners

Review

Practice/Use

Teach

Connect to Background

Knowledge

Explain the Purpose

Print-rich environments are necessary forchildren to learn the components of literacy.

(Allington & Johnston, 2001)

What is a Word Wall?

For young learners, a Word Wall is an alphabetically

arranged collection of words with pictures used as to

help children develop fluency in working with letters

and words.

Word Wall SongTune: “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”

Oh, we love to sing and play

with the Word Wall every day.

There are letters there to see, and

some words that we can read.

We get smarter– so will you,

if you look and listen too,

during our Word Wall time.Music stimulates attention, increases energy

levels, and integrates thinking and creativity.(Biller, 2003)

Quality

children’s

books introduce

new vocabulary

words while

reinforcing the

concepts that

our children are

learning.

(Fisher et al., 2004)

Word Wall CardsChildren’s comprehension increases by 33

percent when direct vocabulary instruction

is provided on specific words while reading.(Marzono, 2004)

Where Do I Begin?

Come Along, Sing the Alphabet Song

Begin with

Children’s Names

Environmental Print

Children are familiar with print in their environment:

logos and signs on stores, restaurants, and products.(Prior & Gerard, 2004)

Favorite Cookies

• Talk with the children about the picture.

• Say the word and ask children to repeat it.

• Go through one of the following activities:

• Letter Count - As a group, count the number of

letters in the word (say each)

• Cheerleading - Create a cheer for the word with a

motion for each letter

• Comprehension - Have students use the word in a

complete sentence.

• Add the word to the Word Wall.

Adding Words to the Word Wall

Young children

learn words best

when vocabulary

instruction is

integrated into

their classroom

routines.(Xue & Meisels, 2004)

Wake Up, WillieTune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

Wake up Willie,

It’s time to start the day.

Point to a Word Wall word.

Show us what to say.

Word Wall Helper,

Word Wall Helper,

help us today.

Find the word

___________

right away.

Word Wall Helper

Skunk

Mouse

Stomp, Stomp, Clap

Blow a Kiss

Dribble and Shoot

Raise the Roof

ChantsRepetition increases

the strength of neural

connections.

Encouraging children

to listen to and repeat

words helps them

build neural

connections that will

in later years enhance

their capabilities of

learning words.(Wolfe & Nevills, 2004)

I Know the Name

Vocabulary

and Concept

Development

MathScienceSocial

Studies

Motor

DevelopmentSocial and

Emotional

Development

The

ArtsPhysical

Health

Mat

h

LITERACY

Concept Development Ants live in colonies.

Ants have six strong legs so they can move

quickly.

Ants use their antennae for touch and for their

sense of smell.

An ant has two stomachs – one with food for itself

and a second with

food to be shared

with other ants.

Vocabulary and Concept Words

When the Word Wall is an integral part of their

daily activities, children actively construct their

own literacy knowledge and learn to about

letters and words naturally and playfully.(Teale & Yokota, 2000)

Reach In The JarTune: “Are You Sleeping?”

Reach in the jar, reach in the jar,

and grab a word, grab a word.

Use it in a sentence.

Use it in a sentence,

So we can learn,

So we can learn.

Building working vocabularies and conceptual

development in young learners is facilitated

through social interactions. (Winters, 2004)

I am thinking of a word.

What can it be?

Listen to my definition

and please tell me.

? ? ? ? ?

To play make-believe or put

put on an act.

Teachers should engage children in rich

conversations and expose them to rare words

that are not encountered in everyday speech.(Vukelich & Christie, 2004)

Actively engaging

children in Word

Wall activities

increases student

learning. The more

involved the

children are, the

more likely they

are to use the

Word Wall with

purpose.

(Wagstaff, J., 1999)

Janice Wood at JAWood@unf.edu

Bronwyn McLemore at Bmclemor@unf.edu

904-620-2496