Word Walls

Example of a Word Wall
Touch and read the word:
Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue
He has a blue car. She has a blue book.

She has a blue shoe. He has a blue pen.

I got two pairs of
blue shirts.

I have a blue
balloon.

She has a blue sock. He has a blue cat.

Theme, Purpose, and Procedure
The word wall above aims at making reading interesting for the learners. The sight word
is blue. They are supposed to identify the word blue in the sentences. It is a color word practice.
The images are in blue, and as children identify the word ‘blue,’ they are able to see the blue
images accompanying each sentence. Students will practice touching and reading each color
word several times, finding the color word, and then highlighting the word in the sentence. To

emphasize fluency, students will read the sentences three times. They will then write one
sentence on their notebooks for comprehension. The aim of getting blue pictures is to ensure that
the students get a mental picture of the color blue. They will not only learn how to pronounce the
word ‘blue’ but will also be able to identify colors of objects in real life.
I made the word wall by compiling sentences that contain the word blue. I then searched
online for corresponding images that are blue in color and pasted them below the sentences. It
was quite easy, and the aim is to ensure that students can identify the sight words and match the
color with that of the given objects. Also, the number of images corresponds to the number of
items mentioned in the sentences. Where a sentence has ‘two items,’ the images are two. The
aim is to ensure that the students also identify numbers and are able to differentiate one, two, or
any other number mentioned in a sentence.
Use of Word Walls to Enhance My Literacy Instruction
I will use word walls to provide reference support for students during sessions that entail
reading and writing activities. I will use the word wall to help students practice words. I will do
this by incorporating a variety of activities such as clapping, chanting, and games that include
word guessing (Reading Rockets, 2020). Students will also be required to write down the words
or sentences containing sight words. The objective will be to enhance comprehension. Further, as
part of my literacy instruction, I will add new words regularly to eliminate boredom. Making
students repeat the same words over and over can be monotonous. Since I plan on using word
walls several times during instruction, I will change the words and add new words occasionally.
Further, my instruction will be guided by the curriculum. I will include words from
curriculum-based material as opposed to selecting words randomly. Through intensive planning,
I will incorporate only words included in reading materials. When constructing sentences, I will

use words referring to objects that children are familiar with, as this will enhance the relevance
of my lessons. Students will be able to relate what they study in the classroom, to their real-life
experiences (Harmon et al., 2009). Overall, using a word wall, I will introduce at least five words
per week, which means one word each day. Adding words gradually will ensure that students are
neither overwhelmed nor bored by the words.

References

Harmon, J. M., Wood, K. D., Hedrick, W. B., Vintinner, J., & Willeford, T. (2009). Interactive
word walls: More than just reading the writing on the walls. Journal of Adolescent &
Adult Literacy, 52(5), 398-408.
Reading Rockets. (2020). Word Walls | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets. Retrieved 31
March 2020, from https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/word_walls