Interactive Science Word Wall: Creative Learning Activities

Nowadays, it’s the standard expectation that word walls be present in the classroom. When word walls are incorporated successfully they serve a function other than just class decor (although a good looking word wall sure does spice up the classroom!). Word walls in any content area provide students with key vocabulary that aids in building content literacy and helps students become independent learners.

What are word walls?

In the most basic sense, a word wall is a display of current content vocabulary or high frequency reading and spelling words. They can be displayed in a variety of ways depending on the content area, and they can be as simple as words on index cards or brightly colored cards with pictures, definitions and associated words.

This word wall card gives an easy to understand definition alongside a real world image example. It also uses related vocabulary (in red) and elaborates upon the definition with addtional terms (blue).

Word walls are often arranged in alphabetical order, but for science I recommend that they be displayed by concept. Ideally, vocabulary cards should be displayed as they are being introduced and in a manner that connects vocabuary across the concept.

I do not preteach vocabulary. Because I follow a 5E lesson cycle approach, specific content vocabulary is generally discussed and taught at the explore / explain level of the cycle. Students need experiences and schema to connect new vocabulary to in order for it to ‘stick’.

These weather and water cycle word wall cards are arranged in a manner that connects each vocabulary word to the words above and below it. — These **weather and water cycle word wall cards** are arranged in a manner that connects each vocabulary word to the words above and below it.

Word Wall Learning Activities

So… once you have a word wall, what’s next? Well, the sky is the limit as to how you can incorporate word walls into your instruction. At the most basic level, a word wall provides a student reference source, which is reason enough to have one. But, with a little planning and creativity, your science word wall can be so much more. Here are just a few suggestions:

Try choosing a few key words to create a separate ‘interactive’ word wall in which students provide images and real-world artifacts that can be displayed alongside the word.
Provide students with short constructed response questions and require them to use the word wall to write their answers.
Make some simple bingo cards and play a game with the displayed cards as reference.
Play a a game of vocabulary charades!
Try printing several cards to a page, cut them apart and place on binder rings. Students can use these for small group work activities.
Use smaller printed cards and have students organize them in a manner that makes sense to them. They can then create a pencil and paper word map in their science journals.
Incorporate open sorting activities (again using smaller cards) in order to help build higher order thinking skills.

I like to print two sets of word walls for each unit. One is a full-sized set that gets displayed on the main word wall, and the other is printed four to a page and then cut and placed on binder rings for students to use when they need them. These smaller cards can also be displayed in another area of the room after we have completed the unit. This way, students always have access to the vocabulary they may need.

Science Word Wall Do’s and Dont’s

Do:

Incorporate your word wall into your daily science activities as much as possible.
Introduce new vocabulary words as they appear in your lessons.
Organize vocabulary words in a manner that ties them together. Better yet, solicit student input on how to organize the cards as you display them.
Change out your word wall with each new unit.
Make sure that previous vocabulary cards are still available after you have moved on to a new unit of study.

Don’t:

Create a word wall and then never make reference to it.
Display all unit vocabulary at one time.
Display vocabulary in a haphazard manner. Your students need to see how different vocabulary words are interconnected.
Display your vocabulary cards and forget about them. It won’t look good if you are teaching organisms and environments and your word wall still has properties of matter vocabulary displayed.

Are you ready to implement an effective science word wall in your classroom? I’ve made it super easy to get started with this bundled set of Science Vocabulary Word Wall Cards and with this set of Science Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots Word Wall Cards.