RW2, Sample Lesson

Teachers,

This is a sample of a three-page portion of Lesson 6. Lesson 6 has a total of nine pages. This sample will show you how practical and teacher-friendly our courses are. We can help you improve instruction without giving you more work to do.

Like you, we are teachers who work in today's classrooms with today's children. We know you want courses that will help you deal with day-to-day classroom issues. That's exactly what we have to offer. There are nine lessons in this valuable course.

(Sample Lesson - RW2)
Build Essential Vocabulary and Basic Word Skills
by Barbara Gruber, M.A. & Sue Gruber, M.A.

What is ahead in this lesson?
In Lesson 6, we'll discuss specific ways to get children engaged in activities using word wall words. The word wall can be a tool children use every day during reading and writing time. We'll show you how to make your word wall interactive, meaningful and useful to children.

Introduction
Often, word walls are put up by teachers and ignored by children. During writing activities children will ask for help spelling words that are on the word wall. Or, they'll ask how to spell the word "light" when the word "right" is on the word wall. Instead of looking on the word wall for a similar word to the one that want to spell, they ask for help. Children think of the word wall as just another "wall decoration" created by the teacher. The key to activating your word wall is to get children involved with the words as they are added to the word wall. When you add words to the word wall a few at a time, children are more aware of the words that are on the word wall. Doing activities with the new words also helps children remember the words that were added to the word wall. At the end of the year, resist the temptation to leave the word wall up. Take it down and then replace the words gradually with your new class during the next school year.

Do you already have a word wall on display in your classroom? Are children using it frequently? If children are ignoring the word wall, take down the word cards and put them up again a few at a time. Or, turn over most of the word cards so only a few words are revealed. Gradually reveal the words a few at a time. Whenever you add or reveal new words, engage children in activities with those words.

Keeping Track of Word Wall Ideas
If you haven't already done so, start some file folders for word walls. You may want to designate one folder for Word Walls-Content and Word Walls- Activities. Then, when you come across articles in magazines or have handouts from workshops you have established a place to store ideas. The next best thing to having good ideas is being able to find them! Creating file folders works for us-we hope it works for you, as well.

How to Activate Your Word Wall
Put the spotlight on your word wall by using it yourself. Refer to the word wall frequently as you go through the school day. Pretend to forget how to spell a word and think aloud saying, "I'll check the word wall to see how it is spelled. I remember we put that word up there last week." The word wall fosters independence when children use it instead of asking for help.

Review the word wall words periodically. Read them aloud with the class.
Point at random words and have the class read them aloud in unison. Or, turn out the lights and shine a flashlight on words for the class to read aloud.
Use "fun objects" as pointers such as a colorful plastic fly swatter, a cob web brush, a laser pointer, or a "magic wand" with a star on the end from a toy store. Check out the variety of pointers available in school supply stores.
Laser pointers should not be used by children.

Have children do at least one activity involving word wall words every day.
Look at the ideas for activities in this lesson. Activities do not have to produce papers for you to correct; instead, assign quickie activities that are self-correcting.

Activities to Use with Your Classroom Word Wall
First of all, look through the activities we discussed in Lesson 2 for your whole class. Most of these activities work well with word wall words. And, look through the activities for individual students and partners in Lesson 3.
You will find many of those activities can be used with word walls.

Look and Learn Spelling Test
Call out words on the word wall for this "test." Children write the words-they can refer to the word wall for help spelling words. This activity reminds children to look at the word wall for words they need to spell.

Spelling by Analogy
Model spelling by analogy using the word wall. Show children how to use the word "could" on the word wall to help spell the word "should."

Missing Words Spelling Test
Remove eight word cards from the word wall. Give the class a spelling test on those eight words. Then, place one word card back on the word wall. Spell the word aloud and have children check their own papers. If they misspelled the word, they can rewrite it correctly. Continue to check all eight words.

Cover-it Spelling Test
For this practice and review activity, select a word wall word that is frequently misspelled by children in your class. Point at a word on the word wall and read it aloud. Now, spell it aloud letter by letter. Have the class say the word aloud and spell it aloud in unison. Now, cover the word and have children write the word. Then, uncover the word and have children check their spellings. Have everyone say the word and spell it aloud one more time.

Snicker-doodle Spelling Test
Say a sentence aloud using one of the words from the word wall in context. Instead of saying the word wall word, say "snicker-doodle." Children have to figure out which word wall is the "snicker-doodle word" in the sentence. Call on a child to supply the word if you want to do this as an oral activity. Or, have children write the "snicker-doodle word" and then correct papers together. "I used my umbrella snickerdoodle it was raining." (because)

At-your-desk Word Walls
When you have all the words posted on your word wall, make a replica of the word wall in a file folder. On the front of the file folder, write "High-frequency Words Word Wall." Inside the folder, write the title, headers and all the words that are on the word wall. Make the folder look like a mini-version of the larger classroom word wall. Children can take this folder to their desks to practice reading words. It can also be used for partner… Teachers…

You reviewed a three-page excerpt from Lesson 6 from Course RW2-Build Essential Vocabulary and Basic Word Skills. This lesson continues for a total of nine pages. There are nine lessons in the entire course. You have the option of earning up to three semester units of credit. Thank you for taking time to review a portion of this valuable course.