Handy Word Bank

Try this alternative to displaying thematic word banks on word walls, SMARTBoards or chalkboards. For each unit of study, write related words on 3X5 index cards and post them on a small corkboard. You can use colored index cards, add a thin border, background paper and even novelty thumbtacks for a real eye-catching look. Prop the board at a center, on a chalkboard ledge or in another appropriate spot when in use. At the end of each unit, remove the cards from the corkboard and store them in a labeled envelope until next year. Another option would be to laminate the cards and the envelopes and allow the students to use them at a center for review.  When the board is not in use, slide it somewhere out of sight. You’ll save precious space and be organized too.

Back-to-School Mini Units

We spend our summers dreaming up fabulous and sometimes elaborate units to wow our students in the fall. Then, when we go back to school, curriculum maps, required standards and other time-consuming mandates get thrown at us and suddenly the life is sucked out of our once brilliant ideas. Sound familiar?

Since we are rule followers we stick to the maps and standards and teach what we are supposed to teach when we are supposed to teach it. However, we also like to throw in our own creative ideas when time allows. This year, we are trying Mini Units. We chose eight books with strong main characters to use for eight weeks.

Elements we will focus on are: character traits, setting, problem, solution and reflection. We also developed extension ideas for higher achieving students. If you’d like our journal prompts you can snag them here.

Our exploration of these story elements will begin with Fancy Nancy. Throughout the first week we plan to project samples to model each element on our SMARTBoards.

We will begin independent journal entries on week two. Each assignment modeled in week one will be completed in the students’ writing journals (you can see our specific plans here). They will only need to glue in small headings to identify which element we’re focusing on that day. If time allows (ha, ha) we will incorporate other books about the same character into the week. If not, we will at least make the books available for classroom checkout.

If you include Mini Units in your plans this year, let us know how things went for you!

Content Word Wall

We all know that a good understanding of vocabulary is essential for student success. One way teachers and administrators love to support vocabulary development is through the use of word walls. But how often are your students reading the words with little knowledge of what they mean?

A content word wall is a great way to help tackle this problem. Some teachers like to put word walls in alphabetical order, but we thought, “Why not separate them by content area?” This led us to group the terms into categories that will help students both read and define the words.

We separated a bulletin board into four sections and created these headings for Language (language arts, reading and writing), Math, Science, and Social Studies. To aid our visual learners, we also color coordinated the different subjects. As new vocabulary was introduced, we added it to our boards.

We also turned the word wall into a center to encourage students to actively use it. We made pointers available at the center and had students read the words to each other. They also discussed what each word meant and/or how to use it in a sentence. Once students were familiar with the whole board, they filled out a card letting us know they were ready to read the word wall. We further enticed them by offering a chance to earn a small prize (a bookmark, extra snack, etc.) if all terms were correctly read and defined/used. Students loved this center and would often be found there after completing their classwork.

Check out our Content Word Wall on Teachers pay Teachers. It’s aligned to the CCSS for K-2 as well as the Virginia First Grade SOLs. It has almost 400 words on it to make creating your word wall much easier.

Social Studies Vocabulary

Our first graders love to learn new words, especially when we tell them that knowing these words will impress their friends and family and will be on tests when they’re in the third grade! When it comes to content vocabulary the words can be a little tricky for them to remember so we came up with some strategies to help them commit these words to memory.

First we combed through our state standards and found words that are fundamental to building a solid foundation of social studies knowledge. Then we created term cards for each vocabulary word. What are term cards? They are large flashcards (a half sheet of paper) that have the important vocabulary in large print with the definition or other critical information below. These are used for whole class instruction as well as reinforcement at centers. We like to print these on card stock and laminate them for extra durability.

Next we decided to ensure all students had easy and constant access to the words they’ve already learned. To do this we decided to have students make glossaries in their individual social studies journals. Each glossary card has the same vocabulary word and definition or critical information as the term cards. They also include a picture space for students to illustrate the word in a way that will help them make lasting connections.

It’s been great to see students’ knowledge of essential vocabulary grow. If you teach first grade in Virginia we’ve already created a set you can use. You can visit our Teachers pay Teachers site and download all 32 term cards and glossary cards.

Come back to this site next week to learn about our content word wall, which focuses on Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.