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We use object walls in our elementary science classrooms. We were designing the object wall for our Life Cycle unit in Grade 2 but it is looking so boring and not engaging. The purpose of the object wall is for students to engage in the materials throughout the unit. It is also used to build vocabulary. This unit doesn't have many materials because the students are observing mealworms, waxworms and butterflies going through their life cycle. Right now we have a hand lens, vile, potato, tweezer, and pic of the animals on the object wall. Any ideas for other objects to place on the object wall that would be engaging.
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I teach middle school so word walls are a little different for me. My handwriting leaves a lot to be desired, so I use my Cricut machine to make my word wall letters. I use both the shadow and the letter to create the letters for my word wall, then glue them onto colorful sentence strips I get at the dollar store. I place magnets on the back of the words so they can be stuck onto my white board while we are using them initially, then I place them in the traditional word wall pocket chart for the duration of the unit. Whenever possible, I try to find magnetic schedules from sporting events, etc. to cut up to use as the magnets. I can also find rolls of magnetic strips at local craft stores pretty reasonable as well. The nice part of using the Cricut created words is I can re-use them year after year.
To spruce it up more, I use either digital photos when I can. Another option is to go into almost any clip art program and find colorful photos that I can print, laminate and keep with my word wall words. I have also had really good luck finding engaging photos in either Google or Bing images.
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I was wondering how you use your object wall during the unit. How do you use the objects for instruction? I was thinking about playing some word games with the words after they have been introduced
I also wondered about having your students make illustrations of the vocabulary word used in the context of the unit.
Just some quick thoughts..
Kathy
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Hi Melinda,
I like using interactive posters. For example, you could have the life cycle photos of the animals you use in class as part of a poster about life cycles. Allow the children to manipulate the photos into the correct cyclic order. Or you could have several different animal life cycle pictures. Students would have to sort them by phase, then by organism. I use laminated pictures that I cut out. Students can use bulletin board pins, sticky tack or magnets (if the word wall is magnetic) to hold items in place.
What are others' thoughts?
Carolyn
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My word wall is so small and I try to color code each piece of the units important vocabulary. I like the idea of incorporating pictures into the word wall.
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I thought about making a wall dedicated to a scientist of the month. I like how you include a write up to go along with it. I also like how you have a scientist of the week, I have a lot of students so that may be a better option than one for the month. Thank you!
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Good Evening All,
I posted the newsletter attached in a different forum, but it fits into this conversation as well since we are discussing interactive word walls. I am a big proponent of having a wall that is meaningful to my scholars...instead of just a space filler. My word walls are usually in the form of a concept map in which the scholars create as we go through the lesson. We have plenty of pictures, and often times, we add scholars graphic organizers or foldables to the wall.
Lorrie Ann
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Kelly, I am fascinated with the thought of creating a Scientist of the Month on your wall. There are so many ways you can implement this and provide engagement for students.
I created a collection of NSTA journal articles that offer suggestions on using biographies in the classroom that may help you find other ways to extend your Scientist of the Month idea.
Using Biographies Collection
(6 items)
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Sandy, I absolutely love What About Albert Einstein? Using Biographies to Promote Students’ Scientific Thinking. What a terrific resource to use to integrate biographies into the science classroom (word wall).
Thanks for sharing.
LA
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Lorrie, I absolutely love the idea of the word wall being a concept map. That intrigues me. It puts a whole other spin on things. How do you pull this off?
I am very interested!!
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Melinda, did you ever get those great ideas you were looking for to post on your word wall? I am beginning my life cycles unit in 2nd grade and I always am looking for new ways to get the kids thinking.
My mealworms arrived today and we are beginning with a quick intro to plants then animals, hoping to review 1st grade. I find that my students are never given the opportunity to explore the differences in animals before we have to learn about the specific life cycles. Any ideas to help this move faster?
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Hi Adah, Melinda, and Everyone who has contributed to this thread,
In answer to your question, Adah, about what Melinda might have meant by an object wall...
I am thinking it might be like the ones pictured in this article on pages 48 & 49:
Interactive Word Walls: Transforming Content Vocabulary Instruction
If you have a picture of your object wall, Melinda, we would love to see it. Or perhaps you could see if the samples in the article are what you mean by your object wall. Thanks,
Carolyn
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