Word Walls in the Secondary Classroom

Elementary schools are no stranger to the prevalence and positive influence of having a word wall up in the classroom. It allows reinforcement of academic vocabulary and can help joggle the brain when a newly acquired word is forgotten. In secondary schools, word walls have also begun to be integrated into classrooms and the effects are positive.

A few years ago while I was still teaching in Texas our administrators expressed to us that they want to see word walls in the classroom. At first, I was not thrilled about it. I was actually hesitant since I already had a mirage of academic support tools I had to implement on a regular basis. The first time I created a word wall, I actually had my students create 8” x 8” squares that they designed around a word I assigned each. Due to my art background, I explained I wanted them very colorful and I wanted illustrations that reflected the word. I had a few students really shine with the project, but I noticed many of my sophomores struggled. It is not easy to come up with illustrations for science topics when you are new to learning about them. It took much longer than I expected and it was a battle to have the students draw and write large enough for us to be able to read the word from the bulletin board. That experience led me to create word wall coloring pages which I hand illustrated.

Word wall coloring pages allow students to still create a beautiful piece of art for display, but it is not as time-consuming nor frustrating for students who were not blessed with artistic talent. The bottom portion of the worksheet gives students room to write the definition, find an example/simile, and non-example / antonym. There is also room for students to use the word in a sentence. Word wall Coloring pages allowed my students to use less time to finish the word wall and it was an activity that is easily used to introduce a new unit or do it at home with no help.

Another positive aspect of the word wall coloring pages is the relaxation that comes from sitting quietly and using color. Adult coloring books have made a large impact on techniques for relaxation. I have noticed that word wall coloring pages are a welcome assignment for students following a test. It allows students to utilize their right brain in left-brain subjects. Another interesting outcome is I have noticed my students taking more care in their work. Fine motor skills are often overlooked by the time students enter high school, but these skills are still important and should be fostered in teens.  Students can still improve handwriting during their high school years and coloring helps.

Here is a link to a free set of coloring sheets for the scientific method.

I also have multiple sets of word wall coloring pages by the topic or you can purchase all the science coloring posters I have created thus far.

Science Posters 190+ Word Wall Coloring Sheets: Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Life Sciences Posters 140+ Vocabulary Terms: Biology, Anatomy, Ecology

Physical Science 45+ Word Wall Coloring Sheets, Chemistry & Physics

Science Tools for ESOL / ESL

I began my teaching career in El Paso, Texas. Living on the border to Mexico, teachers have the highest rates of ESOL / ESL students in American schools. What many people do not realize is that these students often come to the U.S. once they enter high school. In Juarez, Mexico families have to pay for high school, so often arrangements are made to send the students across the border where secondary education is free. El Paso high schools are then left with a huge influx of students who have a bare minimum amount of English, or possibly none at all. We also get students who moved back and forth across the border during their schooling and therefore did not master English nor Spanish. Now I teach in California and I have ESOL / ESL students with Asian, Russian, and sometimes Syrian or African backgrounds.  All of these students are teens with knowledge of Science concepts, just not in English.

In order to help these students, excel we first have to overcome the language barrier. Thankfully in some languages, the science vocabulary is filled with cognates, but often common words we use to help explain the concepts are not. I have created Science posters specifically for ESOL / ESL students. These Science posters focus on the English word but have space for the students to write the word in their native language or take notes. Many ESOL / ESL classes focus on English or Math, as a result, there are not as many resources for science. Thankfully there are some publishers who have created Spanish glossaries and Spanish editions, but what about all the other languages our ESOL /ESL students speak? The Science Word Wall ESOL / ESL posters are not focused on any specific foreign language. Any student from any background can use them. The coloring aspect is soothing and gives the students a moment to relax and reflect since the images illustrate the target word. The posters are a similar assignment as the native English speakers and can be displayed together without a difference in content. It is just a nice way to support our ESOL / ESL students.

Science ESOL / ELL 195+ Word Wall Coloring Sheets: Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Life Sciences ESOL / ELL 140+ Word Wall Coloring Sheets: Biology & Anatomy

Physical Science ESOL / ELL 50+ Word Wall Coloring Sheets, Chemistry & Physics