A word wall uses students' vocabulary words as part of a wall decoration in a classroom. For example, use brown butcher paper to create a tree trunk and branches, and make leaves out of green construction paper. Write vocabulary words on the leaves. Any design that lets you add vocabulary words can be used in your classroom's word wall.
Incorporating vocabulary words from different subjects will broaden students' vocabularies, as well as show them that words are important outside of studying literature. This also helps reinforce what students are learning in other subjects. For example, if your students are learning about types of clouds in science, include “cumulus” as one of their vocabulary words.
Keep a journal in a prominent place in your classroom. Have students write unfamiliar words they find during assignments in the journal. Once a week, go over the words in the journal as a class. Give the students the definitions of the words and explain how they're used. This will help students understand words they encounter in assignments, as well as encourage them to look up words they don't know.
A "Word of the Day" will help strengthen students' vocabulary and promote literacy. As students increase their vocabularies, they will become stronger and more confident readers. They will also be more likely to read for pleasure. At the beginning of each day, write a word on the board. Give the students the definition of the word and an example of its usage. You can also find ways to incorporate the day's word into the day's lessons.