

“I want them to enjoy reading, so it’s not like they have to jot down every word they don’t know. “This course is built around choice reading, so they have all these words in front of them,” Cunningham said. Sometimes, everyone savors something ridiculous sounding - “shadoof” or “yammer” - just for the fun of it. It’s all part of a daily dive into vocabulary, from exploring Greek and Latin roots to discussing selected words such as “aplomb” or “enraptured” from readings or the wall. “Words picked by his students are always chosen in context and help to elevate and expand their language usage.”
#Wordwall harry potter how to#
“Andy’s word wall is a great example of how to spark curiosity with his students about the English language,” Park Forest Principal Karen Wiser said. From the stacks, students choose the next crop of Scrabble winners for an eye-catching linguistic celebration. Each card includes a paraphrased definition, a drawing illustrating the meaning and a sentence with the correct usage.īy late May, vocabulary folders bulge with cards clipped together. They can’t wait for their turn to contribute to the legacy.”īefore they can step up to the board with chalk markers, however, students follow a yearlong writing program that includes making vocabulary cards with unfamiliar words culled from readings. “It’s a neat thing, and the kids are always excited when they get to add to it,” Cunningham said.

Students choose words that stood out for them throughout the class, anything they think future eighth-graders should know. A blackboard as colorful as a flower garden presents a vivid mosaic of dictionary heavyweights such as “miasmic” and “gossamer” - written, often in whimsical script, by eighth-graders at the end of the year.Ĭunningham calls it a “word wall,” a tradition in its fifth year that caps a systematic approach to building vocabulary and a love of language. Proof lines one wall of his Park Forest Middle School room. In Andy Cunningham’s academic literacy class, students always get the final word. Helping Humble, TX School District (HIDDEN).Strategic and other Comprehensive Plans.School Closings, Delays and Early Dismissals.ESSA Federal Report (District Fast Facts).Gifted Support/Learning Enrichment (OLD) Hidden.Reclaiming Individual Talent (RIT) Program.

PA System of School Assessment (PSSA/Keystone).International Baccalaureate Programmes (IB).
