"Our Language Wall"

During the Global Read Aloud we started a language wall on our big whiteboard which is at one end of our room. It is the best way I have come up with which teaches kids about language features in an authentic context. 

How it works is as we read the chapters, we scaffold the kids to identify when the author has used some vivid language. We help them learn which language features are which, and add page numbers on the 'note-taking' board. When we have completed the reading for that day - we get the kids to then select a feature to add to the 'wall' using colour-coded post-its.

Colour-coding helps kids remember the particular feature and the page number is added so they can go back to the book if they need to.

What is SO COOL is watching the wall 'GROW'! As we read, we can add extra 'features' as they arise.

The book FISH by L.S. Matthews had some wonderful examples of a wide range of features. We also came across 'idioms' and began a list of these too. There were a few kids who were keen to take control of the wall and would regularly add stuff as we had come across them.

As we moved our way through the story our wall got more and more full of wonderful features. We are now seeing the kids using more language features in their own writing and it is so cool.

At the conclusion of the read aloud our wall was a fabulous vision of features and vivid vocabulary! 

Tell us if this way of learning LANGUAGE FEATURES has been good for you. 

Do you think it helped you learn the different types of features? 

Do you think it has helped you understand how vivid language can help make a story or piece of writing 'come alive'?

Leave a reply!