Ideas for Using Word Banks
"How do you spell cow?"... "How do you spell horse?" ..."How do you spell barn?"...
If you're a teacher, chances are you have spelled a LOT of words. You've probably said "sound it out" and "stretch it out" and "what sound do you hear first" and "what words do you know like that word" until you thought you were going crazy! Kudos to you if you used those cues, but sometimes it is very, very, very helpful to have a word bank!
Kids love word banks! Word banks encourage them to write new vocabulary words they may not have used before. They give kids the confidence to write words they could not spell on their own. They include words with phonics and spelling patterns you may not have introduced yet. Word banks also allow them to begin editing their work by checking their spelling.
Teachers love word banks! Word banks allow you to focus on your small group without leaving your independent kids flailing in deep end of the writing pool. Providing word banks introduces kids to a strategy for checking the spelling of unknown words (like how I text myself to see if I am mispelling something). Word banks also provide inspiration for students who struggle with a topic or details.
With my little ones, I like to use word banks that have pictures to match every word. With young writers, there is a good chance that if they can't spell it, they might not be able read it in a list of words. Pictures help them find the word and support them when they are illustrating.
Here are some of the ways teachers are using word banks in their classroom.
Classroom Posters
You can create beautiful anchor charts for your classroom. These posters can be permanent displays or they can be updated with changing seasons and themes. They are perfect for Read the Room activities too!
Writer's Notebooks
You can glue word banks into your students' writing notebooks. This provides them with support as they are writing about new topics. They can always go back to the word bank to practice reading words or spelling words.
Classroom Word Book
A classroom word book is a simple and effective way to keep all of your word banks organized and ready for kids! Just put each page into a page projector and then put them in a binder. Kids can flip through the pages to find the words that need. You can glue ribbons to the back of the binder to create page markers.
You can keep your Classroom Word Book at your writing center. Some teachers choose to make several copies for their classroom so fewer students have to share.
Writing Center
Setting up a new writing center has never been easier! Simply choose a topic for your little writers and add the matching word bank! You can attach the word banks to a bulletin board, put them inside clear plastic frames, or glue them on the outside of a folder.
If you want to add something special, you can dress up your center with decorations, pencils from the Dollar Spot, or cute papers. Here are some of my favorite writing centers:
Writing Center
Setting up a new writing center has never been easier! Simply choose a topic for your little writers and add the matching word bank! You can attach the word banks to a bulletin board, put them inside clear plastic frames, or glue them on the outside of a folder.
If you want to add something special, you can dress up your center with decorations, pencils from the Dollar Spot, or cute papers. Here are some of my favorite writing centers:
Word Folders
Word folders are portable word banks. Writers can grab the folder they need, take it to their seat for writing, and then return it when they are finished. You can get this Family Word Bank for free here.
