I am currently in a workshop in Portland, OR, working on beginning the year strategies, and we are discussing better ways to build a word wall. This is in keeping with my new focus on using emergent language, and allowing the kids to drive the content and pacing of what happens in our classrooms.
One idea that we are working out right now is the idea that we can begin the year with Circling with Balls and use the language that emerges from the students’ interests as the first elements of our class-created word wall.
A student job called the Word Walla (from the Hindu word “walla” referring to a person’s profession, e.g. “auto-walla, driver of an auto rickshaw” can be in charge of adding to the class’ word walls, or reminding us to do so as new words arise.
In this way, the teacher can use words that are of interest to the class as well as build a bank of words that can be used when starting One Word Images and other beginning the year strategies.
I suggest adding new words from all classes in real time as they occur. One might object that this allows too many new words on the wall too fast. But after awhile as the words are used over and over in all the classes they become part of what is really a high frequency word list on the wall. I think it can work. Reports from the field on this topic from those trying it this year are welcome.