Word wall

A word wall is literacy tool composed of an organized (typically in alphabetical order) collection of words which are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom. The word wall is designed to be an interactive tool for students or others to use, and contains an array of words that can be used during writing and/or reading.

Although typically associated with reading/writing instruction, word walls are becoming commonplace in classrooms for all subject areas due to their ability to foster phonemic awareness, display connections throughout word "families" (such as "-ick" words), serve as a support/reference for students, as well as create meaningful/memorable experiences with new vocabulary words.

Due to their flexible nature and ability to "grow" alongside the students, word walls can be used in classrooms ranging from pre-school through high school. Word walls are considered to be interactive and collaborative tools, as they are a student-created and student-centered artifact. Many variations of the word wall are currently in existence, including those featuring illustrations of the words and color-coded lists.