Word Walls for Teachers
Are word walls a part of your strategy for boosting literacy skills in the classroom? Or maybe you're looking for word wall ideas and printables to add to your teacher toolkit?
The Teach Starter teacher team has carefully created and curated this collection of word walls for primary teachers to cover your needs — whether you're helping your kindergarten class stay on track with sight words or introducing new social studies vocabulary to your year 3 class!
New to this concept? Our expert English teachers have got you covered with a few quick tips to help you determine if a word wall is right for your classroom!
What Is a Word Wall?
A word wall is pretty much what the name implies — a classroom wall display with words in large print that can be read by students from across the room.
What goes on a word wall? Oh, the possibilities!
- Sight words
- Unit vocabulary
- Parts of speech
- Prepositions
- Content area words
- High-frequency words
- Word families
- Spelling words
- And more!
Used as an interactive tool, word walls tend to start out small and grow as you progress through a lesson or unit and students learn new sight words or vocabulary to be added to their word wall.
One idea for a word wall is to add words throughout the school year as students learn new vocabulary.
How to Make a Classroom Word Wall
If this all sounds good so far, let's talk about how to actually create a word wall. There are plenty of ideas out there, from using pictures alongside the words to printing your words on fun shapes, but here are some important tips our teacher team stands by:
- Make sure your words are printed in large text that can be easily read even by students seated across the room.
- Keep contrast in mind to ensure readability — you might want to use a dark background with lighter text.
- The organisation is key! Many word walls are set up in alphabetical order to make it easier for students to find the words they are looking for right when they need them, but you may want to organise unit vocabulary terms by how they connect to one another or group word families together.
- Choose a spot on your classroom wall that has space for additional words to be added.
- Keep your students' usage in mind when you mount words to the wall. Using sticky tack or similar mounting putty will make it easier for students to remove a word and take it back to their desks when necessary. You can also set up a word wall with wall hooks and place words on book rings (or looseleaf rings) so students can take them down to flip through!
Easy Word Wall Ideas
Looking for easy-peasy word wall ideas? Our team has got those for you, too, with word lists developed by teachers for teachers! Explore this collection of printable word walls that cover a variety of subjects and grade levels to save your precious planning time.
- Print and display the vocabulary cards that are provided.
- Use the customise option to add content words of your own.
- Use the blank cards at the end of the resource to add any specific words that your class finds during their learning experiences.
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Night and Day Word Wall
A set of vocabulary words related to night and day.
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Biography Writing Word Wall
A set of 30 vocabulary words related to biography writing.
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Groovy Flowers – Word Wall Template
Create a generic word wall with this groovy flowers inspired design.
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Chemical Sciences: Clever Changes – Word Wall
Seventy-eight content-specific vocabulary cards for a word wall based on Chemical Sciences.
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Word Wall Display Banner
A classroom display banner to use on your 'Word Wall' display board.
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Mathematics Word Wall
A set of Mathematics related vocabulary to immerse students in mathematical terms.
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Dinosaur Word Wall Vocabulary
Fifty-four dinosaur related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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Insect Word Wall - Insect Names and Pictures
Use a printable insect word wall to introduce your students to the creepiest, crawliest creatures on the planet.
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Australia and Its Neighbours - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
Sixty-three mapping vocabulary cards for Geography.
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Seasonal Changes Words and Definitions Display
Display this easy-to-read seasons word set in your classroom as you investigate seasonal changes with your young students.
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Weathering and Erosion Word Wall Vocabulary
Expand your students' science vocabulary with a weathering and erosion word wall.
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Magnetism Vocabulary Cards
Reinforce science vocabulary in your classroom with this set of word wall cards that focus on magnetism.
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Ancient Egypt Word Wall Vocabulary
Download a printable set of 36 Ancient Egypt-themed vocabulary word wall cards for your classroom
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Penguins – Word Wall Template
A set of Sorcerer Supplies themed vocabulary word wall cards.
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Plain Orange - Word Wall Template
A set of plain orange-themed vocabulary word wall cards.
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Mathematics Word Wall with Diagrams
A set of 60 Mathematics-related vocabulary words with accompanying diagrams to explain key mathematical terms across three strands.
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Silk Road Word Wall
A set of vocabulary cards for a silk road word wall.
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Geography Word Wall Poster
Use this Word Wall Poster to identify geography vocabulary in your classroom.
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Early Explorers Word Wall
A vocabulary word wall to display and use in the classroom when learning about early explorers up to the late eighteenth century.
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What's the Story of My Place? - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
36 What's the Story of My Place vocabulary cards.
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British Colonisation of Australia - Word Wall
An Australian Colonisation themed word wall to use in the classroom.
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Exploring Australia's Connection with Other Countries - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
37 exploring Australia's connection vocabulary word wall cards.
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Learning Areas - Word Wall - Economics and Business
A set of Economics and Business-themed vocabulary word wall cards.
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What Places Are Like - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
23 features of places vocabulary word wall cards.
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How People Use Places - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
40 places and their uses vocabulary word wall cards.
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Exploring Yesterday and Today – History Word Wall Vocabulary
27 exploring yesterday and today vocabulary cards.
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Early Explorers - History Word Wall Vocabulary
Forty-two Early Explorer related vocabulary cards.
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Free Easter Word Wall Vocabulary Display
Create a fun Easter-themed write-the-room activity and boost vocabulary skills surrounding the Easter holiday with a printable Easter word wall.
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Animal Flash Cards & Word Wall
Read, write and identify animals around the world with a printable animal word wall with pictures.
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Kindness Vocabulary Word Wall
Learn vocabulary around the topic of kindness with this set of word wall cards.
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Ocean & Marine Word Wall Vocabulary
64 marine life word wall vocabulary cards.
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Desert Word Wall Vocabulary
Spark discussion and build academic vocabulary with a desert related vocabulary word wall.