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.
- Free Plan
Bird Word Wall Vocabulary
Introduce your students to the features of birds and different bird species with bird related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Free Plan
Desert Word Wall Vocabulary
Spark discussion and build academic vocabulary with a desert related vocabulary word wall.
- Plus Plan
Gravity Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Immerse your students in gravity vocabulary with this set of 15 illustrated vocabulary cards perfect for a word wall display.
- Free Plan
Diwali Word Wall Vocabulary
Use these twenty-seven Diwali-related vocabulary cards for a word wall display when learning about the Festival of Lights.
- Plus Plan
Friction Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Immerse your students in friction vocabulary with this set of 15 illustrated vocabulary cards perfect for a word wall display.
- Plus Plan
Remembrance Day Write the Room Activity
Help your young students understand the meaning of Remembrance Day with a Remembrance Day Vocabulary wall and Writing Center.
- Free Plan
Halloween Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Print a variety of Halloween-related vocabulary cards for a word wall display during the month of October.
- Plus Plan
Understanding Angles – Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Promote maths vocabulary development with this set of 15 vocabulary cards focusing on angles.
- Free Plan
Inventions Word Wall Vocabulary
Print a set of vocabulary word wall cards to introduce Invention and Innovation concepts to your students during National Science Week.
- Plus Plan
Units of Measurement Word Wall Vocabulary
Print a pack of measurement vocabulary cards to help your students review academic vocabulary.
- Free Plan
Electricity Word Wall Vocabulary
Use this teacher-created electricity resource to teach electricity-related vocabulary. Build a word wall with your students during your electricity lessons.
- Free Plan
Magnets Word Wall Vocabulary
Expand your students' science vocabulary with printable Magnets word wall vocabulary cards.
- Free Plan
Christmas Word Wall Vocabulary
Create a Christmas Vocabulary display with a set of 60 Christmas terms for a word wall.
- Free Plan
Weather Word Wall Vocabulary
Use this teacher-created weather resource to teach weather vocabulary. Build a weather word wall with your students during your weather lessons.
- Plus Plan
Easter Vocabulary Cards and Writing Station
Get writing with this Easter-themed writing pack for the early years.
- Free Plan
St Patrick's Day Word Wall Vocabulary
Grow your students' vocabularies this St. Patrick's Day with a printable St. Paddy's vocabulary word wall.
- Plus Plan
Basketball Vocabulary Word Wall
Learn about basketball-related words with an illustrated word wall.
- Plus Plan
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Environmental Word Wall
Help your students learn about recycling and conservation with an illustrated word wall.
- Plus Plan
Fresh Fruits – Word Wall Template
A set of Fresh Fruits themed vocabulary word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Rainbow Arches – Word Wall Template
Create a generic word wall with this rainbow inspired design.
- Plus Plan
St. Patrick's Day Illustrated Vocabulary Word Wall
Help your young students learn and write about St. Patrick’s Day with an illustrated word wall and writing prompts.
- Plus Plan
Earth Day Write the Room - Kindergarten/Foundation
Help your young students learn and write about Earth Day with an Earth Day Write The Room Kindergarten Activity Pack.
- Plus Plan
Lavender Glow – Word Wall Template
Create a generic word wall with this lavender glow inspired design.
- Plus Plan
Lunar New Year Word Wall Vocabulary
Fifty-eight Lunar New Year related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
R Blend Word Wall Vocabulary
Forty-eight R blend vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
Valentine's Day Vocabulary Cards and Writing Center
Build a Valentine’s Day writing station with a printable word wall and writing prompt worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Acclimatised Civilisations – Word Wall
Content-specific vocabulary cards for a word wall based on the Acclimatised Civilisations Geography resources.
- Plus Plan
Colourful Insects - Word Wall Template
A set of Colourful Insects themed vocabulary word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Vet's Surgery Word Wall
A Vet's Surgery-themed word wall for your classroom.
- Plus Plan
Sorcerer Supplies – Word Wall Template
A set of Sorcerer Supplies themed vocabulary word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Circulatory and Cardiovascular System Word Wall
A set of Circulatory and Cardiovascular System themed vocabulary word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Doctor's Surgery Word Wall - Imaginative Play
A Doctor's Surgery-themed word wall for an imaginative play area.