Doing Math the Routty Way: Engaging Activities from A to Z (Day 22)

Word Wall Activities- Make your word wall come alive! Learning math vocabulary and terms is essential to students understanding the skills and concepts necessary for mastery of the content at each grade level. As we very well know, vocabulary can make or break a student on an assessment. If they do not understand the words, they cannot make sense of the question. It’s important that students interact with the vocabulary words on a regular basis in order to truly understand them.

Math word walls can be organized by topic or letter. A word wall can even be organized by both letter and topic using colored word strips. Individual word walls can also be used to highlight a specific set of words (see the picture below) or to better show connections and relationships. 

Word Wall Activity Ideas: 

• Once a week, take 5-10 minutes out of the day to review the words. Choose a word to define and say, “I’m thinking of a word wall word that means (insert the definition here).” Ask students to raise their hands to respond. Repeat the process for 5-10 words. Over time, with regular use of this activity, students will become more proficient with their math vocabulary.
• Ask two students to pick a word from the word wall. Have student groups determine how the words are related. After all student groups have had the opportunity to discuss the relationship, share out as a class. This is a great way to have students think about the relationship between words. 
• Give each student a whiteboard. Have students create a visual definition, illustration, for each word. Then, have students discuss how their visuals match the definition with a partner or classmate.

The vocabulary cards pictured above are part of Mrs. C’s Classroom’s Multiplication and Division Word Wall Pack from Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s a freebie!