Word Clouds
Intended students: Any level, reading/listening or integrated skills course
Time needed: 5 minutes teaching preparation, 5 minutes (or more) for class pre-reading discussion
Objectives:
Procedure:
Materials:
Evaluation: Wordle is a very easy program to use, but sometimes it is a bit slow as it generates the file.
References:
B. Dalton, & D. L. Grisham. (2011). eVoc Strategies: 10 Ways to Use Technology to Build Vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 64 (5), 306-317.
Wordle: www.wordle.net
Time needed: 5 minutes teaching preparation, 5 minutes (or more) for class pre-reading discussion
Objectives:
- To raise interest and activate schema before a reading or listening task
- To identify and/or introduce key vocabulary in a text
- To practice predictions for text content
Procedure:
- Visit http://www.wordle.net/ to create the Wordle. Copy/paste some or all of the text into the Wordle field. Edit the colors, layout and fonts as desired. Then print to PDF, or take a screenshot and save as a jpeg file.
- In class, show the Wordle to launch an opening discussion about a story the class will listen to or read. What do you think this story is about? Make predictions based on the words displayed. Define any key words students may not know.
- Read/listen to the story.
- Show the Wordle again. Discuss: Were you right in your predictions?
- To follow-up, have students write a short story or personal experience related to the topic.
Materials:
- List of vocabulary
- Created Wordle file, printed or displayed on classroom screen
- Digital version of reading text or listening transcript
Evaluation: Wordle is a very easy program to use, but sometimes it is a bit slow as it generates the file.
References:
B. Dalton, & D. L. Grisham. (2011). eVoc Strategies: 10 Ways to Use Technology to Build Vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 64 (5), 306-317.
Wordle: www.wordle.net