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Math Vocabulary Word Wall
A math vocabulary word wall helps students to use math vocabulary words in context, and provide a foundation for activities for teaching vocabulary.
A word wall is one of the most useful activities for teaching math vocabulary.
Vocabulary that is essential to teaching children mathematics should be placed on a word wall.
Math vocabulary words are either Tier 2 or Tier 3 vocabulary. Many of the words have different meanings in mathematics from everyday situations.
Math vocabulary words can be displayed as concept maps, root words, and related words.
English language learners and low SES students must have also have a contextual input on the word wall.
Also, students own representations of math vocabulary words should be included.
Key words are highlighted for students to learn
Words are organized (related to units or alphabetically)
Students use math vocabulary words during writing as a resource for spelling
Students interact with words on the wall as they learn them
Word walls are instructional tools, not decorations
Activities for Teaching with a Math Vocabulary Word Wall
Building math vocabulary requires interactive teaching strategies that help students internalize difficult vocabulary words.
What type of math activities for elementary school children should teachers be using?
1. Give a clue, then ask students to find the word to go with your clue.
2. Play word wall bingo (3x3 grid – students write 9 words and teacher calls out the meanings).
3. Select two words and ask students to justify how they go together.
4. Ask students to sort and label groups of words from the wall. By not giving them the way to sort them, you are allowing the students to do a blind sort and create their own meaning.
5. Write poems about word wall words.
6. Say a sentence, but leave out a word from the Word Wall. Students use context clues to guess the missing word.
7. Scramble the letters in a word. Ask students to unscramble and figure out the word.
8. Play “Guess the Covered Word” with math vocabulary words.
9. Have students define and illustrate a word to show their understanding.
10. Give each student a word and tape it on their back. Students must travel the room asking Yes or No questions to find out what word they are.
11. Select a word, then ask students to create word chains, adding a word that connects in meaning to the first word, and then one that connects to that word, etc. Ask students to explain their connections.
12. Give a Word Bank of three to four Word Wall words. Ask students to define or describe a vocabulary word using the word bank. Great for teaching English vocabulary! (i.e. polygon, sides, angles; chord, diameter, radius, center; faces, edges, vertices).
