I am always looking for new ways to engage my students as they read throughout the day.  I was looking for a way to make reading about the early explorers and the colonies that sprang up in early America.  I had a “Duh!” moment as I remembered word splashes!

Word splashes are posters of words that I choose from an article I want to read with my students.  I write the words in all directions and colors.  The words can be angled, vertical, or horizontal.  The words can be shaped in any way the writer wants to draw them.   The students then use the words as clues and try to guess what the article might be about.

My students this year need a lot of modeling and practice.  I had them use an article  that we had already read about the Renaissance and had them choose words they felt were important and I wrote them on my Smartboard using all kinds printing and angles.  I, then, gave each table of students a section of their Social studies.  They had to choose the important words and put them on construction paper.  The rest of us then had to figure out what section of the lesson was being shown in the word splash.

They jumped on the assignment like a chicken on a June bug!  Without realizing it, the students read and re-read their section and were discussing what words were most important.  The conversations I heard as I walked the room were on target and focused.   I am including examples from the class.    Try it with your class and let me know how it goes!!!