Word Banks

Word Banks are a collection of words students learn to read.

Word banks can be used for many purposes.  They can be used as a review prior to reading, as an assessment of what the students are learning, in comprehension by having the students categorize their words, and in writing by having the students use the words in sentences and paragraphs.

Instructions:

1) Students read through a passage with a small group, individually or through use of the Learning Experience Approach.
2) They underline or write words on post it notes that they have decoded which were previously unknown.
3) The teacher or a peer check to be sure the student can read the words listed or underlined.
4) The teacher then writes the words on small strips of poster board or sentence strips and the student adds them to their “word bank”. These can be stored in small tins, boxes, bags, etc.
5) The students can use these words to conduct different exercises. An example of some activities are:
     a) Put them in alphabetical order.
     b) Create sentences using them.
     c) Write sentences or a short paragraph including a specified number of the students’ word bank words.