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benbaaa

Now that my wonderful http://teakdoor.com/the-games-room/4...d-is-this.html (Whose word cloud is this?) thread has been banished to the Games room never to be seen again, here's a few ideas about using word clouds (Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds) in the classroom.

If your class has a reading text to deal with, scan the text and make a word cloud. Before they get suck into the reading, tell the students what a word cloud is. Then they can:

(a) predict what the text will be about;
(b) say whether they think it's from a magazine, newspaper, book, film review, etc;
(c) say whether they think it's an opinion-based text or a factual text, etc;
(d) say whether they think it's about the past, present or future;
(e) ask about any unfamiliar words they can see in the cloud.

Then they can read the original and check their answers to the above before they go on to any comprehension or grammar work, etc.

Here's a topical example to practise (a) to (e) with. Probably work well with 5-year-olds.

__________________
The sleep of reason brings forth monsters.

phuketbound

That is a wonderful idea, Benbaa.

--
On the same concept, have you heard of fridge poetry?

You can buy a jumble of words as magnets, and put them on your fridge. You can make sentences, and poems at will. I have some of these, and I often change it everyday to make a poem or a few sentences.

This could work in the classroom too. It would help children with their grammar and sentence structure. They can stick on whiteboards.

Just a few examples below.

chassamui

Some of your 'poetry' makes me think you could be a white witch PB?
Do you take your fridge to work with you everyday?

phuketbound

^That's not my poetry actually. Just an example I found. You can take the magnets to school, and they sell magnets for different themes. You can use these on the whiteboard. The students love to come up to the board and make sentences. If you really want them to get creative, it is a good way to introduce writing.

chassamui

For younger students, i reckon they would enjoy making their own magnetic strips and words, learning as they go.
Why buy something, when you know how much pleasure and satisfaction they get from small achievments.
They would all learn from word processing/printing/materials purchasing/art and design and manufacturing skills.
Shit........ maybe i should have been a teacher.

phuketbound

^Sounds like a great idea. Maybe you should of been.

To get them started, you can use the already mades ones, and move up to get them to make their own. It really depends on the level and ability of your class imo.

chassamui

Please don't quote me PB, i was only kidding about being a teacher. Besides i am retiring.

kingwilly

is that where it went....

I was wondering what happened to it!

great idea btw Benbarr.