Wordle is a great tool for creating word clouds. In the past I have used the website to create word clusters to preview an unit, to review major concepts with the class, and to stir up some class discussion.
Recently, I used Wordle to teach character traits during our class study of Lord of the Flies. I have included a recap of the 2 day lesson below. Even though my focus was Lord of the Flies, this activity could apply to any novel study.
Day One
Step 1
Students worked in groups for this assignment - we had fun creating group names for each group (for example: Team Piggy, Team Beastie, Team Fair Hair, etc).Each group received 5 sheets of paper. With a stopwatch in hand, I gave the groups 3 minutes to write whatever words and phrases came to mind when I mentioned one of the story’s characters. I then collected what each group wrote down. We repeated this process four more times, except each time I shaved 15 or so seconds off the clock.
Step 2
I (randomly) gave each group the list of words for a character from our class brainstorm. For example, one group received all of the lists that were created for Ralph and another group received Jack and so on. Each group was given 2 tasks.
One) Each group member had to write a paragraph describing the character their group had been assigned. They were free to discuss the character with their group and review the lists of characteristics the class created, but they were still required to write their own, unique paragraph.
One) Each group member had to write a paragraph describing the character their group had been assigned. They were free to discuss the character with their group and review the lists of characteristics the class created, but they were still required to write their own, unique paragraph.
Two) The group had to type the list of words created by each group, making sure to include words that were repeated (this is important for Wordle). Step 3
Once all of the work was completed, each group created a Wordle for their character using the paragraphs each member composed and the list of typed words. The Wordles created by the students are posted on the right side of this blog entry.
Day Two
Step 4
Print outs of each Wordle were on the desks for each group.
Each group was instructed to look at the word clouds for a few minutes (including their own). In their groups they could discuss words they agreed with, disagreed with, words they’d add, words they’d remove, and words they’d alter (for size).
Students documented this discussion with a graphic organizer in their notebooks, example included below:
Name | 5 Best Words Used | Words to Remove | Words to Add | 5 Size Changes |
Ralph | ||||
Piggy | ||||
Jack | ||||
Sam and Eric | ||||
Simon |
Step 5
We ended this activity by viewing and discussing the Wordles together. We discussed common words for removal, reasons for size changes, missing words, and the best words included in the word clouds.For two days we had great discussions about the characters in the Lord of the Flies and came away understanding them a bit better.
