Wordle in First Grade

Well, it's the 176th day of school; only 4 more to go! Today was our very last day in the computer lab, and everyone was a little bit down. I decided this morning to make a Wordle with all of my first graders to use for the label of our end of the year CDs that hold all of our digital projects.



They were awed by the creation, so I taught them the basics of entering their name three times then adding descriptive words. We created a chart of nearly 40 words describing the people in our class and brought it with us to the lab. Each child typed their name three times, then each child proceeded to rotate around the lab, typing one describing word on each child's computer. After 17 rotations, each child created their Wordle, choosing their favorite visualization. We printed them as an end of the year memento.

As a rule of thumb, I usually introduce the lesson (or at least show a little) in the classroom sometime before going to the lab. Once we're in the lab, it's work time. Today's lab time took a full 45 minutes. In all, the entire lesson took about an hour. Having the describing words posted on the board made it easier for the students to gain inspiration.