Word Clouds

By Meredith via Wordle

When my Kindergarten students first begin using the SHIFT key, they practice typing their name during a Wordle assignment.  Each child is assigned a computer in the lab.  They each open Wordle from our Learning Links (direct link to Create, not the actual home page), then type their name three times so it will appear the largest in the word cloud.  Students begin rotating to each computer, typing their name in Title Case, until they have typed their name in everyone's Wordle page.  After they click Create, they choose their design.  We print these so the children can take home a class list of student names.  The possibilities with Wordle are endless--what about a Wordle highlighting the Tier II vocabulary in a book or action verbs?

*Double names (only in the South) can be tricky.  Some word cloud apps use ~ to connect the two names or quotes.

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.

Wordle

I am starting my blog today. This is the very end of my third year teaching first grade, and I am currently in my second Master's in Technology class. Only 9 more to go! Hopefully this blog will help me keep up with some of the more interesting and noteworthy projects I create. Today I learned how to take a paragraph and create a word cloud out of it using Wordle. By typing my name three times at the start of the paragraph, I ensure that my name appears large in the cloud. If I want first grade to appear together, I enter it as first~grade.