In this episode of Fuel Up!, Katie and Kevin explore the power of interactive vocabulary walls to support K–5 literacy learning through EL Education. Joined by special guest Lyssa Cooper, a second-grade teacher at Cardinal Elementary, they discuss strategies to make vocabulary accessible, meaningful, and student-driven. From lowering the wall to modeling word use and encouraging student ownership, this episode is packed with practical tips, research insights, and inspiring classroom stories. Whether you’re new to EL Education or a veteran, this episode offers actionable steps to boost vocabulary instruction while energizing your classroom.
EL Education: Learn more about the K-5 Literacy Curriculum that forms the foundation of our conversations. Link to EL Education
Literacy Essentials – Best practices in literacy instruction
Beck, McKeown, & Kucan Research: Active engagement with words enhances retention.
Messi is okay.
Having an area to bring it down to their level has been extremely successful. It has a place, but it can be used. The student response. They live it because they built it. They use it because they have it. It's not something that's just displayed by the teacher. It's displayed by them.
Welcome back to fuel up a place for conversations with and for those using el education as a resource to support k5 literacy learning, we are so excited to have you with us for this week's episode. Today we zoom in on the topic of interactive vocabulary walls. We hope today's talk serves as a pit stop, a chance to swing by for some fresh energy, insights, encouragement and celebration as we work together to do what's best for our learners, this is a chance to fuel up. So wherever this finds you today, we hope you are able to pull over, take a breath and crank it up in that spirit. Here we go.
Hello, hello, Katie, it's good to be back with you here today. Right back at you, Kevin. I'm smiling and fueled up for today. Today's topic is one of my favorites, interactive vocabulary walls, and I have seen this done in such powerful ways. Absolutely.
I think these interactive vocabulary walls have been happening in our county this year, and it's really exciting to see students using big words.
I came across a new word for me my niece. I was having a conversation with her the other day, and she used this word. And I might need your help figuring this thing out. The word is cap. Like I'm used to it like when I was a kid, I had a baseball cap, and I still wear caps today, but place is a new word. Have you heard people using
cap? Like, Cap didn't crunch. I capped a bow. No, no.
The sentence was, let me see if I can get this right. I did all my homework. No cap. And I was like, oh, okay, tell me about that. So I guess no cap means, like, no lie. Like, that's not a lie. So I did my home. I did all my homework. No lie. Like, no cap. Have you heard that?
I have not, but I feel like this is a new word that I'm going to try to try to use today.
We might have, like, start our own vocab wall in our studio here. And just like, as we get new words with guests, we just put them up there. Maybe our first word is cap, so maybe we'll even have the chance to use it in our podcast today.
No cap. No cap. No lie, I think that's a good challenge for us.
So Katie, you and I have had conversations before about interactive vocabulary walls with educators in our county, and it just makes me crack up, because one of the things we did was we offered a resource. It's, I don't remember what it's called. They're like talking buttons, like you put a button and you can record a message, and it was one of the ideas we shared. Is teachers are working with vocab. One opportunity that they might offer their kids to interact with that is this a button where they could hit it and play this vocab word, and anyways, as a model, you made one, and somehow I ended up in a tub of school supplies that's been traveling around with me in the back of my truck. And every time I happen to hit a bump, hit hits the button, oh no, I'm like, Katie's in my back seat. So for the delight of our listeners, I'm gonna play this button today, and everybody's going to be able to hear your voice explaining the word interactive, and I'm going to invite them into the experience I have every time I hit a bump on the road. So here we go, interactive.
Interactive means some things that lets you take part and do things instead of just watching or listening interactive.
I don't know that's pretty solid.
I know I'm well done. That will be the second word on our wall. So we'll have cap and then we'll have interactive. Well, we are talking about interactive vocabulary walls today, and there might be somebody out there wondering, what does the current research have to say about vocabulary and making it interactive? So let's pause for a minute and let's get grounded. So Katie, what does the current research have to say about interacting with vocabulary?
So Kevin, there's a lot of research around vocabulary, but in Michigan, we have the essential instructional practices, which are 10 essential. Practices that are really just a current research around literacy. So one of the instructional practices is specifically around vocabulary. Instructional Practice number seven is intentional and ambitious efforts to build vocabulary and knowledge, including content and other cultural knowledge throughout the day, the teacher will select vocabulary words through text or through their curriculum. They will introduce word meanings to their student using child friendly explanations. They also will provide many opportunities for children to review and use those new vocabulary words over time, including discussing ways that new vocabulary words relate to one another into children's existing knowledge, addressing multiple meanings of a word across different contexts, and encouraging children to use new words in meaningful ways. This could be through discussions of text, discussions of content area, learning semantic maps as well as writing. There's also a quote from Beckham McKeown, when we have opportunities to actively think about and use word meanings, we are more likely to retain those word meanings, and the more we give students opportunities to use them, the more they're going to make those connections and use them on their own.
Yeah, now that we are grounded, we are excited to invite our guests to the table. Today, when I think about this teacher, I think of two words, enthusiasm and passion, if I'm in the building where this teacher teaches, I probably could enter the door with a blindfold on and find my way to her classroom, because she has this incredible way of bringing movement and song and dance and energy into her room. She's always so generous to allow me to come in and visit. A big welcome to Lisa Cooper, what's up?
Lisa? Hey, hey, hey, thank you for having me today.
Kevin, so good to have you. Lisa teaches second grade at Cardinal Elementary, and has been teaching with El education. This is year three, right, correct. Yes. With any guests, we always welcome them to fuel up with some fun fuel up questions. And so we got two today, and Katie's gonna take the first one.
Hey, Lisa, hello. So what is your go to snack or drink to fuel you up and get you moving,
to get me moving. In the morning, I'm quite the morning person, so I get up and I'm ready to rock and roll. However, I do have to have my coffee and or a little Aulani energy drink. So those two together fuel me up and get me rocking in the morning.
Coffee and energy drink will probably keep you moving most of the day, right?
Yes, I'm hyper by nature, but it was always, help me boost. Give me a boost. Fuel Up.
All right, so we've got coffee, energy drinks,
I think the Alani we might need to add to our snack list. Yeah, that's
new for me. Same, great flavors. What's the what's a go to flavor?
My go to flavor is pink slush and or cosmic dust. It's like a grape refreshing.
Sounds amazing.
Okay, Katie's gonna get those for us next time, next time. So the pink slush,
yeah, it's really delightful. You'll like it,
all right. Well, speaking of delighting, what song would you crank up to the max to fuel you up and launch your day?
Well, I am a big R, B, hip hop fan, so if we bring it back old school, a little Montel Jordan, this is how we do it. That's a
that would be a good one to add to our playlist. This is how we do it. Yeah, I was just thinking that. All right, so we are moving, and we've talked about our snacks to fuel us up. And speaking of fuel up, we're gonna fuel up around our topic today of interactive vocabulary walls. And I think we're ready to dive in. So first question, Lisa, as you think about the interactive vocabulary wall, where does that live? In? El education.
Well, when you think about it, it lives throughout. However, if I was to open up my module in lesson by lesson, it's right there, right at the beginning. It tells you, right there, what vocabulary words that you're going to focus on for the day, maybe how to start that interaction process with the students. It's often used into the writing. The writing components stretched along with the performance tasks itself,
so it lives mostly in that module lesson. You see it show up throughout that so it could be introduced into lesson. If you look at those teacher notes, they're listed at. The beginning, but you see it used like in the writing and the performance tasks and assessments, kind of all throughout it's kind of woven in, yep,
those trade books, those read those interactive read alouds that you have with your students, setting that tone for the day before you get into those read alouds, reviewing those vocabulary words, having the forefront, bringing it to the forefront, introducing those, letting the kids know to really listen in on the words that you will be introducing and hearing throughout the book.
So, Lisa, what does it look like in your classroom?
So the interactive word wall, it's underneath my whiteboard. Typically on the wall. It's at the students level, so if they're standing there, if they're sitting down on the carpet at that group time, we have at velcroed so it's day by day, we just kind of add to it and it lives right in front of them.
So your interactive vocabulary wall is actually lowered so students can use it Yes,
so we have the actual wall with the words that we have introduced as the weeks go on. However, I do have a designated space for the ones that we are introducing in for the day. So the daily vocabulary words that are within our lesson live on an easel to the side, so they know that those are the hot words of the day, those popcorn words of the day, those the words that we're really gonna be focusing on with our our movements, our song, our dance, and those are the ones we're really gonna be listening for and using throughout
the day. And then after that day, where do those go?
Oh, after the day, they get added to the wall with a piece of Velcro. At some point, they may be re introduced and or revisited. Throughout, we'll just take them right off that wall and put them right back on the easel, and we just kind of move and groove with them.
They are definitely interactive. You can use them. Students can use them at any part of their day.
Yes, we often see ourselves taking them off the wall and speaking and as you are as I'm speaking. Actually, sometimes throughout the day, I just have the habit of taking them off and holding the word as I'm talking and making reference to them. And you'll see those kids do the same thing when they're talking to a peer. At some point, they may be holding the word or running over to the word wall and identifying
that. And are these organized in alphabetical order, or how does that look?
Nope. It just very random. As we do throughout the lessons, we just kind of put them on the wall, and as the students are using them, they get used. Often they're used. So they get taken off and put back on. And sometimes the students arrange them in sequential order of maybe how they're using them within the sentence or the storytelling or their performance task of the day. So never do they go back in the same order. It's just very interactive.
So they're able to put them up however it makes sense for them, and then that next student might rearrange them, but it's a constant movement. Buzzwords very
correct. Can you speak into what the cards themselves look like? Sure, we
currently have them printed on tag board. They're laminated with some good laminate. They have the word bold and the definition, and some have a picture to enhance that way that the kids can maybe identify them and or bring meaning to them.
So your cards have the word itself, it's like a child friendly definition, and then an icon or a picture to support
that. Sometimes a symbol, some sort of a picture, depending on the word and or there's something to make reference to that.
Yeah. Katie, you and I have seen different examples of the interactive vocabulary wall, and those cards sometimes look different. Sometimes they might have the word and a child friendly definition in the icon, like we've seen them with the word and the definition, and sometimes we've seen them just with the word. I think all of those could work and be appropriate. It's kind of fun to see how each person designs and uses those cards.
I agree, and I think it's very different at different grade levels too. In kindergarten, you might choose to have the word in the picture at fifth grade, you might just have the word, I think it's very grade level and teacher specific, but all are appropriate.
You spoke to
how it's set up in your room, you have this main vocabulary wall that is down low so kids can interact with it. You also have this, like a setup board, or like a pre board, where the words of the day you said, the popcorn words, you interact with that, and they're kind of highlighted. Can you speak more into the wall itself and how it gets built? So if you think back to like the beginning of you know sometime in August or September, when the school launches, sure, and then looking ahead. Into, like, the end of a module. Just those, those vocab walls on a certain topic are going to stay up for that module. Can you speak through? Like, looking back to the beginning of a module to the end, like, how does that wall get built?
Sure you're gonna the students are gonna come in day one, week one, and there will be nothing on the board. Let me see little dots of Velcro. They will see the little dots of Velcro. That's where it's going to be. That's where it's going to live. I may speak of it within the first lesson. There may be three, four words that day after we talk about them, highlight them, make actions, dance with them, sing with them, learn about them. They will then go be placed on the wall itself. At the end of the module,
those will get taken down,
and then it will then be clear again as we introduce the next units, words. However, some of those words may be revisited, and some of those words may be on there for modules throughout the year. So just depending on the unit, the module the lessons, but it will start with zero and end up with many.
Yeah, and they they're building it with you correct. Come in, they don't see anything, then they might not even know at the beginning of the year what that how that wall functions. But as you go through the module, you're introducing the word, you're putting it up, you know, as a popcorn word for, you know, on this daily the board that they're interacting with, the words for that, for that day, and then they transition to this wall that they can interact with throughout. But as it's it's not something it would be. The opposite would be. They're coming in and the war, the walls built for them, correct, and it looks like this. It might be beautiful, like this, beautiful wallpaper, but they haven't had any input or interaction in building it or putting it together. And how you've done that is so smart to invite them into that, the conversation in the construction of that so they have input and it has meaning for them.
Yes, that's correct.
So speaking of input and meaning for them, you mentioned this already, but how are you intentional about giving them opportunities to interact with it? And what are those opportunities?
Our students have lots of opportunities throughout the modules and the lessons to do that a really successful way that I've seen work is splitting the students up into groups. We may have four or five different groups. Each of the groups may have their own paper copy of the words with the definitions on the back. We may have some arrows for them. They will work together cooperatively and just talk about how those words fit together to tell a story that usually happens closer to the end of each module. So there are many words that we've learned throughout is to kind of recap where we've lived for the last month or six weeks, or however long the module may be for you. So they tell a story, and they may respectfully disagree with one another. They talk it through, they know quite quickly that listening to the other groups present their mapping that words can be used in different ways, in different places, and that is okay, because no way is a wrong way, because oftentimes, as we both know that vocabulary words fit in different worlds, in different ways, though it's very Interesting to see those light bulbs come on the confidence that builds and they're learning from one another because they are facilitating their own learning through moving and discussing and telling a story through their words.
So you're really using those student talk protocols and adding vocabulary to them so students are able to collaborate and define the words and make connections.
Yes, that's also very enlightening too, because you often hear them refer to them even in line for lunch, or they'll be telling a story and they'll run over and grab a word. Or they may, you may hear it in the afternoon during, you know, a science time or a math time, and they may be telling a story about last night I saw a book about a hurricane or and telling a story about something that's happened, maybe at their house at night, and making reference to the word so it's really turning on some light bulbs. It's enhancing their conversations. And it's, you know, bringing their conversations outside of the actual Yale block itself, absolutely.
And that goes right back to that research that we talked about, that you're giving them opportunities to use and talk about word meanings, and they're going to be able to retain them even more by those opportunities.
Yeah. Yes, for sure. For sure, it's been proven. It's, I've seen it, it's, it's, they are very, very proud of themselves. The facial expressions are priceless when they talk about their stories.
One of the examples that Katie noted in the research earlier was giving kids an opportunity to map these words out. You had referenced that like this activity with mapping, there may be a listener that that's new talk just for a minute. When you get to the point that kids have enough words that they can interact with a group of them, maybe it's around fossils. What does that mapping activity look like?
Yeah, simply getting the groups and starting to talk about the words in which we've learned throughout that module. And they'll have arrows and little pieces of pre cut words. And they simply. We can give them sentence starters. We can give them sentence stems. Talk to me about the process of fossilization, or talk to me about what you know about excavating and where, where do we start? Where's our journey? And they use those words to build a road map. If you say wow with words arrows, they may take up a large space of the carpet. It's not a tabletop activity, really well, at least in the second grade world and where we live, they're on their hands and knees. They're building it. And depending on the story they tell, some of their maps look like, you know, the whole car map, when you see those little towers playing with their car and on the road, yeah, like a little road map to, you know, the end product,
they're getting the opportunity to use those words Yes, as Katie mentioned earlier, and also talk about the relationship between them, like, how can I use these words and how they relate and interact with each other to tell a story? Yes? In second grade, those mapping activities are built right into the curriculum. You have lessons for those correct yes, as we think about our listeners from kindergarten up through fifth grade, there are some grades similar to second grade that have those activities built right in to the lessons. There may be another grade that maybe that activity doesn't show up, but it could easily be incorporated in like to take a few minutes and say, Hey, let's just pull our words down and take a minute and get in a group and just interact with that. And it's so fun to hear you share the expressions and the response from your students when they're doing that. They love that. Number one, they're out of their seats and they're interacting. We know, from an educator standpoint, they're getting good practice based in research of being able to use these words and interact with them, but from their standpoint, they're loving it.
They really are. And then they have the opportunity to to present to the class, right? So each group gets to share their their roadmap, their vocabulary, you know, mapping with the class. And they are very similar, but yet they're very different. At the same time, they want to save them, they don't want to take them down. So there's been, there have been times where we have just taken chart paper and a roll of tape and let them tape them out, hang them up for a while so they can make reference to them, and just to see their hard work, see how they fit.
You talked about some of the reactions that you've seen with your students. What have you noticed about yourself as you've implemented the interactive vocabulary walls, and what have you noticed about your students?
Sure, this is my 27th year in education, and I think that the times have definitely changed to where it's all neat and cute posted on a wall with cute little dots. I've noticed about myself, is messy is okay? Having an area to bring it down to their level has been extremely successful, and knowing that it has a place, but it can be used. And I think that allowing yourself to try it, get messy with it, and know that it's okay. The student response. They live it because they built it. They use it because they have it. It's not something that's just displayed by the teacher. It's displayed by them.
For yourself, you've
come to peace that it doesn't always need to be, yes, cutesy and decorated. Not that these can't look nice, right, right? They do look nice, but taking the extra time to make it cute that, oh, man, I don't want any kid that touched this, because it might change and not look as nice. You've given your you've come to peace of I want this thing used, and if these cards look worn and patterned, that's a success in my book. When I walk in and they, they they look all ragged, I can celebrate this thing is being used and for the benefit of our learners.
Students own it. Students own it. Students own it. Some of them have even taken index cards to make do. Duplicates to write them out to display it in a different area of the room, perhaps where student work is put up, you may want to add to it. Sure go for it,
so that engagement piece really trumps the cuteness. Yeah, no, cap,
right, yeah, high five. Whoops. We used it. We used it. Got it? No cap. I'm gonna, that's gonna be a hashtag, engagement over cuteness,
yeah, in it, no cap.
You have paid Okay, that's true. And the engagement itself and the heart behind it, seeing the passion, it is cute. No cap.
You talked a minute about how this has changed for you over time. Yes, you mentioned some things you've noticed with students, but just to open that up, if you want to go any deeper, as you've leaned into this practice of making your vocabulary wall interactive, What things have you noticed with your students?
They're excited. They're more engaged. They own it. They want to they want their turn. They want to have that opportunity to use it, rearrange it. And bigger success rates. I think that even in their performance tasks using it, referencing how to spell words correctly and sentence structure. It just they use those words to help form when they're stuck.
Can you speak more into that you talked about them owning it and them using it. You gave one practical example of them using it with the Performance Task. Give a few other examples, practical examples, of how kids use it during the day.
Sure, I think even a lot of times when we turn and talk, or we use sentence stems, or when they're recalling information or and having those discussions, they may just simply run over there and say, oh my gosh, remember when? Or, Hey, this is what I mean. This is what I'm talking about. This is it the monsoon? If they can't recall a word, they're trying to have a conversation with a peer, which I've seen that, they will run over to the wall and say, Yes, this is Oh, monsoon. That's right. This is what I'm talking about. So I think it's just one of those light bulb moments of it's there. They know it's there, it's it helps them recall and continue their storytelling, or their making those connections with experiences maybe they they have not firsthand had, but using the motions and the song, and creating our own stories brings it alive to them, if that makes sense, yeah, to continue that conversation with peers, I think I
mean you think about these module topics, whether it's weather or fossils, these words are they can be tough, like it's a sophisticated language. And to see your second graders and our students in K through five, using this sophisticated content focused language in their conversations has got to be a fun celebration for you.
And I think that too. I've seen, you know, they watch the news if they hear the news of their parents or something, and some area had an earthquake, or they'll come to school the next day at breakfast and say, oh my gosh, last night I saw an article, or I saw the news segment on the earthquake, and they will make reference to those vocabulary words in which we may have spoken of prior
connections to real life. Yes, what they're learning in the classroom can extend out size. Their parents gotta love that. That's where we were gonna love that, right?
So you've spoken a lot about your interactive vocabulary wall, but how has this practice for you changed over time?
I think that it's changed with the engagement piece. It's more it's not dictated anymore. It's facilitated, and I think that the teacher is doing more of those facilitated, open ended questions, bringing it to the kids, where the kids are teaching one another within and I think them having their hands in it, versus listening and watching and making reference from around they're in it and using it and playing with it.
So students are in the driver's seat, yes, instead of the teacher, yeah. Teachers sitting maybe as a co pilot or CO driver, yes. And those students are, you know, taking that wheel and really making those connections where they need to go for their learning. We see
much higher level thinking that way. You know, you're constantly open, asking those open ended questions and making connections that way, versus just sitting and getting
and then one other thing you mentioned is you lowered your vocabulary wall. Has it always been lowered? Or did you used to have it higher?
It was higher. Yeah, it has not always been low. And so knowing what we know now with the current research and how kids learn today, and really getting to know your students and what they need, it's just lends itself for effective teaching in success,
making your room. Student centered.
Yes, some good conversations around interactive vocabulary walls, and it's time for small steps. Lisa, as you think about our listeners, some who may be jumping into El education for the first time, others who have been using this curriculum for years. If you could invite them to be mindful of one thing around those interactive vocabulary walls, what small step would you invite them to consider
the biggest thing you could do right now, if you're just getting started, is lower the wall. Okay, you know you can use the wall. You can use pocket charts, whatever is your style, bring it, I think, and just make it, make sure that it's to their level, whether they're sitting, standing, and they just have that opportunity to use it
and move it, bring it down.
And we know, as teachers, you know, space is difficult. Space is difficult, and put it on a door, put it on a wall, put it on a cabinet. Just find somewhere where you can utilize it to, you know, the bottom half of your room.
What do you think about having it close to your whole group meeting area?
That's where I currently have mine. Can you speak into that? And I think that it's, it's intentional for me to put it there, because as I speak, I use my hands, I use a lot of, you know, movements, and I talk and peel words. So I may be talking, and I will peel a word off, and I may not even make reference to that. I'm holding the word. I am just using the word. And so having it there for me, in addition to the kids, has been helpful to show them that it's okay. And I've seen that the students do to do, to talk and grab,
oh, my goodness, I just had a light bulb. Like in all the conversations Katie, you and I have heard about interactive vocab walls. I've always thought about it through the lens of students interacting with it, but Lisa, what you just said about teachers interacting with it, and as you might be having a conversation with students, the educator might go and pull that out and using not even say anything, just using it as a support to the learning and the conversation is brilliant. Bringing that visual,
yeah, well, that modeling piece like you as the teacher, modeling that for students is huge.
Man, sound effects, movements, dancing, holding it. Bring it alive. Make it alive. Love it as
we close up this episode, we hope you got some fuel in the tank and leave us some fresh energy for the weeks ahead. And we're going to close things off today with high fives and hitchhikers. Here's the cool thing, we have the power to re energize and refuel those around us. So find a colleague. It could be the person next door. It could be the person across the hall, maybe it's in another grade. Find that colleague and give them a high five. Tell them you got this. Remind them you're a rock star and pick them up as a hitchhiker, invite them to join the conversation and take a seat with us at the table. All the best to you and see you next time on fuel up