Word Clouds in the Differentiated Classroom
Special Education & English Language Learner Teaching Strategies
Aug 29, 2009
Word clouds turn text into a visual representation or an information graphic. Think of the information graphic as visual shorthand used to communicate complex concepts. Word clouds are a special form of infographic that are text-based rather than picture-based. The words from the original text are arranged in collage fashion in the graphic. Word clouds visually highlight the most often used words in the passage. The more frequently a word appears in the text, the larger its size in the visual design. The user can alter the colors, style and layout of the word collage.
Word clouds have many applications in the classroom. Word clouds appeal to visual learners. The word cloud infographic helps teachers differentiate for Special Education and English Language Learners because the graphic highlights what is most important in the text.
Make a Word Cloud With Wordle
Wordle, is a free Web 2.0 tool that makes it easy to create word clouds. Wordle was created by IMB researcher Jonathan Feinberg, who generously shares his application.
Simply enter or paste text and almost instantaneously, Wordle converts the text into a word collage.
Wordle Features for the Classroom
Two Wordle features are particularly helpful for classroom use. The word limit button manages the number of words in the cloud. The default is set at 150 words. For young children or students with special needs, a word count of 10 or 25 provides a manageable amount of material for analysis. Another button allows the user to put the words in alphabetical order while maintaining the weight/importance of the word via size. Alphabetical order makes locating particular words more systematic.
Strategies for Teaching and Differentiating With Word Cloud
Word clouds offer an alternative for study or review activities.
Differentiation Tip: The word limit button and alphabetizing buttons in Wordle, help Special Education and English Language Learners do the same assignments as the rest of the class, but with a manageable amount of text.
Students can make word clouds to compare and contrast two works such as Romeo and Juliet with West Side Story or The Three Little Pigs with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Word clouds are useful when comparing and contrasting the same news item reported from different perspectives such as American, Canadian and Latin American news agencies. Word clouds identify key words in the text or help students quickly summarize a passage. If students regularly create word clouds of daily reading or vocabulary assignments, test review is a snap.
A word cloud of the instructor’s expectations provide an immediate focus on what is most important in the course or the assignment.
Differentiation Tip: Highlighting the most important things to focus on, helps Special Education and English language Learners understand the expectations of the instructor or the assignment with more clarity.
Students can enter the course syllabus criteria to create a word cloud of the elements that the instructor emphasizes. A word cloud of the assignment criteria when checked against a completed assignment, ensures students have all the required elements.
Word clouds can be used to capture the ideas in a discussion and highlight the common elements.
Differentiation Tip: A fast paced oral discussion may challenge the language skills of some Special Education and English Language Learners. Converting the discussion into a word cloud, creates a visual that is accessible to all students. The word cloud can be used as a permanent record of the discussion and posted on the wall for future reference.
Wordle Caution
Monitoring is necessary when linking students directly to the Wordle site. Users freely post Word Clouds and some content in individual clouds is inappropriate for the classroom.
Mr. Feinberg states, “The Wordle front page will never feature images or links that are inappropriate for classroom use.”
Word Cloud infographics provide an easy way to sort out what is very important from the not so important. Word Clouds reduce complex text to its essential elements. Teaching with word clouds is easy and provides access to academic content for Special Education and English Language Learners.
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