Are you looking for an appropriate word wall for your autism or life skills classroom? Do your students respond better to real photos instead of drawings or symbols? Look no further than the Simply Special Ed Life Skills Word Wall!
Placement of Word Wall
If you are interested in installing a word wall into your classroom, you are first going to want to make sure that you have ample wall space. I chose the wall behind my independent work station to install mine. You’ll also want to make sure that the elements aren’t placed too high on the wall so that the students are able to view it without struggling to see the words! Be sure that the area isn’t overcrowded with other visual stimuli! This makes it less overwhelming and easier for your learners to attend to without becoming distracted.
Next
Once you’ve picked your wall space, you’ll want to add your title. When you purchase the Life Skills Word Wall, you’ll have the option for three different titles. These include:
- Life Skills
- Let’s Cook
- Don’t Worry Be Happy
Print the title you choose on bright-colored cardstock (affiliate link), cut, and laminate! Once you install the title, it’s time to add the letters. For these, I printed the letters (they are half-page size) on white paper and glued them to bright-colored cardstock. I then laminated them and affixed them to the wall. Be sure to leave plenty of vertical and horizontal space between the letters to fit the words. Some letters have more words than others!
Word Choices
When you purchase the Life Skills Word Wall, you also receive 72 words with REAL PHOTOS! At first, this may seem overwhelming. Which words do I choose? How do I teach all of these words? Do I have to use all of them?? Pause. Take a deep breath. It’s not as overwhelming as you might think!
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Do I want to teach words individually?
- Is it easier to put words up as I teach them or put them all up at once and then teach them?
- Do I want to use all of the words?
- Do I want to use words specific to my classroom?
Once you’ve answered these questions, it will be easier to plan out how you want to implement the word wall. I prefer to use only the words that are functional and specific to my classroom. This lessens the visual distractions for my students and helps them to learn the words more concretely. Once I have students who are able to identify and use the words I’ve chosen, I can add more to the wall or teach new words to those students specifically.
Remember to visit the Simply Special Ed Shop and purchase the Life Skills Word Wall: Real Pictures!
The word wall pairs well with the Life Skills Centers also available in the SSE Shop!
Read more about how Alyssa uses the Life Skill Word Wall here!
Additional Life Skills resources:
