Suggestions, Applications and Variations:

WORD SPLASH

A Wordsplash is a collection of key terms or concepts taken from a written passage--- a chapter in a textbook, a newspaper or magazine article---which the students ARE ABOUT to read. The terms selected represent important ideas that the teacher wants the student to attend to when they actually do the reading later, but initially the students’ task is to make predictive statements about how each of the terms relates to the title or main focus of the reading. Most terms selected for a Wordsplash are familiar vocabulary to the students. The novelty of the terms is only the way in which the terms are associated with the NEW TOPIC.

·	Place the main concept in the center of the visual in a circle using a colored marker.
·	Using TWO different colors, VISUALLY display selected terms randomly and at angles.
·	Students them BRAINSTORM and generate complete sentences (not just words or phrases) which PREDICT the relationship between each term and the broader topic.
·	Once the students have generated statements for each term, they turn to the printed material and read to check the accuracy of their predictive statements and revise where needed.

Suggestions, Applications and Variations:

·	Create a Wordsplash prior to viewing a film: pause the film periodically for students to discuss/revise predictions.
·	Create a Wordsplash prior to having a guest speaker: if time permits share the students’ predictions with the speaker in advance of his/her presentation.
·	Create a PictureSplash: “What do you think therse pictures have to do with ______________________?” (ex. Christopher Columbus and his voyage)
·	Use the Wordsplash as a SUMMARIZING STRATEGY: students read and create their own Wordsplash of what they consider to be the *key terms or ideas* in the passage.