W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board Kit
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good
Stuff® W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board Kit—a fun and
engaging way to encourage your students to expand both
their reading and writing vocabulary.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• Wonderful Outstanding Words Banner
• 18 Word Holders
• 42 Overused Word Holder Labels, 6 blank
• 180 W.O.W.! Word Sticks, 36 blank
• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide
Meeting Common Core State Standards
This Really Good Stuff® W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board
Kit is aligned with the following Common Core State
Standards for Writing and Language:
L.2. and 3.5.
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
L.4.6.
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate
general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, including those that signal precise actions,
emotions, or states of being.
W.4. and 5.2.d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary
to inform about or explain the topic.
W.4. and 5.3.d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details
to convey experiences and events precisely.
Displaying the W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board Kit
Before displaying the W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board Kit,
make copies of this Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide and
file the pages for future use. Or, download another copy of it
from our Web site at www.reallygoodstuff.com. Assemble the
Word Holders by folding, with the taller side in back and the
side with the label holder in front. Insert the tabs in the
corresponding slits to make each Word Holder. Hang the
Wonderful Outstanding Words Banner and the assembled
Word Holders on a bulletin board where students will be able
to see and interact with them easily. When you are ready to
introduce commonly overused words and their alternatives,
slip the Overused Word Holder Labels into the diecut slits
on the front of the Holders.
Introducing the W.O.W.! Interactive Bulletin Board Kit
Before introducing the Word Holders, read an excerpt from a
favorite class read-aloud or a treasured poem that uses
particularly descriptive words. Ask students what words the
author/poet used that helped them create a picture in their
minds as you read. Record the word choices as students
name them and discuss why those words are more effective
than simpler, less interesting synonyms. Some responses
may include observations about words that evoked a
reader’s senses or that had multiple meanings, or words
that just sounded more intriguing.
Explain to students that the class will be studying word
choices throughout the next few weeks and labeling the
Word Holders with overused words and filling the holders
with their more interesting, perhaps more intriguing,
synonyms. Demonstrate how to use the Word Holders by
choosing a well-known word from the set (e.g., good, funny)
and introducing the more W.O.W.!-like synonyms (on the
W.O.W.! Word Sticks) and inserting them into the Word
Holder. Students may want to include additional synonyms
that can be written on the blank Sticks or listed beside the
Word Holder on the bulletin board. Continue introducing
overused words and their synonyms each day until all Word
Holders are filled. Revisit the W.O.W.! words often,
encouraging students to find their own W.O.W.! words while
they read and when they write.
Creating a Personal W.O.W.! Word List
Distribute the My Personal W.O.W.! Word List Reproducible.
Ask students to keep this sheet in their writing folders or
notebooks and record any new W.O.W! words they find either
in their reading or writing. Once a week, set aside a few
minutes to highlight any new words that students found
and would like to share with the class. New W.O.W! words
may be added to the bulletin board and students are
encouraged to collect and add the newly shared words to
their own personal W.O.W.! Word List Reproducible.
W.O.W.! Word Chart
To further expand your students’ knowledge of the W.O.W.!
words they are studying, model how to use the W.O.W.! Word
Chart Reproducible using a favorite class W.O.W.! word. Write
the word in the middle of the chart and ask students to
supply one or two synonyms. As a class, choose an
appropriate antonym for the W.O.W.! word as well. Elicit
suggestions for a sentence that uses the W.O.W.! word, and
sketch an illustration that best demonstrates the meaning
of the word. Distribute blank W.O.W.! Word Chart
Reproducibles. Instruct students to create a word chart
from their own Personal W.O.W! Word List Reproducible.
W.O.W.! Word Crossword Puzzle
After introducing all of the overused words and their
corresponding W.O.W.! words, distribute the W.O.W.! Word
Crossword Puzzle for review. Students will use the W.O.W.!
Interactive Bulletin Board Kit display to check their
crossword puzzle clues.
Answers: Across: 1. stated; 3. amble; 4. account;
5. gorgeous; 9. looked; 10. funny. Down: 2. determine;
3. asked; 4. admire; 6. sluggish; 7. tell; 8. boring.
All activity guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #160741
My Personal W.O.W.! Word List Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #160741
W.O.W.! Word Chart Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #160741
W.O.W.! Word Crossword Puzzle
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #160741