Word walls online? How to use Padlet for teaching ESL vocabulary

Have you ever heard of Padlet? Did you know it is a great online tool for teaching vocabulary to your ESL students?

In a regular ESL classroom, creating word walls with your students and having the words up really help English learners. They can refer to the words whenever necessary and eventually internalize the new vocabulary. 

However, school has become increasingly digital. Many schools spent almost an entire year teaching online. Others worked with students both in person and remotely. 

Naturally, we seek tools that would allow us to transfer the teaching experience into whatever situation we are in. And this is where Padlet comes in. 

What is Padlet?

Padlet is an online bulletin board and a great interactive tool that allows for both individual and collaborative learning.

With Padlet, students have an opportunity to practice language in an authentic way, and at their own pace. 

Padlet is great for vocabulary practice, group projects, building background knowledge, and so much more. In addition. It is a fantastic tool for teaching mixed proficiency level classrooms.

In addition, it can be used regardless of whether you are teaching exclusively online or in a hybrid setting.  

How do I get started with Padlet for teaching?

To open Padlet, type in padlet.com in your browser. It will open a dashboard for you, and that is also the space where you will see all your created projects. 

To create a padlet, click on the pink button with the plus sign on the left hand corner. It will open a window with options of the types of padlets you can create. There are plenty of options,  but the ones I use most frequently are the  WALL and the SHELF. They lend themselves beautifully for both group projects and individual vocabulary learning. 

Once you decide on the format, you can then change the title and write a description – it is also a good place to give instructions on what you want the students to do. 

You can play around with the wallpaper, colors and font. Turning on post attribution will make the author of the post visible to all, and it might be a good idea, depending on the project you are doing. 

You may want to turn commenting on so you can provide feedback. It will also allow for collaborative learning as other students will be able to comment as well. 

For more detailed instructions on how to create and use Padlet watch the video at the bottom of this article.

So how can I use Padlet for teaching ESL vocabulary? 

As mentioned at the beginning, in a regular ESL classroom, word walls really help ESL students learn and eventually internalize the new vocabulary. But when the school is online, what do you do? 

Enter Padlet!

Once you have a set of words for your students to study, (you) or they can create a Padlet and write down the word, translation of the word if necessary, definition and add an image, like so

*** Think about the vocabulary you are currently working on with your students. What words could you ask them to add to a padlet?***

The next step after understanding the meaning of the word is to practice it. 

One way you can do it, is to assign the students to create a sentence with a vocabulary word. In Padlet, they can use the plus sign to add it right below the definition and the picture. That way, all the information related to that particular word stays in the same column.  

Sentences can be checked for accuracy by you or by a peer. 

Finally, you can bring your ESL vocabulary practice to the next level. 

When you click on the three dots on the bottom right hand corner and it will bring up another set of fantastic options that you can assign to your students. 

Scroll down and click on voice. Now your students have a chance to record themselves speaking a sentence (or more) utilizing the vocabulary words that you have assigned to them. 

This is an excellent language practice, and they can rerecord themselves as many times as they want until they are satisfied with the result. 

Not to mention the fact that they don’t have to film themselves, which is one thing that many teenage English learners are not too fond of.

Bring your vocabulary teaching lesson to a close

After the students are finished with their “word wall”, they can share the link to their Padlet with you. 

Alternatively, you could make this into a class project, where everyone can contribute and the Padlet is visible to all. This would provide authentic engagement opportunities as you discuss the words, their meanings and usage as a group. 

For ESL beginner and mixed-level activities and lessons year-round, check out the The ESL Teaching Roadmap – a membership created specifically for middle and high school ESL teachers, who work with newcomers and mixed level classes.

For more detailed instructions on how to create a Padlet, and how to use it for teaching ESL vocabulary, check out the video below. 

 

Have you used Padlet for teaching your English learners? If so, what projects did you use this platform for? Share with us in the comments below!