"Outer Space and the Solar System" Digital Word Wall by Jesse Dingman

I chose these 20 words because...

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-23 23:06:51 UTC

I wanted to tie the word wall to a unit I could teach for 5th graders, specifically a lesson on outer space and the solar system. I felt like these words could be expanded on later on throughout the unit, and we would slowly add words to the word wall each lesson. These words could be used to inspire the students to think of other words that could relate to a word on the word wall. Then, they could add the words that they find to help expand their knowledge on the original terms. For example, they could decide to research the word "Rings", and then they could find and input words that relate to the original word, such as Saturn, any other planets which have rings, or maybe even a component which could make up Saturn's rings.

The 5 ways I plan on using this digital word wall is by...

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-23 23:08:18 UTC

Having the students pick 5 words from the word wall and have them write a story using those words and their understanding of those words.

They can take one of the words posted on the word wall and research it, and add 5 new words that they found from their research onto the word wall. They can also list the word that they researched, and how the new word relates to the researched word.
I plan on going through each word, it's definition, and a visual representation of each word so that the students can develop an understanding of what the word is, what it looks like, and how the word functions.
I would have students try to find a video or an interesting resource about a word and add it. This way the students could continue expanding on their findings and their knowledge on said words.
At the end of the unit, I would use the word wall as a sort of study guide for the students, and I would have them review and study the information we have gathered and learned.

5 do's and don'ts for word wall creation and usage...

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-23 23:11:17 UTC

DON'T begin with super complicated words, introduce simpler words and then expand on those concepts later on.
DO make sure the word wall is in an easy format for the student to use and easy to understand.
DON'T create the wall and then hardly have the students use it; instead encourage students to explore the word wall so that they can develop an understanding of the words and the concepts being explored.
DO encourage the students to add more words that they feel like could be connected with the original words on the list.
DO expand on each word with what it means or what it is, and then allow students to make the connections themselves. Always encourage and inspire student's thoughts and inputs.

Astronaut

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:29:58 UTC

A person who is trained to travel and work in space.

Asteroid

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:30:07 UTC

A small, rocky object that orbits the Sun, usually found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Black Hole

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:30:25 UTC

A region in space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape it. Black holes form from collapsing stars.

Comet

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:30:50 UTC

A small, icy object that orbits the Sun. When it gets close to the Sun, it forms a bright tail.

Cosmos

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:30:56 UTC

Another word for the universe, including everything in space, such as stars, planets, galaxies, and all forms of matter and energy.

Galaxy

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:31:40 UTC

A huge group of stars, gas, dust, and other objects held together by gravity. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.

Gravity

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:31:47 UTC

The force that pulls objects toward one another. It keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and causes things to fall to the ground.

Light Year

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:32:33 UTC

The distance that light travels in one year, which is about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). It's used to measure distances in space.

Moon

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:33:10 UTC

A natural satellite that orbits a planet. Earth has one moon, but some planets have many moons.

Meteor

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:33:16 UTC

A small piece of rock or metal that burns up as it enters Earth's atmosphere, creating a bright streak of light known as a "shooting star."

Nebula

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:36:19 UTC

A large cloud of gas and dust in space, often the birthplace of new stars.

Orbit

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:36:39 UTC

The path that an object, like a planet or moon, follows as it moves around another object, like a star or planet.

Planet

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:36:59 UTC

A large, round object that orbits a star. Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are examples of planets.

Rings

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:37:30 UTC

The bright, flat bands of ice and rock that surround the planet Saturn. Saturn’s rings are the most famous in the solar system.

Star

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:37:47 UTC

A huge ball of hot, glowing gas that gives off light and heat. The Sun is a star.

Sun

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:37:52 UTC

The star at the center of our solar system. It provides light and heat for life on Earth.

Satellite

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:37:57 UTC

An object that orbits a planet, such as a moon, or a human-made object that orbits Earth, like a weather satellite.

Space Station

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:38:13 UTC

A large, human-made structure in space where astronauts live and work for extended periods of time. The International Space Station (ISS) is an example.

Solar System

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:38:20 UTC

The Sun and all the objects that orbit it, including planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Telescope

rufusandriddle — 2025-03-24 00:38:40 UTC

Telescope – A tool used to see distant objects in space, such as stars, planets, and galaxies.