Word Splash (Hammond) is both a comprehension and vocabulary strategy that uses pre-reading, during reading, and after reading steps. It is fun and easy to use. A word splash is a collection of terms or concepts from a reading or other activities which students are about to see or hear. Words and terms are “splashed” on a page or overhead, preferably at angles. Students come up with complete statements connecting two or more of the words or phrases. They predict how the words might relate to the reading or activity. Students then read or do the activity. Afterwards, they check their predictions against what is read, heard or viewed.
How to use WORD SPLASH:
1. Students work in pairs. Each person will need a reading journal or sheet of notebook paper and a pencil.
2. As a pre-reading activity, display an overhead that relates to the article to be read. Explain that the words that the students are looking at relate to the article that they will be reading about. Read the words aloud to students.
3. Tell the students that they need to connect two of the words or phrases together and tell how they might go together in the article. They need to do this for all of the words on the word splash.
4. The students then need to share with another pair how they think the words will go together in the article. This may also be done as a class discussion with the teacher calling on different students until all words and phrases have been connected.
5. The students then need to read the articles to learn how the words and phrases are connected in the article and compare the connections with their predictions.
6. Students now need to explain how each pair of words is connected in their journals/papers.
7. Students can then share their findings with the other pair from the pre-reading work. The
teacher may also lead a discussion of how the word/phrases were used.