Not just a pretty cloud: Using Wordle in the language classroom

Presentation byDavid Dodgson

VRT Conference March 26th, 2011Image by Extra Medium

What are ‘word clouds’?

• A visual representation of text

• Most frequent words show up the largest

• Can be made from your own text or website url

• Most popular word cloud sites include Wordle, Tagul, Tagxedo and Wordsift

Image: eltpics

Today’s presentation

Today’s presentation

• What are ‘word clouds’?• A quick survey• Vocabulary• Previewing/predicting a

text• Support for language

production activities• Text analysis

Image: eltpics

A survey example

A survey example

Vocabulary: A new topic

Vocabulary: Collocations

Vocabulary: Collocations

Word Clouds for Vocabulary

• Make a word cloud for target vocabulary

• Display and check what students already know

• Ask students to match words and make phrases

• TIP: repeat a word to make it appear bigger

• TIP: use ~ to keep words together e.g. get~up

Image: eltpics

Predicting & previewing: A reading activity (title)

Predicting & previewing: A reading activity (text)

Predicting & previewing:A fairy tale

Word Clouds for Predicting & Previewing

• Use as an advance organiser

• Predict content/focus of text

• Highlight familiar and unknown words

• TIP: right click on an word before publishing to remove it Image by alexgorstan

Support for language production:Dictogloss

Support for language production:Dictogloss

Support for language production: Scrambled sentences

Support for language production: Scrambled sentences

Support for language production: Scrambled sentences

Word Clouds for Supporting Language Production

• Use to support writing and dictogloss activities

• Use to ‘scramble’ single sentences/questions

• Make a guessing game with a descriptive text

• Make a word cloud with several sentences for a ‘speed writing’ activity

Image: eltpics

Text Analysis: Review your writing

Text Analysis: What’s on the blog?

Word Clouds for Text Analysis

• Make word clouds with students’ own writing

• Compare the word clouds and most common words

• Make word clouds from your class/school blog regularly and compare content Image by akakumo