In comprehension-based language teaching, word walls are a constant reference, helping students recall vocabulary without memorization. They eliminate the need to repeatedly write down commonly used words in class. Among the various types of word walls, none are more important in the beginning classroom than question word posters and verb charts with the “Super 7” and “Sweet 16”. There are also posters with a limited selection of high-frequency words, such as numbers, colors, certain adjectives and adverbs, and common connectors (AND, BUT, THEN).
But what about word walls for intermediate and advanced students who are beyond the “Super 7” and are beginning to express themselves on their own?
Inspired by Dr. Roslyn Young’s Silent Way Plus posters for advanced French students, In 2023, I created a list of all the function words of Spanish plus some very common words and expressions that allow the intermediate student to express themselves with coherence and argumentation, to express time, frequency, and temporal relationships beyond the immediate context while using a rich language.
The result is a vocabulary of over 300 function words and common expressions, organized into semantic groups around key question words. Intended for permanent classroom display, this vocabulary is presented as a word wall of eight posters designed to serve as quick reference tools for both teachers and students. With these posters, teachers can:
- Establish meanings
- Check comprehension
- Reinforce learned words
- Enrich acquired vocabulary with synonyms and antonyms
- Encourage independent student expression
These posters serve as a valuable tool for teachers to support the language use of their intermediate and advanced students. With teacher guidance, students can also use the posters independently, drawing on their reading skills to recognize and identify words, tapping into their language system to produce output without relying solely on memory recall.
After piloting these posters for over a year, I have found them to be invaluable in supporting my students’ transition to intermediate level of proficiency and beyond.
I am happy to share this vocabulary with other Spanish teachers under a Creative Commons license, which grants permission to use and creatively extend it, provided the original author is cited and any derivative works are shared under the same license.
I’m excited to see how you use these posters in your teaching!