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This activity aims to raise students’ awareness of the concept of word clouds, and to investigate how keywords in a text can be visually represented in a word cloud (see Tagging literacy, what is it?).
This activity is an adaptation of Activity 23: Travel clouds in Dudeney, Hockly & Pegrum (2013: 176-180).
Learning outcomes
On completion of this activity, students will be able to
- navigate word clouds
- produce word clouds
- reflect on the use of a word cloud and its limits
Technology requirements
- One Internet-enabled teacher computer & data projector; student computers or mobile devices (one per student pair)
Procedure
Before class
Create a word cloud from a short text in the target language about a topic that you want to introduce in class (a city/region in the studied country, the biography of a famous person from the studied country, a picture, an important historical event in the studied country, a book, a concept, a vocabulary word, a short cover letter answering a job offer, important words to study etc. – please check 108 ways to use Word Clouds in the classroom or other websites stated below or online for more ideas).
Don’t hesitate to try a couple of different word cloud generators, as some might be easier to use depending on the browser you use (please check the Additional Content section for suggestions). Additionally, most word cloud generators work the same (they are very easy to get a grip on), but some offer more options than others.
Note: for this activity, we are using WordArt as it works well on the Chrome web browser, it is quite intuitive, and it offers a ‘shape’ option. Please note you will need to sign up in order to save your word cloud.
In class
- Show students the word cloud you have created on the projector screen. Tell students these are keywords to a text and ask them to find the topic.
- Show students the original text.
- Ask students what a word cloud is, and why it is useful.
Most word cloud programs work in the same, straight-forward way; the more a word is used in the text, the bigger it is shown in the cloud. A glance at a cloud is an easy way to preview a passage, or to analyze text. Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool
Limitations are also pointed out, like the fact that singular and plural nouns, or verbs in different tenses will be counted separately and won’t be shown as prominently as they were used; also if a 2-word or more expression is used, such as “word cloud”, those two words might well be separated in the word cloud, which can be misleading. However, because a word cloud is not a perfect tool, identifying its contradictions to student analyses can lead to more interesting in-class discussions (Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool).
Example with this word cloud created from the Tagging literacy, what is it? page: “cloud” & “clouds”, or “folksonomy” & “folksonomies” are counted separately; “word” & “cloud” are also separated in the word cloud.
- Ask students to work in pairs to create likewise a short text about a topic you are covering in class. Point out that students need to produce texts in their own words. Check the language as appropriate.
- Tell students to copy/paste their text into the word cloud generator of your choice (make sure they click on the option “Remove common words” in order not to see words like AND, THE etc. – please note this option can be pre-ticked).
- Students can share their word clouds with you (for e.g. by copying/pasting them on a Google Docs form). You can then conduct feedback: have them guess what the topic is, analyse grammar categories, vocabulary etc.
After class
You can have the entire class create a word cloud in reaction to a topic or to the class. Ask students to come up with three different words in a Google Docs form that you have shared with them, and to create a word cloud.
Related activities
| Context of use | Title | Related themes | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPD materials | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR, GE, GA, IT | ||
| Activities for the classroom | |||
| Word clouds | EN, FR | ||
| Independent learning | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR | ||
Source/attribution: Digilanguages. Author: Johanna Keogh
Additional Content
This activity aims to raise students’ awareness of the concept of word clouds, and to investigate how keywords in a text can be visually represented in a word cloud (see <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a>).This activity is an adaptation of <em>Activity 23: Travel clouds</em> in <a href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy”>Dudeney, Hockly & Pegrum (2013: 176-180)</a>.<br />Learning outcomesOn completion of this activity, students will be able to<li>navigate word clouds</li><li>produce word clouds</li><li>reflect on the use of a word cloud and its limits</li>
Technology requirements<li>One Internet-enabled teacher computer & data projector; student computers or mobile devices (one per student pair)</li>
<br />Procedure<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Before class</span>Create a word cloud from a short text in the target language about a topic that you want to introduce in class (a city/region in the studied country, the biography of a famous person from the studied country, a picture, an important historical event in the studied country, a book, a concept, a vocabulary word, a short cover letter answering a job offer, important words to study etc. – please check <a href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/”>108 ways to use Word Clouds in the classroom</a> or other websites stated below or online for more ideas).Don’t hesitate to try a couple of different <a href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html”>word cloud generators</a>, as some might be easier to use depending on the browser you use (please check the Additional Content section for suggestions). Additionally, most word cloud generators work the same (they are very easy to get a grip on), but some offer more options than others.Note: for this activity, we are using <a href=”https://wordart.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://wordart.com/”>WordArt</a> as it works well on the Chrome web browser, it is quite intuitive, and it offers a ‘shape’ option. Please note you will need to sign up in order to save your word cloud.<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>In class</span><li>Show students the word cloud you have created on the projector screen. Tell students these are keywords to a text and ask them to find the topic.</li><li>Show students the original text.</li><li>Ask students what a word cloud is, and why it is useful.</li>
<h5>Most word cloud programs work in the same, straight-forward way; the more a word is used in the text, the bigger it is shown in the cloud. A glance at a cloud is an easy way to preview a passage, or to analyze text. <a style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;” href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” data-mce-style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool</a></h5>
Limitations are also pointed out, like the fact that singular and plural nouns, or verbs in different tenses will be counted separately and won’t be shown as prominently as they were used; also if a 2-word or more expression is used, such as “word cloud”, those two words might well be separated in the word cloud, which can be misleading. However, because a word cloud is not a perfect tool, identifying its contradictions to student analyses can lead to more interesting in-class discussions (<a href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool)</a>.<img class=”size-medium wp-image-6931 alignleft” src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”193″ data-mce-src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” />Example with this word cloud created from the <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a> page: “cloud” & “clouds”, or “folksonomy” & “folksonomies” are counted separately; “word” & “cloud” are also separated in the word cloud.
<li>Ask students to work in pairs to create likewise a short text about a topic you are covering in class. Point out that students need to produce texts in their own words. Check the language as appropriate.</li><li>Tell students to copy/paste their text into the word cloud generator of your choice (make sure they click on the option “Remove common words” in order not to see words like AND, THE etc. – please note this option can be pre-ticked).</li><li>Students can share their word clouds with you (for e.g. by copying/pasting them on a Google Docs form). You can then conduct feedback: have them guess what the topic is, analyse grammar categories, vocabulary etc.</li>
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>After class</span>You can have the entire class create a word cloud in reaction to a topic or to the class. Ask students to come up with three different words in a Google Docs form that you have shared with them, and to create a word cloud.Related activities
| Context of use | Title | Related themes | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPD materials | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR, GE, GA, IT | ||
| Activities for the classroom | |||
| Word clouds | EN, FR | ||
| Independent learning | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR | ||
This activity aims to raise students’ awareness of the concept of word clouds, and to investigate how keywords in a text can be visually represented in a word cloud (see <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a>).This activity is an adaptation of <em>Activity 23: Travel clouds</em> in <a href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy”>Dudeney, Hockly & Pegrum (2013: 176-180)</a>.<br />Learning outcomesOn completion of this activity, students will be able to<li>navigate word clouds</li><li>produce word clouds</li><li>reflect on the use of a word cloud and its limits</li>
Technology requirements<li>One Internet-enabled teacher computer & data projector; student computers or mobile devices (one per student pair)</li>
<br />Procedure<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Before class</span>Create a word cloud from a short text in the target language about a topic that you want to introduce in class (a city/region in the studied country, the biography of a famous person from the studied country, a picture, an important historical event in the studied country, a book, a concept, a vocabulary word, a short cover letter answering a job offer, important words to study etc. – please check <a href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/”>108 ways to use Word Clouds in the classroom</a> or other websites stated below or online for more ideas).Don’t hesitate to try a couple of different <a href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html”>word cloud generators</a>, as some might be easier to use depending on the browser you use (please check the Additional Content section for suggestions). Additionally, most word cloud generators work the same (they are very easy to get a grip on), but some offer more options than others.Note: for this activity, we are using <a href=”https://wordart.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://wordart.com/”>WordArt</a> as it works well on the Chrome web browser, it is quite intuitive, and it offers a ‘shape’ option. Please note you will need to sign up in order to save your word cloud.<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>In class</span><li>Show students the word cloud you have created on the projector screen. Tell students these are keywords to a text and ask them to find the topic.</li><li>Show students the original text.</li><li>Ask students what a word cloud is, and why it is useful.</li>
<h5>Most word cloud programs work in the same, straight-forward way; the more a word is used in the text, the bigger it is shown in the cloud. A glance at a cloud is an easy way to preview a passage, or to analyze text. <a style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;” href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” data-mce-style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool</a></h5>
Limitations are also pointed out, like the fact that singular and plural nouns, or verbs in different tenses will be counted separately and won’t be shown as prominently as they were used; also if a 2-word or more expression is used, such as “word cloud”, those two words might well be separated in the word cloud, which can be misleading. However, because a word cloud is not a perfect tool, identifying its contradictions to student analyses can lead to more interesting in-class discussions (<a href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool)</a>.<img class=”size-medium wp-image-6931 alignleft” src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”193″ data-mce-src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” />Example with this word cloud created from the <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a> page: “cloud” & “clouds”, or “folksonomy” & “folksonomies” are counted separately; “word” & “cloud” are also separated in the word cloud.
<li>Ask students to work in pairs to create likewise a short text about a topic you are covering in class. Point out that students need to produce texts in their own words. Check the language as appropriate.</li><li>Tell students to copy/paste their text into the word cloud generator of your choice (make sure they click on the option “Remove common words” in order not to see words like AND, THE etc. – please note this option can be pre-ticked).</li><li>Students can share their word clouds with you (for e.g. by copying/pasting them on a Google Docs form). You can then conduct feedback: have them guess what the topic is, analyse grammar categories, vocabulary etc.</li>
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>After class</span>You can have the entire class create a word cloud in reaction to a topic or to the class. Ask students to come up with three different words in a Google Docs form that you have shared with them, and to create a word cloud.Related activities
| Context of use | Title | Related themes | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPD materials | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR, GE, GA, IT | ||
| Activities for the classroom | |||
| Word clouds | EN, FR | ||
| Independent learning | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR | ||
This activity aims to raise students’ awareness of the concept of word clouds, and to investigate how keywords in a text can be visually represented in a word cloud (see <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a>).This activity is an adaptation of <em>Activity 23: Travel clouds</em> in <a href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/bibliography/#/?_k=2xzfdy”>Dudeney, Hockly & Pegrum (2013: 176-180)</a>.<br />Learning outcomesOn completion of this activity, students will be able to<li>navigate word clouds</li><li>produce word clouds</li><li>reflect on the use of a word cloud and its limits</li>
Technology requirements<li>One Internet-enabled teacher computer & data projector; student computers or mobile devices (one per student pair)</li>
<br />Procedure<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Before class</span>Create a word cloud from a short text in the target language about a topic that you want to introduce in class (a city/region in the studied country, the biography of a famous person from the studied country, a picture, an important historical event in the studied country, a book, a concept, a vocabulary word, a short cover letter answering a job offer, important words to study etc. – please check <a href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/108-ways-to-use-word-clouds-in-the-classroom-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-2/”>108 ways to use Word Clouds in the classroom</a> or other websites stated below or online for more ideas).Don’t hesitate to try a couple of different <a href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/01/some-of-best-word-cloud-generators-for.html”>word cloud generators</a>, as some might be easier to use depending on the browser you use (please check the Additional Content section for suggestions). Additionally, most word cloud generators work the same (they are very easy to get a grip on), but some offer more options than others.Note: for this activity, we are using <a href=”https://wordart.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://wordart.com/”>WordArt</a> as it works well on the Chrome web browser, it is quite intuitive, and it offers a ‘shape’ option. Please note you will need to sign up in order to save your word cloud.<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>In class</span><li>Show students the word cloud you have created on the projector screen. Tell students these are keywords to a text and ask them to find the topic.</li><li>Show students the original text.</li><li>Ask students what a word cloud is, and why it is useful.</li>
<h5>Most word cloud programs work in the same, straight-forward way; the more a word is used in the text, the bigger it is shown in the cloud. A glance at a cloud is an easy way to preview a passage, or to analyze text. <a style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;” href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” data-mce-style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool</a></h5>
Limitations are also pointed out, like the fact that singular and plural nouns, or verbs in different tenses will be counted separately and won’t be shown as prominently as they were used; also if a 2-word or more expression is used, such as “word cloud”, those two words might well be separated in the word cloud, which can be misleading. However, because a word cloud is not a perfect tool, identifying its contradictions to student analyses can lead to more interesting in-class discussions (<a href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”https://elearningindustry.com/word-clouds-in-education-turn-a-toy-into-a-tool”>Word Clouds in Education: Turn a toy into a tool)</a>.<img class=”size-medium wp-image-6931 alignleft” src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”193″ data-mce-src=”https://www.digilanguages.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-3.43.24-PM-300×193.png” />Example with this word cloud created from the <a href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-mce-href=”/tagging-literacy-what-is-it/#/roles?_k=6whx7y”>Tagging literacy, what is it?</a> page: “cloud” & “clouds”, or “folksonomy” & “folksonomies” are counted separately; “word” & “cloud” are also separated in the word cloud.
<li>Ask students to work in pairs to create likewise a short text about a topic you are covering in class. Point out that students need to produce texts in their own words. Check the language as appropriate.</li><li>Tell students to copy/paste their text into the word cloud generator of your choice (make sure they click on the option “Remove common words” in order not to see words like AND, THE etc. – please note this option can be pre-ticked).</li><li>Students can share their word clouds with you (for e.g. by copying/pasting them on a Google Docs form). You can then conduct feedback: have them guess what the topic is, analyse grammar categories, vocabulary etc.</li>
<span style=”text-decoration: underline;” data-mce-style=”text-decoration: underline;”>After class</span>You can have the entire class create a word cloud in reaction to a topic or to the class. Ask students to come up with three different words in a Google Docs form that you have shared with them, and to create a word cloud.Related activities
| Context of use | Title | Related themes | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPD materials | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR, GE, GA, IT | ||
| Activities for the classroom | |||
| Word clouds | EN, FR | ||
| Independent learning | |||
| Tagging literacy, what is it? | EN, FR | ||
