History+Wordle


 * __ Activity: Create a History Wordle! __ **

Visit wordle.net in order to create your own History themed word cloud. Simply click the link "CREATE" towards the top left of Wordle's homepage, and you can transform any text (historical or otherwise) in to unique word art. You can upload a website's url or paste specific text. Once your text is uploaded, creating your word could is as easy as one click of the mouse. From there you can change your cloud's colors, fonts, and layout.

Try generating some of America's historic documents and speeches into word clouds with Wordle! Then use your word cloud to help you make predictions about the meaning of historical speeches and writings. The words that appear the largest in the cloud are the ones that appear most frequently in the text. If the largest words in the cloud are used the most frequently, then we can use them as clues towards the meaning of the coordinating text. Below is an example word cloud I created using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech. Take a look at the words that appear most frequently in his speech. What does this word cloud suggest the I Have a Dream speech is about? media type="custom" key="11735552" width="120" height="120"

As a second example, this second word cloud was generated from President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. By examining the words in the word cloud, what predictions can you make about this famous speech? (hint: If you find a new vocabulary word, you can always visit dictionary.com and look up the meaning of the word.) media type="custom" key="11632464" width="120" height="120"