Hey all! We are getting closer to the beginning of the school year. What does that mean for teachers? That means we are in our classrooms moving stuff around and getting ready for a new group of kiddos. One of the first things I tackled this year were my bulletin boards. I found some great fabric for curtains and tied all my boards into it with colors and grey borders. Thanks to Ashley over at
Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Angie at
Lucky Little Learners for creating this Link-Up. We are all blogging about our bulletin boards. Be sure to click on the banner below to find the post with all of the other bloggers who are joining in! Is there any better way to get a ton of bulletin board ideas, tips and pictures in one place? I dare you to check it out and find something better ;)
Before I show my bulletin boards let me give you a few tips I've come around to learning (some the hard way).
1. Make the content meaningful: Don't put things up just to cover space. Make the material count and be useful to students.
2. Use pushpins and don't staple material down if you plan on taking it off to utilize and demonstrate with students.
3.If you are going to be moving materials often invest in fabric! Paper or plastic table cloths work but will rip eventually. Fabric will last and can be washed and then reused.
4. It's okay to start the year with blank bulletin boards and add to them with your class as the year goes on.
5. If students are going to contribute to the bulletin boards or will use them for reference then make them accessible! Put materials where they can reach and see easily!
6. Don't over do it and clutter the space. Many times, less is more!
Now let's get onto my boards:
This is the first board you see when you walk into my room. This board is the focus of many class meetings. We start with this base and then add strategies as the year progresses. The 5 point scale is one of the first pieces we utilize in reference to our feelings. EMAW will be expanded as the year goes on to include E(everyone participates) M(minute to think) A(all agree on plan) W(work the plan).
Directly next to the Problem Solving Board you'll find this split board. We post our monthly Author Study materials above the book rack. We will include the author's name, pictures, book characters, and interesting facts. The writing materials remain up all year and are referenced almost daily.
At the front of the room we have an entire board dedicated to math! Students help build this wall as the year goes on. As we work on different math activities we post them and expectations on here for reference. The space in the middle is used for posting content vocabulary from our math series (Math in Focus). The math strategies are on pushpins so they can be taken down and referenced when needed. Above the board are school-wide strategy posters that are used in every grade. I connect the primary-looking strategy cards to the school strategy cards as we touch on them.
Lastly, here's my board! This board is behind my desk and is part of my central hub. I've got my curriculum map for the year to help keep me on pace and structured. I've also got some district tech policies I've written up. As the year goes on I'll add our class schedule once I can get it finalized. I'll also add any important docs that I'll need to constantly reference from my administration or colleagues. The upper corner is dedicated to student work. I can't wait to see the creations they gift me :)
So those are the boards in my room this year (and hopefully years to come). The material might change but I plan on keeping the themes the same for a while. Please be sure to click the picture below (or the banner at the beginning) to check out some other amazing blog posts about bulletin boards. Get excited ya'll! It's almost time to start school and things are getting real!
Here's to successful work days as we all get ready for school whether you be a teacher or a parent. There is work to be done and as always #2getherWeAreBetter !
