As one school year comes to
an end and my thoughts for next year begin to flow; I’m beginning to think
about my limited space in my Title I room. I want to make sure I use my
bulletin board space as learning opportunities, a teaching tool that is
interactive and student-centered.
"Too
often bulletin boards are just thought of as decoration, when they
really should emphasize the learning that is taking place in the
classroom," author/educator Michael Gravois told Education World.
"Those two qualities do not have to be mutually exclusive; a bulletin
board can be both educational and decorative."
Gravois , an author of several books, says we must
keep three bulletin-board principles in mind. Bulletin boards, he says, should:
- be interactive and make the classroom "come alive" with the curriculum material being studied.
- give students a sense of ownership of the classroom by surrounding them with examples of their work.
- be mostly created by students.
Below
are a few ideas for interactive reading bulletin boards are:
1. Pathways to
Reading - Vowel Town
2. Readers Choice – I would change the idea below to - What medal would you give this book? Gold,
Silver, or Bronze?
4. Read Across America – Every time a location or place
is mentioned in a book the student is reading pin the location on the map.
5. Good Readers Ask Questions – Some open ended questions that you may want
to alternate on the bulletin board are below:
What is the main idea of this
article?
Which sentence gives the best
summary?
What is the essential message in
the article/story?
What would another good title for
the article?
Which statement best describes the
lesson/moral of this story?
Which accomplishment/idea was most
valuable?
What is the primary topic in the
article?
What would an additional paragraph
at the end of this passage most likely be about?
How does the author organize the information in this
story/article?
What events lead to the resolution?
What word best describes the character?
What is the organizational pattern of this text?
What in the passage indicates that
the conflict is resolved?
How do the character’s
responsibilities affect how he/she reacts?
What is the main conflict in the
article/passage?
How does the main character change
from the beginning to the end of the story?
Which sentence from the text
mostly expresses its theme?
Why is the setting important to
the text?
What are the reasons behind the
author’s opinion(s)?
How are the concepts/ideas in the
text different?
What is the setting in the story?
(Place, time, conditions)
What is the most valid argument in
the text?
What is the moral lesson?
On which facts are the opinions in
the text based?
How are the concepts/ideas in the
text similar?
What is the point of view in the
text?
What would people who read this
text learn?
What would the information in the
article be most useful for?
What is the author’s purpose for
writing this text?
What role does each character in
the story have? (Protagonist, antagonist, foil)
What is the author’s perspective
in the text?
What statement best describes what
the author is probably thinks about the topic?
What is the genre of the text?
What details support it?
Does the author have a bias? What
is it?
What text features are included in
the text? Why were they added? How are they important to the text and
readers?
What is the tone of the text?
What is the mood of the text?
What are examples of figurative language
in the text? What are they used to
express?
What is the cause & effect in
the story?
Which statement best describes the
lesson/moral of this story?
What context clues did you use to
understand a difficult word in text?
What is the plot of the story?
(Follow the plot structure)
How do you feel about the
topic/theme of the text?
How does the story/text relate to
your life?
What do you and the character(s)
have in common?
How does the story/text relate to
another text you have read?
What were your favorite and least
favorite parts? Why?
How are you and the character(s)
different?
If you were in the characters
shoes what would you have done differently? What would you have done the same?
What created the strongest image
in your mind? Why?
If you could rewrite the ending,
what would happen?
What passage did you find the most
meaningful? Why?
How the story/text relate to the
world we live in?
6. Find words from the story that are new to you. Write them on a sticky note for further
study.
7. CRAFT – Reminders of what we need to be cognizant of as we read.
