Purpose of Bulletin Boards Challenged
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.
Do you really need a teacher desk?
Teacher "desks" take up a substantial amount of your space in the classroom. Is it worth the amount of real-estate it's using? These are questions that one needs to really think about before setting up your classroom. It also sets the mood for your classroom. Some questions from Clutter Free Classroom that you should think about prior to the set up of your room:
What do I use my desk for?
If
it's storage, think about other places that you could store those same
materials (or better yet, declutter the space and get rid of some of
them). If you use your desk for planning, grading, etc. then consider
alternative spaces that would work better. Maybe the small group table could serve a dual purpose.
Am I the only one benefiting from the space?
Teacher desks frequently monopolize a large fraction of the classroom, yet only one person is getting use out of it. What culture does that set for the classroom. I once heard a teacher say, "Is that how you enter my classroom" and all I could think was "Isn't it OUR classroom, not just yours."
How does this piece of furniture effect my teaching?
Most
teachers report that they don't spend much time at their desk. When
children are present, teachers should be working with them and not
sitting alone at a desk. When they are out of the room there are tables
available to work at. Just some food for thought.
How does your desk area usually look and how does that make you feel?
The desk is a direct reflection of you. If it is cluttered and messy then that sends a message to the kids.
Is getting rid of the desk an option? If not, how could it be repurposed?
I
currently have a teacher desk in my classroom. I doubt it could be
removed because I don't think there would be anywhere to store it.
However, I am planning to repurpose it as an area that kids can work at.
It's higher than the tables so it'll be a good option for those
friends that like to stand and work. Most teacher desks are magnetic. How can this space be used? Word walls, etc.
Print Rich Environment
As I think about creating a print-rich environment for my classroom next year I came across this link. Clutter- Free Classroom shares different ways to incorporate word walls into any classroom setting. For more information from this site go to http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/08/word-walls-setting-up-classroom-series.html
The above word wall is from a coworkers classroom. See how the electrical tape makes it look so organized?
The
board above is from my classroom last year when I did the Jungle Theme.
I used double-mounted papers and animal print stickers. I wrote the
words directly onto the cards.
What kinds of words will you display?
What is your goal in including it in your classroom?
How will you make sure it's being utilized?
- Currently, I have a word wall for high-frequency/often misspelled words. I also have a word wall for math vocabulary and use chart papers to display content words for science and social studies. I found this worked best for my children.
- I always loved using a magnetic white board for my word wall. I could write words on and erase them when needed.
- In my humble opinion, I feel it is best to distinguish the different sections of your word wall.
- I have found the best way to section off a word wall is with electrical tape. It's bold and neat and cheap and easy. I've also used different color papers.
- The easiest way to attach the tape is by drawing the lines onto the background with a pencil (or dry erase marker if you're using a white board) and a ruler. Adhere the tape directly on top. If you are not attaching it to a whiteboard, I would add some staples to hold it up well.
- Make the words clear and easy to read from afar.
- Try to display your word wall at the students' eye level.
- Fight the urge to display all of the words before the students even arrive for the new year. Add them slowly with the students. If you feel the need to hang something on it then use the students' names.
- Develop activities that require the students to access the word wall and learn to use it as a resource.
The above word wall is from a coworkers classroom. See how the electrical tape makes it look so organized?
The
board above is from my classroom last year when I did the Jungle Theme.
I used double-mounted papers and animal print stickers. I wrote the
words directly onto the cards.
The next three images are from First Grade Fabulous Fish. I think portable word walls are a great idea.
Classroom Organization
These ideas come from http://www.readingresource.net/classroomorganization.html
Efficient use of our space is critical to great flow. Use those bulletin boards for instruction, remove those large teacher desks and other pieces of furniture that are taking up too much real estate, and make it "our" classroom (teacher and students) vs. "your" classroom (teacher's only).
Some simple suggestions:
- Don't just decorate bulletin boards. Use them as instructional spaces.
- Use fadeless paper or fabric so that yon can reuse the bulletin boards without having to do them again.
- Maximize cabinet doors.
- If you have large bulletin boards and/or dry wall, use them for things that are most difficult to hang.
- Use windows to display posters.
- Use the space outside of your classroom to display student work.
- Try to place furniture appropriately so that it's not taking up too much wall space.
- Tri-fold poster boards can also serve as portable wall space!
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)