Make Bulletin Boards a Priority in Your Classroom

Messy, outdated, torn, and faded bulletin boards have a negative impact on parents and students where as bright, clean, and updated bulletin boards have a positive impact on parents and students. It is easy to forget that what goes on the wall is just as critical in the learning environment as the furniture on the floor. To make sure your bulletin boards are complementing the learning environment, keep the following tips in mind…

Include your students – Let your students participate in maintaining and changing the themes on the bulletin boards. Use the space to display children’s artwork, writing samples, student photos, and group projects.

Change the displays regularly – If the edges are starting to fade and the artwork is starting to fall off, it is definitely time to freshen things up. An old worn-out looking bulletin board display can leave the impression that you just don’t care.

Plan Ahead – Include bulletin board design in with your curriculum planning. If you plan to include a unit on leaves in your curriculum, then plan to make a leaf display of some sort on your bulletin board. Connect the content on the bulletin boards to the learning that is taking place in the classroom.

Print Clearly – It is a good idea to include a simple message or title on your bulletin board but make sure you use large, clear print. Remember, your bulletin boards should be part of a print rich environment. In other words, provide print that models good writing skills.

Spell Correctly – Sometime writing sentences like “We Luv Bears” may look cute and even sound cute but in the end it is not teaching your students how to read or spell correctly. “We Love Bears” looks even better!

Designing and maintaining bulletin board displays can be a lot of hard work but keep in mind that the walls are part of the learning environment and your investment and time will be a benefit to everyone that enters your classroom.

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