Top 5 Bulletin Board Ideas

No classroom would feel complete without at least one bulletin board. Bulletin boards are commonly used to show off student work or to convey class information, but they can be so much more. These displays should be educational, fun, and in alignment with the content that is being taught in the classroom. Here are some ideas to get your classroom looking great on the first day of school.

Consider the Various Types of Bulletin Boards

A bulletin board can provide information, motivation, and assistance to both you and your students. Bulletin boards generally fall into two main categories; seasonal and year-round. Year-round boards usually display content that does not change like a calendar, schedule, or timeline. Seasonal boards, on the other hand, are changed periodically and may be related to a theme or concept that reflects the curriculum being covered in class. Classroom bulletin boards can be teacher-made, student-made, collaborative, informational, interactive, and/or decorative. There really isn’t anything limiting what teachers can do when creating these eye-catching resources, except time, energy, creativity, and materials. Hopefully, the following ideas will help teachers to capitalize on these valuable visual aids.

Use the Blank Board is an Opportunity

A blank bulletin board in the classroom gives your pupils the opportunity to create a comfortable, inviting classroom.  During the first week of school, place your kids groups of four or five. Each group is given a theme or concept, and they are responsible for designing and decorating one section of a bulletin board. After groups are formed, and topics are assigned, let the groups have a few snippets of group time to brainstorm and map out their section. This activity accomplishes several things: it builds relationships between classmates, encourages pupils to be active participants in the classroom, and lets the teacher observe their interactions, motivation, and potential behavior patterns. It also creates a sense of community, which is something worth fostering right from the beginning of the school year.

Bulletin Boards are Great for Goal Setting

One way to use a bulletin board is to track student progress. You can design a bulletin board with a game board, doors, or some other interactive activity. As pupils reach their educational goals, they can move two spaces on the game board, or “unlock” a secret door. This is a great way to motivate your kids to memorize math facts, complete a poem about a particular subject, or meet a reading goal. Learners will be able to see the progress they’ve made, which will give them a sense of accomplishment. However, this should always be a positive experience. If you feel that displaying students' individual progress might make them feel self-conscious, adjust your board accordingly.

Let the Bulletin Board Help Teach Your Class

Information about synonyms and other parts of speech are often displayed on classroom bulletin boards. Make this type of board more interactive by asking individual learners add to the information throughout the year. For example, you can have a board with a heading that says “Synonyms Made My Writing More Interesting.” Then add two subheadings: one that says “I could say…” and the other that says “Or, I could say …” Under the “I Could Say” column, list some common words such as happy, sad, and ugly. Under the “Or I Could Say” column students could provide a string of synonyms such as exuberant, elated, despondent, or repulsive. Encourage your students to add to the board whenever they come up with new synonyms. This can be applied to other parts of speech like metaphors, similes, or onomatopoeia.

Guide Research Using a Bulletin Board

Research-based boards are great to use in place of learning centers. Every few months, put up a new set of questions that are relevant to your classroom curriculum. For example, during Black History Month, display pictures, letters, speeches, and interesting facts about influential African Americans. In addition, provide task cards, research questions, and lists of research materials for students to use to find out more about a person or event related to the commemorative month. Change the board a couple of times during the year so it provides research questions and information regarding current curriculum. Intrigue your learners by setting up your research-based bulletin board in the form of a mystery. They can hunt down clues to determine the answers to “case files” on the board.

Interact with Bulletin Boards

Create bulletin boards so that your pupils want to interact with it. For example, put pockets containing numbers on one side, and several math sentences, questions, or equations in the center. I suggest having about four to eight sentences in this center section. At the beginning of each week, place numbers in different pockets in the equation, so students will have to move numbers around and use their math skills to determine missing components of the math sentence. Once they have completed all of the equations, they are finished until the next week. Offer rewards, extra credit, or a point system for kids who successfully complete this activity..

Find More Bulletin Board Ideas on Lesson Planet 

Mister Seahorse

Pupils use the bulletin board for conducting research on the latest trends in health, fitness, and nutrition. They are also responsible for updating and maintaining the board on a weekly basis.

Wellness

This bulletin board idea has students conduct research on the latest trends in health, fitness, and nutrition. Students are also responsible for updating and maintaining the board on a weekly basis.

My Community

Learners research and interview community members and then create booklets about them. The booklets and community interviews become the catalyst for this student-created bulletin board. Great for fifth to seventh grades  

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