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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

English Language Arts Idea - "Bulletin Boards with Brain Brawn"

By Connie Casserly
Grades 6-12



Bulletin Boards with Brain Brawn
Creating bulletin boards for secondary classes that are visually eye-catching, mentally stimulating and that build on the concepts promoted in the grade level’s Program of Studies can be difficult. The key is to create eye candy with mental muscle while showcasing existing lesson concepts through completed student work.
• Bulletin boards based on general concepts such as Read! Write! Think! leave room for a plethora of ideas while covering the basic components of Reading Comprehension, Writing, Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, Sentence Structure, vocabulary and thinking skills.
• All bulletin board designs use material that showcases the lesson’s Common Core Standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy objectives.
• Teachers may take each idea in this product and transform it to fit a whole bulletin board, or they may choose to divide the board into parts. I had one very, very large board that I often divided as follows:
1. Information Section: this permanent segment changes information as needed, with some of the elements remaining for the whole year. Information: class times, class rules/policies, cafeteria information (menus and what academic areas ate during which time frame), Honor Code rules (permanent), quarterly Honor Rolls, the school Mission Statement (permanent), etc.
2. Reading Section: This segment of the board showcases the students’ comprehension for the text they are studying. It displays
·         completed student assignments , or
·         the elements that students need to complete a warm-up or in-class exercise.
3. Writing Section: This segment of the board concentrates on what students have written or should write. It displays
·         completed student assignments , or
·         the elements that students need to complete a warm-up or in-class exercise.
4. Thinking Section: Although all of the sections of the board show students’ thinking skills, this part is intended to promote the development of specific types of thinking skills i.e. Creative, Critical, Analytic, Inductive and/or Deductive. It displays
·         completed student assignments , or
·         the elements that students need to complete a warm-up or in-class exercise.
Teachers can cover the whole board in one paper color/design, or designate a specific color/design for each section. If dividing the board into sections, do staple or pin borders between the segments. Keep the materials colorful and visually appealing. Foam stick on letters and other crafty materials add oomph. Make sure to keep any graphic elements age and class-level appropriate.


Because a number of the cards and charts are left blank, teachers can use them for their own bulletin board ideas. Seven graphics...infinite possibilities.

Happy Teaching,






Teach It Write
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