I know this board is a bit belated, but there’s always next year!
This board was inspired from a reading lesson I taught last week. My 2nd and 3rd graders read the poem “Theme in Yellow” by Carl Sandburg. The children learned about different points of view and how the perspective of a story can change based on who’s speaking.
Once the children had a strong grasp of the skill, we brainstormed different objects connected to Halloween. The children were then required to write from that object’s perspective about Halloween.
The children really loved this lesson. There were funny witches, friendly ghosts, a lonely haunted house, and even a gloomy trick-or-treat bag. Both their poems and artwork were amazing! As for the bulletin board, most of my materials I already had: 2 yards of egg yolk fabric, wavy black border, a Halloween banner ($1 at Joanns) and silhouette ravens (dollar store find). I think the best bulletin boards are the ones that you don’t plan out too much, and this one came together quickly in an afternoon; you got to love it!
Archive for the ‘Classroom Projects’ Category
Posted in Classroom Ideas, Classroom Projects, Holidays, tagged bulletin board ideas, bulletin boards, halloween, Halloween bulletin boards, Halloween-themed lessons, poetry lesson on November 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I know this board is a bit belated, but there’s always next year!
Now that I’m getting settled with the new school year, I found a chance to share a bulletin board that I recently made. Please forgive the pics; the lighting isn’t that great in my school’s hallway.
At the beginning of the year, I had my students choose from several writing prompts: write about about something funny that happened to you in the summer, write about a new hobby or sport you tried out over the summer, or write about a place you visited over the summer. I used it as an ice-breaker with the class (students would take turns sharing in small groups), but also as a review on paragraph writing.
This assignment sparked a lot of excitement since the students were enthused with the idea of sharing their adventures with each other. For this board I used 2 yards of teal fabric, a wave-print border, multi-colored construction paper, and jumbo-sized index cards. For your speech bubble shapes, any on-line template will do.
Beside paragraph writing, you can also use the board to display the students’ understanding on using quotations in dialogue, speech writing, or story writing which includes a dialogue script. Other possible titles: “You Can Quote Me,” Outspoken Words, Bubble Talk.
I haven’t done a bulletin board post in ages, so this one goes out to all my teachers!The children wrote and illustrated their similes on paper plate books. I decided to use a picnic theme, using red-checkered fabric as the tablecloth, black border, and adhesive letters. The hands, made from construction paper, were added for a fun effect.
I wanted my kids to practice creating similes in a fun way. After a quick on-line search, these paper plate books caught my eye (the site escapes me now). The idea is pretty simple: have the kids write out their similes around the plate’s perimeter, illustrate the simile, punch holes through all the paper plates and tie with yarn. Pretty easy right, and so much fun for the students!
Posted in Classroom Ideas, Classroom Projects, DIY projects, tagged bulletin board ideas, bulletin board themes, bulletin boards, classroom, classroom decor, classroom ideas, education, table display, teachers on May 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
School’s almost over but there’s still enough time to create a fun display to keep your kids (and you!) motivated. This board was inspired by my students’ most recent essays about their favorite restaurants. Except for the background, all supplies were found at your local dollar store.
To create this display, you’ll need: 1) Approx. 2 yards of fabric 2) 4 plastic cups 3) plastic forks and knives 4) plastic straws 5) Ketchup/Mustard bottles 6) yellow or red yarn 7) paper plates 8) glue gun 9) pre-made border
Keep in mind that the color scheme of your “table setting” is really up to you. I had in my stash the red gingham fabric, so I decided on a red, white and blue scheme which matches with summer and the 4th of July.
The set-up took less than 30 minutes. Once you have your fabric and borders stapled, glue-gun the cups and utensils directly to the borders (avoid hot gluing the fabric!). Don’t forget to add a straw to each cup. Staple as many paper plates as you need to your board and serve your student’s “tasty” work on each plate.
For your board’s title you can use pre-cut font and or, if you have the time, you can get a bit crafty and create it yourself!
On some card board, write and then cut out your display’s heading or title. Cover the cardboard title with tacky glue and run the yarn around the letters of the title until you can no longer see any of the cardboard. It may look like a mess of white gunk and yarn, but let it dry overnight, you’ll find a beautiful heading in its place!
Lastly, pass some of the yarn through the mustard (or ketchup) bottle’s tip. Put a push pin inside the container to attach it to the board. Hang your title next to the mustard bottle and be sure drape the yarn onto the title, so it looks like the mustard is oozing out of the bottle!
Hope you’ve enjoyed this fun, easy, and most importantly inexpensive display board that will definitely wow your students!
Posted in Classroom Ideas, Classroom Projects, Crafts, DIY projects, Embroidery, Sewing Projects, tagged classroom projects, DIY, hall pass, handmade, sewing, teachers on March 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Since I’m a teacher, I thought this would be a nice DIY that crafty teachers can make for their own classroom or crafters can make for their favorite teacher. It only takes an afternoon to sew up and is a great alternative to the generic plastic hall passes that are out there!
– 2 cut rectangles (2.5″x 8″) of printed cotton fabric, of unbleached muslin, and of fusible interfacing (a total of 6 rectangles)
– embroidery thread and needle
– 2 four-inch strips of bias tape or twill tape
– tracing paper (optional)
Steps: 1) After you’ve cut out your rectangles. Design the desired text for your hall pass on some tracing paper. Pin the tracing paper onto printed cotton fabric and embroider (a contrasting color for the thread works best!). I used a back stitch for these, but a running stitch works nicely too. Once you’re done with the embroidery, carefully tear the tracing paper off.
2) Fuse each interfacing piece to each muslin rectangle. Fold the bias tape in half and lay it on the upper edge of the embroidered rectangle. Then with right sides facing each other, pin each pair of rectangles together (muslin+embroidered piece) with the twill tape sandwiched between. Make sure that the interfacing side and the “messy” side of the embroidered rectangle are facing out. 3) Sew around (6mm seam allowance), leaving a 1″ opening in each rectangle.
4) Turn the rectangles right side out through the opening. Steam press each rectangle. Then, using a contrasting thread, sew around the perimeter of each rectangle closing the opening.
I know it’s been a bit quiet around here, but recently my school moved to a different location. And with a new school came a new classroom. The space I have now is almost triple the size that I had before (my old room was tiny!), so I’m really excited!
I’ve been making many small and large projects to liven up my room and transform it into a place both my students and I will enjoy. Since I teach gifted students, I’ve always thought of my kids as young yet wise little beings which led me to choose owls as my classroom theme.
Here’s a peek at my most recent project that I’m making for my classroom library:
Once I finish this pretty, I’ll be making a large scroll sign that reads “Owl Library” (the kids came up with the name) and it will placed over the library.
I’ll be posting a mini tour of my classroom, along with a smattering of easy, quick, and budget-friendly DIYs for all you thrifty teachers, so stay tuned! Sue