Nora Said:

I need ideas for social studies bulletin boards for middle school!!

We Answered:

These are what I have planned so far:

I thought I'd start with Olympic theme and China (for obvious reasons :o).

We will also be studying ancient civilizations this year and plan to put up an "Ancient Wonders of the World" bulletin board that hopefully the kids will draw.

I like to put up student work over the course of the year too.

We also put up a current events bulletin board with stories the kids think are important and why. (This is an ongoing board.)

We did an American History Wall. On one we posted re-written US Constitutions (translated into kids' words), with drawings of Colonial items relevant to the Revolution. We also did a Civil War bulletin board with student drawn maps showing political, geographic, and economic information.

I only change mine once a month, (except the current events board that this kids take care of for me)....basically, it is on whatever we are studying.

Good luck!

April Said:

What can you find in a classroom?

We Answered:

I am a Spanish teacher, and some things that I have in my classrooms are: pencil sharpeners; maps; posters with vocabulary or grammar rules (for example, a picture of an analog clock face that helps kids learn to tell time in Spanish). In my classrooms I also often have different classroom items (wastebasket, chalkboard, wall, poster, window, bookshelf, etc) labeled with the name in Spanish. Just some thoughts. Posters you can make yourself, and maps can be pretty easy to find (world maps, or continental maps). Good luck with the decorations!

Beth Said:

Welcome Back board ideas....?

We Answered:

The first poster that springs to mind is one of Australia's Aboriginal sprinters lighting the Olympic torch at the Sydney Olympics.

However, if you want to inspire all the children, even those who are not good at team games, a class could construct a collage which shows people walking, cycling, swimming, playing golf and other activities which keep people healthy for the whole of their life.

I would try to get the message across that aerobic exercise and healthy eating and sleeping habits are essential for a healthy heart, even for people who do not have good coordination.

Maybe last year's students could construct a poster showing what they have learnt. It could even show delicious healthy foods.

Hope my comments inspire an idea in your mind. When I was teaching, I always had my best inspiration on my morning jog.

Helen Said:

AR ideas needed!!!!!!?

We Answered:

I have offered my students (ESE grades 1-3) several options.

~Book clubs for different genres and the chance to "brag" about it.

~ Earning ice cream - with a bulletin board with individual ice cream cones. For ever 5 passed AR tests the student earns an ice cream scoop for their cone... at 25 tests, they earn ice cream (individually) at lunch. There is nothing like peer desire to show your best.

Making it possible for students to compete and brag.... very powerful.

~ Allow students to earn freebies (passes to visit other teachers or earn free time). This doesn't have to cost anything, but you've gotta have it planned out

~ Send home "kudos" for parents to show some academic support. Giving the students a chance say "look at me" helps too.

Hope this helps.

Ana Said:

Bulletin board ideas for Students against substance abuse?

We Answered:

I'd be careful about posting too much drug info. I was at one school where the kids wrote down the drugs and the effects so they could try them! Try to get the kids involved in contributing ideas. Most will pretty much ignore anything an adult tells them. Also, check out different substance abuse websites. There is lots of free stuff available for display.

Carrie Said:

How should I decorate My locker for Middle School?

We Answered:

Sure! All of that stuff sounds like typical things a girl would keep in her locker. I'll give you my opinions on them.

Dry erase board: They're fun to have, but I never ended up using mine because I never had anything to draw or write on it. But if you think you'll use it, go ahead and get one!

Calender: Again, if you think this will be useful to you, get one! Try to get a smaller one so you don't take up too much space for other things.

Books: Of course! It's important to keep your books organized. Get shelves for the bottom of your locker so you know where to keep your books and they won't get messy.

Mirror: I would say you should get a mirror. Almost all girls have mirrors in their lockers.

Bulletin board: You could get one of these if it was important to have pictures in your locker. If you didn't want it taking up all of the space, get magnets to hang pictures.

Magnets: Yep! To hang pictures.

Schedule: This is a good thing to have. You'll end up finding you won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to have it there.

Extra: Just in case, keep a sweater in your locker at all times.

There isn't much else you need to have. I was always excited to start decorating my locker and putting all of this cool stuff in it! I never ended up decorating it, though, because I realized that I'm only at my locker for little amounts of time. All of this stuff is still fun to have, and you could have lots of fun decorating! Good luck!