Category: Classroom Tips

Classroom Tip #2

You have picked a theme. Now it’s time to think about how this theme can manifest itself in your classroom.

I will be providing color palettes, and/or suggestions for free items, to gather for decoration that apply to many of the themes mentioned in my original post.

  • Animal (pick one animal, animals from your region, etc.)
  • Amusement Park
    • Ask families and co-workers to donate stuffed animals to display or use in the classroom (think carnival section of an amusement park)
  • Black & White
  • Comic books/Superheroes
    • Red/White/Blue
    • Go to the library and see if there are any leftover comic books to rip apart for accents on boards
    • Go to the local comic book store and see if they have free comics (mine did!) or old advertisements for classroom decor
  • Desserts
    • Pastels
    • Ask people to donate old cookbooks, or get some from the library, and have those pictures be your accents
      • Turn some cookbooks into a creative play center or a writing center
  • Disney
  • Gardens
  • Harry Potter
    • Must be house colors: blue (Ravenclaw), yellow (Hufflepuff), green (Slytherin), scarlet (Gryffindor)
    • I would ask around to see what items people have in their closets, there are plenty of Potterheads that bought a bit too much
  • Museum(s)
    • Contact a local museum and see if they have posters or brochures you can line your boards with
  • Ocean
  • Pixar
  • Social Media
  • Space
  • Sports
    • Color palette of your college/university
    • Color palette to match your favorite team
    • Color palette of a local college/university or professional team
    • Ask around for old jerseys to staple to the walls
  • Travel
    • Go to AAA and take every free map possible
    • Ask friends for maps when they travel: city maps, museum maps, national park maps, etc.
  • Zoo

Once a theme is picked, the fun begins. However, make sure that fun stays focused (keep to just a few colors) and make sure to spend carefully. A classroom can be beautiful without breaking the bank.

This added follow-up, as well as a few others, is meant to provide guidance and support so that all classrooms can be creative vibrant spaces for learning. Stay tuned for more!

Beginning of the Year Checklist

Need a reminder for what to get ready?

Looking for added suggestions on how to be ready for the new year?

Well, here it is:

  • student files – a designated space, and folders ready with names on them
  • plenty of pencils, and sharpened
  • a few pencil sharpeners — one is never enough
  • an empty bulletin board (ready for students to fill)
  • new student folders (just have a few on-hand with copies of the items you handed out the first week, and maybe a few diagnostics)
  • snacks — everyone needs a snack drawer
  • medicine — have some ibuprofen for those headache days, and whatever you take when you feel that tickle in your throat (Cold-eeze, Emergen-C, etc.)
  • an extra pair of shoes — just in case the day’s shoe choice is a bust, or you decide to take a walk before/after school
  • pens — lots of them, preferably in a few colors
  • emergency folder — that first fire drill comes earlier and earlier each year, have evacuation materials ready
  • a schedule posted — you’ll be happy that first month for this, trust me
  • blank cards — to write a few nice notes or a few thank yous whenever inspired
  • a sub folder — for the last minute and unfortunate sick day (have a student roster and a few master copies of basic items on-hand for anyone to use)

It’s not a complete list, and it’s not a list focused on just you, just the learning, or just the classroom. It’s a list of those odds and ends that come up every year, the things I routinely remember later, or the things I realized I should probably commit to getting ready next time.

 

Classroom Tip #1

As we begin a brand new year, we need to consider a theme . . . for the classroom. Not in terms of a reading unit or any other learning unit, but a theme for decor.

I can write pages on how to decorate, how to decorate well, and how to decorate with meaning, but let’s first begin with a theme. The theme will drive everything else.

A classroom with a theme can provide a more thoughtful starting point to creating a space that is equal parts vibrancy, routine, familiarity, fun, and organization.

Before we can begin to discuss each of these elements, and those previously mentioned, first decide on a theme.

Suggestions/possibilities/ideas:

  • Animal (pick one animal, animals from your region, etc.)
  • Amusement Park
  • Black & White
  • Comic books/Superheroes
  • Desserts
  • Disney
  • Gardens
  • Harry Potter
  • Museum(s)
  • Ocean
  • Pixar
  • Social Media
  • Space
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • Zoo

These are just a few ideas–ideas I have in my mind for the future and ideas I have seen in other classrooms. I’m not leaving too much detail or direction now; rather, I want to spark interest and inspiration as classrooms begin to be decorated.

Decide on a theme. Think of its elements. Think of classroom-based translations for your theme. Write it all down, start designing and decorating, and then come back here–I have much more to say 😉