8.26.2014

Decorating Your Secondary Classroom {18 Things to Consider}

 
Pin It
  My friends over at Created for Learning put together an excellent blog post with tips from several secondary teachers on decorating classrooms. You'll want to head over there to get the entire blog post, but I'll share a few here as a tease. ;)


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-For-Learning
It's weird how sometimes our decorations end up disconnected with how old our students really are. I teach 7th and 8th graders. Some of them come from fine, constant, healthy family and personal lives.

They are the 3rd and 4th sibling to come through our school and succeed. They play Flappy Bird, use Snapchat and Ask.fm, watch videos on Vine and play medieval phone app games before school.

However, while still maintaining privacy, I can share that just last year, I had students bullying each other, students sharing racy photos on social media to improve modeling portfolios, students cutting themselves, students attempting suicide, even students creating fake online profiles to bully themselves to gain attention.

This is the middle school world we teach in. These are the students we are decorating our rooms for. These just might not be clip-art kids. And high school is another giant leap forward (or backward), but it's a giant leap somewhere. What would our classrooms look like if we designed them to engage these minds and attentions?





http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Teacher-Team
As a teacher, you can use words in clever ways to ìdecorateî your classroom, not only to fill up walls but also to make your students wise. One idea is to title specific areas of your wall in a
http://createdforlearning.blogspot.com/2014/08/18-things-to-consider-when-decorating.htmltargeted/meaningful way.  Carol used an idiom over her writing wall to teach idioms and open the door to the fundamentals of figurative language. In Johnís class, he uses ìCognitive Content Dictionariesî to be placed in a prominent locations which teaches key academic vocabulary as well as ìTier 2î vocabulary to aid in understanding text for EL learners.  Inspirational or humorous posters and quotes can also be used to fill smaller spaces and give students ideas to ponder on their own.

 http://createdforlearning.blogspot.com/2014/08/18-things-to-consider-when-decorating.html
http://createdforlearning.blogspot.com/2014/08/18-things-to-consider-when-decorating.html




http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tracee-Orman
I have several items that I have in my room from my first year of teaching in 1999. Why do I keep them around? Mostly because they are either funny, sentimental, timeless, or related to a favorite book. Here are some examples: 

• (Funny) Close to Home (by John McPherson) comic: It has hung on my classroom door for many
years. I like to show my students that no matter how strict I may seem, I'm nothing compared to Mrs. Mutner. 
Classroom Pictures from www.traceeorman.com

• (Sentimental) Pictures of former students: Students love looking at pictures of past students. Plus, it helps me remember the names of my former students.
Classroom Pictures from www.traceeorman.com 

• (Timeless) This quote is timeless (and a great lesson on perspective), funny, and sentimental: my brother was an assistant coach for the St. Francis baseball team at the time (April, 1996). Robert Morris threw in the towel after the fourth inning, but the fact that they persevered until then also shows
character.
Quote on Perspective from www.traceeorman.com 

• (Favorite Book): My To Kill a Mockingbird framed pictures. TKaM is still my favorite book and I love being able to share my love for it with my students. My framed pictures and book review from 1960 are probably my most prized classroom items.
TKaM prints from www.traceeorman.com





http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-By-Mrhughes
As a 14 year teaching veteran, I have tried countless ways to create bulletin boards for cheap. Cost does become a factor, and something a teacher should think of- we spend enough money on our classes without adding the extra cost of bulletin board decorations.  

I have found that some of my most engaging and most talked about boards were not the ones with flawless borders and themed decorations. Actually, it was just the contrary- Black butcher paper background, with the titles and words written in chalk with borders that were hand-drawn, got quite the reaction from my students. These example pictures will help explain what I mean:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-By-Mrhughes
 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-By-Mrhughes
Also, don't forget to use items in your room. For example, when teaching about a topic, I hang mentor texts from my bulletin board so the kids can "see" examples of published work that supports the topic. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-By-Mrhughes  
Remember to keep it simple, engaging, and useful!



http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Created-For-Learning
All praise and adoration to my teachers growing up, but I can't remember a single one that decorated their room for us guys. And I probably lean toward decorating for the boys...I tend to teach novels that will engage boys. So we deserve it to both genders to take a good long hard look at our rooms and decorations and ask if the boys and girls will be entertained and informed, tantalized and taught.

"But what if I think it's good? What do I do then?"

  Ask our students. They will be honest. Sometimes too much so. But we'll always find out what they think. If we need to, we can do a quick anonymous poll or ballot or something. But we can find out what each gender thinks, if we ask.


CLICK HERE to read ALL the tips for secondary teachers!


Again, thank you Created for Learning for putting together this great blog post with fabulous tips from our fellow secondary teachers! The contributors are listed below:

Blog Contributors Cliff's Notes

Laura Randazzo
>>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store
The Teacher Team
>>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store
Tracee Orman
>>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store 

Created by Mr. Hughes >>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store
Julie Faulkner
>>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store
Students of History
>>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store 

Created for Learning >>> Blog ||| TeachersPayTeachers Store

21 comments:

  1. The main focus will be on learning different techniques in solving word problems.Once the techniques are in place, solving word problems would be a breeze.

    primary 4 math tuition

    primary 3 math tuition

    primary 6 science tuition

    primary 5 science tuition

    primary 4 science tuition

    primary 3 science tuition

    best math tuition

    primary mathematics tuition

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great Article… I love to read your articles because your writing style is too good, its is very very helpful for all of us and I never get bored while reading your article because, they are becomes a more and more interesting from the starting lines until the end.
    Home Tutors in Delhi | Home Tuition Services

    ReplyDelete

  3. Great job!!! I recently saw your blog and your blog content is very comprehensive with depth explanation. Thank you much more for sharing with us...! private tutor singapore

    ReplyDelete
  4. In addition, you can also request for a replacement if the tutor failed to meet your standards. Best Economics Tuition

    ReplyDelete
  5. wonderful post. this is very well written and unique. Thank you for sharing this post here. keep sharing this in future. faith center atlanta

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is important and essential information that is shared by you. This info is meaningful and important for everyone to increase our knowledge about it. Always keep sharing this kind of info. Thank you once again for sharing it. Private Tutors Adelaide

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am very thankful to you that you have shared this info with us. Here I find some special kind of info, and it is really helpful for everyone. Thanks for sharing it once again. PTE Mock Test

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey there, You’ve done an incredible job. I’ll definitely digg it
    and for my part suggest to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited from this site.|

    Also visit my page: 오피사이트

    ReplyDelete
  9. The minimalist principle underpins modern bedroom furniture. Straight and clean lines distinguish them as a trestle desk. A rectangle-shaped system bed, a chest of cabinets, and even a closet are common aspects in modern rooms. Wood Writing Desk with Drawers

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice job, this is essential information that is shared by you. This information is meaningful and factual for us to increase our knowledge about it. Always keep sharing this type of information. Eicher Tractor

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent job, this is great information which is shared by you. This info is very meaningful, essential and factual for us to increase our knowledge about it. So please always keep sharing this type of information. Thanks once again for sharing it. Swaraj Tractor Price

    ReplyDelete
  12. Several significant and well-known shops have specific packing needs. The size of the packaging, the visuals on the box, and the description printed on the packaging are all examples of these needs. BOPP film manufacturer

    ReplyDelete
  13. I totally agree with you on this, excellent post! Thank you for sharing!
    www.jdflooringinstallers.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for sharing this helpful information with us. If you are looking to improve your English language skills in kuwait. Our English classes in Kuwait are an effective and convenient way to improve your spoken English language skills. These classes provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice the language from the comfort of their own home or office.

    For more info contact +91-9654271931 | UAE +971- 505593798 or visit Spoken English Language Classes in Kuwait

    ReplyDelete
  15. I loved the information given above, I appreciate the writing. Ziyyara’s comprehensive range of online home tuition services tailored specifically for Coimbatore students. With experienced and qualified tutors.
    Enroll Today Home Tuition for Coimbatore

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for sharing beautiful content. I got information from your blog. keep sharing
    buen abogado para accidente de coche

    ReplyDelete

Similar Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Total Pageviews