Back-To-School Bulletin Board Ideas

Tired of the ho-hum bulletin boards you've used in your classroom year after year?  Sure, recycling is good, but so is creativity! 

Instead of posting those good but already seen bulletin boards from yester-year, spruce up your classroom with the ideas in this article I guest-wrote for The Learning Experience blog. In it you'll find ideas about how your students can get to know you as the teacher, how students can get to know each other, and a fun classroom helper board. 

Supplemental American History Curriculum with WalllBuilders

photo from nixxphotography

Do you love history? I certainly do, in fact, I majored in history in college, mostly because I loved reading about it, and also writing those papers.  One of the main reasons I chose to change my major was based upon a presentation I heard by David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to informing and educating people about America's Christian heritage. In addition the content that Barton presented, I was impressed with his conversational tone and how he peppered the material with vital information about the Christian perspective and history.

Recently I found out that WallBuilders also has curriculum for kids called “Drive Thru History America” which includes 9 DVD video lessons, a teacher guide, student textbook  and worksheets (answer keys included), along with activities and assignments. Although the video lesson are only 10 minutes each, I’m sure the curriculum would make a great supplement or addition to an existing history curriculum, or a great way to help kindle a students interest in American history.

Explore the WallBuilders website for a list of helpful links on topic such as environmental issues and historical documents, as well as books and resources that you can purchase to learn more about the rich, Christian heritage of our nation.

Grab a Good Book {at your local library, of course}

I'm often telling my kids to sit down and read a book. Thankfully I set a good example, and almost always have a book I'm reading, but how often have you heard the excuse from your child (or student) that books just aren't any fun, or that they don't enjoy reading?  I suggest showing them this vintage library poster that explains the benefits of reading in a fun way.

Taken from Flavorwire

Olympic Teaching Ideas

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Instead of the boring (and let's face it, predictable) “What I did this summer” assignment that teachers inevitably ask their students to write, why not asking students to write about the 2012 Olympics instead? 

Writing starters may include:

·      Who is your favorite Olympian and why?

·      What is your favorite Olympic sport?

Writing starters for older students may include:

·      Background history on the location of the 2012 Olympic games (What makes London so significant).

·      Research the origins of the Olympic games.

                                                                                                       

But don’t think that the Olympics only lend themselves to writing scenarios. Oh no, just think of how the math teacher can discuss ratios and odds when analyzing wins and losses. And keeping track of the number of overall wins is the perfect way to introduce (and reinforce) charts and graphs.

'Reading Rainbow' Reinvented

One of my fondest television memories involved two men- Mr. Rogers and LeVar Burton— of 'Reading Rainbow' fame.  Both aired on PBS for the duration of my young childhood, and both instilled in me a great love of books. I have such fond memories of Mr. LevVar Burton that I became a follower of his on Twitter (no, I'm not a stalker), and was thrilled to recently see that he has reinvented Reading Rainbow for this generation of youngsters, in the form of an iTunes app.


Although the regular Reading Rainbow show went off the air in 2009 due to lack of funding and contract negotiations, the basis for the app is related to the original concept. Sure, teaching children TO read is important, but it is equally as important to teach them WHY to read. The app picks up where the television show left off, helping children become interested in books and reading, while reaching their preference of the tech-savvy generation, on a tablet.