Hello, teachers-- The SuperHERO Teacher here! If you're reading this, my hope is that you're interested in learning a bit more about interactive bulletin boards and how they can drastically improve your classroom atmosphere. Interactive bulletin boards serve SO much more than just classroom decor-- they can actually improve your students' skills. Keep reading if you want to learn how! PS: I include a free classroom bookshelf resource, too!
What is an interactive bulletin board? Great question! Interactive bulletin boards are pieces of purposeful classroom decor that can help students strengthen their skills and provide reinforcement and enrichment opportunities. Students can physically get up from their desks and interact with the bulletin board-- whether it includes engaging tasks or movable pieces!
Imagine this: You're teaching a creative writing unit and a few of your students have writer's block. We've all been there and we know how frustrating it can be! You can use an interactive bulletin board like my Creative Writing BINGO to spark ideas and eliminate writer's block. Or maybe you have a few students who are struggling with vocabulary or reading comprehension... Using an interactive bulletin board to reinforce the content is a great way to help students strengthen those skills!
Do you have some students who breeze through the lesson and need a bit of a challenge? Use an interactive bulletin board to encourage that challenge! Instead of sitting there, waiting for others to be done, they can further strengthen their skills by participating in an extra activity that is purposeful. This prevents students from being bored or, even worse, not having anything to do! Seriously, it is a GAME CHANGER!
I've designed this FREE interactive bulletin board to encourage independent reading and strengthen reading fluency skills. Give each student one of the bookshelf pages and each time they finish a book, they can color it in for a bonus point on a homework assignment or quiz! If you aren't a huge fan of bonus points, you can explain that the bookshelves serve as book recommendations for their peers. Check out the other students' books to see what you'd like to read next! Download the free resource here.
Okay, THIS is where the transformation comes in! Can you imagine an entire class being productive because there are absolutely no excuses not to be? #dreamcometrue Seriously, though! With interactive bulletin boards, students will always have an activity to complete and your entire classroom becomes purposeful. This phrase will forever be eliminated from your classroom:
One of my favorite ways to incorporate interactive bulletin boards is to encourage kindness and growth mindset. When I designed bulletin boards for Extreme Makeover Classroom Edition (2017), I created this motivational bulletin board to create a classroom atmosphere that is warm, open, and inviting to all. Students can take a Polaroid card with an inspirational quote, but they have to replace it with their own quote! By the end of the school year, all of the cards will be quotes from students. What better way to build relationships?
Here are some more fabulous interactive bulletin board ideas for your classroom:
Growth Mindset Bulletin Board Display by Presto Plans
Growth Mindset Collaborative Quilt by The Daring English Teacher
Shakespeare Word Wall and Posters by Room 213