There are so many ELA bulletin board ideas out there for your classroom that it can be overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I love browsing Pinterest and seeing all the beautiful, put-together bulletin boards, but let’s be honest: who has the time? Let me put on my veteran teacher hat for a minute and tell you with 100% certainty that bulletin boards are a nice added bonus, but they should not be the focus of your classroom. Below I’m going to give you my best tips for bulletin boards that are attractive and functional and will not add stress to your already overflowing plate.
#1: Display an Evergreen Bulletin Board
One of my favorite bulletin boards is my “Why Study English Bulletin Board Set” because I can leave it up all year long. Even in March, students are STILL asking me why they have to take ELA. (Sigh!) It’s great to be able to point to the board and move on. It’s attractive, functional, and it’s one less thing I have to think about.
#2: Showcase Content
I love my Literary Elements Poster Set because not only does it look great and I can leave it up for long periods of time, but it also helps students focus on some of the core terms we use daily in class. Using bulletin board space to highlight terms for daily use is an excellent use of space. Bonus: I love the fun adventure theme here. It pairs beautifully with a nature-themed bulletin border (like this one here). One of my best tricks for classroom décor is to keep your theme broad so that lots of things fit. (Like nature or space or your school mascot. Most of the stuff in my old classroom was tiger-striped!) Having things that are general mean they have to be changed out very rarely.
#3: Create a Community of Readers
Introduce your students to their next great read with a bulletin board highlighting YA authors. Exposing students to new authors is a great way to get them excited about new books. My Young Adult Literature Quote Poster Set highlights 8 popular YA authors and comes in 3 different color schemes to match any classroom décor. Your students will love seeing authors they know and love hanging on your walls.
#4: Create Strong Class Culture
Another one of my favorite ways to decorate a bulletin board was to have students create seasonal banners. I often used these banners as anchor activities when students were finished with a test or project and had some down time. Students came to really look forward to the banners and asked at each season when there would be a new one. They loved seeing their work displayed prominently in the room and it really became a beautiful added staple to our class routines.
Below is the gratitude banner I use during the month of November, but I also have a beautiful Getting to Know You banner that is great for the beginning of the year. (The full bundle is available in my shop at a steep discount!)
#5: Display Student Work
At least one of the bulletin boards in my room was always used to display student work. One of the best things I ever did was purchase wooden clipboards at the dollar store and mount them to the wall. That way it was easy to clip in new student work whenever I had something new to showcase.
Remember, you want students to feel at home in your classroom, but you don’t want to spend so much time curating your classroom that it becomes overwhelming. Pick a few projects to start and get them up. Don’t worry if your classroom isn’t completely done on day one! The best classroom décor always includes student-input and interaction.
For a few more ideas on classroom décor, click here to see my other blog post with some organizational tips. You can also click here to see how I organize my classroom library.
What’s your favorite way to use the bulletin boards in your classroom? Sound off in the comments below or follow me on Instagram or Facebook to join in the conversation!
Happy teaching!
