Teaching Kids To Read: Using Classroom Bulletinboards

Teacher bulletin boards can provide a positive learning experience in the classroom. Bulletin boards should teach. They should address the objective or goal you are trying to instill in your students. If your goal is behavior, make a behavior bulletin board. Your bulletin board title should state what is expected. For example: "Our Class Is Well Behaved." After this header, the bulletin board should list reasons why the class is well behaved. "We listen to our teacher" "We do our homework" "We help our classmates" "We participate in class""We come to class prepared to learn" "We ask questions when we don't understand." Have each student sign their name and make this page with the student signatures a part of the bulletin board also.

Make your new bulletin board interactive. Using the behavior bulletin board, as an example, you would start each lesson by having the class read the bulletin board title and read the reasons why the class is well behaved. If during class time students are not totally focused on the learning process go back to the behavior bulletin board and have the students reread it. Revisiting the behavior bulletin board accomplishes several objectives. 1. It enables the students to refocus 2. It briefly gives them a timeout from the lesson. Many times a timeout is what is needed to get them refocused. 3. It gives students a chance to enhance their reading fluency. After reading the bulletin board many times and making it a part of their routine, children learn to read the board fluently. Fluency is especially important for slow readers. Now, they have something that they can read just as fluently as their classmates. This improved reading be a real boost to their self esteem and create a positive attitude toward learning. You will start to see a carry over into the regular reading lesson.

Reinforce Responsibility. Remember each student has placed his signature on the bulletin board. Explain to them that signing the bulletin board means that they are going to do their best to become better learners. It is a contract. Their signature is a commitment to reach their academic goals. It is a personal promise to be responsible for their learning.

Interactive bulletin boards may be used to teach any subject or concept. Be creative. Give students leadership roles. In some cases and with some classes you might want to choose a bulletin board captain or team to be in charge when it is time to refocus. When a captain or "team" is in charge they call the refocus timeout. This means they are aware, sometimes even before the teacher, that it is time to take a "bulletin board break." Other students strive to stay focused when students are in charge because the reward is that they will eventually be in charge.

Classroom bulletin boards can get students involved in the learning process and keep them involved. The process of making the board interactive and in tune with student learning has to be consistent. Consistency facilitates learning. When students become less focused than they should be they should immediately go to the bulletin board for their refocusing. This should not be done when the class has totally lost focus. It should be done when students need to be reminded of their goals. Interacting with the bulletin board should be done at the first sign of students losing focus. Interactive bulletin boards improve behavior and academic performance when they are fused with instruction.

Linda Winchester,author
www.kidreadingparties.com

© 9/7/06