While high school bulletin boards don’t always have the same colorful characters and themes as elementary school ones, they are still essential parts of the classroom. These bulletin boards tend to be more informational than decorative. However, classroom bulletin boards in a high school setting provide teachers with spaces to do more than just relay information.
How should you use bulletin boards in the high school classroom?
High school classrooms may have a small number of bulletin boards, so teachers must use the space efficiently and effectively. This makes choosing the function of bulletin boards (announcements, current units of study, or student work displays) a key piece of the design.
To gain a little more display space, consider using wall space as a bulletin board. Large boards can also be sectioned by borders strategically placed to divide them into half or even quarters. Use the spaces to relay information to students, such as class procedures, expectations, assignments, bell schedules, and cafeteria menus.
How do you create an engaging STEM bulletin board?
Many teachers use colorful paper to cover bulletin boards, but paper isn’t the only option. Fabric works well because it doesn’t fade or tear over time. Fabric also hides holes from staples, making it possible to leave up for a longer time. The fabric background could be the school colors and stay up all year long, allowing teachers to simply change out the information or displays. Or choose a fabric with graphics to reflect units of study, such as the solar system or ecosystems.
There’s even a video from our Professional Development Team with tips and strategies to use with the Ecosystems STEM Case.
Creative high school bulletin board ideas
Bulletin board ideas are only as limited as the imagination. Think outside the box!
If you’re studying a unit about weather, put some real leaves on the board.
Are you teaching with the Disease Spread Gizmo? Add some paper masks to a bulletin board along with vocabulary words.
Include the students by asking them to design posters with classroom procedures and expectations for posting.
Create a list of careers in the current unit of study. Ask students to research the one that seems most interesting to them.
Using the Polling: City Gizmo, have students work in partners to conduct their own polls and create displays of the results to post.
Deepening student understanding
High school bulletin board ideas that boost learning goals are excellent options. Use the space to display:
- Vocabulary terms
- Discussion questions to assess prior knowledge
- Learning objectives
- Topics for journal entries in science or math notebooks
Supporting inquiry-based learning
Gizmos STEM Cases offer students the opportunity to act as scientists to solve real-world problems. Creating bulletin boards specifically for STEM Cases is a great way to support the inquiry-based learning process. List guidelines and procedures for working through STEM Cases. Share background information for each case. Pose questions for students to consider. Display student work and results and allow them to reflect on their findings with the whole class.
Discover more ideas in our virtual learning communities
Did you know that there’s a virtual learning community, especially for teachers who love Gizmos? The community, led by a specialist in our ExploreLearning Professional Development Team, offers tips and ideas for bulletin boards, lessons, and more. Join today to share, learn, and grow with Gizmos.
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