Tips Archive » Getting Organized » Bulletin, Chalk and White Boards

• Bulletin Boards (22 tips)
• Chalk Boards (4 tips)
• White Boards (7 tips)

Bulletin Boards

Covering Boards

From Sonny Bechler, a special education teacher and member of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Education Association in Libertyville, Illinois:

"Many schools require their shelves or boards to be covered, and many teachers use bulletin board paper to do this. I would like to suggest that we save paper and consider using old clean bed sheets to cover shelves and the like. If you do not have any old worn bed sheets, ask for some in your weekly parent or school memo. In the fall, you can wash the sheets and store them for the next year. It has worked well in our school and we saved costly paper!"

Stars, Comets and Galaxies

From Jan Formisano, a 2/3 combination teacher at Island Park Elementary School in Mercer Island, Washington:

"Here's a tip for creating a unique bulletin board background for a unit on the solar system. I take a black or midnight blue roll of bulletin board paper and cut it to the size I need. I then take it outside and lay it down in the sun, securing the edges so it doesn't blow around in the wind. I take yellow tempera paint and a large brush and sprinkle, drizzle and splatter with the paint. This creates lovely stars, comets and galaxies as the paint splatters on the paper in small droplets. After it's dry, I hang it on the bulletin board and attach my planets and solar system posters."

Painted Windows

From Jan Formisano, a second grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia:

"I have an idea for those that are artistic and would like to make their classroom look exceptionally alive and wonderful! I choose a theme relating to either science or literature and paint the windows in my classroom. This month, I chose the solar system and planned a scene in outer space with midnight blue paint as the background. There are yellow stars, planets, shooting stars and aliens in space ships. I painted it with regular tempera paints mixed with about � cup of dish detergent. This allows the paint to be easily washed off when ready to change themes. Just add water and it washes off with ease. These paintings create a vibrant color wash in the room and are absolutely incredible!"

Kiosk Display

From Sue Kast, a fifth grade teacher at Vintage Hills Elementary in Pleasanton, California:

"One open house, I ran out of bulletin board space and still wanted to display many of my snapshots that were taken during the year. I thought about building a Kiosk using butcher paper. Here's how to do it. Cut any length and fold it into fourths lengthwise. Tape or glue pictures to three of the sides leaving one end free to be overlapped with the other side. Fold each end over several times for support and then overlap the two ends to form a triangular prism. Staple the ends and also staple some yarn to each of the three sides. I hang this from the ceiling and I have a display that takes up no floor space and can be used for stories, artwork, etc. My fellow teachers loved the idea."

Ceiling Hangings

From Sue Kast, a fifth grade teacher at Vintage Hills Elementary in Pleasanton, California:

"Here's a tip for teachers that have classrooms with acoustical tiles. When I want to hang pictures, windsocks, bulletin boards, etc. from the ceiling, I unbend a paperclip and tuck one end under the metal supports that hold the tiles up. I use the hook end to hang up the student's work. I loop string through all my projects and use a yard stick and/or stand on a kid's desk to get to the places I can't reach."

Kindness Club

From Sally Theobold, an intervention specialist for Putnam County Schools in Palatka, Florida:

"I recognize random acts of kindness in my classroom. I write the student's name, date and act of kindness on an index card. I attach all the cards to a bulletin board titled, Miss Sally's Kindness Club. At the end of the year, I take down the cards and mail them to the parents. This is a great way for students to get recognition for being kind to each other."

Easy Bulletin Board Backgrounds

From Paula Thompson, a retired special education teacher from Theodore Middle School in Mobile, Alabama:

"Bulletin board paper is not easy to measure and put up so I use gift wrap instead. After stapling it to the center of my board, I add a pre-cut corrugated, colorful border. Gift-wrap not only does the trick for holiday themes, but it can be used for backgrounds of subject features such as dinosaurs, jungles, and space themes. Let your imagination flow at your local gift wrap department."

Chance Cards

From a sixth grade math teacher in Crossville, Tennessee:

"I have a wall labeled CHANCE in the back of my classroom. I have seasonal objects around the label that hide individual or classroom rewards. The students never know what they're going to get when they win a trip to chance board. I send them for things like adding really neat extras to our lesson, helping others, doing a good job on homework or doing perfect on my tests or quizzes. It's a very simple idea and the students love it. They always remind me if I haven't used it in a few days. The chances are also connected to my behavior plan and it's not just available to the top students."

Fabric Backgrounds

From Katie Crockett, a reading teacher at Franklin Middle School in Dallas, Texas:

"I buy inexpensive lightweight cotton fabric for my bulletin boards. I choose a bright solid color because the fabric does not fade nor show staple holes. If I want to use a different background for a certain time of the year, I staple it over the cotton. Then, when I take that display down, I still have the cotton background."

Boards to Share

From Dr. Kathy Evans, a teacher at Sundance Elementary in Peoria, Arizona:

"It's fun to have the kids create bulletin boards as part of the visual for a project's presentation. This keeps the boards current with little effort from the teacher. Our librarian has a revolving bulletin board so when we're finished with a display, she hangs it up in the library for the rest of the school to enjoy."

Student Heritage

From Barbara Pollak, an English as a second language teacher at Clark Mills School in Manalapan, New Jersey:

"My students speak a variety of languages and come from many different countries and backgrounds. To help them appreciate each other, I have them fill out a form which includes their names in English and their native language, a few phrases in their native language and some personal information such as their likes and dislikes and how many siblings they have. I put the cards on the bulletin board outside my room with a photo and a string leading to where they're from on the world map. This gives the parents something to look at while they're waiting for conferences and it helps them get to know their child's classmates' backgrounds as well as being proud of their own heritage."

Seasonal Trees

From Karen Russell, a third grade teacher at Willett Elementary School in Davis, California:

"Before school starts, I put up a 3-D paper tree by bunching up colored butcher paper and stapling it onto a blue background. The tree begins the year with apples. I put the students' names on them and write 'pick of the bunch' on a paper barrel. I create a pilgrim scene beneath the tree in November. In December, it becomes a Giving Tree when we put food for the needy beneath it and in the spring we plant tissue paper flowers below it. Other ideas come to mind as we go through the curriculum. My students enjoy creating the changes and sometimes come up with new ideas too."

Storing Bulletin Boards

From Jan Hurd, a first grade teacher at Shelton Park Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia:

"Many times when you develop a good bulletin board that you would like to use another year, you store the pieces but later forget the arrangement. A simple solution is to take a picture of it and then store the picture with the pieces so the arrangement will be easier to reassemble later. I make folders for bulletin board pieces by folding a 24"x 36" piece of tagboard in half and stapling two sides. I keep the folders in a large flat box that movers use for paintings and pictures."

Surprising Science Questions

From Deborah Myers, a science lab instructor at Ford Road Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee:

"I have a large bulletin board in the science lab entitled, Surprising Science Question of the Week. Every week, I put a question on the board along with a picture clue that the students much research in order to find the answer. They put their answers along with their name and grade level in a pocket that I have hanging outside my door. I give a personalized Science Whiz of the Week Certificate that I created on my computer to everyone who gave a correct answer. The winners also get their names posted in the hallway along with the answer to the question. I was amazed when my answer pocket started filling up! The children even stop me in the hallway to ask me if the new question is up and if they answered it correctly."

Bulletin Board Backgrounds

From Jill Irey, a Spanish and Algebra II teacher at Lake City High School in Lake City, Michigan:

"I use wallpaper for backgrounds on my bulletin boards. It's fast to put up, it doesn't fade and it doesn't show staple holes. In the summer, I look for wallpaper on sale. I prefer the tweed-like designs. I put wallpaper on my bulletin boards first thing in the fall and leave it up all year. If I really want a different background later, I just put it over the wallpaper. Then when I take the special background down, the wallpaper background is ready to go!"

Student Bulletin Boards

From Gay Johnson, a fourth grade teacher at EPIC School in Birmingham, Alabama:

"I have many bulletin boards in my classroom. I prepare a bulletin board for children's work that changes every two or three weeks. I staple fabric on the board so it stays bright and never fades. A solid, bright colored T-shirt type knit works well. Then I put masking tape on top in a grid for as many students as I have. That's one student's bulletin board space. Her writing or art work can be displayed in that section as assigned or he can decorate his section as a mini-bulletin board according to his whim and will. Depending on the number of children in the class, one unit of the grid will be 18"X22" or the size of the cardboard insert in panty hose which is 6"X8". If we ever need the big space of the whole bulletin board, then we just have to take the tape off the fabric."

Student Work Display

From Leann O'Neill, a fifth grade teacher at Harbor Heights Elementary School in Gig Harbor, Washington:

"I find changing bulletin boards and logging in assignments to be very time-consuming. This year, I used one big wall in the hall by my room for a permanent bulletin board. All students did a name plate with a 12"X18" colored picture of themselves. I had these laminated and put them up in alphabetical order in the hall with space for displaying student work. Now when we do a project for display, I put the work up by the 'student.' It creates a great bulletin board and I can tell, at a glance, who has not turned in the work. In addition, we are going to add construction paper details each month. In October, students will add some sort of costume. In November, we will be patriotic for Veteran's Day, etc."

Einstein

From Lou Birenbaum, a first grade teacher at Willow Brook School in St. Louis, Missouri:

"Monthly bulletin boards can be time-consuming. Last September, I hung a poster of Albert Einstein and his quote 'Imagination is more important than knowledge.' Each following month, I altered the poster to match a holiday or another event -- October had Albert attired in a witch's outfit; in November he was a pilgrim, etc. This year, since the kindergartners thought it was a poster of me, I added a poster-sized blown up photo of me in a pose similar to Albert's. For October, I captioned the board 'Dynamic Duo' and I am attired as Batman and Albert as Robin."

Using Fabric

From Nancy Brooks, a kindergarten teacher at Dutrow Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia:

"For attractive bulletin boards that are useful year after year, I use fabric for the background. I have seasonal and thematic fabric which I use throughout the year. For example, I have nursery rhyme fabric for the beginning of the year in kindergarten, fall for later, followed by snowflakes, hearts, bunnies and dinosaurs. I use these as a backing for my bulletin board which displays the calendar."

Paper Tablecloth Backing

From Mary Brasesco, a sixth grade teacher at Carquinez Middle School in Crockett, California:

"I have a very big bulletin board in my classroom and I spent hours in the past trying to make it look interesting and exciting for the kids as well as for open house. My tip is to buy a paper table cloth and tape it to the bulletin board. Right now I have a big Thanksgiving theme table cloth and I put up in large letters 'Things I Am Thankful For.' The kids take turns writing on the 'poster' when they have free time. I was surprised at how much they liked to do this and how many different things they are thankful for. Each month you can have a new theme for your table cloth. The sky's the limit! Have fun."

Student Superstars

From Janet Wiggins, a multi-age kindergarten/first grade teacher at Pleasant Shade Elementary School in Smith County, Tennessee:

"Sometimes things get too hectic to recognize individual achievements, so I started a 'Superstar' bulletin board. When any of my students makes 100 on a test or special project, it gets put up on the board. I also have an achievement chart with each of their names where they can place stickers for each 100 put on the board. When they get five stickers on the chart, they can choose a prize from the prize box. The bulletin has become important to the students, not only for the prizes, but for the visual and classroom recognition. They can keep track of their progress themselves and know what it takes to get to the next prize slot. Whatever their goal, it has made them try a little harder on their work."

Beginning of Year

From Brook Berg, a substitute teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, who taught social studies in grades 5-12 before returning to school recently:

"This is a tip that I heard about from a retired colleague. One of the biggest chores when beginning a new year is decorating our rooms. Instead of planning and doing a welcome back bulletin board yourself before school starts why not have your current class plan and put together the board before they move on to the next grade? The teacher then simply covers the completed board with butcher paper and goes home for the summer with the knowledge that one back to school task is done! I send this now because to really have a nice board for next year - it's a good idea to let students plan and decorate a couple during the year."

Chalk Boards

Clean Chalkboards

From Maggie Harder, an elementary ESL teacher for Harnett County Schools in Lillington, North Carolina:

"To keep chalkboards clean, use a Kleenex that has lanolin or hand lotion on it. Put it around the eraser and erase the board. You will rarely have to wash your board."

Chalk Graphs

From Terry Castoria, a fifth grade teacher at Defino Central School in Marlboro, New Jersey:

"I use a handwriting line marker, the handle with the slots to fit chalk, to make my graphs on the chalkboard. I make three horizontal sets of lines and then three sets of vertical lines. This makes an instant graphing grid."

Clean Blackboards

From Marilyn Redmond, a second grade teacher at Roland Michener Public School in Kanata, Ontario, Canada:

"Here is a blackboard tip that eliminates yucky wet cloths and sponges while keeping blackboards looking like new. I take a clean small towel and put a little bit of lemon oil on it. I place the towel in a Ziplock bag and leave it overnight so that the lemon oil soaks into the towel. After I erase the blackboard, I clean it with the towel and it removes all the chalk dust without leaving any streaks. The blackboards look like new. I add a couple of drops of lemon oil from time to time but there should not be so much that it wets the board."

Cleaning Blackboards

From Darlene Thomas, a fifth grade teacher at Waverly Elementary School in Howard County, Maryland:

"Here's a tip I just learned this year after 28 years of teaching. I wish I could have known earlier. For those who like clean boards, take a Puff brand tissue with lotion in it and wipe it over the entire blank blackboard. Then write with chalk as usual and erase with a regular eraser. The trick now is to take a Puff with lotion and wipe clean. The boards have no dust and look brand new. Never do you have to deal with that icky wet sponge routine again!"

White Boards

Wiping Boards

From Julie Thompson, a kindergarten teacher at McKendree Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia:

"When whiteboards need a good cleaning, simply use baby wipes over the entire surface. The wipes will take off the marker that erasers leave behind and they're less expensive than white board cleaner."

Wonders of Hair Spray

From Ardith Roddy, an elementary music teacher at Vaughan and Northside Schools in Warren County, North Carolina:

"I keep a bottle of hair spray on hand for whiteboard marker mistakes. It also gets ink out of clothing as well as a multitude of other things. It makes me wonder what it does to hair."

Student Slates

From Debi Beckman, a second grade teacher at Estes Elementary in Asheville, North Carolina:

"Our maintenance department is replacing all our old chalkboards with 4'x8' tile board from the local builder's supply store. This gave me an idea! I had them cut one of these boards into 12" squares, which gave me thirty-two new white board slates. Now each child has their own slate to use when we practice math facts, do math visualizations on the overhead, practice handwriting, etc. Whenever we're doing whole class instruction, I'm able to assess my students' skills. To ensure that we always have enough white board markers, I occasionally send a note home to parents explaining that we're running low. To solve the problem of passing out an eraser for each child, I collected old clean socks. My students keep their markers in the socks and when we need to use the slates, everything is in their desks, ready to go. My kids love them!"

Whiteboard Mistakes

From Hank Rowe, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Amphitheater Middle School in Tucson, Arizona:

"Sometimes a marker is grabbed to write on the whiteboard and invariably, it turns out to be a permanent marker. A quick solution is to use the correct type of dry-erase marker to write over the permanent ink. This breaks down the permanent ink and the whole mess wipes away!"

Math Modeling with White Boards

From Bernadine Samson, a math and physics teacher at Cheylin Junior/Senior High School in Bird City, Kansas:

"Working in groups, my physics students put preliminary graphs and the math model of the data for a problem on 24 X 32 inch white boards. I pick a student at random from each group to explain the results of the experiment to the class and to respond to questions from students and me. I assign selected problems from homework to be put on 12 inch square white boards and students take turns explaining their assigned problems. Through questioning about their presentations, I have uncovered misconceptions even though the written solution appeared correct."

White Boards in the Classroom

From Dan Platano, a mathematics teacher at Perry High School in Perry, Ohio:

"I purchased six 4x8 foot sheets of melamine and made table tops out of them. I set the tops over each group of desks in my room. Anytime we are doing a guided practice or a review session, the students use white board markers and erasers to write their steps for solving the problem on the tabletop. It is easy for me to see and check their answers because of the visibility and the size of the print. Students love it because they can make a mistake and fix it easily. When I visit a group to explain a problem, I can easily write large enough for all the group members to see. In order to prevent cheating among group members during tests, I asked the industrial technology class to make blocks of wood about 2x5 inches with a slanted groove in them that is wide enough to put a divider board in between each student. The use of white board tables has helped me capture the idea of a classroom conducive to learning, to sharing and to teaching one another!"

Cleaning White Boards

From Elizabeth Ahlgren, a math teacher at Morse High School in San Diego, California:

"If you have a white board that requires the use of dry erase markers, inevitably a permanent marker jumps up and attacks the board. To remove the permanent mark, I simple scribble over it with a dry erase marker and it will then wipe off. You may have to use some rubbing alcohol or cleaner to get rid of the last little bit of ghosting but this will take off the marks really well."

Individual White Boards

From Les Baumgarner, a student achievement facilitator at Pecan Grove School in Yuma, Arizona:

"Individual white boards can be used for obtaining feedback from students. You can make inexpensive individual white boards by using Formica sheets available from home improvement or hardware stores. Cut the large sheets of Formica into 9-inch by 12-inch or 12-inch by 18-inch sheets. In the classroom, these sheets can be written on with erasable markers to get feedback from students. They can be used to close a lesson or to monitor student understanding of what you have taught. They save paper, and are a way in which the students can have a new way to express ideas."