What we are learning BB

[herdgrad]

Is anyone else required to have a what we are learning bulletin board where you have to keep an updated list of everything that the class is learning? It is suppose let the children, principal, and any visitors know what is being taught. Sometimes I think it is a good idea, other times I just think it is a waste of my time and bulletin board space. I am not complaining about the BB space as much as the overall effectiveness of it. Is is really worth it?
Last year I bought pre-made subject headers and listed everything we were learning on sentence strips and placed below each header. I was thinking of a way to make it easier. I was thinking about laminating a piece of paper and attaching it to a piece of construction paper (for decorative purposes only) and placing one under each heading so I can use a dry erase marker to add/delete to the list. Any thought or ideas? :idontknow:

[dsmms]

Last year I printed out signs (8 1/2 x 11) of all the objectives for a given grading period and posted them along the top edge of my white board. I generally do not use this area to so it wasn't interfering with my writing area and doesn't eat up any of my limited bulletin board space. Each time we covered an objective, I place a footprint post-it note on the sign so we could all see what we had accomplished! By the end of the grading period the students could get a visual idea about all they learned.

This year I was thinking about using a pocket chart for this....haven't decided for sure yet. I would definitely consider laminating so you don't have to create the same things year after year. In my case, our curriculum changed so I will laminate this year in hopes that standards will not change now.

[Boxcar]

I have to do this. It is helpful. Most families don't look at it, but those who do appreciate it. Also, there are multiple teachers in an ECE classroom: a Lead, co-teachers, and assistants. Children can be in the room for 12 hours in some cases. People change shifts. Having information up about daily routine, current theme, and areas of development does help with communication.

It doesn't have to list every activity. My class might be talking about pets for two weeks, so I'd put up things like "Did Dramatic Play about a Pet Store". However, I wouldn't put up that the children used Unifix cubes during Free Play. This is a child-initiated choice and isn't related to my direct teaching.

We also have to fill out webs, charts, and lists. These are put in a binder for the families to look at as well. I'd really like to shift some of this to a website, but that isn't respectful of families without computer access. So, a site would have to be a duplicate.

One thing I'd like to try is a magnetic board. Then, I could print the things on magnetic paper and do that. It skips the steps of lamination, cutting, stapling, and all that. Most of my themes do repeat even though the kids always help me pick them. It seems most children like animals, snow, vehicles, and resturaunt.

[dsmms]

Magnetic paper? I haven't heard of this! Where do you get it? It sounds like something I could have used this past year when posting my objectives on the white board.

[MsCoffeeLover]

We are required to have the standard and the day's objective visible every single day. I love the bulletin board idea, but that space really is limited. I am in a trailer, and I have only 1 bulletin board and 2 dry erase boards. One of them is covered by the SMART board.

Most of the teachers in the regular classrooms devote one of the white boards to standards and objectives. Many of them have them already printed and laminated/covered in plastic because there are just so many at the middle school level.

Since my space is limited, I try to make the white board do it all. It is basically "What are we going to learn today?"

One of the teachers in the trailers took one of her white boards and used tape to turn it into a really big monthly calendar. When you walk in, you can see what they are doing for that day and what to expect. I may just go to Lowes and buy some shower board and do something similar.

[herdgrad]

dsmms, I like the idea of a pre-printed paper every grading period. This should really be easy to do in Reading and Math since our county is making a district wide pacing guide. Well ok, selected teachers (me included) will be making these pacing guides the first week of August. It will pace out the entire year for Reading and Math for every grade K-8. I know the high school has already started doing that by departments. It will tell you what skill you should be teaching and when. Even though we got new math books for this coming year (YEAH) the state is suppose to revamp the standard course of study in Math. I guess I could get busy making the others....social studies, science, writing, spelling, etc. etc.
I LOVE the idea of putting a sticky note to show what we have learned, not just what we are learning. hhhmmmm will have to think about how to do that. I like that it gives the kids a visual of all their hard work.

[Boxcar]

You can get magnetic paper from office supply stores like OfficeMax or Staples. It works really well. You can print on it, cut it up, or let your students draw on it. My class did pictures on it for an art project. The families really liked that - artistic and functional.

[dsmms]

You can get magnetic paper from office supply stores like OfficeMax or Staples. It works really well. You can print on it, cut it up, or let your students draw on it. My class did pictures on it for an art project. The families really liked that - artistic and functional.

The wheels are turning....I am thinking of all the things I can do with this! I think I'll be visiting Office Max today! Thanks!

[LeAnna]

Our disrict will be requiring teachers to put up in their classrooms Kid friendly standards related to the learning objectives being taught.

Our language arts program for k - 5 is Houghton Mifflin.

The latest professoinal development training tied to "Reading First" classrooms strongly suggests using a "Focus Wall" with key componets being addressed in reading strategies, vocabulary, grammar skills, writing skills, word work/spelling, phonics, and I have really found the wall to be doable and am streamlining how to do the wall more effectively and easily.

I used pocket charts this year and that was pretty easy due to the huge amount of teacher created focus wall materials on the internet.

Santa Maria Bonita School District has excellent resources for HMR.

I have found that the focus wall helps keep me on task and focused and it is a great tool for students to use as well.

We have a new adoption for math and I plan on creating a focus wall for math as well.