As an elementary school teacher, you know how important it is to create an engaging and informative classroom. You can use bulletin boards on your walls as both decoration and a teaching tool to reinforce lessons and engage students. This makes them a great way to turn your math lessons into classroom decorations throughout the school year.
Ideas for Math Bulletin Boards
Math in Real Life Boards
Show your students why they need to learn math by creating bulletin boards that showcase how math is used in everyday life. For example, "cook up" a board showing how math is used when baking, or "build" a board that demonstrates math in constructing a building. Throw in some math vocabulary related to each example to help your students improve their vocab and understanding of the context.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Baking Bonanza: Create a bulletin board with an oven design where each student makes a recipe card showing the fractions or measurements used in their favorite baked goods. Add colorful illustrations and make it interactive by including a small measuring cup or spoon for students to practice measuring.
- Price Comparison Market: Design the bulletin board to resemble a supermarket, complete with different price tags. Have students cut out grocery items from magazines or draw their own, along with the prices. They can arrange the items on the board, categorize them, and use addition and subtraction to find the total cost.
- Pizza Party: Transform the bulletin board into a pizzeria scene. Students can make paper pizzas cut into slices and write fractions on each slice to represent how they would split it between friends. Encourage them to decorate the pizza with various toppings and colors to make it pop.
- Tic-Toc Time: Craft a large clock on the bulletin board with movable hands. Students can decorate and attach different events or daily activities to the board, then set the hands of the clock to show the start and end times of each event. This helps them master telling time and understanding elapsed time.
Mathlete of the Month
Showcase outstanding student math achievements and make them feel like champs!
- Create a "Mathlete of the Month" header and decorate it with math symbols.
- Celebrate students who came up with creative ways to solve problems and share their approach for other students to use later
- Include a brief description of their approach and add colorful borders or ribbons.
Mathalon Journey
Create a captivating interactive math bulletin board showcasing your students' journey through Knowledgehook's Mathalon.
- Utilize Knowledgehook's Mathalon Printables and print certificates for Half and Full Mathalon challenge winners to celebrate their achievements.
- Add visuals and milestones to represent the stars needed for Mathalon progress.
- Create a visual path showcasing students' growth and progress in the Mathalon program.
Sign up for a free Knowledgehook teacher account today and start your students' mathalon journey.
Math Artist Corner or Gallery
Put the spotlight on math in art by creating a corner dedicated to math-based artwork.
Some artistic ideas:
- Shape Collages: Get creative with shapes! Students can make colorful collages using different shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Get students to cut out shapes from colored paper or use shape stickers to design their artwork. Motivate them to explore the combination and arrangement of shapes to create captivating patterns and pictures.
- Math Measuring Masterpieces: Time to bring out the rulers and measuring tapes! Students can create artwork involving measuring and comparing different lengths, widths, and heights. They could create a city with buildings of different heights or make a collage with leaves and twigs of various lengths. This activity not only reinforces measurement skills, but allows students to flex their artistic muscles as well.
- Math Patterns in Nature: When we look closely, math is everywhere in the outside world! Students can go on a nature walk and collect objects like leaves, flowers, or rocks. Back in the classroom, they can use their collection to create artwork showcasing patterns found in nature. They can arrange the objects in symmetrical patterns or create a sequence of shapes.
Create a Math Vocabulary Word Wall
Use a bulletin board to craft a math-themed word wall. Instead of typical spelling or vocabulary words, focus on math terms. This will help your students expand their math vocabulary and reinforce their understanding of key concepts. Add visual aids and examples to make it more visually appealing.
Some word wall ideas:
- Number Sense Words like "even," "odd," "prime," "composite," "multiple," "factor," and "sum."
- Operations Vocabulary like "add," "subtract," "multiply," "divide," "sum," "difference," "product," and "quotient." Add clear, concise definitions and alongside each word.
- Geometric Terms like "angle," "vertex," "parallel," "perpendicular," "equilateral," "isosceles," "rectangle," and "polygon." Accompany each term with its definition and illustrative examples. This word wall will help students grasp geometric concepts and boost their geometric vocabulary.
Show words, definitions, and visual representations of each to reinforce your students’ understanding of key math concepts. This word wall will be a handy reference during math lessons and will help students master essential mathematical operations as well as grasp geometric concepts.
Using bulletin boards in your classroom creates an exciting learning space. They re-inforce learned concepts, provide helpful math tips and demonstrate how math is everywhere. Make math a part of your students' environment everyday as soon as they walk through your classroom door.
