With standardized testing coming up in the Spring, now is the perfect time to start thinking about bulletin board ideas that will reinforce some of the basic math concepts that your students need to know. Whether you are teaching first grade or fifth, there are some great ways that you can make a visually attractive bulletin board that will catch students’ eyes and interest. Try one of the ideas below to get started.
Bulletin Boards for Math
Fraction Pizza
It is rare to find a child who does not like pizza, so put your students’ love for food front and center on your main math bulletin board. Cut out a giant pizza crust from a piece of butcher paper. Place pushpins around the crust, so that you can periodically change how many slices are in the pie by connecting yarn to the corresponding pushpins. You may want to start with the pizza cut in half, in which case the pins at the top and bottom of the crust would have a piece of yarn tied to them to “divide” the pizza into two pieces. Slice the pizza into as many pieces as you would like to give your students practice visualizing fractions. Use the board as a review during those extra minutes of the day when you need a filler activity or turn it into a center with journal questions or activities.
Flower Petal Multiplication
Spring is in the air with this flower-inspired bulletin board. Create one flower center for each multiplication factor your students need to know. Then, cut out petals for each flower. Write the main number in the center and write “x (the factor)” on each petal. Turn the board into a mini-center by having students complete the problems for each flower and record their answers on a multiplication grid. If you wanted to, you could put small, cut-out bees on the end of each petal with the answer to each problem.
Hint: Cutting out the petals and bees can be time consuming, so have them in a “Helper Packet” for parent volunteers when they come into class to help.
Place Value Problem of the Day
Learning place value can be tricky, so be sure to reinforce the skill before testing time arrives. Create a small bulletin board that contains the “Place Value Problem of the Day”. On a sentence strip, write out the words to the number that you would like your students to put in the proper place value spots. Under the written number, create a sample place value grid to help your students remember. When they come into class, writing the problem of the day in their math journal can be a great way to help them settle down and focus on the subject at hand. You can even create this bulletin board from a small cork board or white board that you used in college.
Sometimes, all it takes to help students remember and prepare for a test is a quick visual aide. Use the ideas above to create a board that will get your students thinking about math without a lot of added pressure.
What are some of your favorite math bulletin board ideas? Share them with us below or on the forums!