Classroom Themes - Focus on One at a Time
Imagine yourself as a second grade student.
You walk into your classroom for the first time.
How does it make you feel?Do you see one central theme? Or are there a lot of different messages coming at you all at once? It is particularly important for young students to feel comfortable from the moment they arrive at school until the moment they leave.
The easiest way to do this is to focus on a theme that you can build all your class activities around.
As a teacher, it is your job to choose a single classroom theme that matches the personality and desires of your students.
Having more than one theme can cause too much clutter in the classroom which can confuse students.
This makes it much more difficult to learn.
You can always change during the year and you probably will want to change as the school year rolls along, but you will want to change everything at the same time, always focusing on a single theme.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to have too much going on.
Any more than one theme can clutter your classroom.
This is not to say that having a classroom theme is a bad thing.
In fact, you should always have a theme and, if done right, the theme can help your students learn while promoting a fun and friendly atmosphere.
So before you do anything, settle on one theme to use at this time.
Although you have the right to choose any theme, no matter what it may be, there are some that are more popular than others.
For general themes, if you teach young students you should consider themes based on animals, farm life, and seasons.
Older students, including those in upper elementary, enjoy themes that are based around sports and adventure.
But this is for general themes.
You will probably also want to use some themes based on curriculum topics or holidays or seasons.
No matter the theme, stick with it throughout the entire classroom.
You don't want to have a sports inspired theme on one side and farm animals on the other.
Again, this is confusing.
This consistency makes the room look better, while also keeping visual distractions to a minimum.
What theme are you going to present to your new students on the first day of school? This is something you should begin to think about as the 2011-2012 school year inches closer.
You walk into your classroom for the first time.
How does it make you feel?Do you see one central theme? Or are there a lot of different messages coming at you all at once? It is particularly important for young students to feel comfortable from the moment they arrive at school until the moment they leave.
The easiest way to do this is to focus on a theme that you can build all your class activities around.
As a teacher, it is your job to choose a single classroom theme that matches the personality and desires of your students.
Having more than one theme can cause too much clutter in the classroom which can confuse students.
This makes it much more difficult to learn.
You can always change during the year and you probably will want to change as the school year rolls along, but you will want to change everything at the same time, always focusing on a single theme.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to have too much going on.
Any more than one theme can clutter your classroom.
This is not to say that having a classroom theme is a bad thing.
In fact, you should always have a theme and, if done right, the theme can help your students learn while promoting a fun and friendly atmosphere.
So before you do anything, settle on one theme to use at this time.
Although you have the right to choose any theme, no matter what it may be, there are some that are more popular than others.
For general themes, if you teach young students you should consider themes based on animals, farm life, and seasons.
Older students, including those in upper elementary, enjoy themes that are based around sports and adventure.
But this is for general themes.
You will probably also want to use some themes based on curriculum topics or holidays or seasons.
No matter the theme, stick with it throughout the entire classroom.
You don't want to have a sports inspired theme on one side and farm animals on the other.
Again, this is confusing.
This consistency makes the room look better, while also keeping visual distractions to a minimum.
What theme are you going to present to your new students on the first day of school? This is something you should begin to think about as the 2011-2012 school year inches closer.
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