Useful Bulletin Boards

I am quite the creative gal, if I don't say so myself.  I scrapbook as if my pictures are going out of style.  HGTV is the one reason I miss cable (well, and the History Channel makes two....).  But when it comes to bulletin boards I used to be at such a loss.  As a secondary teacher it seemed as though everything was too elementary.  Sure, I have the quintessential current events board, but beyond that?

Thanks to a colleague, I have a new plan of attack this year.  She calls these bulletin boards "Walls that Talk, Walls that Teach".  It is a usable board that students can use for information and reference and changes with each unit.  

The nitty gritty - a board for each class includes:

• Vocabulary
• Objectives in student centered language "I will be able to...."
• Key question or unit focus
• Examples of student work and associated rubrics

I also sometimes add a timeline for the unit, lists of assignments, or major project rubrics if it seems to make sense.  Anything I post on the board is fair game and can be used and referenced during class or assessments.  My theory behind letting students use the board during assessments is that there are very few times in life where I have a problem that I can't Google.  Some of my boards are on windows with blinds, so by simply closing the blinds I could have covered specific information as well.

There are laminated yellow stars that I move each day to highlight the objective on which we will be working that day.  I also used plastic sheet protectors to hold vocabulary and unit questions so that I can easily swap information in and out because a lot of my boards are not actually boards, but butcher paper taped to windows and walls.

I would love to hear what everyone does to use their wall space!