Hit: Bulletin Board Ideas for LMC

[Sandra Ann Williams <sandywil@TENET.EDU>]

Here are the ideas I received in response to my target on interactive
bulletin boards in the library media center.  I actually had more folks
wanting me to post a hit than I had suggestions.  This might be a good
book to write...

From: Linda Shooks <lshooks@isd.ingham.k12.mi.us>

Sandy,
    One bulletin board I have used is "Put a Poem in Your Pocket."  I have
copied the poem and then cut and posted pockets cut from various scrap
material.  The children could then copy a favorite poem on an index card and
put it in a pocket.  They could also look in the pockets and read the poems
that others had placed there.

From: Susan Baker <sbaker@orca.esd114.wednet.edu>

I used to put up drawings of characters from mythology.  "Who is
he/she?", with a clue.  Then I'd add a new clue every couple of days
until someone discovered the identity.  The first clues were obscure,
later ones increased in obviousness (new word!).  Something similar
could be done with characters from folktales. I thought about trying
characters from modern children's literature, but was concerned about
copyright issues.  Good luck.

From: Lynda Short <LSHORT1@UKCC.UKY.EDU>

Sandra, I have a "What's the Connection?" bookcase.  I select books around spec
ific theme and then have the kids guess what it is.  I have used survival, Newb
ery winners, time travel, families in the summer, banned books.  They enjoy the
 guessing game and always want to check out the books.  Lynda

From: TerrieM498@aol.com

Display logic puzzles with a weekly or bi-weekly contest...

To promote geography AND animal knowledge, put up several pictures of animals
from various continents.  Put up the names of each continent and have kids
guess which continent the animals belong to...

At Christmas, I displayed an adult trivia carol puzzle using graphics to help
the kids guess the names of the carols... Have also done this with different
birds.

Book title trivia can be done in a similar fashion, but can't use the
graphics.  Used title clues and as the were guessed, I put up book jackets
for that title.


The kids seem to enjoy puzzles on any subject!

From: Kay Hadley <kchadley@tenet.edu>

I have used an activity with 3-5th graders. I call it "where can I
find..." and use a bulletin board (or wall, or back of the magazine
stand) to post the phrase with a statement, such as "who was the first
president born in the United States." The students know that the answer
is to be found somewhere in a reference book. And they are to find the
best source for the answer. I place a star with the teacher's name as
soon as someone in that class finds the source and shows me the answer.
The same question stays up all week, and the stars accumulate. The
following week, I post the answer. This idea is not originally mine...I
first saw it in SLMedia Activities Monthly.

From: "Reesa P. Cohen" <rpcohen@mailbox.syr.edu>

I hope its not to late to respond to your request re: Bulletin boards.

I use my very large Bulletin board at the back of my library as a
motivator and often use it as a theme to direct students to certain
types of reading, to get them to participate in that months theme, to
display artwork related to the theme etc, to involve them in a contest.

EXAMPLES:
        "bag a book"- using lunch paper bags, I have students share a
book they love, that we have in the library by decorating the paper lunch
bag with the title and author( also a picture if there is room) and to
put 5 facts on 5 strips of construction paper that tell something about
the book ( characters, setting, one event, what they liked best etc.) and
then I encourage all classes to "dip" into the bags to find out about the
books that kids recommend.

        This Oct. I am using a "THANKFUL" theme. I have made 3 large
 turkeys, minus feathers for the bulletin board. Each of the grades 1-3
students (we have 2 classes of each) will be brainstorming for things
they might be thankful for and then they will be given large feathers to
finish the sentence on them, that says "I am thankful for......"

        Last Xmas I made large Christmas stockings out of construction paper
and gave one to each student in the school to decorate with the best or
favorite book they had read during that term of school. By the second
week of Dec. the entire bull. board was covered and the heading at the top
read "PENNER STUDENTS ARE HUNG-UP ON READING THIS XMAS".
A variation of that theme one year was the use of boxes, that each
student decorated, wrapped and that indicated a title of book. "Give the
gift of reading this season" was the theme.

        One of my favorite themes to do centered on poetry. For a month I
share with students our incredible poetry selection, students get to share
their favorite poem on the PA and write poems for the bulletin board.
The classroom teachers get involved in the poetry writing and I give
everyone a "pocket" to put a poem in, for the bulletin board.

Hope that this helps. I have loads of other suggestion, but I am running
out of time. I look forward to your HIT to see what others do.

Thanks to all who responded!


Sandy Williams                  sandywil@tenet.edu
Miller Elementary School
Plano I.S.D.
5651 Coventry Drive
Richardson, Texas 75082