Bust the BTS Blues with a New Bulletin Board!

I can't believe it's already BTS time! This summer has flown by and I'm ready to get the school year underway! So, I thought I would revive an old post about my Kindergarten classroom and share my classroom bulletin boards. Nothing snaps me out of that BTS-FUNK like a fresh bulletin board display!

I strive to run an organized and efficient Kindergarten classroom. (With room for play and fun, of course!)  This summer I added a few things to my management system that have made a big difference!

1. My whiteboard is the hub of communication and information in my classroom (aside from the Smart Board). My "CHAMP" icons and schedule cards are on magnets so that I can easily adjust them each day or each learning block.  My Daily 5 posters are kinder-friendly and easy to understand.  (Grab them for free here!)  I also have a set of mini posters just for me, "The 7 C's of Teaching," to remind me of my responsibilities to these 21st Century kiddos!  (Grab them for free here.)  The small red pocket chart is used to spotlight our learning targets as they change throughout the day.

2. I also have a bulletin board that runs the length of the room.  The largest section is for learning targets.  Small pocket charts hold the target/standard cards for the week (or unit) so that I can readily access and display them as we transition throughout the day.  Beyond the word wall and birthday displays is the job chart.  I have 24 students and 24 jobs.  (Sounds crazy, I know!)  Students have one job per week and we rotate throughout the year.  Giving each student a job has had such an impact on our classroom community!  Some jobs are small and others are more popular, but when all students have ownership over the way the classroom runs they learn to work together and take responsibility for the good of the group!

  3. My favorite bulletin board is the one next to my desk!  I created this tree a couple of years ago and have added to it each year.  It serves as a place to post important information, student gifts and drawings, and words of inspiration about education. 

Plus, it's super cute (if I do say so myself)!

Missing anything?

Wondering where my calendar board is?

WELL... I DON'T HAVE ONE ANYMORE!

When I realized my Kinders weren't engaging like I had hoped and my day was starting off BLAH instead of WOW, I knew I needed to make a change. I tossed my traditional calendar and created monthly interactive calendars for the SMART Board! Read more about that here!

Check them out at TpT!

Don't teach Kinders?

Then check out these first everyday calendars for any primary grade!

Not ready to invest?

Then download this FREE version... test it with your SMART system and try it with your students... I PROMISE THEY WILL LOVE IT!

(And you will, too!)

Is "Calendar Time" a Thing of the Past?

One of my most favorite parts of teaching Kindergarten and first grade is Calendar Time.  It's a wonderful way to start the day with routine, a good time to review math skills, and go over the day's schedule. As a first grade teacher ten years ago, I prided myself on my calendar bulletin board.  It was all-inclusive; covering topics from the days of the week to the changing seasons to classroom jobs and everything in between.  It was expansive; filling an entire bulletin board! Above all, it was cute, color-coordinated and trendy. (Of course!) I loved that board and the time my students and I would spend every morning reviewing concepts, sharing, and prepping for the day ahead.

When I returned to the classroom from an intervention position to teach Kindergarten a few years ago I set up the board of all boards! I bought new date cards, learned new songs, created streamlined flip charts, added Velcro to my money chart, and re-bundled my straws for the tens/ones chart. I was determined to make my Calendar Time awesome! I just KNEW my students would LOVE it as much as I did!

BUT, I was SO disappointed!! 

My students weren't engaged, weren't singing/playing along, and (worst of all) weren't learning! 

I was stumped! What was keeping them from engaging? 

In my few short years out of the classroom had Calendar Time become obsolete?!?

Calendar Time in the 21st Century

I knew my techniques, activities, routines were good. I consulted other teachers, read books and articles on the topic and came to only one conclusion...

Calendar Time was the SAME, but my students were DIFFERENT! 

They engaged through technology and the lessons I planned that incorporated my SMART Board were quickly becoming their favorites (and my most successful). I knew there had to be a way to

  bring my beloved Calendar Time into the 21st Century. 

I searched for a program or product that would accomplish what I wanted, but there wasn't much out there. So, I started from scratch and created my first (very primitive) calendar file for the SMART Board. Once I saw how engaged my students were (with the same concepts I was trying to teach using my old-fashioned bulletin board, mind you)... I kicked my creative juices into overdrive, abandoned my bulletin board calendar, and NEVER LOOKED BACK!

I read recently that Calendar Time is a thing of the past and that it is among a list of "Old School" practices that should be stopped... Well, I couldn't disagree more! Since switching to an interactive, SMART Board version I found that my Calendar Time has become even more vital than before! Read all about why calendar is still essential today HERE!

My students learn SO MUCH MORE than the days of the week during Calendar Time now...

They learn calendar basics, weather and season characteristics, celebrate birthdays, and cheer every Friday!

They learn basic math skills and cover standards involving counting, base ten concepts, and graphing!

They learn to use technology to demonstrate what they know and interact with new content!

They work as teams to problem solve, use discussion to explain and communicate, encourage each other through collaboration, and develop leadership skills as they take their turn as calendar leader!

Head over to this post to learn all about why classroom calendars for the 21st Century are different, but still just as important as traditional calendars!

Do we still need calendar time in the 21st Century? YES!

Are you ready to improve YOUR calendar time? 

Then I'm here to help!

Sign up with 21st Century K to grab this FREE workbook and lots of other great content!

Click to sign up for this guide!

Interested in how I used my SMART Board to bring Calendar Time out of the dark ages?
Check out my YouTube Demonstration Video!

Then download my SMART Calendar FREEBIE and try it for yourself! Your Kindergarten and First Grade students will thank you!

Interactive Calendar for SMART Board

Do you teach calendar in your primary classroom? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!