Bulletin Boards
to Instruct,
Engage, &
Advocate
Katie Morris
K-6Art Teacher Auburn-Washburn USD 437
www.KatieMorrisArt.com
morricat@usd437.net

First bulletin board ever:

Time Saving Tips:
Background
• Paint background (if allowed)
so you don’t have to cover with
Paper.
• If you do have to cover, tear butcher
paper from bottom up to get a clean
tear
• Try a color that you can use more than
once (black is great)
• After stapling paper, use box knife to
trim against frame
• If paper is still in good shape, roll it
when you take it down to save and
reuse. It’s already the right size.

Time Saving Tips: Wording
• Are you faster with die-cut or
scissors?
• Save letters to reuse
• Glue letters or printed words
to paper to make signs, titles,
labels ahead of time
• Laminate signs or labels you
will use again
• Clip all letters/words to
bulletin board elements to
store set together for reuse.

Time Saving Tips:
Elements
• Use projector to trace big
pictures onto posters or
paper
• Laminate “generic” elements
that you can use again
– Crayons, Brayers, other tools
or illustrations
• Use good construction paper
or scrapbooking paper that
won’t fade
• Borders: Overlap, don’t trim

Composition
• Sketch an idea before you start assembling
• “Crooked enough to look on purpose”
• What kind of composition looks good in your
artwork?
• Hand-cut letters
don’t have to
be straight
• Use consistent
color for unity

ADVOCATE

• Painted paper YAM
signs
• Reused crayon cutouts
• Colorful photos of
student artwork

Advocacy materials in
the students’ own words
is the most powerful.
Supplement
with advocacy
materials from
KAEA and NAEA

• Painted directly on butcher
paper

• Inspired by
Mercedez
Benz Left
Brain/Right
Brain ads

“Challenge
yourself” now
hangs in my
classroom.

First day of art class:
students wrote what
they want to learn

INSTRUCT
• Adding vocabulary words and other information
and visuals makes bulletin boards a useful
instructional tool.

Cultural information, posters, student work, and
reused elements to explain printmaking process.

Choose Your Own Adventure
• Students see images, read about choices, then choose a starting
point from which to branch out.

Background information and CYOA

CYOA: India

Color Wheel

“Menu” for Collage and Paper
Weaving

ENGAGE: Interactive or Interesting
• Especially fun in high traffic or waiting areas
– Is there a display location near lunch lines?
• Cross curricular- other teachers may use it for
review while waiting.
• Ask questions of the viewer
• Make it a game
• Can you tie a trend, current interest, or season
to art?

• Lift flap for the answer
(Native American/American Indian)

• Used clear tape to
hold lines in place --->

• How Asian dragons are different from Western
dragons
• Why dragons from China, Korea, and Japan have
different numbers of claws (Chinese dragons have
5, Korean have 4, and Japanese have 3)
• Whether or not dragons are real

Advocate for your program: Show
experience and learning

• Letters from painted
paper
• Map shows cultural
influence

• Happy little landscape lesson inspired by Bob Ross
remix video
• Student artwork
• Description w/ QR Code
• Element of interest- Bob Ross (now lives in art room)
• Posters highlight messages from remix

QR Codes
• Can be scanned with
smart device to pull
up website
• Free to create
• Favorite: goo.gl
– URL shortener
– Copy and paste
sortened URL into
the address bar and
add “.qr” to the end
– Enter and a qr code
will pop up to copy
or save

Show prep work with clever visual
• Here, a peace sign brainstorming diagram.
“Peace Is” and “Peace Isn’t” to help students
develop understanding.

• Students wrote descriptive words and phrases
about tornadoes on the torn paper model.

Facial proportions DYK
Description of each grade’s learning and
relevant vocabulary.

• Math connection. Reused shapes and forms signs from
previous bulletin board.

• “Achieve” and “Collaborate” were school-wide
vocabulary words.

• ^Used die cut letters and negatives
• Small facts about wetland habitats
• Next year, combined hallway and classroom
displays into one. Roll it at the end of the season
and hang again the following year.

• Where there is no
bulletin board, make
do!
Hangs on a closet
door. Roll it up and get
it back out the next
year.

Big posters for a quick themed display
• Fun facts about the holiday, the presidents,
the artwork, and the artists on cards.

Special Events at School

Visiting Author/Illustrator

International Dot Day

COLLABORATE
Started with full sheets of construction paper glued on butcher paper. Students cut and
added their own shapes.

Save time hanging student art with
Portfolio Days