On safari - a jungle in the classroom June 27, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Art, KS1 , 4comments 
On safari through the jungle - in the classroom, originally uploaded by LindaH.
Transformational classroom displays are particularly popular in early years and key stage 1 settings. This reading area has become a jungle, complete with an elephant,lion and tiger. Most of the animals have been made and painted by the children, with some adult assistance. The result is a high interest area with lots to talk about.
Making displays like this can be a huge stimulus for speaking and listening but once the display is up staff often need to make an effort to remember to keep referring to elements in the display. Adding labels and other text can re-vitalise a display. A favourite addition is laminated speech bubbles so that asking questions like “How does the elephant feel today?” can give the children even more opportunity for expression and contribute to a text rich environment.
Once children and staff get used to the display and it looses its “wow” factor it has to go. There’s a great temptation with displays like this to forget their purpose and treat them like pretty wallpaper.
Displays like this need to be treated with a little caution. Whilst it can be great fun to transform a whole classroom too much stimulation can be very challenging for some children. Keeping some areas visually quiet and uncluttered is also a consideration.
Seaside Display - family learning June 15, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Art, Family learning, halls and corridor displays, nursery , 1 comment so far 
seaside display, originally uploaded by LindaH.
This seaside display was made by a family learning class with help from the learning mentor. The children were all under four and attend the school nursery.
I am sure that displays like this are helpful in several ways:
- Making the display provides a shape and purpose for the family learning sessions
- The work gives lots of opportunities for speaking and listening skills to be practised
- Encourages a sense of pride and achievement.
- It promotes a sense of ownership in both the parents and the children
There are more, I’m sure. Seeing this I couldn’t help but think how much better it was than having the sort of Disney cartoon murals you sometimes see in nurseries and creches.
Practical Tips
To re-create this display
The starfish - breakfast cereal or pasta
The crab - folded paper plate, card and googly eyes
The hot air balloon- assorted collage items glued onto card then covered with cellophane, probably stapled.
Matisse Display Gets an Authentic Audience June 6, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Art, displays advice, halls and corridor displays , add a comment 
Matisse, originally uploaded by LindaH.
Displays don’t have to be just for the classroom. This one is on a notice board at the entrance to a London Overground train station next to the school.
This display is from a year 3 class who have been studying Matisse collages. There are some very good resources about Matisse’s work The Snail online. My favourites include:
the Tate Modern’s animation of the making of The Snail
the Textease resources on the Lancashire ngfl site. This one is traditionally used for the year 5 graphical modelling ICT unit but could easily be adapted for other years.
The display at the entrance to the station changes very regularly showcasing the work of different classes in the school. I think it connects the school with the surrounding community in a very powerful way and must provide the children with a real sense of authentic audience.
Phonics Display - Our word wall June 4, 2008
Posted by Linda in : KS1, literacy , 5comments 
Our word wall, originally uploaded by Glazgow.
Several people have asked for phonics classroom displays. I’m not surprised as they are hard to do well. One approach, that produces a really interactive display, is to go for a word wall.
Glazgow did this one with a Primary 3 (7 year olds) class in Scotland. He says
Our word wall (window actually). Has all the phonemes, the alphabet, common words (tricky words) and punctuation. It also has 6 lines which can be used to make sentences when working with the children.
This is a great working display that can be brought out year after year. It can be used by individuals, groups or for whole class teaching. All that needs to be done is to laminate everything and use lots of sticky putty.
It’s important that it is placed at child height so that it can be used easily.
I’m in two minds about using window space this way. There are good arguments both for and against. What do you think?
Properties of Materials Year 3 May 31, 2008
Posted by Linda in : KS2, Science , add a comment 
Properties of Materials Yr3, originally uploaded by LindaH.
This properties of materials classroom display was done as a small group sorting and vocabulary activity for an able group with lots of discussion.
The property labels are printed off and laminated. The group are split and each half are given a box of identical items, a different assortment of labels and are asked to use the labels to sort them.
The two groups then come together and have to agree which labels are most descriptive of the properties of the materials each item is made from. There’s lots of discussion and an experienced TA can help them make sure they back up their arguments.
Once labels are agreed the items are put on the display with their labels. Just don’t ask how I reached up!
You must use lots of sticky putty or even better velcro sticky pads or they’ll fall off! I have also put stuff in plastic envelopes and pinned them up with drawing pins which I think worked slightly better.
I’ve blogged this display in response to a request in the Skribit box in the sidebar of the blog. Look out for more displays suggested by readers over the next few weeks and don’t forget to add own suggestions or vote for the ones you’d like to see.
