Hi all! I am a brand-new teacher and will be teaching 3rd grade for an elementary school in Texas. I am trying to think up themes for my room and ideas to motivate the students and came up with a game theme for the year. What do you think? The classroom would be decorated with game ideas such as Monopoly (Homeworkopoly: http://teachnet.com/manage/classroom-decor/get-work-done-by-playing-homeworkopoly/), candy land for the behavior chart and then scrabble for the welcome bulletin board (And possibly others). For third grade, is this too babyish? Or would they like it? I really think the homeworkopoly could inspire the kids to do their homework. Any input?
I also really wanted a Dr. Seuss theme (like this: http://nicolemiles3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-3rd-grade-classroom-with-dr.html) but felt it may be too 'baby-ish'?
I think you are right about Dr. Seuss. What will your classroom population be like? Is it an affluent school? In the country? Is it an inner city or low income school? Those could easily determine what the kids would go for and what they won't.
I truthfully don't do an overall theme. I start with a themed back to school week....I've done detectives, rock and roll, sports...but after the ice breakers, beginning of year activities, I'm pretty much content oriented...bulletin boards reflect current work...other than that, my room is bright, colorful and inviting but no overall theme. The game idea sounds fun...3rd graders still like Dr Seuss but I'm not sure how it would go as a year long theme.
It's a Title 1 school in an urban school district if that helps. Near a major city and technically 'in' one, but part of a smaller, more rural district. I don't know how else to explain it. The school population is largely minority-based. czacza, what do you decorate your walls with? I want the room to be bright, cheerful and inviting/fun...can you expand?
As you walk in, I have a great big welcome banner stretched across the top of my front wall...cute cartoon multicultural kids on it. The rest of that wall is my Smartboard, whiteboard and small bb. My kids make a paper chain out of paper strip questions they ask each other as a get to know you team building activity...that paper chain drapes across and aound the entire front wall and stays up all year...i put a sign that says 'we are all connected like a chain'...A big banner at the top of another wall says something like Today is a great day to learn something new! Under it is a built in cabinet with math games in...on top I have student mailboxes and some birch branches in a pot so it looks like a little tree and I hang seasonal cutouts on it with students names ( leaves, snowflakes, hearts, shamrocks, flowers ) one wall is entirely closets...on them I hang the students birthday glyphs, other content related art projects. My last wall is a big bulletin board that always has current work featured. I have a huge colorful world map meeting area carpet, lots of low book shelves with colorful bins and baskets full of books. big windows, built in colorful cabinets and shelving, plants, anchor charts, computer station with swirly chairs kids love to sit in...it's a happy learning place.
I also do not do a theme. The summer before my first year I spent a lot of time coming up with a theme and making materials to go with it. I definitely did not love it, but I thought I needed one. When I got to school to set up, I realized no one else had a theme so I ditched the whole thing. It was a huge waste of time. Your school may be different, but I would check to see what everyone else does. You may not need one and will save a lot of time.
My theme has been several years in the making - little by little. I have been a New Orleans Saints fan since their inception when I was 5 (I know, dating myself), so I already had some stuff. Since deciding it is my "theme," I have picked up little things here & there, and been given things. Other than adding an occasional fleur-de-lis to one of my documents, it takes no time. Right now, I am spending a lot of time getting my new room ready, painting & such, but I would do that anyway in my grungy 70+ year old school, lol!
I saw your thread, pwhatley; it looks great!! I think regardless of what the other teachers do, I'm going to have a common theme of games. Scrabble welcome to 3rd board, homeworkopoly, etc. The rest is going to be simple, colorful and fun but not necessarily completely decked out 'theme' related, if that makes sense. I think that the decor will reflect a sense of fun and enthusiasm for learning that I want to convey to my students; it will also go along with my WBT incorporation! It's my first year and I think it will be ok to be a little enthused lol...possibly even over-enthused.
Could you do something with like Uno maybe a job board of sorts? Apples to Apples or something. Maybe bring some old games like spoons or something... LOL!!! Could be fun. Maybe you could do something where they have to interview gparents or great gparents to see what games they played. That would be fun. Like a HISTORY OF GAMES...
I was just thinking that it's a bright colored game, or skip bo, Phase 10? Maybe 10 different jobs... You could put the names on the cards and put them into the Phases (jobs). I don't know how you do centers but maybe you could put spoons in the centers. I know some teachers let you float and rotate by putting a "marker" of some sort. You could have spoons...LOL!!!
I don't have a theme either. I had a sports theme before and got bored with it. Now I just have solid bright colored fabric on the bulletin boards with the dots and patterns borders. I have had it for a few years and add a few different things each year. I am still not tired of it.
So I went to the local teacher shop's big annual sale today and scored a BUNCH of stuff for my classroom. I'm SUPER excited to put it all together now! I decided to have 'kind of' a game theme, but mainly a bright, inviting and colorful theme overall. The game part comes in the form of my 'welcome to third grade' scrabble bulletin board and my homeworkopoly section of another BB.
Oh and my SO's family gifted me a TON of stuff this weekend. Books (probably 50+ used readers -- Junie B Jones, Cam Jansen, etc! :woot, puzzles, band-aid kit, etc. I was STOKED!!
