Each fall, when I go back to my classroom, I’m always faced with blank bulletin boards! Because I like to decorate my room with student work, I often use this ABC Children Index Card Bulletin Board Activity during the first week of school in my child development class. Not only does it help make my room more aesthetically pleasing, but it’s an engaging filler that’s easy to adapt for that intial period when schedules are in constant flux.
Materials
- Index Cards (5 x 7)
- Color Markers or Pencils
- Bulletin Board
Directions
- Based on the number of students you have in class, determine the number of cards each student must create. For example, if you have 12 students in class, each student will create two cards. If you have an ambitious or gifted student who would be willing to do more, then you could possibly assign them an additional card or two. When that happened to me, I created the additional two cards and used them as samples so students had an idea of how to use their card space.
- Once the number of cards is determined, you will need to randomly assign letters to your students. Years ago I created an alphabet set of index cards using letters with unique fonts from magazines and had them laminated. I’ve been using them ever since! However, if you don’t have alphabet cards, you could use this cool “Letter Picker Wheel” instead.
- The first thing students need to do is figure out their phrase based on the letters they are working with. Once they have those, they can begin illustrating their index cards. I have students place their names on the back so I know who they belong to. I usually allow two 43 minute periods for them to work.
- On the third day, students share their cards in alphabetical order and we read it like the poem it was based on. I do not share the original poem with my students as it was simply my inspiration for this assignment. However, once the cards are read, you can attach them to your bulletin board for a great visual about children.
- If you don’t have a bulletin board, but still wish to have students create a poem, you can assign this as an individual or small group assignment, using the template below.
Attachments
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