Classroom transformations are a guaranteed way to get students excited about learning. However, if you’ve seen them around Pinterest or social media platforms, they can seem a bit overwhelming. Well, let me put your mind at ease. They don’t have to be. Here are some useful tips for planning a classroom transformation.
What is a Classroom Transformation?
A classroom transformation is a change in the physical appearance in the classroom in order to get students excited about the lesson they are about to participate in. How elaborate of a transformation occurs is totally up to you.
When is a Classroom Transformation Worth Setting Up?
✴️ When you want to review rigorous content. It makes it much more engaging.
✴️ Late in the year when things are becoming stagnant. Use it to spice things up.
✴️ When YOU need a change to motivate YOU to walk into the classroom.
✴️ During test prep season in order to avoid “drill and kill” worksheets. Makes things less monotonous.
✴️ When you need an non-threatening informal assessment of students’ understanding.
What are the Benefits of a Classroom Transformation?
✴️ All types of learning styles are usually accommodated and addressed. Helps you reach more students.
✴️ Students are engaged.
✴️ Promotes collaboration.
How to Choose a Theme
✴️ Take into consideration current events. (March Madness, Olympics, Elections)
✴️ Try incorporating your students interests. There is always something new trending. If you can incorporate that into a theme, you are guaranteed to get most, if not all of your students, engaged.
✴️ Center the theme around holidays or seasons (Winter Wonderland, Spring Egg Hunt)
✴️ Think of themes that tie well with the skill. Practicing opinion writing? Create a courtroom. Working on color coding texts? Create a colored candy theme.
Quick Tips
✴️ Try to use resources that are quick to set up or can be prepped ahead of time and easily set up. (Think tablecloths, banners, and trays)
✴️ Find yourself a costume. I repeat…Find yourself a costume. If you do nothing else, dress up and take on the character. It’s honestly the most fun for the students to see you take on a different role.
✴️ Add a sign to the door or give out invitations or tickets to foreshadow that something is on its way. It will get students excited to show up to class and already eager to participate.
Be Thrifty
✴️ Ask for donations. You can set up an Amazon Wishlist and share the link with your family, friends, and community. Send home a letter to parents letting them know you have something exciting planned for your students and need a few items. Reach out to local stores. For example, if you are set up a coffee shop theme, ask your local barista at Starbucks for a few cups.
✴️ Invest in items you can reuse. Things like sturdy tablecloths or trays are great for reusing.
✴️ Use items available at your school such as butcher paper. Don’t be afraid to ask to borrow items from co-workers such as flashlights or decorations.
✴️ Hit up Dollar Tree or buy in bulk in Amazon.
✴️ Use FREE online resources. Use YouTube online images to project on the projection board.
✴️ Play background music from the computer or from your Apple Music app to add to the ambience.
How Do You Run a Successful Classroom Transformation?
✴️ Go all in! I don’t mean over decorate your classroom (although you can do that if that excites you). I mean play the part. The more your students buy into it, the better it will go.
✴️ Have clear expectations. As a matter of fact, post the expectations up in the classroom, or at the tables, or even at the top of the worksheets or task cards they will be working with. Make it so that you can point at it without having to say much if a student needs a reminder.
✴️ Follow through with consequences. It stinks to have set the tone if someone is fooling around, but I always let them know what to expect. During the root surgery transformation, I address them as doctors. I explain that lives are in their hands. Doctors found risking a patients’ life will be removed from the operating room. I then give them the handouts to work on their own. I’ve only had to follow through a couple of times, but with the upper grades, you have to be ready to do so.
✴️ If you will be having students work in groups, make sure to make small groups. Do not assign more than 4 students per group. I prefer 3.
The Most Important Thing to Remember
Classroom transformations are fun and engaging, but in order for them to be truly successful, make sure they are standard based. As teachers, we know there is so much to cover and the curriculum is rigorous. Make sure that you are include skills and standards that your curriculum is asking you to cover.
Need Some Inspiration?
If you need some inspiration, you can check out these Classroom Transformation Ideas for Upper Elementary post. There you will find plenty of inspiration for your Language Arts block that includes grammar, reading, and writing.
Resources Available to Help You
Your Thrifty Co-Teacher has some resources that can be the base of your classroom transformation. Just add some props and the rest is done for you.
- Beach Theme Book Bites (A Book Tasting Resource)
- Parts of Speech Boot Camp
- Opinion Writing Courtroom
- Punctuation Italian Restaurant
- Affixes Surgery Room
- Subject and Predicate Ninjas
- Basketball Grammar Review
- Football Context Clues
- Soccer Text Structure
- Golf Main Idea and Supporting Details
I hope these tips for planning classroom transformations has helped inspire you to try one out in your classroom. They truly do make learning fun!
