A bulletin board can be a useful tool for breaking down the concepts of a physical science.
Bulletin boards are a good way to break down information so that it is easily understood. Nowhere is this more important than in science classes, particularly in physical sciences. Geology, biology, chemistry and physics are all classes that could benefit from the use of bulletin boards to simplify the concepts that are discussed in class as well as to provide a handy reminder for formulae.
Weight and Measurement
For younger students who are just beginning to learn about weight and measurement (specifically about the multiple systems of weight and measurement), a bulletin board may be an easy way of displaying this information. Rather than just putting up the formulas for converting inches to centimeters or pounds to kilograms though, it should be made more personal to the students. Measure the students' height in inches and then show them convert it to centimeters. Do the same with their weight. Once that's done, make a bulletin board featuring each student with their different heights and weights. This may help students build a firm grasp of these concepts that will be helpful later in chemistry and physics classes where knowledge of multiple systems is necessary.
Rainforest
As long as there is still rainforest, there will be scientists studying it. One idea for a bulletin board is to draw a parallel between your classroom and the rainforest. Cover a bulletin board in greenery and trees until it looks like something resembling a cut-out rainforest. A way to get your students involved is for them to each read about the rainforest and to claim a different animal from it. They should make a paper cutout of that animal and write their name on it. Then they should put the animals somewhere in the rainforest bulletin board that fits with that animal's nature. It will get the students thinking about the rainforest environment, and it will teach them about some of the wildlife that lives there. This should be incorporated with some form of biology or ecology lesson.
Scientific Laws
For those who have reached high school sciences, things may get a little more complicated. A helpful idea for a physical science bulletin board is to use it to lay out scientific laws and the formulae associated with those laws. For instance, students may understand that gravity exists, but they may have trouble remembering the exact wording of the law and just what gravity's acceleration is supposed to be. The same goes for the laws of thermodynamics and the laws of energy. Show pictures of examples of the laws (such as a skydiver falling for gravity) and design a general theme to make the bulletin board more eye-catching (a ring of fire for the laws of thermodynamics for instance).
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