Science classroom décor is on a teacher’s mind a lot! Most commonly, you probably think about your classroom décor at the beginning of the school year and even at the end of the school year (because you’re thinking about the next year, right?).
Let’s be real…middle school science classrooms have a lot going on. No matter how great a teacher you are, your students’ eyes are constantly wandering around the classroom. Why not make sure they are learning (even when they are distracted!).
Of course, you want your classroom to be “Pinterest-worthy”, but you also want to make sure that the science classroom décor is actually useful.
You want your decorations to pull double duty: it can looks great and support student thinking!
Here are some ideas that will help you decorate your science classroom to make your classroom beautiful and EFFECTIVE!
Word Walls
I love word walls! There are so many reasons to use them in your classroom. Word walls can be a list of terms, but it can be so much more! It’s a great tool for the classroom.
I organize my word wall by unit, and as we learn each term, I post them on the wall. It’s a growing list that I keep all year long so that we can spiral back anytime. It’s a living, breathing (not literally) learning tool! Plus, it can be super cute!
If you want to check these out, they have the science term PLUS a short definition and a picture to go along with it. This is great for those visual learners and those students with wandering eyes. They can look at these all year long. Exposure to these terms (with definitions and pictures) can help students learn these science terms so much faster!
These word wall cards are great to refer to during lessons, but also labs, test review, and more!
If you really want it to stick, let your students help you! Make a routine for each new lesson to post them on the wall. Let student volunteers do it for you!
Science Conversation Starters
An awesome idea to decorate your science classroom is to use posters! Posters always make great science classroom decor!
Why not make these posters useful?
You could create simple posters with prompts to get students thinking and talking science.
For example, you could have a poster dealing with observing and describing with conversation starters such as “I noticed that…” and “This reminds me of…”.
Another poster could deal with making claims with conversation starters such as “I think _____ because…” or “I believe this is true because…”.
Having these visible gives students the language that they need to start meaningful conversations with you and their classmates. This is great during labs, groups work, or CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) writing. It also models the kind of thing that real scientists do!
Lab Safety Posters
Every science classroom needs reminders about lab safety. Middle school students forget everything…am I right? But, this doesn’t mean that these posters can’t be cute and that they have to be boring.
I like to keep mine bright (Bright in the Middle…duh!), but they also should be easy to read with an image that show the rule in action or at least provide a visual.
You can always refer back to them when you are about to start an investigation. Many of the lab safety rules apply to every investigation, but not every one every time.
It’s nice to have these in your corner because lab safety is not a one-and-done lesson. It’s a constant reminder. When students can connect these rules with visuals, it makes things a lot easier for you!
Here are some lab safety posters to check out for your science classroom decor!
Anchor Charts
Anchor charts, like word walls and lab safety posters, are another reminder of content that students can constantly refer to.
Honestly, I used to be pretty intimidated by anchor charts. I thought they had to be this creation that was absolutely gorgeous that I needed to stay after school to make (because there is really is no planning time to plan, right?), or I needed to spend my nights and weekends coming up with this masterpiece.
However, I’ve learned two ways that you can avoid this:
#1: Have your students help you! Get out the large chart paper! During a lesson, draw a graphic organizer that best fits the content. It can be a bubble map for vocabulary, a flow chart, a Venn diagram, or something else. Then, have your students come and help you fill it in.
Then, you can hang it on the wall, and boom, you’re done, and it’s ready for students to use all of the time to refer back to.
Also, because it was created for them, it’s meaningful. It’s their thinking, their connections, and their visuals! It will help them make it stick.
#2: Find some that have already been created. This is great if you run your classroom a little differently and are trying to find charts that you can just go ahead and post, are already organize, and you can print-and-go. Here is an example for your science classroom decor!
Science Book Nook
Here’s something a little different, but it’s a useful and effective way to decorate your classroom. You can create a little area for reading books, and you can put some science-themed books in the area. Just ask locally for some gentle-used donated books, put in a grant for some books, or you can even put in a Donor’s Choose project. There are many different ways that you can get books for this book nook area.
You can have books such as science-themed graphic novels, biographies, Guiness World Records books, and STEM-related picture books. It’s great for those early finishers or if you have a “free time” in your classroom.
This is NOT just an elementary thing. Middle school students will love it too! Keep their love for reading alive! Everyone loves a cozy reading space.
Here’s some inspiration! A lot of these are elementary-ish, but you can make it your own.
Class Pet
Here’s an out-of-the-box idea that will surely add some greatness to your science classroom décor that will have everyone talking and learning!
A class pet, especially something that is low maintenance like a fish, gecko, or even a stuffie, can turn into a yearlong science lesson.
You can use your class pet to model observation skills, create data charts, explore life science concepts, or tie it into lesson discussions.
Students also learn more responsibilities and take ownership when rotating care duties.
You can even let the class vote on a science-themed name!
Check out these classroom pet ideas for an out-of-the-box science classroom decor idea!
Student Work
Want to motivate your students to do well on assignments? Tell them that their work will be posted in the classroom or even the hallway! You can designate an area of the classroom to display their work.
Put the standard that you are covering beside it, and now you have beautiful (they’ll make it beautiful) and effective science classroom décor.
Here are some ideas for displaying student work in the classroom. This is a great DIY science classroom decor idea!
Science Listening Corner
This is a fun one! Set up a little area in your classroom with some headphones, devices, and some QR codes that link to science podcasts or some STEM audiobooks. It’s a great option for those early finishers or even a science station.
Here are some podcast ideas:
Letter Board
Another fun decoration is a changeable letter board. You can get those tracks to hang up on the wall with the letters, like the one here!
You can change it whenever you like. You can post science puns, headlines, questions, or whatever you wish! Change it often, and it will be something your students look forward to reading.
This can add so much personality to your science classroom decor!
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These are some awesome ideas. I am looking forward to using word walls, anchor charts, conversation starters, listening corner and of course student work. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks! Have fun decorating!