Finally! How Can Decorating a Secondary Classroom Inspire Your Students?

English Language Arts Classrooms Just Got Colorful!

There are many beautiful Pinterest boards of elementary school classrooms with the most wonderful themes, colors, decoration, and inspiration. Let’s face it, decorating a secondary classroom is different.

How is decorating a secondary classroom different?

1. You might not stay in the same room all day. Therefore, you are sharing a teaching space.
2. Decorating for a particular subject matter can be tricky due to the lack of up-to-date and stylish decor.
3. Many high schools are used on the weekend for community events. This opens up the chance for things to be moved, removed, and sometimes destroyed.
4. As secondary teachers, our mindset is that our students don’t typically get excited about a decorated classroom.

I’ve found a resurgence of excitement in decorating my classroom. I do it for my students. But I realized something. I also do it for me. It makes me feel really great to be in a colorful and inspiring learning space. The last two school years I’ve been lucky to be in the same classroom for the majority of the school day. 

I always loved classroom pennants. They look great on bulletin boards, hanging on walls, doors, windows, above a book shelf, draped on a teacher’s desk, and even across the room hanging from the ceiling. I am most passionate about teaching literature and it is the center of my lessons. I tie everything in with our readings.

Literature + a pennant = ELA Classroom Decor: Make Your Own Pennant Banner

I took the three genres of literature I teach. I made a list of the novel studies I cover during the school year. Then, I went to the web to search, “top literature,” lists for middle school and high school students. Finally, I came up with 26 British Literature titles, 60 Young Adult Literature titles, 29 American Literature novels, and 22 kindergarten-grade 2 books.   

I went to work! I had the template from two book themed pennants I made earlier this year. 

Here are mine printed in color. I laminated each one, too. You’ll notice I mixed-and-matched my pennants. I teach two levels of English with many titles between the two. 

I had the wonderful privilege to have teacher friends on social media share their literature pennant pictures with me. 

i love how everyone displays their literature pennant in a different way.

I love the reading corner. Thanks to Mrs. McLeod’s Classroom! 

I displayed my pennant by hanging the twine string across the wall. I did this without measuring and by “eye-balling,” the length of the area I was going to fill. I didn’t have to worry about going in a straight line, because pennants typically do not fly perfectly straight. 

Then, I attached each pennant over the string adhering it to the wall. This gave it the appearance like it was hanging from the string.    

Not only did I print the pennants of the novels I teach during the school year, I added some more titles based on what I thought would inspire my students (Divergent, Wonder, The Outsiders, Dracula, Tuck Everlasting, The Lightning Thief).

Are you ready to reveal your pennant? 

Here are the links to the four pennants available for your own classroom:

ELA Classroom Decor {Young Adult Literature}: Make Your Own Pennant Banner

ELA Classroom Decor {British Literature}: Make Your Own Pennant Banner

ELA Classroom Decor {American Literature}: Make Your Own Pennant Banner

Grades K-2 Classroom Decor {Reading}: Make Your Own Pennant Banner

  Some of my favorites! 

I hope this gives you an idea of how wonderful it is to have a cheerful teaching and learning space. You spend a lot of time in your classroom. Why not make it inspiring and engaging to look at!

Visit my friend Secondary Sara’s blog to learn how to make-your-own banner from an old book. She walks you through the process. It’s pretty cool!