20 ideas for quick and easy classroom displays

1. Dynamic word walls. Cut out key terms and subject words using different fonts, different-coloured card and different sizes. Laminate for longevity and stick Blu Tack on the back for an ever-changing display that allows you to foreground new vocabulary. Get students involved too – they can make their own displays. To save you time, create a few labels with words you often write on the board (title, learning objective and anything else you may use regularly) so you can stick these up instead of writing them out every lesson.
2. Make a magic whiteboard. Use magic whiteboard paper and different-coloured electrical tape to create different areas or zones for students to write on the walls.
3. Proud clouds or hall of fame. Create a display that enables you to celebrate different students’ work and achievements.
4. Key word cut-out. Using a shape which is relevant for a topic, text, concept or theme in your subject, encourage students to write key words, terms, questions/answers on colourful cut-outs. Display these shapes together for maximum impact. You could use this at the beginning of term for students to record their hopes, plans or goals for the year (with a dream, balloon or ball shape, for example).
5. Vocab or learning pockets. If you have lots of key words for a topic which students need to learn, create interactive displays using bags, envelopes or boxes which are hung on the walls of your classroom containing new vocabulary. Alternatively, attach folders with useful reference material, revision mats, self-assessment sheets or lucky-dip extension activities, etc. Include a pocket for each day of the week with worksheets from that day’s lesson. If students have been absent, they can collect the sheets they have missed without having to ask you for this work.
6. What kind of…? For a super quick display at the start of term which will give you a lot of insights, create a display which asks ‘What kind of teacher do you want?’ and ‘What kind of learner will I be?’. Encourage students to write down their ideas on different-coloured post-it notes. 
7. Learning timeline. Create a timeline for the year on one wall quickly and easily using electrical tape. Display students’ work along the timeline, as a way to showcase their learning throughout the year.
8. Sound management. Create a display which shows the different volume levels you’d like in your classroom (silence, whisper/spy-talk, table talk, whole class, etc.). You’ll be able to point easily to show students your expectations for each activity.
9. Paper doll chain bunting. Students could create their own and decorate or add key words or facts associated with key historical figures, characters or experts in your topic or subject area.
10. Image bunting. Print off book covers or key images which are relevant in your subject area and get students to make bunting flags from the images.
11. Free posters. Print or order free posters from tourist offices or subject organisations. 
12. Shared targets. Ask students to suggest common targets or things to remember. Display these on different-coloured card or shapes such as thought bubbles or lightbulbs. 
13. Key word linking. As you work through a topic, stick key words up on the wall. As a plenary, let students suggest connections and link key words using pieces of string/strips of paper. They could add in other labels/diagrams as brief explanations. 
14. Window displays. Get some non-permanent glass markers and ask students to make notes, infographics or diagrams on the windows.
15. Human body. Get a big sheet of paper and pin it to the wall. Ask a student to stand against it and get someone to draw round them. Use this in ways that are relevant to your subject (annotate with organs/bones and labels to add to the outline in science, add character quotes in English, use it to represent a key figure in history, etc.).
16. News/media board. Create a board for news stories relevant to your subject. Include book covers/TV programmes/films which relate to your subject to show how relevant it is to them. 
17. QRcodes. Print some QRcodes for useful sites, e.g. revision sites, and pin them to the wall. 
18. Artefacts/objects table. An interesting collection of items can ‘set the scene’ for learning really nicely. Local library services often loan out collections of objects connected to a particular topic/time period. 
19. Form time. Have an area for your form/tutor group for weekly notices/events/key dates. Put up a UK or world map and students can send postcards from their travels which can be displayed and linked to that place.
20. Exam command words. Display different exam command words and their meanings. You can never remind students enough of these words and what is expected from them.

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