Best Collaborative Activities for Hallway Displays

 

Every once in a while, I will have a sort of epiphany and I end up with a stunning hallway display. The students work in small groups to create a masterpiece that demonstrates teamwork, artistry, and a particular set of skills. Keep reading to see some of my most favorite hallway displays the past few years.

PUMPKING GLYPHS

These came about during a team planning session. We get together as a grade level and plan once a week. We also get the fourth grade all together (as a whole group) bi-monthly. During these Morning Meetings we like to mix the students up and have them complete a task. Sometimes they work with just one partner and other times they work in a small group.

Each year my team and I have students complete a pumpkin glyph. This past fall we decided to go big…really big. We decided to have small groups complete just one glyph for their group!

Time:

• 45 Minutes

Materials:

• Chart Paper
• Glyph Key
• Pencils/Erasers
• Crayons/Colored Pencils

Procedure:

• Break students into small groups (3-5).
• Students vote/discuss the key.
• Students sketch and color their pumpkins.
• Display!

Tips for Success:

• Have students raise their hand for the parts of the glyph which apply to them, majority rules! If you keep the groups to an odd number, there won’t be any ties. Students should circle the symbol (on their glyph key) they will be drawing on their pumpkin.
• Set a timer for each section of the glyph (planning/voting, sketching, coloring) so students stay on pace.
• Use colored pencils and crayons for coloring. They aren’t as bright as markers, but they last longer and will blend better as more than one student colors in the same space. The orange for the pumpkin will be the most challenging area to cover.

 

CHRISTMAS TREE PUZZLES

These student-made puzzles make for an amazing holiday display! I recommend planning these lessons for the days just before or after Thanksgiving. They will be done and ready for the hallway just as the holiday season gets into full swing.

I love to make them BIG, BIG, BIG! In fact, I use butcher paper instead of chart paper so I can go even bigger! (Check with your art teacher for paper.) If you don’t have access to butcher paper, you can always tape chart paper together to create large sheets for the students to work on.

Time:

• 2 Hours

Materials for Students:

• Butcher/Chart Paper
• Pencils/Erasers
• Markers

Materials for Teachers:

• Scissors

Procedure Day 1:

• Break student into groups of 3-4.
• Students design and draw/color a Christmas Tree.
• Teacher collects trees. Cut out the tree while leaving a white border around the perimeter. Then, cut the trees into puzzle pieces.

Procedure Day 2:

• Students get with their group.
• Teacher gives the group a tree from a different group.
• The group works collaboratively to piece the tree together. (Students do not glue down pieces until the teacher checks the tree.)
• Students glue the pieces into place.

Tips for Success:

• When the teacher cuts the trees out (after Day 1), leave a white line around the perimeter of the tree.
• Do not allow groups to glue down the pieces until the placement and arrangement has been checked by you.
• Use markers for bold bright colors.
• Use black background paper to make the colors pop.

EARLY EXPLORERS UGLY SWEATERS

This idea came about from a few different things converging all at once. Basically, I wanted a way for my students to display what they learned about the Early Explorers while having some fun and working collaboratively; and a holiday theme was an added bonus!

This project is an excellent culminating activity. I assign it toward the end of our Early Explorers Unit (but it can be used for other topics and units). Students have had time to learn about the explorers and can now channel their energies into displaying what they have learned. The cognitive load shifts from learning the material to presenting the material.

Time:

• One Week

Materials:

• Research Notes
• Chart Paper
• Pencils/Erasers
• Markers

Procedure:

• Break students into small groups (3-4).
• Students research their assigned explorer.
• Students plan their sweater.
• Students color their sweater.
• Students present their sweaters to the class.

Tips for Success:

• Do not give the groups the chart paper until they have a completed notes packet and have sketched a draft of the full-sized sweater.
• Prep the chart paper with an outline of the sweater- this will ensure the sweaters are a consistent size when they are done and that the students will use the whole page to display their knowledge.
• If you have completed a unit of instruction that included note-taking, have the students use those notes to organize and plan their sweater. Encourage students to avoid using Google search. Google search is very broad and may not lead them to the answers they seek. Students can become stuck into a worm-hole of clicking and will quickly lose track of time.
• Offer students a model. For Early Explorers I will model using Christopher Columbus. Some students need to see an example and can use that as a springboard for their own ideas.

 

ART WITH JENNY K COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES

Jenny K is the Queen of Collaborative Posters. You can find all her amazing-ness HERE. Collaborative posters are only one part of what she offers. I use other creations as well and have been using her stuff in my class for years.

Her collaboratve posters are always a hit. The students love to create them and the building loves to see them displayed. Some of my favorites:

Black History Month Collaborative Poster

Women of History Collaborative Poster

I love to print this one on pink paper. It gives a pop of color and switches out the background of the poster. 

"BEE KIND" Collaborative Tessellation Project

This is a great beginning of the year activity. I love the variety of choices. If you’re looking for an activity that offers collaboration and differentiation- this is it! Students can complete a section that involves writing, or choose a section that only requires coloring. Many of my students chose to complete more than one section.

Infinity Kindness Coloring Pages/Collaborative Poster

This is a perfect activity around Valentine's Day or Kindness Day. Grab it here for free! 

We did this one at the end of each day. It was a great way to wind down the day while waiting for the bus. As students completed more than one block, they would ask for another, and they were getting more and more creative. For instance, students would use only the primary colors, or be completely monochromatic. The results were stunning. At first, we did prepare the perimeter pieces, but once we had them up, we decided against them.

Collaboration posters and activities are a great way to get students working together, engage a different part of the brain, and create some beautiful hallway displays. They are well-worth the time it takes to create them and they will have your students (and staff) taking about them for years to come!