Middle School Social Studies Classroom Setup
A place for students to turn in (and store) their work
Supply corner
Storage for extra supplies
Since I will be needing to replenish my “I forgot my supplies” corner, I know I will need adequate space to keep all the extras that will eventually make their way to that corner…and I need storage for my own supplies.
Absent work
Social Studies Bulletin Board Ideas
Word Wall
Even though I teach middle school, I am going to have a word wall in my room. It’s a non-negotiable. This year my word wall will consist of social studies vocabulary because there is a LOT of content-specific words in the curriculum. I created my own word cards, and I put a visual representation on each card to help students make connections as well as the definition. *You can check out this word wall by clicking {HERE}*
When I taught ELA, I had a Greek and Latin roots/affixes word wall. There are SO many students are responsible for learning, and I found that they were forgetting already learned ones. I created a word wall specifically for students to refer to all year long. I put this word wall on a bulletin board. During the year, students would write words that contained a specific root/affix on a notecard and then tack onto the board under the word wall card. Students were on the lookout for roots/affixes without me having to ask! You can also use this word wall during science because several vocabulary terms have these roots/affixes. My students were referring to my word wall to remember key science terms! You can see this word wall by clicking {HERE}.
If you’re a middle school or high school teacher that doesn’t have a word wall yet, then my blog post, “Setting Up a Word Wall in Middle School & High School” is for you!
Maps
A place to display student work
Quotes
Interactive notebook table of contents
I will be using an interactive notebook this year. There is SO much content I will be teaching, I have to make the material engaging for my students. I will do this through INB and projects. I need a place where I can display our INB table of contents so if students are absent or get behind, they can see what they missed and what they need to make up. This won’t take up much space at all either…thank goodness!
Daily Schedule and Announcements
Word Splash
Fun social media board
This day in history…
I love trivia. And I love to know what happened today in history. This will be another interactive display my students will be responsible for updating. It won’t need much room, but I do want a space where students can easily switch out events that happened in history, and I hope they find really obscure or interesting little-known facts! I just want them to become fascinated by history because I did NOT like social studies when I was in school. AT ALL. I am trying to think of things that would have helped pique my interest in hopes that it carries over to my students. I wrote a blog post dedicated to this project, and you can read about it {HERE}. Oh, and you can download (for free!) everything you need to do this project in your own classroom 🙂
Important displays/posters
Middle School Classroom Design
A place for students to sit
Once I knew what all needed to be in my room, I could begin moving furniture and decorating! Did I mention I love how I teach just one subject? I don’t remember how in the world I fit everything 5 needed for multiple subjects in one room! I am going to eventually need storage space for social studies games and centers that I will be making this year, and I made sure to leave some blank space in my room for my new creations and, more importantly, for student creations. Oh, and keep in mind how you might rearrange if you are going to do any class transformations! In the photo below you can see how I had to “cram” our Aztec temple in front of our wall of maps, and the temple was around for about 2 months (I actually left it up past our Aztec unit because it took FOREVER to make and I had to have other teachers help me so I finished it in time).
Lighting
A Peek At My Previous Classroom Setup
***THE PICS BELOW ARE FROM TWO YEARS AGO*** I decided to leave them because you can see how my middle school social studies classroom has evolved. Some parts are the same, some I have really changed. After living in my room for a year, I realized what did and did not work for me, but I did want to give you as many visuals and possibilities as I could!
Hi Heather, love your classroom ideas! I will be starting as a MS social studies teacher next year and I can't wait!! One of my favorite teachers in HS (World History) also had holiday lights and lamps like yours, and I LOVED her classroom. It was so soothing and comfortable. I have chronic migraine, so I totally related when you mentioned your headaches from the overheads.
Congrats! Middle school SS has been my FAVORITE thing to teach in my 17 years! You will really enjoy it 🙂
I really enjoyed your post! As a new teacher, there is so much to think about with my initial room set up. Currently, I am completing my teaching degree and felt your blog hit some very interesting areas. Some of the ideas I have seen used in my local school, but others were brand new. Great post.
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing, looking forward to new and creative ideas for this age classroom. I try to not over decorate my walls, but still want my students and mine love of being together show. It is a challenge for mutiple classes.
I totally agree! Having them help decorate can keep it from becoming overwhelming for them because items are added slowly over time. My room always feels so blank at the beginning of the year.
I was an Education Director for Boys and Girls Club and would’ve def used a lot of your ideas!
I now run a business as a professional organizer and have my work cut out for me! I need to transform a 1000 square foot classroom/ office/playroom into a bright functional space for all ages 6-16 yrs old.
It is a limited space for the academic enrichment summer program and my job is to make it aesthetic pleasing for all the children to enjoy at the same time.
That being said I am definitely going to use some of your storage ideas and the wall ideas too
Thank you!!
Thank you!!