Creativity in the Classroom

By Meredith Biesinger 

Creativity in the classroom provides a fun way of learning and creates a safe and welcoming environment where positive communication can take place. 

There are countless ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms to make learning more interesting, exciting, and effective. Honestly, who doesn’t want that? 

Creativity effectively engages students in their learning; it will also help them retain the curriculum they are learning! Being creative in the classroom is an essential key to retention. 

As an English-Language Arts teacher and Dyslexia Therapist, here are a few of my favorite creative classroom ideas: 

Elementary Reading:

-Story Dice. You can purchase these or make them yourself. After reading a story, roll dice to have your students answer story questions, such as “What is the plot of the story?”

-Sight Word Slap Game. Divide your class into two teams, and one person from each group will hold a fly swatter. Call out one of the sight words, and the first person to slap the correct sight words gets the point for their team. 

-Spelling Review. Pass a ball and go through your spelling words one letter at a time. If you’re spelling the word “there,” the first person will say “T,” the next person will say “H,” and so on. 

Middle School/High School English Language Arts:

-Art Walk, or Unit Walk Through. Every time I introduce a new novel or unit, I put pictures up around my classroom that pertain to the book’s time. The students walk around the room and get a visual and historical introduction to life during eras like The Great Depression or The Civil Rights movement. I also play music from that time, or news clips, etc., to set the stage for them. 

-Book Club. Each class breaks into small groups, and they discuss the literature we’re reading each day. Students enjoy this “mock book club” style of reviewing the reading. 

-Creative Writing Prompts. Bring a random object from your home; maybe it’s some crazy purchase you bought on an  Amazon lightning deal, and ask the students to free-write about this object. This is a great way to promote writing skills and creative thinking!

There’s a creative lesson for just about every unit imaginable! Educator Marketplace  can help you find the tools, resources, and discounts needed to bring your classroom to life and support your creative teaching.  Is there a lesson plan or activity that you love to teach? Please share your ideas with us, and look for more creative teaching examples on our blog.