Easy Peasy Room Transformations
What is a room transformation?
A room transformation is where you change your classroom by creating a learning environment centered around a theme. For instance, you might do a book tasting and bring in table cloths, paper plates, silverware, menus, etc.. to set the stage.
Why do room transformations?
Room transformations are new and exciting. The best part of a room transformation is surprising my students, as they never know what they are walking into or what they will be asked to do. With that being said, room transformations are perfect for teaching rigorous content and keeping students engaged. Your students will have so much fun that they won’t even realize they are learning and growing.
I typically try to do one room transformation per quarter. Does this always happen? No. Am I set on one per quarter? No. For room transformations to be authentic, you want to naturally build them into your curriculum and instruction. Since I teach math and ELA, I try to reuse the same theme across both subjects. For example, in ELA we might do a writing tasting and in math, we might do a decimal diner around the same time.
Examples of room transformations
Seeing examples of room transformations on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest can be overwhelming. I have seen some extravagant room transformations that are just not realistic or feasible in my classroom. Below are my favorite room transformations that I have used in my classroom:
- Amazing Race– Students worked together to accomplish tasks for writing a book recommendation but had to watch out for revising roadblocks, which included adding figurative language, sensory details, imagery, etc.. I decorated with caution tape and cones (from the wellness department).
- Boot Camp– Students worked together to solve task cards, involving solving order of operations problems, writing and simplifying algebraic expressions, combining like terms, and identifying properties of numbers. I decorated with camo and dressed like a drill sergeant.
- Decimal Diner– Students practiced decimal operations with a menu, receipt, and task cards in a diner setting. I decorated with table cloths, paper plates/utensils, and table numbers, and I dressed as a waitress.
- Surgery Room– Students became surgeons for the day, solving math problems in order to “operate” on their patients. I used surgical masks and gloves to set the scene and I dressed in scrubs, acting as the chief of surgery
Tips for easy peasy room transformations
Get input from your students.
Find out your students’ interests, passions, and hobbies and build upon those for a room transformation. An easy way to do is by using a google form to survey students. For example, last year, a few students had family members actively serving in the military. I decided to create a boot camp room transformation to honor those family members and spark my students’ interest levels and increase engagement.
Don’t break the bank.
You don’t have to spend a ton of money on room transformations to be successful. I usually bring in items from home and from friends and family to contribute to my room transformations. If I need any additional supplies, I spend less than $10. The Dollar Store and Target Dollar Spot are excellent places to start if you need a particular prop.
Keep it simple.
Going along with not spending excessively, keep your room transformation simple. Your entire classroom does not need to decked out, even though social media might show/tell you otherwise. A few simple changes to your attire and/or classroom décor can go a long way. Your students will appreciate the smallest changes that are out of the ordinary.
Use your resources.
Play upon the talents of the resources in your own building. For example, I asked the art homeroom to create some props, including a jukebox for my diner room transformation. Those little extras added the element of setting the scene, and the art homeroom was happy to assist.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Ask the school or community, relatives, or friends to help you make a room transformation come to life. For example, I asked my fiancé’s mother for surgical masks and gloves, and I asked a friend for scrubs to make my surgery room transformation take shape. That made the room transformation essentially free besides the time I spent creating it.
Concluding thoughts
From my own personal experience, I have never had issues with behavior or classroom management during a room transformation. I always set high expectations for my students and they are so engaged in the task at hand. However, I would not do a room transformation until you have laid the groundwork for building a classroom community.
Room transformations can be overwhelming but following my tips ensures a simple, budget-friendly, stress-free and engaging lesson. If you are on the fence, I’d love to encourage you to give one a try. Comment below with your favorite room transformation!
