Beginning of the School Year Activity: Decorate Room with Student Collages

At the beginning of the school year, two common priorities for teachers are classroom decor and getting to know their students. One beginning of the school year activity I have used does both of these things. 

The simple activity of having students make collages that express their personalities was shared with me by Ann Davis, who at the time was a parent of one of my students and working towards a Masters in Expressive Arts Therapy. My students and I were fortunate to benefit from her enriching activities, which helped students reflect, build self-esteem, and connect with one another. The collage activity she taught me is one I started using at the beginning of the school year. It invites students to express their individuality, and in doing so, provides an opportunity for members of the classroom community get to know one another better. 

To prepare for making collages, I begin collecting magazines and other paper media with a variety of images. Emailing parents and asking students to bring in magazines is very helpful. I put out a box or other container to collect the magazines as they come in. Be sure to preview donated magazines before making them available to students though- one year I got a donation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue! Once you have have a good collection of magazines, some cardstock paper, glue, and scissors (optional), you are ready to begin making collages.

With all of the materials available to students, I let them peruse the magazines to look for images that reflect their personalities and preferences. They find images of things they like to do, their favorite foods, pop culture of interest to them, places they have been or dream of traveling to, and other favorite things.

Students may rip or cut images, and I suggest to them that ripping the paper creates a nice transition between two images in a collage. Students sometimes choose to add words and phrases that they like. They “sign” their collages by spelling their names using letters found in the magazine text. 

Once the collages are done, give them time to dry before putting them in a pile so that they don’t stick together. I have done this activity right before a prep period so that collages can be left on student desks, or I dedicate a separate space for them to dry. Be aware that some students will finish relatively quickly, while others will want more time. I have early finishers assist peers in finding images they are looking for. (I also frequently make announcements to the class when a student is looking for a particular image so that everyone can help look for it.) For those who need more time, I provide the materials during a study hall or student free time.

Displaying student collages is a nice way to decorate the classroom and make students feel more at home in the space. The collages spark conversations between students about the images and words they chose, encouraging them to learn more about one another. There are many possible ways to display the collages, and after trying several different methods, I settled on hanging them from a wire placed high on the classroom wall and keeping them on display for the entire school year. I was lucky to have help with this from my husband Parthiv and art teacher Andrew, who both graciously assisted with installing the wires along with hooks to support the wires. Once this was done, I hung the collages using clothespins.

It was fun putting my students' collages on display, knowing that they would enjoy seeing their work when they entered the room. Thanks to the simple artwork my students created, my classroom always had a bit of decoration with a personal touch. 

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