• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

JOIN ME ON

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

HoJo's Teaching Adventures, LLC

Fun, Engaged, Impactful Relationships & Learning

I LOVE FREE THINGS!

  • Home
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • My Downloads
    • My Cart
    • Checkout
  • Blog
  • About HoJo
  • Email

TEST

TEST

4 Comments

Using Graffiti as Review in the Classroom

Looking for a new, “cool” way to allow students to review? Try a graffiti wall in the classroom! Graffiti as review is about as engaged as I’ve ever seen my students.  You can truly use this for any topic or subject! I’ve tried it with 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students – but I could see it working from about 2nd grade all the way through high school seniors.
use graffiti as review
 
I always start this project by having a brief graffiti discussion. The students all know what it is, but I explain that we are only going to graffiti appropriately in the school! This means I shouldn’t hear or see anything on their desks, in their lockers, in the bathroom, etc. While this extra step might seem like a waste of time, I haven’t had any issues – so I found it worthwhile for me. 🙂
 
Next the students and I briefly brainstorm the topic at hand. The graffiti wall below is based on the story King George that was in our reading series. 
Using graffiti walls for review in the classroom. A unique approach to review that works in nearly ANY classroom!
There are a few different ways the graffiti can go, and I was always pretty lenient with mine. You can require only pictures, ask for just words, allow only one color, give a time limit for each drawing, require a certain amount of participation from each student, or a multitude of other factors.
 
I always told the students they needed at least one idea on the board.
 
Using graffiti walls for review in the classroom. A unique approach to review that works in nearly ANY classroom!
When each student was given one chance to come up to the board, I then allowed them to come up a second time if they had an idea that did not already appear to be represented.
Using graffiti walls for review in the classroom. A unique approach to review that works in nearly ANY classroom!
After our graffiti board is done, I always go around the room and ask each student to explain their contribution. (This part could certainly be omitted if time were a factor, but I don’t think the end purpose would be as strong then.)
It never ceased to amaze me the comments like, “Oh, I forgot about that part!”, “Oh yea…”, or “That reminds me of…” The students really listened to one another, and very rarely did I have to add any major events from the story to their graffiti wall. It was a great graffiti review! Honestly, I was able to take a back seat and act as more of a spectator than teacher during this time — YES! =)
 
One of the best parts with the graffiti review is that you can leave them up for the test/quiz if you want, or simply erase them and take them down. Many different students told me they pictured the graffiti walls in their heads while taking their quizzes, so I know these stuck with many of them!

Other Options for a Graffiti Wall in the Classroom

There are other variations of the graffiti wall that can be done in your classroom as well. Allow students to work on these individually at their desks. When they are done, the class can circle around to look at everyone’s OR you can do a brief sharing out loud.
These could also be done quite easily on an Activboard to allow them to be saved for reference before semester tests. Another option is for students to be grouped up, with each group sharing their project with the entire class at the end. A final option would be to allow students to create their graffiti walls right on their desks using Expo markers (but test to make sure these erase well before you go this route!).
Using a Graffiti Wall as Review in the classroom is a fun, hands-on way to review materials. It can be used at ANY grade level in elementary, middle, and high school as a collaborative activity for any subject or concept from reading, math, history, social studies, & more. Let students write or draw to see what they know & what needs to be retaught or explained again. It's great for whole group, small groups, or partners. (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th graders) #HoJoTeaches
 I’d love to hear how you currently use (or plan to use) graffiti walls in your classroom! Shout it out in the comments below. 
~HoJo~
Image Map

Filed Under: 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th Grade, 6th grade, High School, Middle School, Review

Previous Post: « Heart Art for Valentine’s Day
Next Post: Walking on Sunshine »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. hillary usher says

    July 24, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    This looks very interesting! I am definitely going to try it with my students!

    Reply
  2. Karla says

    February 18, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    I have something similar up right now. It is for geometry review. As the students have asked about things I have added it to the board. I have noticed more of them looking there first before asking. Have to throw it out there that smarter balance testing prep is very stressful.

    Reply
  3. Andy Pollock says

    July 13, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    I am going to try this in my 6-8 history classroom this year, it looks like a great idea.

    Reply
  4. Beth Komulainen says

    February 20, 2023 at 7:17 am

    I have many students who like to draw on the whiteboard, so this would be a great way to make it beneficial for everyone. I plan to try this after the vacation break (and I want to find a spot that I can put up a whiteboard exclusively for this purpose)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Best Sellers

Connect with Me

BloglovinFacebookGoogle +InstagramPinterestTwitterYouTubeMy TPT ShopImage Map

My Personal Blog

FUN. ENGAGING. IMPACTFUL.

click to explore the many amazing resources so many kids have already enjoyed!
Learn More

Footer

Thank you For Visiting!

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Freebies
  • Contact
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign up and get addition freebies delivered directly to your inbox!

  • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
  • Freebies
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 · BRANDING + WEB DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT