“Good Morning Boys & Girls!”
These are words that leave every (well I hope every) teachers mouthes each morning on every single school day. So for some of us that is roughly 180 or so times. If you have not already figured out about what I will be sharing with you, it is indeed how I plan and run my morning meetings with my class. Just like anything, I keep my plans flexible as anything can change or shift at any given moment during the school day. However, typically the first 25-30 minutes in the morning are pretty reliable.
So yes, I do plan every morning meeting of the week. It is so incredibly beneficial and productive for both me and my students. If you don’t believe me, take it from Susan Jones. She shares with Teachers Pay Teachers Blog her DO’s and DONT’s. “DO Plan and prepare for Morning Meeting like any other class period. DON’T over-complicate this! Keep it simple, and follow a routine each morning so your students know what to expect.” And I completely agree!! This is a time to set the tone for the day. Starting off the morning with an unstructured meeting isn’t going to help anyone (definitely you!) I am going to share my daily planning guide and walk you through each step.
Greeting:
After reviewing my daily planning guide. We will start at the top and work our way through each step. The greeting is a place to just simply kick off the meeting. For this day (as an example, I used the first day of school) We’ll start on the first day with singing “We Are Here” (sung to the tune of “The Farmer In the Dell”) Ex. “Isaiah is here, Isaiah is here. It’s a great day because Isaiah is here.” As you can notice, this is addressing the academic content/curriculm connections. The skills to focus on and reinforce include, Practice going around the circle and saying “Good Morning, _” in a kind voice. Make sure the students look their friend in his or her eyes as they greet them. Susan Jones adds to her DO’s and DONT’s that we as teachers should, “Model, model, model! Get down on the floor with your students and show them!” Not only model, we should also, “Emphasize community in the classroom. Use this time to focus on appropriate social skills that your students may need to work on.” Community is something that I like to really create throughout the school year, so what better way to spend a good chunk of time (25-30 minutes each day building this close and caring community).
Sharing:
The activity for the sharing aspect is, around-the circle, partner, or dialogue. The sharing part of our morning meeting will follow the greeting. Start by asking a question and then have each student answer the question around the circle. Frame the questions as “getting to know you questions.” We’ll start on the first day with the question, “Name one fun thing that you did this summer?”(Stick to one event to help manage time..) Before you ask a question, always remind your students the rules of the circle during sharing time. Look at the person who is speaking and listen without talking. With this said, Susan Jones reminds us, “DON’T be afraid to spend more than the allotted time in Morning Meeting. Treat it like any other period; if your students need extra time and help on these social skills, make sure you spend that time to help them!” This is so true… social skills and communication skills are learned during this time are just as important as the academics.
Group Activity:
This will include a song, chant, poem, game, or another activity. For this day, I chose to run the “Find A Classmate Who…” To incorporate appropriate movement during Morning Meeting. A great way to provide all class members to learn a common set of poems, songs, and games as well as a way to foster cooperation and inclusion.
Morning Message Topic:
How will you read the message on the board? Have your morning message written through a letter from the teacher/by the teacher. Effective way to reinforce skills that you are learning about and actively engage your students. I structure my message to give my students a general idea of what our day is going to look like (or if there are any changes).
We’ll start on the first day with this message;
“Good Morning Students!
Today is Wednesday, September 3rd2018! We have gym this afternoon, so don’t forget to change into your sneakers. Let’s have a great first day!!
~Love, Ms. Davis”
Helpful Tip!
Throughout the year during the “Breakfast & Attendance” time (7:45am – 8:00am) I will have a different slide displayed on the Smart Board. These slides will sometimes include a short writing prompt for students to write on a sticky note and place on the Smart Board. Other times, the slides will just be something for the students to look at and talk amongst themselves during Breakfast & Attendance. This will help guide/start our Morning Meeting. See example below:
Motivation/Mindfulness Monday:
- Motivational quotes
- Mindfulness quotes/tips
Trivia Tuesday:
- 1stgrade level unit trivia question.
Wonder Wednesday:
- “What is one thing that makes you wonder or say “hmmmm”?
Thoughtful Thursday:
- Share a thoughtful story about someone or something that happened during your day/week.
Fun Fact Friday:
- Write several grade appropriate ‘fun facts’ on the Smart Board. Encourage students to start a conversation at their table about what fact they like the most, and why?
And I’ll leave you with this…. Susan Jones sums up her DO’s and DONT’s with , “DON’T forget to reflect. After the academic aspects, make sure you make note of students who may need extra help with some skills. It’s another time in your day to run an informal assessment.”
Until next time, happy blogging!
~Abby
