Classroom Management

5 Activities to Build Community in the Classroom

August 27, 2021 by Jodi Leave a Comment

It’s back to school season, teachers! You know what that means… Lots of introductions, icebreakers, and getting to know your new students on a personal and academic level. It also means that students will begin to build their classroom community, setting the tone for the rest of the school year! I am a firm believer in fostering a positive and strong community in my class. Younger students need that sense of community to build their sense of responsibility, accountability, and compassion for their fellow classmates. It’s the secret formula to ensuring your year goes smoothly and benefits every student!

Why are activities to build community in the classroom important?

A classroom community is more important to an educational environment than you might think! When a class shares strong feelings of community, they are more likely to hold other students accountable and take ownership of their own behavior. Day-to-day activities will go more smoothly when students work together and understand the value of their interpersonal relationships. They will be more likely to follow rules and work together to get tasks done. Finally, a good classroom community helps students act with kindness, compassion, fairness, and respect towards each other.

1. Start the morning with a song

Using songs in the classroom is a way to build classroom community while learning. Younger students respond really well to songs, and I’ve found that to be true with my first graders. Singing is great for bringing students together and helping them focus on whatever task is at hand. I love using my Songs for Your Classroom with my first graders, but they also work well for kindergartners and second graders.

2. Hold morning meetings

Morning meetings are a fantastic way to hold engaging discussions each morning and help your students focus on the day ahead. I use these Digital Morning Meetings for 1st Grade with my kids. The meetings let students sing a morning song together, answer a question of the day, get moving, and even answer a math problem! Students always get excited to start their day with this fun activity. Plus, the meetings are perfect for both in-person and distance learning.

3. Ask discussion questions

When students get to know each other on a deeper level, it helps foster a sense of understanding, compassion, and form lasting friendships. They also encourage critical thinking skills and help each student develop a sense of self. For this reason, I love including discussion questions in my classroom routine or in my morning meetings. To make it easier for you, I have two sets of discussion questions that are perfect for elementary students. Here is Set One and here is Set Two! I also wanted to include these Morning Meeting Roll and Talk Discussion Questions and Digital Discussion Questions designed for K-2nd grade students.

4. Let students design their perfect classroom

Here’s a fun one: this Design Your Perfect Classroom Activity is an amazing way to let your students envision their perfect classroom and build community while doing so. This project allows your students to think critically about what would be the best learning environment for them and their classmates. Students will work together through 10 steps to complete a model of their perfect classroom. The steps of this project include individual and group brainstorming, research, planning, revising, and creation. Students can reflect on their final products, too! A project based activity like this is a fantastic way to introduce group work to your students and encourage a collaborative environment.

5. Incorporate community building into your first day of school

A positive classroom community starts on the very first day! When planning your first day activities, I recommend including activities that help students get to know each other. For example, my Digital Back to School Activity lets students share their “Silly School Name” with each other. Trust me, this game is sure to bring about a lot of laughs!

Conclusion

Encourage students to build a positive community and take ownership with these 5 activities to build community in the classroom. From silly songs to collaborative projects, these resources will help you construct a compassionate and productive community that will last all year long!

Digital Morning Meeting

July 25, 2021 by Jodi 1 Comment

The 2020-2021 school year definitely brought the importance of technology and digital learning into the forefront. Teachers and students had to adjust quickly and as seamlessly at possible. Digital Morning Meeting was the perfect way to make this adjustment in my classroom and will continue to be something that will work well during a “normal” school year.

What is a digital morning meeting?

The focus of a morning meeting is to help build classroom community and provide a safe environment for students to feel heard and supported. Digital morning meetings serve the same purpose, except with the use of technology. These can be projected on a screen for your students as they sit on the carpet together or in their own seats. I go through each of the daily sections as we discuss the items together. (Welcome song, discussion questions, phonics, math, word of the day, physical activity, etc.) The entire meeting takes about 15-20 minutes, but can definitely be adjusted for days when we are short on time.

What is included in the Digital Morning Meeting?

This Digital Morning Meeting is the perfect way to start the day whether you are in the classroom or still teaching virtually. This includes 11 months of daily morning meetings. Each monthly download includes 4 weeks of daily Morning Meeting activities.

What are teachers saying about Digital Morning Meetings?

“I LOVE this resource! I have used this both with my distance learning students and my in person students and it is extremely engaging and low stress. My kids love the songs and I love all of the different components. I am never able to get to all of the components but I love having all of the options. It keeps it fresh and exciting for my students.” -Deandra

“This resource is INCREDIBLE! I have used it in-person with my class since September. We went remote right before Thanksgiving and the transition for Morning Meeting was seamless. The kids are super engaged. The “Question of the Day” is our favorite! Best.Purchase.Ever!!! :)” -Jennifer

“This resource is a game changer during hybrid teaching! My students love every facet especially the movement and the word of the day! I have both at home students and in school students use the word of the day in a sentence then seesaw it to me so both myself and parents can see how they are doing! Also great vocabulary building activity! I can’t say enough about it! Thank you!!!” -Margaret

Do you want to try a FREE WEEK of Digital Morning Meetings? Click on the picture below.

15 Things to Do Before School Starts

July 15, 2021 by Jodi Leave a Comment

Have you started thinking about going back to school, yet? Maybe you still have plenty of time or your first day may be near. No matter when you start back, there will ALWAYS be things that you have to do before the first day. Even though I have had MANY “first days of school,” I still question myself about whether or not I got everything done. Going back to school is exciting, but definitely stressful!

Here are some ideas for things that need to be done before the first day of school.

3+ WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

1. Reflect on your classroom procedures, layout, and lessons.

This is a great time to really think about what worked and what did not work for you during the previous school year. Make a list of things that you want to change or things that did not go as you had planned.

2. Browse Pinterest, teaching catalogs, blogs, etc. and start getting some fresh ideas that you may want to try this school year.

REMEMBER that you cannot do it all! It is VERY easy to get overwhelmed by looking at all of the ideas on the Internet. Look back at your list of things that you wanted to change about your classroom. Use this list as a guide to find new ideas. Pick 2-3 things to try. You can ALWAYS add more later, but you do not want to add even more stress to the beginning of the school year.

3. Order any supplies that will need to be shipped.

If you have any bigger classroom supplies (furniture, curriculum, etc.) that has a longer shipping time, make sure that you order it in advance. Amazon Prime has my back most of the time, but there are definitely some items that need more shipping time.

4. Read a professional development book.

Every summer, I try to read 1-2 PD books that interest me. This year I read Shifting the Balance by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates and A Fresh Look at Phonics by Wiley Blevins. (I highly recommend both.)

5. Write a Donors Choose project.

This is the perfect time to create a Donors Choose project for supplies that you may want for your classroom. (Scholastics News magazines, books, classroom furniture, technology, …)

2-3 WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

6. Set up your classroom.

This is definitely one of the most time consuming parts of a new school year. This is the time when you will want to arrange your furniture, put up bulletin boards, set up your classroom library, and so on and so on. REMEMBER that you do NOT need to fill all of the wall space. I love to have some blank bulletin boards in my classroom to start the year. Student work will eventually fill up those spaces, but I do not feel the need to have anything up on them before the first day of school.

7. Buy school supplies.

This is the perfect time to buy school supplies. All of the stores have major sales in the weeks prior to school starting. I highly recommend getting extras now. If you wait until January to buy more crayons, they will not be as cheap. (Check out this post about Supplies that I Can’t Live Without.)

8. Start making copies.

I ALWAYS make sure that I have all of my copies done for at least the first week of school. I also make sure that I over plan, even if almost every year, I don’t get everything done that was in my plans to begin with. With each new group of kids, you never know how quickly they may be able to work through things, and idle 6-7 year olds never ends well.

*Need your plans done for you? Check out The First Week of First Grade.

9. Prepare for Open House/Parent Night

If you have an Open House or Parent Night before school starts, this is a great time to start prepping for it. I like to prepare a folder for each student with parent forms, a welcome letter, supply lists, etc. This way, if a parent is unable to attend, I can send home the folder on the first day of school.

10. Get organized.

Once school starts, it is much harder to organize your classroom. Take the time to throw things out that you don’t need, sort through books, make sure your emergency sub plans are ready, etc.

THE WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

11. Finalize lesson plans and copies.

Make sure that your lesson plans, for at least the first week, are complete and you have ALL of the materials ready to go. Also make sure to have a couple extra copies of any back to school forms that you may need for last minute adds to your class list.

12. Check your technology.

Double check to make sure that any technology that you will be using during that first week is working. If you do any type of Meet the Teacher Slide Show on the first day, run through that and make sure that it actually works.

13. Start labeling…with caution.

I am always cautious with labeling things too early. Even though I have a class list, that ALWAYS seems to change up until the first week of school. I actually just place a Post-It note with each students’ name on their name tags until I see their body in their seats. This way I am not wasting any expensive name tags 😉

14. Get things ready at home.

I know that I am always absolutely exhausted that first week of school. I like to make sure that I have dinner planned for that first week, whether it is Hello Fresh or making or ordering premade meals. I also make sure that I do a big grocery run and that I have items for lunches.

15. Take some time to do something for yourself!

Things are going to get BUSY! Do something for yourself before the chaos of back to school hits. Get your nails done, get a massage, read a book for enjoyment, sleep in…whatever makes you happy.

Download the checklist below by clicking on the picture.

My Favorite Items for Morning Tubs

June 30, 2021 by Jodi Leave a Comment

Morning Tubs have been a staple in my classroom the past 5 years. I absolutely love that my students can ease into the morning, chat with each other, work cooperatively, and most importantly, have some fun. Typically, I have six tubs with 3-4 students at each tub. I rotate the tubs every 3 days. (Last year, I had to use individual Morning Tubs due to the pandemic.)

One of the most common questions I get about Morning Tubs is “What do you put in them?”

Here are 15 of my favorite Morning Tub items.

All of the items are numbered and linked below.

Please note: These are affiliate links. I do receive a small commission when items are purchased from these links. This helps to support my little area of cyber space and keep the blog up and running.

Pattern Blocks – I love that this set of pattern blocks include picture cards to give students ideas.
Brain Builders – These are such a simple concept, but the students love making the items on the cards.
Magnetic Building Sticks – These sticks have magnetic ends to stick to the metal balls.
Kanoodle – If you haven’t tried Kanoodle, you really should. I even have a couple of these strategy games at home for my own kids.
Brain Flakes – These are so fun to create with. Such a simple idea, but the kids love them.
Emido Building Blocks – Similar to the Brain Flakes, but thicker and very sturdy.
Building Block Bars – My students love these.
Legos – Legos are always a great addition in morning tubs.
Star Flex Blocks – These are great quality. You may need more than one box of these though for a group of 3-4 students.
Plus Plus Blocks – The small size of these blocks are great for fine-motor skills.
Zoob Builders – These may be my absolute favorite. I have given them as birthday presents as well. They are so much fun, and the students get so creative.
Mini Erasers – Mini erasers are such an easy addition. You will be amazed at how much your students love just “playing” with erasers
Play-Doh – Play-Doh is great for developing those fine motor skills that are needed for writing.
Guidecraft Interlox Squares – These are fun interlocking squares, but I will warn you that if your students are not gentle, they do break kind of easily.
Magic Magnetic Cubes – I just got these last year and they are a lot of fun. You will need more than one set for a group of 3-4 students.

If you do Morning Tubs in your classroom, what are some of your favorite items?

The Importance of Morning Meeting

August 16, 2020 by Aubree Malick Leave a Comment

Do you have a morning meeting routine in your classroom? When I started implementing morning meetings, I started off slow and added small pieces here and there. After many years of having a morning meeting in my first grade classroom, I’m sold! And so are my students! They look forward to our special time together in the mornings.

What is a morning meeting?

Morning meetings are a great time to greet your students, have share time, and do some fun activities to start the day off on the right foot! While all meetings don’t have to look and feel exactly the same, the focus of a morning meeting is to help build classroom community and provide a safe environment for students to feel heard and supported. Morning meetings will quickly become the favorite part of your day and your students as well!

I think that it’s important to create consistency with your students. As teachers, we know that things come up and we might have to miss a day or two of your meeting. But in order for morning meetings to be most effective, they need to happen every day, first thing in the morning. Our meetings usually lasts 15-20 minutes and the framework of the morning meeting pretty much stays the same. Our format is mostly: Greeting, Question/Share, Activity, Phonics/Math Talk.

With anything new in the classroom, you will want to take a few days to introduce the idea of a meeting, what will happen and why this is a part of our day. I try to touch on each of these points so my students get in a groove for what to expect. We spend time practicing and reviewing the expectations, turn taking, and procedures.

How to Have a Morning Meeting during Distance Learning

One of the struggles that a lot of teachers faced during distance learning was not being able to have that special meeting time with their students. And that might be the case again as we head back to school and some schools are remaining virtual. I knew that I needed to be able to create a resource that allowed teachers the opportunity to implement a virtual morning meeting.

This Digital Morning Meeting resource is the perfect way to start the day whether you are in the classroom or doing distance learning. As we enter a new normal in our classrooms, trying to keep students 6 feet apart while on the carpet for a traditional meeting will be extremely difficult. This is especially hard for younger students. This Digital Morning Meeting allows you to project the meeting topics while students are safely in their designated spaces!

Even if your morning meeting routine needs to look a little different this year, I encourage you to still make it a part of your day. Incorporating this special time in the morning can truly have an impact on your classroom culture and your students will come together as a community of learners.

Building Teacher-Student Relationships – A 5 Day Challenge

January 10, 2020 by Jodi Leave a Comment

My main goal each year is to establish strong teacher-student relationships. Building these relationships will make the entire school year go much more smoothly. Even though most of your relationships are pretty established by mid-year, they can always continue to improve. For this reason, I held a 5-Day Challenge on my Instagram. These simple tasks were easy to implement each day.

Here are each of the five challenges in case you missed it, or you want to start implementing these now.

Building Teacher-Student Relationships Challenge #1

The first challenge is to greet EVERY single student as they come into your classroom every day.⁣
I know that many of you already do this, but it is always a good reminder. The mornings can be especially busy, and it is easy to get distracted as more and more students come into your room.⁣
Make it a point today to greet every student using their name.
Make eye contact as you welcome each child into your classroom.⁣
You could give a high five, a hug, a handshake, or just a smile. Whatever works best for you and your students.⁣

Challenge #2

The second challenge is to have a REAL conversation with every student. I know that I am guilty of going through a day and realizing that I never really had a conversation with each student, especially those quiet students that can easily fade into the background.
If you need to, make a list of all of your students and check off their name after you have had a true, meaningful, interaction with them. You may be surprised at how easily it is to let some of your students slip by and go all day without you actually talking to them as an individual.
Some easy ideas include; complimenting their shirt, asking them what they had for dinner last night, discussing a favorite book, etc.

Challenge #3

This goes well with the last challenge. You may have found some of your conversations with your students to be forced or all one sided with you doing all the talking. This is especially true for our shy students. I want you to ask every student a question related to their interests. Some examples are, “How is basketball going? Are you excited about your next game?” “How is your new puppy?” “How was recess today? What did you play? Who did you play with?”
Again, if it is easier for you, make a list of your students and check them off as you have these conversations.

Your students truly want to know that you care about them and that you listen to them. Really get to know their interests and learn more about them.

Challenge #4

This is one that I have really been working on. Try to give each student specific positive feedback. I want to emphasize “specific.” Just telling a student, “Good job!” will not cut it. If a child does not know what it is that they are doing a good job at, the feedback will not serve its purpose. We need to be really specific if we want that behavior or motivation to continue.

“Wow, Mary. Your handwriting is beautiful today!”

“Jack, I love how found the answer to that questions by going back into your book.”

“Table 4 has done a fantastic job of getting their books opened quickly to page 12.”

Challenge #5

This one will be a little more time consuming, so stretch it out over the next couple of days if needed. Make positive contact with each of your students’ families. I like to write a letter and mail it home, but you could also send a text, a message through Remind, or whatever app you use, or make a phone call.

Do NOT use this contact as a lead in to discuss a problem. Truly just make this a completely positive interaction. Let their families know something specific that their child has done that has been positive. (Increasing their reading level, something funny they said, a nice thing they did for a classmate, etc.)

Want to keep the conversations going? You may want to check out these two products.

I’d love to hear how your 5-Day Challenge went. Remember to pin this post as a good reminder for the beginning of each school year as well.