Picture this: the start of your school day transformed into a burst of energy, where community-building and skill-building collide in a mere 20 minutes! This can happen thanks to the magic of the classroom morning meeting. In this blog post, I'm excited to share with you 8 essential ingredients that will elevate your own classroom morning meeting to new heights. So, let's dive in and transform your morning meeting into a daily dose of excitement and learning for your fabulous first graders!
8 Must Haves for a Classroom Morning Meeting
1. Classroom Morning Meeting Song
To kickstart the day in your first-grade classroom, begin with music! A good morning song sets the tone for a day of learning and fun. You can find all sorts of catchy good morning songs on YouTube to use with your class. Here are 3 of my favorites:
- “Have a Good Morning, Have a Good Day” by Jack Hartman
- “Good Morning Song” by Mr. B’s Children’s Music Learning Hive
- “Good Morning Song” by the Singing Walrus
2. Classroom Morning Meeting Message
Within the morning message, you have the special opportunity to write a brief note to your students. This note may encompass the day's agenda, friendly reminders, a quick recap of a previously studied phonics pattern, and any other tidbits of information you'd like to share. You can also have students interact with the morning message by finding sight words in the message, practice their fluency, and much more!
3. Greeting
The greeting segment of your meeting is where the fun begins as students greet each other in unique ways. You have the flexibility to switch it up daily or stick to one greeting for the whole week. Here are some all-time favorites:
- Share one exciting thing you did over the weekend.
- Greet your classmates using your best pirate, dinosaur, or other playful voices.
- Say hello to your friends in complete silence, using only gestures!
4. Weekly Poem
A weekly poem offers endless possibilities for learning. You can utilize it to reinforce familiar phonics patterns, identify sight words, practice rhyming, and much more. Typically, I kick off by reciting the poem aloud, with the entire class echoing after me. Then, on Wednesdays, the designated poem leader of the week takes the lead, guiding the class in reciting the poem.
5. Calendar Slides
Your classroom morning meeting is the perfect place to go over your calendar with your students. I use digital slides for my calendar. A few ideas we discuss are upcoming events, how many days are in each month, and how many days we have been in school. The calendar serves as an invaluable tool for honing a wide array of mathematical skills!
6. Classroom Morning Meeting Share
The “share” portion of our morning meeting isn't just about language skills; it's about building a vibrant classroom community and getting to know our fellow superstars! Every student has their moment to shine and share their thoughts. It is helpful if you have an idea in mind each day of what you want students to share such as:
- What's your all-time favorite holiday, and why does it rock?
- How do you conquer fear when you are scared?
- Who's that one incredible person you can always count on, and why do they make your day?
Students can share with the whole group or buddy up to spill the beans. If you use turn and talk partners, be sure to mix them up throughout the year.
7. Picture of the Day
Don't forget, your classroom morning meeting is your secret toolbox for supercharging the skills you're teaching! This is where Picture of the Day comes into play. For example, you can show the class with a picture and ask, “What do you notice? What can you infer?” Or try this one on for size: flash a pic and fire away with, “Where's the math hiding in this photo?” Picture of the day is your ticket to awesome classroom convos – definitely worth a spin!
8. Activity
We're wrapping up our morning meeting with a bang – it's class activity time, folks! These little gems are quick, fun, and get everyone involved. Here's a few activities you can try with your class:
- Two Truths and a Lie: Get ready for some epic fact-fudging and guesswork!
- Telephone: It's whisper time! Who's up for a game of telephone and a good laugh?
- 3 Clues: The teacher gives three clues about a student and the class puts on their detective caps to try to guess who it is.
These activities are like the icing on our morning meeting cake – sweet, enjoyable, and loads of fun!
Other Things You Can Include in a Classroom Morning Meeting
Alright, let's talk about some fantastic extra activities to sprinkle into your morning meeting routine! While the activities mentioned above are the stars, these are like the amazing bonus features of our show:
- Classroom Jobs: Get the excitement going by reviewing the awesome student jobs for the week. Who's in charge of what?
- Flag Salute: Stand tall, folks! Let's recite the Pledge of Allegiance with pride!
- Holiday Info Showtime: Special occasions deserve some spotlight. Share a quick, exciting video about upcoming or current holidays. It's like a mini movie time to get everyone in the spirit!
These extra activities add a dash of pizzazz to your morning meeting – keeping it fresh, engaging, and absolutely fantastic!
Well, there you have it, 8 essential morning meeting ideas to kick-start your day the fabulous way! Morning meetings are like the sprinkles on a cupcake – they make everything better! So, why wait? Start creating memorable mornings for your students and build that strong classroom community today. Share your morning meeting experiences and ideas in the comments below!
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