Notes from the Road

January 11, 2010 Categories: Getting Started / Morning Meeting
During a recent school visit, I marveled at the myriad tasks and responsibilities that comprise the first few minutes of the school day.  Watching one teacher calmly direct all this activity reinforced for me the value of establishing and practicing routines.
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DEC
17
2009

Handling the Holidays: Morning Meeting Message

Tips on using Morning Meeting Messages and the last part of Morning Meeting, reading the message together, to set a positive tone during the build-up to winter holidays and vacation. Winter themes.…
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DEC
16
2009

Handling the Holidays: Morning Meeting Group Activity

Tips on using  Morning Meeting group activity to set a positive tone during the build-up to winter holidays and vacation. Consider levels of movement and activity. How does your class respond (especially…
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DEC
15
2009

Handling the Holidays: Morning Meeting Sharing

Tips on using Morning Meeting sharing to set a positive tone during the build-up to winter holidays and vacation. Themed shares. This is a great time of year to have some themed…
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DEC
14
2009

Handling the Holidays: Morning Meeting Greeting

Tips on using the greeting component of Morning Meeting to set a positive tone during the build-up to winter holidays and vacation.
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DEC
13
2009

Handling the Holidays

As the holidays swing into full gear, maintaining a productive and calm atmosphere in the classroom can be challenging. Students can be more fidgety, giggly, testy, and tired at this time of…
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NOV
01
2009

Small Changes, Great Gains

There’s a happy buzz in Mr. M’s third grade class. It’s late fall, and the children take pride in knowing just what to do as their school day begins. First, there’s the…
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NOV
01
2009

Knowing and Being Known Through Sharing

I firmly believe that the better I know students—the more I understand the joys and challenges of their daily lives—the more responsively I can teach them. Similarly, the better they know each…
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NOV
01
2008

Lively & Artful Sharings

Mr. Saunders' class had been doing the sharing component of Morning Meeting since school started in the fall. After several months of daily practice, he knew he could count on sharers to…
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FEB
01
2008

“How does that make you feel?”

I’m new to the Responsive Classroom approach, but even in my first year of having Morning Meetings, the children’s social growth exceeded what I had typically seen in my kindergarten classes. For…
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AUG
01
2007

The Art of Commenting

On a late spring morning, Mr. Marino’s fourth graders are gathered quietly on their Morning Meeting rug, all eyes on Joe, whose turn it is to share.“I played a basketball game on…
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AUG
01
2007

Morning Meeting: A Soft Place to Land

When Eric's father died suddenly just before a long weekend, Morning Meeting gave our school the safe structure we needed to help this second grader and his schoolmates cope with the tragedy.
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NOV
01
2006

“Good Morning, Learners!”

One March morning, children entering a fourth grade classroom take turns gathering at a chart on which their teacher has written a message just for them:March 7, 2005Dear Invertebrate Investigators, Yesterday we…
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AUG
01
2006

Three Fun Greetings to Try with Your Students

Question: Do you have a Greeting that works really well for Morning Meeting with your students?  A: When we do a Seat-Switch Greeting, the children enjoy moving around to sit in different…
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FEB
01
2006

A Sustaining Routine

Megan’s Great Uncle John was dying of cancer, and she needed to share this distressing experience with her fourth grade classmates. During a Morning Meeting Sharing in October, Megan explained that her…
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AUG
01
2005

Themed Sharing during Morning Meeting

Question: Do you have a theme that you like to use occasionally to guide Sharing during Morning Meeting? What makes it work well with your students?
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APR
01
2005

News and Announcement Charts

Question: What’s one activity you’ve found effective for the interactive part of the Morning Meeting News and Announcements chart?
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FEB
01
2004

Keeping Connected

It’s sharing time during Morning Meeting in Ms. Roberts’s first grade classroom. Jarrod is enthusiastically telling his classmates about the photos they will see when they look at his “family album.” The…
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FEB
01
2003

Group Activities That Reinforce Academic Skills

Question: I'm concerned that the group activity portion of our Morning Meeting mostly has become a time to play games. I know it’s important for the students to have fun together, but…
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JAN
31
2002

Restless in Morning Meeting

February 2002Question:I teach first grade. I find that by the end of Morning Meeting, my students tend to be fidgety and restless, so I’ve been taking them out for recess after meeting…
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NOV
01
2001

“Like Being at the Breakfast Table”

Adapted, with permission, from an article in Childhood Education, Spring 2001
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SEP
30
2001

A Comfortable Routine in Uncomfortable Times

In the days and weeks following the events of September 11th, many teachers and children around the country gathered each morning in the comforting routine of Morning Meeting, a daily ritual that…
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