Group Activity Idea: Encore!

April 03, 2012 Categories: Activity Ideas / Morning Meeting

Here’s a Morning Meeting activity idea from 80 Morning Meeting Ideas for Grades 3–6, by Carol Davis: Encore! Students team up to connect vocabulary words with favorite songs. How to do this group activity: Place students into small groups of four or five. Call out a word or topic related to a unit of study Read More »
Continue Reading

MAR

27

2012

Sharing Idea: Who Remembers My Favorite Book?

Playing a fun remembering game builds on children's listening and memory skills.
Continue Reading

FEB

06

2012

Weekly Plan for Morning Messages

In addition to the other tips I shared for getting out of a Morning Meeting Message rut, I strongly recommend making a weekly plan. Instead of trying to come up with ideas…
Continue Reading

NOV

16

2011

Need a New Mattress?

At this time of year, people who work in schools often start feeling a bit frayed. Now that the school year is well underway, the "honeymoon period" of the first weeks is…
Continue Reading

NOV

10

2011

Teaching Future Scientists

"Young engineers, it looks as if you have mastered skyscrapers. Now you are ready for the challenge of building a bridge!" said the teacher to a small group of children in a…
Continue Reading

NOV

02

2011

The Trouble with Testing

When I first began my teaching career in the early 1990's, it felt like an exciting time to be in education. There was incredible momentum building for rich, multi-layered, developmentally appropriate teaching.…
Continue Reading

AUG

02

2011

Do You Teach Writing?

Always on the lookout for resources to help teachers, I recently found a gem: Day by Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice (Stenhouse, 2010). Ruth Ayres and Stacey…
Continue Reading

JUN

02

2011

Morning Meeting and Academics

You may have heard it said: "Morning Meeting isn't another thing you add to the plate—it is the plate." If you use Morning Meeting in your classroom, you know about its benefits:…
Continue Reading

MAR

24

2011

Good Morning, Friendly Workers!

Question: In many classrooms, the morning message chart is an important part of the beginning of each day and the first place that students go as they enter the classroom. On the…
Continue Reading

NOV

17

2010

Seeing It All Come Together

While reading Mike Anderson’s series of posts about strategies for keeping students active and engaged, I kept thinking about a second grade classroom I visited recently. I was lucky enough to watch…
Continue Reading

NOV

09

2010

What Do You Think a Decimal Is?

During a recent visit to a third grade classroom, I was tickled by students' responses to a question on the morning message chart. The class was about to begin a unit of…
Continue Reading

OCT

22

2010

Sitting Too Much?

“My students have such a hard time sitting still! They call out all the time! They’re constantly out of their seats!” After hearing this refrain over and over again from teachers, I…
Continue Reading

AUG

01

2010

Opening the Door to Math

Morning Meeting activities can provide a confidence-building environment for math review, and Morning Meeting messages can be used to pique students’ curiosity about a math lesson that will take place later in…
Continue Reading

MAR

23

2010

Energizers! Energizing with the Dinosaurs

This clapping chant is fun for K–3 students anytime, but especially when they’re studying dinosaurs! Called “Dino Dinner Chant,” it’s from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan…
Continue Reading

MAR

02

2010

An Energizer with an Academic Twist

“Interruptions” gets students up and shaking out the cobwebs—while enhancing their listening and literacy skills in a fun way! It’s especially good with K–3 students, but older children may also enjoy it.…
Continue Reading

AUG

01

2008

Book Club Lunches

When I was a second grader, my teacher would take us outside on mild afternoons to relax with whatever book we chose. We’d munch snacks and chat as we read together. Those…
Continue Reading

FEB

01

2008

Marvelous Math

"Which of Beauvoir's Life Rules do you think is most important? Add to the graph to show what you think." For a month, these words greeted all who passed through Beauvoir's front…
Continue Reading

FEB

01

2007

Open-Ended Questions

Language is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. We can use language to stretch children’s curiosity, reasoning ability, creativity, and independence. One effective way to do this is by…
Continue Reading

FEB

01

2006

What Do Insects Do All Day?

Four classes of second graders have just begun a new science unit on insects at the University School of Nashville in Tennessee. I and the other three second-grade teachers have each invited…
Continue Reading

APR

01

2004

Lively Learning

When I was in elementary school more than fifty years ago, I struggled with geography. I found it very hard to keep all those place names and locations straight. The only thing…
Continue Reading

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…
Continue Reading

NOV

01

2002

Singing with Children

I remember singing along with friends in my elementary school days. Teachers and students together began each day with singing. We learned about music from our music teacher, but we sang everywhere,…
Continue Reading

MAR

31

2000

Keeping Music Alive

When I was a child, music found its way into the daily life of most elementary classrooms. My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Monahan, started each day with the pledge and the piano.…
Continue Reading