July 24, 2012

Morning Meeting

I just read a great book by Roxann Kriete, called, The Morning Meeting Book. Now I always have a daily circle time in my kindergarten classroom, but this is differnt. Our school also participated for several years in a K-2 Morning Program that was held in the cafeteria (I LOVED this program!) Anyway, the book by Roxanne Kriete discusses the importance of holding a morning meeting in your classroom daily that encompasses the four components:

  • Greeting
  • Sharing
  • Group activity
  • Morning Message
This is not circle time. It is a special time of day (15-20 minutes) where students build a sense of community and learn that they are important and appreciated in the classroom.  It is a great opporunity to teach social skills.  As a co-teaching classroom, I am thrilled with this idea.  At first I was reluctant, thinking, there was no way I could fit this in because my schedule is so tight. After taking more time to read the book and reflect on the benefits.

I would love to hear from anyone who has read this book and/or who has implemented a program such as this.  Thanks!

2 comments:

  1. Come check us out for some freebies and ideas. Stephanie
    http://primarypossibilities.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sarah,
    Thanks for the follow. I love Responsive Classroom and have been using it for the past 8 years. I don't use all the components, but Morning Meeting is one of them. Most of our school implements it and has gone to the trainings. It really helps us to get to know our children and build community. Have you read "The First 6 Weeks of School"? While I don't use it all, I love creating their "Hopes and Dreams" for the year and then revisit them again in January. Class contracts and guided discovery are also some fun concepts too. I'm sure you already do some things from the book as a lot of it is just good teaching but it's nice to have it laid out. :)

    ReplyDelete