Morning Meeting... What's all the fuss?

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I have been a teacher for the past nine years and when I student-taught, my co-op demonstrated many lessons about the art of educating young children.  However, one aspect of her daily routine became part of mine the very first day I set foot in the classroom: Morning Meeting.  Why do I value Morning Meeting so much?  What are the components?  What are the benefits?

When I taught second grade, I was in a district that was not a Responsive Classroom district.  I was questioned at times why I took thirty minutes out of my day each and every day to conduct this classroom ritual when I could be instructing my students on 'valuable' content.  I simply would reply "Morning Meeting is the MOST important part of our day.  It is something that I will never give up as a teacher because I believe in it."

When I moved districts to be closer to my home, I was lucky enough to be hired in a place that provides Responsive Classroom Training and values Morning Meeting just as I do!  So, you may be asking yourself "What is all the fuss about Morning Meeting?"

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Morning Meeting Includes
- Greeting (Examples: Shoe Greeting, Butterfly Greeting, Elbow Rock)
- Sharing (Would you rather... What did you do over the weekend?... What are you looking forward to most today?... )
- Activity (Class Builders, such as: Zoom, Squeeze, Classroom Web)
- Classroom Announcements/News

How do I run Morning Meeting?
Morning Meeting is a time when my students and I come together and create a classroom of learners who genuinely care for one another and work closely as a team to accomplish common goals.  It is a way for my learners to transition from home to school and a way for them to start fresh.  We have one common goal during Morning Meeting and that is to create a common bond with one another that will last throughout our entire school year.

During our Morning Greetings, we include EACH person that is in our classroom, whether you are an adult or child. If you are in our room, YOU are part of our team.

Next, we include a sharing time.  This is a time for students to open up and to think about various topics.  Sometimes sharing times are silly, but sometimes they can also take a serious tone.  They can be a time for students to simply "free share" and get something off of their chest.

Then, we complete a class activity where we come together and work as a team to solve a problem or to simply compete with ourselves as a whole.  An example of this is when we complete the activity called, "Squeeze."  We stand in a circle and hold hands.  I start off the squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to either my right or left.  The squeeze is timed to see how long it takes it to come back to me.  We challenge ourselves to beat our best time.

Finally, I always have a classroom announcement stating what to look forward to for the day. It is a way for me to share some of the fun activities throughout the day and provide students with an opportunity to become excited about an aspect of their day.

Resource
Check out Fun and Fearless in First for downloadable Morning Meeting Cards.

To Sum It Up
Now that you have an idea about the components and benefits of Morning Meeting, will you give it a try?  If you already do Morning Meeting with your students, what are some fun sharing ideas you have?  What are some creative activities or greetings?  Feel free to share your thoughts below!

If you are one who is still skeptical about how Morning Meeting benefits your learners, I urge you to try some of these ideas.  See the children's responses and how they form a cohesive bond with each other after completing team building activities each day.  It is amazing the cooperative learning that takes place within my classroom due to this simple thirty minute activity.