It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.

Frederick Douglas

Morning Meetings Purpose:

Build sense of community
Students get to know each other
Value Differences
Mutual support
Class identidy

Morning meeting format examples:

What is it?
How to start the day together.
DO NOWS that foster community
Greeting
Sharing news
Group activity to build cohesion
Morning message to set up day with a do now
Quick graph
Word cloud

Sharing Circle Technique: Some of these activities may be done individually first and then brought to the circle.
Consider how is this technique related to interdependence and cooperation?

It legitimizes expressing feelings and concerns
It promotes personal sharing and helps people overcome scary feelings of uniqueness.
It promotes trust and openness in communication
learn about resources present in a group

Handles

Awareness Mastery Social Interaction

K-4
I use to (e.g.eat, dream about)_, but now I
I fight when
I feel loved when
I hate the world when
After school I like to
I feel icky when

I can do my best when
I couldn't before , but now I can
I read best when
I am good at
Today I learned
One thing I can do not that I could not do last year is ...

I like school when
I like the teacher when
I feel happy when you
Others like me when I
I like to work well with others who

5-6
I use to (e.g.eat, dream about)_, but now I
I feel foolish when
I feel most relaxed when
A time I felt embarrassed was

I am a big help to mom when
I do not do my assignments when
Something I do well is
I want to do better at

I can do my best when
I couldn't before , but now I can
I read best when
I am good at
Today I learned
One thing I can do now that I couldn't do last year is ...
People like me when I
I like my teacher when
What I like in a friend is
Others make me angry by
I help others by
I like to work well with others who

7-8
I feel let down when
I feel good when
I feel sad when
I feel frustrated when

I made progress when
lately I learned to
Work becomes difficult when
I work best when
I would like to learn to
One time I didn't give up was
I made progress when
lately I learned to
Work becomes difficult when
I work best when
I would like to learn to
One time I didn't give up was
A time I made my parents proud was
I can do my best when
I couldn't before , but now I can
I read best when
I am good at
Today I learned
One thing I can do not that I could
do last year is ...

I am ashamed of my class when
Something I like to do for others is
I like people who
I like to work well with others who
Something I need from a friend is
Something I can do well in a group is
I like to cooperate when

HS
I feel valuable when
I feel good about
I'm grateful when
Something that bugs me is
I like to make decisions about
My greatest fear is
It's important to me that

I like a party when
My friends pressure me when
I feel lonely when
I want to be alone when
My parents bug me when
I feel shy when
I helped someone who needed it when
I like to work well with others who

I feel proud when
I'm a failure when
Something I could teach is
A goal of mine is
I would like to be
I am ashamed of my class when
Something I like to do for others is
I like people who
I like to work well with others who
Something I need from a friend is
Something I can do well in a group is
I like to cooperate when

Responsibility

The Story of Harvey
icebreakers.pdf
Persevering Poetry
Monitoring Negativity
Stakeholders Lesson
Fairness:

A Fish Tale Fable
The Big Book of Judgment

How Well Do Your Students Know Each Other? activities to help students get to know each other.

Playbook for Thoughtful Classroom DialogueThe Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) was created to address the inability of people to agree on facts, listen to one another’s views, think critically, and find compromise. The psychology-based Perspectives program is designed for high school and university educators to use with students. The free online program features customizable teaching strategies, eight interactive online lessons, conversation guides, classroom exercises, automated email reminders, and quizzes. Educators can incorporate the lessons into existing curricula, whether in English, history, or other subjects.

The Best Resources On Developing A Sense Of Community In The Classroom

9 Strategies for Getting More Students to Talk

Fostering Imagination

Responsive Classroom - see bottom of article

Morning Meeting Prompts for Elementary

Along Strong, supportive human relationships are the foundation of effective learning. The Along platform is a free digital reflection tool that can help foster better student-teacher connections and establish a system for regular contact.

How to use morning meetings in upper grades

Laura Thomas, an elementary library media specialist, suggests that middle- and high-school teachers should consider adopting a strategy more commonly used in elementary-school classrooms -- the morning meeting. In this blog post, she describes how morning meetings can build community and increase cooperation.

Keeping Sharing Fresh

APPS WITH MOVEMENT AND MINDFULNESS VIDEOS FOR CHILDREN

GoNoodle Kids is packed with videos to get children moving—running, jumping, dancing, stretching—while learning along the way. The videos are relatively short (between three and five minutes) and feature both live-action and animated elements. Some videos incorporate lessons on the fundamentals of arithmetic. “Hollabaloo,” for example, on the Blazer Fresh Channel, has children forming the “less than,” “greater than,” and “equal to” signs with their arms as they exercise. GoNoodle isn’t entirely academic, though. The “Go Bonkers” section is all about releasing energy, while the “Chillax Dude” section encourages children to reach for the sky and inhale deeply. Also an app, for iOS and Android devices

Service Projects: for the good of the school and neighborhood
http://www.casel.org/listservs/enewsletters/e-news-may05.htm#practice
"Hobo is Not a Respectful Word" Service learning project for developing empathy with the homeless and poor. article
Servicing Community Service
Red Cross - volunteer organizations in communities
Celebrating the Legacy of Ella Baker
Addressing Community Problems
Community Helpers

How to Bring Service Learning to Your School

The Giraffe Heroes Project is an organization that, according to its Web site, is for "people who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good."
The Skills for Action program is offered by Lions Quest, an initiative of the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
Students find Barbara Lewis's books especially engaging, such as The Kid's Guide to Social Action, The Kid's Guide to Service Projects, and What Do You Stand For?