The Morning Meeting Book
Summary:
The Morning
Meeting is essential; kids need to be noticed, especially by their teacher.
However, it is also important for kids to notice and be noticed by each other
as well. The Morning Meeting has four main components, Greeting, Sharing, Group Activity, and Morning Message, which are
all designed to bring a class closer together. This is accomplished through
intentionally providing students with an opportunity to greet others, listen
and respond, participate in group problem solving, and to notice and
anticipate.
Students
and teachers alike crave the stability of routine and predictability to the
school day, especially at the beginning of a new school year. Although the
Morning Meeting is predictable, there is hardly a time when two of these will
be the same. They allow so much variation and change; this could be in regards
to what you are learning in the classroom, holidays or seasons.
1.
Greeting:
Children greet each other by name, often including handshaking, clapping,
singing, and other activities.
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| Page 40 |
·
Purpose
o
Sets a positive tone
o
Provides a sense of recognition and belonging
o
Helps children learn names
§
This allows children to call upon each other
§
It is a way to get others attention
§
It enables people to ask questions
§
It enables children to recognize one another in
a discussion
§
To request help
§
To offer congratulations or whisper an apology
§
Our name identifies each of us as an individual
o
Gives practice in offering hospitality
·
Start simple and progress to more complex as the
year goes on
o
Some examples include:
 |
| Brown Bear Greeting - Page 160 |
 |
| Spider Web Greeting - Page 173 |
2.
Sharing:
Students share some news of interest to the class and respond to each other,
articulating their thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a positive manner.
·
Purpose
o
Helps develop the skills of caring communication
and involvement with one another
o
Extends the knowing and being known that is
essential for the development of community and for individuals’ sense of
significance
o
Encourages habits of inquiry and thought
important for cognitive growth
o
Provides practice in speaking to a group in a
strong and individual voice
o
Strengthens vocabulary development and reading
success
3.
Group
Activity: The whole class does a short activity together, building class
cohesion through active participation.
·
Purpose
o
Contributes to the sense of community culture by
building a class repertoire of common material – songs, games, chants and poems
o
Fosters active and engaged participation
o
Heightens the class’s sense of group identity
o
Encourages cooperation and inclusion
·
Examples
o
 |
| Oliver Twist - Page 191 |
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| Aunt Minerva - Page 179 |
4.
Morning
Message: Students practice academic skills and warm up for the day ahead by
reading and discussing a daily message posted for them.
·
Purpose
o
Eases the transition into the classroom day and
makes children feel excited about what they’ll be learning
o
Develops and reinforces language, math, and
other skills in a meaningful and interactive way
o
Builds community through shared written
information
·
Getting Started
o
Introduce Morning Message
§
Let the students know that there will be a
message on the board everyday that they need to read.
o
Tailor content, format, and activities to your
particular class
§
Messages should be specific to each day and
class
o
Keep it simple
§
Welcome and greet students
§
Inform them about their day
§
Accomplish an administrative task that doesn’t
need elaboration
·
Examples
 |
| Morning Message - Page 208 |
 |
| Morning Message - Page 212 |
The Morning Meeting is a great
way to build community within your classroom. Children learn to be respectful
and greet all students in the way that they themselves wish to be greeted. They
learn to pay attention and listen to those around them, this enables them to
develop feelings of empathy and to truly care about those around them. Children
need play in their lives and by participating in daily activities as a whole
the children will continue to grow and develop in ways that you can’t just
teach at a desk. Having a Morning Message also holds the kids accountable for
small tasks throughout the day, this gives them the chance to be responsible
and really take pride in their actions. Overall, the idea of the Morning
Meeting is a fantastic way to get your students involved in the classroom and
help them create their own identity.
Critique:
This topic relates to course
content in the way that it reflects socialization in children. Children need to
know how to play together, to listen to others, and to wait in line. These are
a huge part of the early years curriculum. Social skills are linked with
cognitive growth and intellectual progress; this is why teaching these skills
to students at a young age is crucial. However, these skills cannot be taught
without proper modeling, experience, and practice in a social context. The
Morning Meeting allows children to grow into respectful citizens, as they learn
a variety of social norms in varying contexts. These are important to their
development and this book reinforces the idea and gives many examples of how to
accomplish this.
We also learned about the
importance of play and how feelings of belonging are important for children.
This simple activity everyday creates those lasting bonds of friendships
between children and encourages them to treat everyone in the same way. This
allows the children to grow into the respectful citizens that we want them to
become. Play has such an integral part of development and should be richly
integrated into the lives of children. If we can encourage play at this young
of age, hopefully it will last a lifetime.
In my practicum we engage in
Morning Meetings everyday. The students come into the room, read the message
that is on the board, find their respective spots and wait for everyone to join
them. They enjoy participating in all aspects on the Morning Meeting and this creates
a real sense of community in the classroom. Everyone is friendly towards
others, and have a genuine interest in their lives. There are many resources
available to help vary greetings and group activities, and the children love
learning new songs, chants and games.
I found this book to be a great
resource and when I have my own classroom, Morning Meetings is one of the key things
I hope to incorporate.
Reference List
Kriete, R., & Bechtel, L. (2002). The Morning Meeting
Book. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
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