Structured or Slow? That is the Question. Classroom Morning Routines that spark Curiosity, Discussion, and Learning!
A critical aspect of any classroom management plan is procedures and routines. Getting the school day started off right means having solid morning routines.
FREE activities based on MY PERSONAL CLASSROOM MORNING ROUTINE are at the end of this post. Continue reading for examples of how to begin the day in your classroom.
Morning Slides
Soft Starts
Structured Starts
Morning Work
How you begin the day in your room depends on the schedule at your school site. Some schools have students slowly arrive and go straight to their rooms. Many provide breakfast with students eating in the cafeteria or right in the classroom. Schools like mine, have students line up in a designated area by class, monitored by teachers on “duty”. A starting bell rings and teachers walk students to the classroom. Regardless of how or when your school day begins, having a clearly communicated morning routine is essential.
MORNING SLIDES
Projecting a morning slide with information for the day starts everyone off with a clear vision. Morning slides allow you to share important information, announcements, and special events for the day. You can greet your students at the door while those in the classroom begin morning work right away.
Be sure your slide includes everything your students need to know for a smooth start. Make it a rule that students MUST read the slide and are not allowed to ask any questions until a designated time. Once all students are in and settled, you can review what is on the slide and answer any questions at that time.
Bonus: You can share the slide with your students via Google, Google Classroom, Canvas, or other learning platforms to make it interactive or to make it easy for a substitute if you are absent. Cool Idea!!
To create your own, you can download free templates from Microsoft and Canva.
Websites with slide templates:
There are a plethora of morning slide templates on Teachers Pay Teachers.
SOFT STARTS
Rather than having your students come into the classroom and immediately begin working on academic tasks, a soft start allows your students to begin their day slowly to warm up their brains. They can chat with classmates and get the casual conversation out of the way so that they are ready to begin learning.
A slow start involves students choosing a morning activity to complete for a designated time, 15-20 minutes is typical, but can vary based on your school’s beginning-of-the-day procedures.
Ideas for Soft Start activities:
Independent reading time (DEAR)
Drawing on whiteboards
Arts and crafts center
Puzzle sheets
Play-Doh
Legos/blocks
Pattern blocks
Tangrams
Magna tiles
Card games/UNO
Checkers/Chess
Connect 4 or other quick games
Hashtag blocks
Online academic programs on a Chromebook/iPad
STRUCTURED START/MORNING WORK
In my classroom, once students enter the room, unpack their backpacks, and read the morning slide, they immediately get to work. I have a structured morning routine that allows students to review and practice essential skills they need for student achievement in an engaging way.
SPIRAL REVIEW
One way to begin the day is with a spiral review activity. Students are given a reading, writing, or math task to complete that is a review of already learned skills. “Use it or lose it”. Once we have taught a skill and then moved on, often things are forgotten if they are not reviewed or used periodically. For example, if you teach 3rd graders to multiply, but then for the next two months they are learning addition and subtraction skills, they may forget multiplication strategies if they are not practiced. Have them complete a multiplication facts sheet each morning.
JOURNAL WRITING
To have your students practice their writing skills, give them a writing prompt each morning. They must respond in a journal. Be sure they know your writing expectations. How much do they need to write? How long do they write for? Will their writing be shared with the class?
MRS. KAUO’S CLASSROOM MORNING ROUTINE
As an upper-grade teacher, grades 3-5, I created a morning routine that allowed for variety, as it was different every day of the week. Each day had a theme/focus and reinforced essential skills that my students needed for academic and social success.
MINDFUL MONDAY - QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Each Monday, students are presented with the Quote of the Week. I select quotes based on a variety of themes: RESPECT, GROWTH MINDSET, MAKING GOOD CHOICES, etc. I often tie our quotes to school-wide character traits like KINDNESS or upcoming holidays like THANKFULNESS around Thanksgiving and GOAL SETTING in January. Students analyze and interpret the quote, and find how it relates to them. Quote of the Week sparks excellent discussion during classroom meetings. I refer to our quotes on a daily basis to remind students of quality character.
THINK ABOUT IT TUESDAY - INFERENCE SKILLS
Tuesday is Picture of the Week with Inference Images. A key skill is the ability to draw inferences and back them up with facts and evidence. A fun and engaging way to do this is with pictures. Students list facts from a photo and then write a 5 sentence paragraph that includes an inference statement, 3 pieces of evidence to support their inference, and a conclusion statement. Along with working on inference skills, the students also practice the elements of a basic 5 sentence paragraph with a topic and conclusion.
WOULD YOU RATHER WEDNESDAY
For Would You Rather Wednesday, the students are given two options to choose from: Would you rather live 100 years in the past OR would you rather live 100 years in the future? Students must select one choice and give 3 concrete reasons to support their choice. Answers are written in a basic 5 sentence paragraph with an opinion statement, 3 reasons to support their opinion, and a closing statement. Would You Rather makes for a great classroom discussion! Take a class vote and see which choice wins!
THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY
Thursday is Thoughtful Thursday. I post a question that gets the kids thinking. My question could be related to a school event or a story we are reading in class. My favorite is to post a question based on the National Day Calendar! Students can reply in a writing journal and then engage in discussion with classmates. At my school, we use the CANVAS platform which allows for DISCUSSION. I post a question, the kids respond, then they can see their classmates' answers. Students can "like" and "comment" just like on social media. Students learn how to give positive feedback and how to be respectful of other opinions.
FINISH UP FRIDAY
Friday is Finish up Friday. With so many intentional learning activities, the kids are given time on Friday morning to finish up any morning work from the week that was not complete and get it turned in. This only happens AFTER Friday Dance Party of course!
I do switch up the morning routine throughout the year. Other morning activities I have done are:
ELA and Math Spiral Review
Paragraph Editing (I challenge students to find all the errors)
Mentor Sentences
Picture Book Read Alouds
The key is to ensure that WHATEVER you choose to do in the morning, it is benefitting your students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. If that is happening, then it’s a WIN!!
Click to download FREE SAMPLES:
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