Responsive Classroom

Information about Morning Meeting (A componenent of the Responsive  Classroom Approach):                                                                             

                     September 9, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

            There is a wonderful new beginning to your child’s school day! It’s called Morning Meeting and it’s a great way to build community, set a positive tone, increase excitement about learning, and improve academic and social skills.

            Morning Meeting usually takes between twenty and thirty minutes, therefore it is important that your child arrives to school on time.  The meeting has four components: the greeting, the share, an activity, and reading the morning message. There is a morning message each morning for the students to read as they enter the classroom.

When it is time for Morning Meeting we all gather on the rug in a circle. We begin by greeting each other. Every day, your child hears his or her name spoken by a classmate in a friendly and cheerful manner. We have been learning all different types of greetings!

            Next, a few students share some interesting news or something specific called a “topic share.” Students are also able to sign up for share ahead of time. After the share classmates are allowed to ask questions. This helps students listen carefully, think about what they hear, formulate good questions, and learn about each other. When children share, they have a chance to feel that their ideas are valued and that they other children care.

            After sharing, there is an activity for the whole class. We might sing, recite a poem, play a math game or even other types of games. The activity time helps the class feel united as a group, reinforces academic skills, and helps the children learn how to cooperate and solve problems.

            Finally, we read the Morning Message chart, which helps students think about the day ahead. Sometimes, I will use this time to review and practice a reading, punctuation, or math skill. We always read it a different way to keep it interesting. We will whisper read, read it backwards, read in rounds, or read it all together.

            Every day, Morning Meeting lets children know that school is a safe place where all children’s feelings and ideas are important. As the year goes on we’d love to have you visit a Morning Meeting. Just give me a call or send me an email to arrange a good time. You’ll see for yourself why we’re so excited about this start to our day.

Sincerely,

Miss Howe and Mrs. Uon

Information about Rule Creation and Consequences in 4B:      

Dear Parents,

            The class and I have been talking a lot during these first weeks of school about our hopes and dreams for the year and about our classroom rules. Each child thought about his/her hopes and dreams and shared them with the class.  I encourage you to ask your child about this exciting process!  Then the class figured out the kinds of rules we will need if all of us to reach our hopes and dreams. 

Here are the rules we came up with:

·         We take care of ourselves and others

·         We take care of our learning

·         We take care of our environment

·         Always try your best!

We recognize that kids will make mistakes from time to time as they grow and develop.  When the children make mistakes in following the rules, I will help them solve the problems caused by their mistakes through the use of “logical consequences”.  Logical consequences are not punishments.  They are ways to help children see the effects of their actions, repair the situation, and learn to do better next time.

There are 3 kinds of logical consequences:

Regain Self-Control (Take a break):  If a child is being disruptive, s/he goes to a quiet spot in the classroom to pull themselves back together.  The break is short and the child returns to the group as soon as they are calm and regain control.  Children may also choose to go take a break voluntarily.

Loss of Privilege:  If a child misuses a material or acts out during an activity, that child will be told to stop using the material or stop doing the activity for a short period of time.  The privilege will be restored when the student and teacher have talked about how to prevent a similar problem in the future.

“You break it, you fix it”:  If a child damages something or hurts someone’s feelings, s/he will try to fix the damage.  In the case of hurting someone’s feelings, the child might offer and “apology of action” by writing a card, helping with an activity, making an illustration, or taking some other action beyond simply saying “sorry” verbally.

Our goal is to help the children believe in their ability to create a caring learning environment.  Learning to live by the rules they have created is an important step!  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.  Thank You.

Sincerely,

Miss Howe and Mrs. Uon

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