Have you ever asked the question, “What is a Morning Meeting?” It’s a foreign concept to many teachers, but it’s something that has fully transformed my fourth-grade classroom. I’m going to show you how to do a Morning Meeting in your upper elementary classroom that’s engaging and gets your students excited. It’s my favorite part of our daily routine and builds classroom community.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty teacher talk, if you are brand new to Morning Meeting or need help making it work in your classroom, I’ve got just the thing! Snag my Morning Meeting Starter Kit to get yourself ready for some Morning Meeting magic in your classroom!
What is Morning Meeting in the Classroom?
Responsive Classroom is the first company that developed this. I highly recommend their book! Per their website, “Responsive Classroom,” Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Each morning, students and teachers gather together in a circle for twenty to thirty minutes and interact with one another during four purposeful components: Greeting, Share, Activity, Message.” Each component of Morning Meeting has a specific purpose, and I will share more details about that below.
Now, if you read that “20-30 minutes” phrase and thought, “I do NOT have that kind of time to spare!” I get it, and your class meeting doesn’t have to be that long. However, if you can put 15-20 minutes toward it, it will pay back in dividends later. One of the biggest improvements that came is that we built a strong foundation as a class family. We were able to get more learning done in less time because students were focused and felt at home.
One of the things I love most is how it is a daily staple in my classroom. Once you figure out what to do for Morning Meeting & add it into your routine, it becomes a pillar of your classroom. We all meet on the concrete floor and sit in a circle to greet one another, share with one another, do a fun team-building activity, and use the message portion for something special (keep reading to find out what it is).
What is the Purpose of Morning Meeting?
If you’re asking, “Why Morning Meeting?” and wondering the purpose of it in upper elementary, I love to think of it in terms of this quote by Dr. James Comer: “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship.”
In our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms, we have SO much on our plates that it can get overwhelming. And when that happens, things like classroom community can fall to the wayside unless we are intentional. These daily class meetings gives you a sure-fire way to consistently build community and connect with your students. And carving out 15ish minutes every day to work on one of the essential pieces to classroom success is worth it, don’t you think?
A Specific Example of Why Morning Meeting is Important in 4th Grade
When I first taught fourth grade, I had unlike any other. Since kindergarten or preschool, they had been together even, with some students coming in and going out (as our community is very transient). I taught at a small school in Tanzania, and we were the only fourth-grade class. In fact, there was only one class per grade level if that. So they were more than just classmates; they were family. And maybe a bit of a dysfunctional family at that, as they hadn’t had much consistency.
This meant that there were a lot of behavior problems, testing, drama, and character issues that came out the first few months of school. I knew this would be the case because they were known around school as “that class.” in fact, I cried when I first found out that I would be teaching them. #teacherrealtalk But I realized what they needed more than anything was stability, consistency, and love.
So, I made it my mission to connect with them, care for them, celebrate with them, and be consistent. And one of the main ways I was going to do those things and build an authentic classroom community was through Morning Meeting. I had heard about it before and used it in my primary classrooms, but I knew I needed to change it up to make it work for Upper Elementary.
I’ll be honest; I wanted to give up a few times during the first few months of school. There were constant struggles, and I didn’t know if my efforts were working or not. But I stuck with it because I knew that these students were capable of amazing things. And, I was right! After several months of consistent classroom management in classroom community, we indeed became a class family. They were focused and learning (most of the time), and we had great discussions and experiences together.
And that’s what I want for you too. So, are you ready to learn how to do a Morning Meeting that is not only fun and consistent but also prepares your students for the future with life skills and character building?
How to Run a Morning Meeting
Now that you’ve had an introduction and know what is the purpose of Morning Meeting let’s talk about how to run yours. There are lots of ways you can do this, and it depends on your goals and how you want to make it happen. Originally, we used the four components that Responsive Classroom recommends. But now, I’ve used those components as a jumping-off point and created my own terms for it.
You’re more than welcome to use these components in your classroom. I felt like upper elementary students who may have already done Morning Meeting in the past would disengage easier and wouldn’t have the same amount of buy-in as if we changed it up a bit and made it more impactful for them. And remember, you don’t have to do all of these things each meeting. Keep reading to get ideas on how to shorten your class meetings as needed.
The Welcome (also known as the Greeting)
The Welcome is supposed to do just that – make your students feel welcome in your class! We start each meeting by greeting each other. Students may greet each other one-on-one, or you may do it as a class, but nonetheless, we spend a few minutes welcoming each classmate. The more well-known name for this component is the Morning Meeting Greeting.
The Welcome not only shows that all students are welcome in your classroom, but it also allows students to practice greeting people, an important life skill. I teach that they must give eye contact, speak loudly and clearly, listen well, and give a firm and friendly handshake (if that’s the kind of greeting we do). This practice will help them as they become young adults and make great first impressions!
I like to mix up our greetings for Morning Meeting. Some days, we’ll sing a song together:
Other days, we’ll pass a Morning Meeting greeting around the circle. Fist bumps, handshakes, and high-fives are great for this type of Welcome. We will also do some greetings where students mix and mingle and greet a few classmates. Here’s one of our favorites:
The Discussion (also known as the Morning Meeting Share)
I freaking love talking with kids! Their discussions are either super funny or very observant and poignant. The Discussion is a time to encourage conversation and discussion. You can start with fun questions to get to know each other, especially at the beginning of the school year, but you can also go deep with them and talk about important topics like current events, etc. You may think that you don’t have to cover those in school, but they listen, watch, and think about them. So why not give them a safe space to share, explore, and gain understanding?
As with the Welcome, the Discussion also builds crucial life skills such as listening and speaking skills and having tough conversations with peers who may not have your exact point of view. It’s an excellent opportunity to teach how to disagree respectfully and respect each other’s privacy.
I like to mix up our Discussions and include fun “Would You Rather” style questions into the mix, but the Morning Meeting Sharing time can be super purposeful and creates a safe space for healthy discussion and unpacking feelings. It also encourages students to share their feelings and open up when they’re ready.
The Teambuilder (also known as the Morning Meeting Activity)
My students’ favorite part, hands-down, is the activity, which I like to call The Teambuilder. Morning Meeting activities (teambuilders) come in all shapes and sizes. Some of our favorites are STEM challenges, group games, puzzles, and team-building challenges. All of these teambuilders promote communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and FUN!
I fully believe that our classrooms should be full of laughter, cheering for each other, and fun. That’s one of the keys to getting students to buy into what you have to say. Before they trust you and give you their attention, you must connect with their hearts and give them opportunities to enjoy school! Here’s one of my students’ favorite Morning Meeting activities:
Some of our teambuilders are done in small groups, like STEM challenges. This Morning Meeting activity is so fun, especially for the first week of school! It’s great to get your students communicating.
The Character Cultivator (also known as the Message)
When I first started daily class meetings, the Morning Meeting message was the first to be taken off the list if needed. I totally understood and used it for my primary classes to include things we were learning about and share a preview of the day. But once you get into fourth and fifth grade, you don’t really need that anymore. So instead, I started using that time for a social-emotional minilesson!
This is why I know call this portion of Morning Meeting the Character Cultivator. Every two weeks, we focus on a new character trait. I start by introducing it, seeing if my students have schema about it, reading aloud a picture book that shows it to discuss, and usually showing a video or playing a song to connect it that way. Later in the two weeks, after having lots of great discussions and exploring what it does/doesn’t look like, we practice it as a group in different ways, and then practice individually, before closing with an action step to weave this into our everyday.
Try These Free Meeting Plans!
You can get a glimpse of what this looks like with a bunch of other classroom Morning Meeting ideas in my free set of Virtual Morning Meeting Slides! Click here to download them. This has been especially helpful with classes that tend to have repeated behavior issues like empathy and loyalty. Once you cover that topic, it’s easy to reference when you are having a chat with someone who isn’t showing those character traits.
Not to mention, we are cultivating and raising well-rounded members of our community and future leaders who are thoughtful, compassionate, loyal, and have integrity through this version of the Morning Meeting message. In just 5-10 minutes a day! That’s totally worth it, in my opinion. Here’s an example of one day’s minilesson.
What to Do for Morning Meeting When Your Time is Short
So now that you have an understanding of what it is and how to do Morning Meeting, let’s chat timeframe. As I mentioned above, I highly recommend carving out 20(sh) minutes of your day for your class meeting. But if you’re short on time, here are some suggestions to make class meetings work for you. I give my upper elementary teacher friends three different agendas based on their time allowances. Choose the one that makes the most sense to you!
The Maximum Meeting
This is where you will do each component of Morning Meeting and spend plenty of time in discussion and team-building with your students. If you have 20-30 minutes available, this Morning Meeting schedule will be for you! As you get more comfortable, you’ll figure out the best allotment of time. But here’s a general idea:
The Medium Meeting
This style is for classes that have 15-20 minutes for your daily Morning Meetings. You can either choose to do each component quicker or choose a couple of the components to do each day. You’ll find what works best for your students as you run Morning Meeting. Here’s a look into what this may look like:
The Mini Meeting
When you’re short on time and have 10 minutes or less, here’s how to do Morning Meeting. I suggest choosing two out of the four components and rotating through them every other day. But you can also shorten them and try to get through them all! I’m all about quality over quantity, but you do you boo! Here’s what your Mini Meeting could look like:
More Classroom Morning Meeting Ideas
Seven Morning Meeting Activities 4th Grade Students Love!
Creating a Culture of Trust and Safety in Every Class
Tips for Morning Meetings and Class Meetings
I absolutely love sharing my ideas for what to do for Morning Meeting with you, and I have a ton of good ones on my Instagram! Follow me here and check out my Reels and Highlights. I’d love for you to send me a DM with what you need more of too because I’m here to help you out! And, after reading this, you’re ready to make Class Meetings a staple in your classroom. Get your Morning Meeting Starter Kit here! I can’t wait to help you go from “What is a Morning Meeting?” to “It’s is my fave!”
