Morning meetings (a.k.a. tutor time / form time / advisory period - it has many names!) is an extremely powerful way to start the school day with your students. It sets your students off on the right foot. It gives them a routine that is safe and predictable, whilst still being something exciting to look forward to when done right. Establishing a powerful morning meeting is easy to do and doesn't need hours of prep, if you know where to look! Keep reading to learn some great tips for an effective morning meeting for your middle and high school students.
Whether you officially have time set aside for a dedicated morning meeting or not, it is a powerful addition to your school day that can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes. Even if you can't start the day this way, you can still use this strategy to start your lesson that will provide the same benefits!
What are morning meetings anyway?
Well here's the beauty of it - they can be whatever you want them to be! They're often used to develop classroom community and character, but there is no one way to achieve this of course, and things can vary depending on your students' needs at the time. It's just a slot of time at the start of the day (or lesson if you prefer) where you focus on the 'whole child'. I'll give you some suggestions and resources further down this article.
Are morning meetings for you?
That depends... Do you want your students to settle quickly at the start of the day?
Do you want to focus on character development and help your students be the best they can be without compromising heavily on the subject content you need to teach?
Do you want your students to look forward to the start of the school day with you?
If you said yes to any of these things then yes, morning meetings might well be for you!
What are some ideas for a great morning meeting?
For many years I had quite the challenge of coming up with new content for my form group every day - and I had them for 7 years so that was quite a lot of content that had to be brand spanking new each day! During this time I figured out the most effective way of preparing for the mornings and that was to have themed days. This meant that every day was predictable so they felt safe with what to expect, but the content was always new and fresh which kept the anticipation and excitement high! Win, win!
Here's a great example:
What are morning meetings anyway?
Well here's the beauty of it - they can be whatever you want them to be! They're often used to develop classroom community and character, but there is no one way to achieve this of course, and things can vary depending on your students' needs at the time. It's just a slot of time at the start of the day (or lesson if you prefer) where you focus on the 'whole child'. I'll give you some suggestions and resources further down this article.
Are morning meetings for you?
That depends... Do you want your students to settle quickly at the start of the day?
Do you want to focus on character development and help your students be the best they can be without compromising heavily on the subject content you need to teach?
Do you want your students to look forward to the start of the school day with you?
If you said yes to any of these things then yes, morning meetings might well be for you!
What are some ideas for a great morning meeting?
For many years I had quite the challenge of coming up with new content for my form group every day - and I had them for 7 years so that was quite a lot of content that had to be brand spanking new each day! During this time I figured out the most effective way of preparing for the mornings and that was to have themed days. This meant that every day was predictable so they felt safe with what to expect, but the content was always new and fresh which kept the anticipation and excitement high! Win, win!
Here's a great example:
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In this pack, there are 200 slides - that's more than enough for one for every day of the school year!
Each day has a theme:
• "Motivational Mondays" to start the week with a positive quote / thought / discussion.
• "True or False Tuesdays" to start the day with a bit of fun and engaging trivia! You can have students put their hands up for true or false and then have a short discussion (or giggle) about some of the random facts they'll learn throughout the year.
• "Wellness Wednesdays" to focus on wellbeing, both mental and physical, that will help both themselves and demonstrate acts of kindness to others.
• "Thoughtful Thursdays" to develop their thinking skill with some deep, philosophical thoughts and discussions. This can be done as a whole class or discussed in pairs or groups if preferred.
• "Funny Fridays" to end the week on a high with a funny joke!
This is ideal if all you have is a few minutes at the start of the day, but still want to get a sound routine in place and want to have something for your students to look forward to. If you're interested in trying this resource for free, you can get week 1 right here with the benefit of also joining the mailing list where you will get access to the VIP area which is full of exclusive freebies not found on TpT!
Each day has a theme:
• "Motivational Mondays" to start the week with a positive quote / thought / discussion.
• "True or False Tuesdays" to start the day with a bit of fun and engaging trivia! You can have students put their hands up for true or false and then have a short discussion (or giggle) about some of the random facts they'll learn throughout the year.
• "Wellness Wednesdays" to focus on wellbeing, both mental and physical, that will help both themselves and demonstrate acts of kindness to others.
• "Thoughtful Thursdays" to develop their thinking skill with some deep, philosophical thoughts and discussions. This can be done as a whole class or discussed in pairs or groups if preferred.
• "Funny Fridays" to end the week on a high with a funny joke!
This is ideal if all you have is a few minutes at the start of the day, but still want to get a sound routine in place and want to have something for your students to look forward to. If you're interested in trying this resource for free, you can get week 1 right here with the benefit of also joining the mailing list where you will get access to the VIP area which is full of exclusive freebies not found on TpT!
Another option for you if you want to focus more on character education, are these sets:
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| There are 10 sets of these in total, each focusing in a different trait. They come in both whiteboard and journal version to suit your needs. The whiteboards are convenient for classroom discussions and if you want to go paperless, but the journal can stretch out the activity to last a little longer as your students can work on their writing skills too! If you want to download a freebie of the Resilience whiteboard and journals then you can grab your copy right here! |  |
Of course you can fill your mornings with anything that takes your fancy, but there's something to be said for knowing you have a kit to pull from that you know will last you all year long - especially great for those emergencies and when your enthusiasm might perhaps be waning and you need something tried and true that you know will work!
What are some ways you like to spend morning meeting in your middle / high school classroom or is this the first time you're considering incorporating it into your routine? Leave a comment below!
What are some ways you like to spend morning meeting in your middle / high school classroom or is this the first time you're considering incorporating it into your routine? Leave a comment below!
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