Mrs. Tully's second grade class begins each day with their morning meeting.
Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day. Each classroom at Hometown Elementary works to build a strong sense of community by gathering every morning for 10-15 minutes to interact with one another during this time. Morning meeting begins with students gathering together and greeting one another by name. Then students share information about important events in their lives. Listeners often offer empathetic comments or ask clarifying questions. For example, students may share what happened over their weekend. Or students may share an exciting piece of news that has happened to them recently. In Mr. Carson's room, you will often find students sharing how they feel that morning. This helps guide the instruction for the day. In Mrs. Tully's room, students use a talking piece to share making sure the student holding the talking piece is the only one who can talk. Other students must use listening ears, quiet voices and have their eyes watching the speaker. Morning meeting can also include group activity. This may include everyone participating in a brief, lively activity. For example, students can be found reciting a poem, dancing, singing, or playing a game. Research has proven, that starting a child's day with a morning meeting honors all individuals, provides inclusion of all, gives all chidlren an equal voice and creates a connected community.