A morning meeting after a weekend or break can be used to check in with students. Children love to know their teacher cares about their lives and interests. These meetings can begin with the teacher asking students to share one thing they did over the break. These are also handy at the beginning of the year when classmates are still getting to know one another. The check-in discussion can also lead to an assignment, such as a letter or paragraph describing a weekend or break.
Creating expectations as a class, evaluating those expectations, and later reviewing them is key to successful classroom management. Morning meetings are useful to review class rules, especially after a long break, to help the day get off to a positive start. The teacher can begin this meeting by asking students what their favorite classroom expectation is and why. If students are still creating a list of expectations, the meeting can begin with the teacher asking what rules students need to learn best throughout the year. Allowing students to think about questions such as, "What should the consequence for cheating be?" and come to a decision gives them ownership over the rules and consequences of the class.
Morning meetings are beneficial when a teacher wants to discuss negative behavior in the classroom before the workday begins. A teacher can begin by asking the class what behaviors they feel they need to work on. Setting class goals to work toward earning a reward can help motivate students to reflect on their behavior. If a student does not mention the behavior a teacher is concerned about, he should suggest it as a goal for the class to work on and post specific ways in which the behavior can be improved.
Discussing positive behavior helps boost the morale and camaraderie of the classroom community. A teacher can begin by asking students what positive behaviors they are improving or maintaining. The teacher can also suggest those that students do not mention. This type of morning meeting can be used to vote on a reward if students have met a goal or to discuss a possible reward and how to earn it.