Thankful for Classroom Community
In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme this week, take a moment to consider what you’re thankful for in your teaching career. I’m guessing for most of us it isn’t test prep, grading on the weekends or writing college recommendations that makes us thankful, but forming meaningful connections with students and seeing young people grow in our care. This could be the perfect week to take a few minutes out for community building in your classroom. Sometimes community building activities are dismissed as too fluffy, off-topic or a waste of time, but consider that when students in a class feel connected to the teacher and to each other they may be more likely to help a neighbor, work effectively with a group, take academic risks and develop a positive self-concept.
Here are a few ideas of community builders that don’t require a lot of time or planning, are easy to adapt for your grade-level or student population, and build a sense of interdependence in the classroom.
- Group Résumé – Have students work together in groups of 4 or 5 to create a poster-sized résumé of their combined skills, talents and experiences. For example, all together students may have strengths in math, science, basketball, scrapbooking and babysitting. They may have 6 brothers and 5 sisters, 3 dogs and 4 cats. They may speak 4 languages and have traveled to 6 different countries. Choose résumé categories that make sense for your age group and student population. Post the résumés or have students share out.
- Thank you notes – give each student – and the teacher — a few index cards or small squares of paper and have them write anonymous thank you notes to their classmates and teacher. Don’t include any names, only the things they’re thankful for. Read or post the cards so students can see “thanks for explaining the homework when I called you” “thanks for asking me to be in your group when I was alone” and “thanks for handing back papers while I helped a student.”
- Positive Attributes — Provide a word splash with 20 or more positive character traits. Have students choose two or three that best describe themselves. Then put them in small groups and ask other group members to choose a few words from the list to describe each of their team members. Students discuss to find overlap and hear from their team mates about what makes them special.
- Man on the Street Interviews – Pick up a toy microphone (or imagine your classroom stapler is a microphone) and let students interview each other about what they’re thankful for. Even better, build connections by having students talk with a partner in advance and then share for the group what their partner is thankful for. So you might get to hear
Reporter: This is Tiffany, she’s a first grader, and she is thankful for her big sister. Tiffany tell us more about that.
Tiffany: I’m thankful for my sister because she shares her markers and she saves a seat for me on the bus.
Reporter: Thanks for talking with us, Tiffany.
Have other ways to build community while giving thanks in your classroom? Post them here!
–Claire Lambert
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