Community+Building

Community Building
 * This project would be good for younger students or even older students since there are usually new students each year. It is a beginning of the year project you could do with your class and have them hang it on the wall so all the kids can get to know each other. This is also a good way to get kids to start conversations with each other and for the teacher to create an open environment. It is good to let them know you care about each student and you want to know all about them.
 * My current fourth grade teacher uses this poster in her classroom and explained it to the students in the very beginning of the year. This fourth grade class is very diverse and we are constantly differentiating through out the day. The question never arises "why do they get that?" or "why do they not have to do what we had to?" The students understand fairness and understand they are not all alike that they need different things to succeed. This is a great character for kids this young to have.






 * Around Christmas you will see pretty decorated trees at elementary school and this is a great chance to share traditions within your class. The students can make a ornament that has a picture on one side and then write one family tradition on the other side. The classroom can share and get to know each other better, and it could also help them to understand everyone is different.


 * This is a poster to display and share in your classroom to help promote community within your classroom and a safe environment.

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 * In this blog there is an activity to do with younger students in primary grades to show how words can hurt others.

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 * The teacher in this video explains why it it important to establish a good classroom community from the first day and what she does to accomplish that.
 * In this blog you will find tips for when and how you should establish classroom community, also it suggest programs you could use and the book //Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed.//



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 * This blog gives many 1st day of school activities including this back to school beach ball the teacher writes questions on and the students throw it to each other. Whatever question it lands on the student has to answer, this is a great ice breaker for the students.

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 * Toilet paper activity, another ice breaker for the first day that also builds community. The teacher gets a roll of toilet paper and without telling the students what she is doing she tears of square by square pieces of toilet paper and starts passing it around. She tells the students to take what they need, when the passing around is over she then tells them to go to their seats and write a fact for every piece of toilet paper they kept. Then the class will come back together and share.

media type="custom" key="24526336" The classroom in this video has a star student of the day, that student gets to sit up front while the other students are reporters and ask her questions that will be displayed on a anchor chart and hung around the classroom afterwards.
 * Star student of the day