BUNDLE: Building Classroom Community Activities (Back to School)

Strengthen your classroom community and engage your students in fun, meaningful cooperative activities with this bundled resource. With my training in the Responsive Classroom approach, I’ve developed these activities to help you and your students get to know each other, practice social skills, build trust and engage in problem-solving strategies. These low-prep, stress-free resources have been tested, observed and give two thumbs up by many administrators, teachers, and students and include everything you need to build classroom community and highlight teamwork during back to school season. 

What is currently included in this Bundle?

⭐ Cooperative Games and Activities (Back to School)

⭐ Cooperation Activities for Building Classroom Community (Back to School)

⭐ Boxitects Book Unit STEM and ELA Activities (Back to School)

⭐Year Long Morning Meeting Bundle PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

Description of all 4 Products in Bundle:

1. Cooperative Games and Activities:

• 20 Cooperative Games and Activities (Mixture of partners, small group, whole class.) Additional Teacher Notes included explaining each activity.
• Teamwork Makes the Dream Work poster to hand up as a reminder.
• Cooperation/Teamwork Poster (What they look like and sound like)
• I've also included 20 Partner Match-Up Cards (so classes up to 40 kids are covered!) to allow for the quick forming of partners.
• Teamwork Makes the Dream Work mini desk certificates to give out to cooperative students after completion of games/activities. Have kids try to collect all 4 of them.
• Chit Chat Exit Ticket/Reflection Discussion Guide to use after each game/activity.

2. Cooperation Activities for Building Classroom Community

This CARES (Responsive Classroom) packet focuses on Cooperation. There are lots of fun cooperating activities that will focus on getting your kids to work together and plenty of opportunities for them to decide if a behavior is cooperative or uncooperative.

What's included?

• 3 Video suggestions (SHORT!) that show cooperative behaviors.
• 3 Book Suggestions
• 3 Videos that model Cooperative Games that are SIMPLE and FUN and appropriate for Morning Meeting, Brain Breaks, or ANY time of day.
• Response Sheet for Cooperative Games
• Parent Letter to make Fruit Salad.
• Craft that you can print 1 or 2 to a page. SIMPLE.
• 2 Versions of Keep Your Eye on Cooperative Behavior. (One for school and one for home...always looking to strengthen the home/school connection.)
• 2 Versions of TEAMWORK highlight/punch
• Fine a Cooperative Friend
• 3 Mandalas to have kids work on together.
• 4 Posters
• Bookmarks (color and B&W)
• Early Reader
• 12 Conversation Cards
• Cooperation Poem
• Pick-a-Prompt
• Headband
• Class Book
• Bracelets
• Lift a Flap Decide on Behaviors
• Caught Cooperating Desk Reward
• Chit Chat Wrap-Up

3. Boxitects Book Unit

This comprehensive ELA and STEM packet highlights the awesome 2020 book, Boxitects by Kim Smith. This printable resource is full of engaging ELA and STEM activities. Perfect for literacy centers, independent work, and Science and TEAMWORK activities, your students will love this memorable learning experience. 

This comprehensive resource includes: 

• Craftivity with Teamwork writing prompt
• 12 STEM Task Cards that use mostly paper, tape, and crayons. Also included are 3-D foldable shapes for a challenge for kids who need it.
• Short and Long O sort (16 cards) and recording sheet.
• Maker School Poem/Song
• Boxitect Themed Bookmarks color and B&W
• ABC Order to first and second letter
• Letter Home requesting boxes for STEM fun.
• Response Sheets: Make Up A Group Name (Blanketeers, Boxitects, etc.)
• Story Prediction/Were you correct?
• Problem/Solution
• Opinion/Fact
• Character /Descriptive Adjectives
• Describe inside/outside of character
• Venn Diagram
• 5 Activities you can use during Morning Meeting or for a fun anytime activity. You can project right from packet or print. (All with Boxitect theme.)
• CHIT CHAT: Wrap-Up Partner Activity (No writing)

. 4. BUNDLED Morning Meeting Packets

Each monthly packet includes 25 resources:

• FIVE weeks of meetings for a total of 25 meetings. Each meeting is "announced" to keep you organized. Example: Week 1: Monday. Week 2: Tuesday, etc.)
• Each meeting has: Greeting, Share, Activity, and then an EDITABLE slide for you to write your message. Although it seems that many products offer the same 25 Greetings and Activities throughout the year (and just change clip art out) I don't believe that 25 of each for 180+ days is enough. I DO repeat favorites but, for example, in this packet, there are a total of 25 activities with 5 being repeated for fun and continuity. (20 + 5 repeats = 25.)
• Five pre-made slides (shown in preview) that you can EASILY cut and paste into the spot you want. Low-prep and easy!
• Since you only need 4 weeks' worth, there is extra in case you want to easily change a slide out.
• NOTE: Since many of the ACTIVITIES and GREETINGS are also perfect for Brain Breaks, you can copy those slides into another PowerPoint and save as BRAIN BREAKS. I think that adds to the value!

Learn more about this resource by clicking on the preview.

Would you like to sample a week before you purchase anything? Download the Free Week of Morning Meetings.

How I implement Morning Meetings in my classroom

I believe that Morning Meeting should be stress-free for teachers and students. I've learned through my Responsive Classroom training that students should be allowed to pass on a share or activity if they are shy or lacking confidence. I totally agree. But I usually find that those students who are a bit shy in September are more confident and participate in all aspects within a few months. As you build their trust and engage them, they will come to respect the process and welcome it.

Check out more resources you might be interested in:

✿ Cooperation Activities for Building Classroom Community

✿ 230 Getting to Know You Questions (Digital/Back to School)

✿ Bundled Morning Meeting Year-Long Greetings, Shares, and Activities

✿ August Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ September Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ October Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ November Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ December Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ January Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ February Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ March Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ April Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

✿ May / June Morning Meeting PAPERLESS Packet: Greetings, Shares, Activities

NOTE: Although a PowerPoint, the ONLY editable slides are the messages.

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