Community Building

Hi everyone,

I wanted to provide an update on the site. As we begin new school years, it is important for us as teachers to work to build a classroom community. Although it is important to ensure that students are a vital part of this community-building process, it is also equally important for us, as teachers, to be prepared.

For the primary grades, I believe that the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is an excellent book to read-aloud to students, especially at the beginning of the school year. After reading the book to students, it would also be helpful to create an open-mind portrait, which is a blank, uncolored outline of the main character's head (Chrysanthemum in this case). The students would then brainstorm possible thoughts or reactions to being teased from the point-of-view of Chrysanthemum. The students may also brainstorm a list of ways in which students can work together to build a respectful and safe learning community.

The picture of the book was taken from Google Image.