Topic: Morning Meeting

Rationale: (Why are you teaching these objectives? Why did you select the instructional
strategies that you did?)
There are three main purposes for this Morning Meeting. The first is to create a strong classroom
community through tasks that require clear, respectful communication, and cooperation. The
second purpose is to review the students Geography knowledge from the current unit of study.
The Geography Greeting allows students to practice identifying the seven continents while also
practicing good communication skills by greeting their classmates. The third purpose is to
practice identifying and using verbs in sentences. Students have been working on identifying
nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and the Padoodle game will allow them to practice this skill in an
engaging way. It will also allow me to assess their understanding of the continents and the use of
verbs and identify areas in which more instruction is needed.

Enduring Understandings: (What big idea(s) will students understand as a result of this
lesson?)

Maps represent places where people live and differing cultures exist.
In our classroom we must work together to ensure that each student feels valued and
respected.

Essential Questions: (What question(s) will students grapple with as they learn through this
lesson?)

How do I communicate with my classmates and teachers in a respectful and appropriate

way?
How do I use verbs in a sentence?

Primary Content Objectives:

Students will know: (facts/information)

There are seven continents.

The continents are: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and
Antarctica.
A verb is an action word, which describes what someone is doing.

Students will be able to do: (skills and behaviors)

Identify each continent using a globe.

Greet their classmates using good communication skills (clear, audible voice, eye contact,
etc.)
Identify verbs
Use a verb in a sentence.

Related state or national standards: (Examples include State Standards of Learning, Common
Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards or National Curriculum Standards for
Social Studies)

Social Studies SOL 3.5: The student will develop map skills by
o a) positioning and labeling the seven continents and five oceans to create a world
map;
Oral Language 3.1: The student will use effective communication skills in group
activities.
Writing 3.10d: Use past and present verb tense.

Assessment: (How (and when) will students be assessed? What evidence will you collect to
determine whether students have met the lesson objectives? Will the assessment(s) be a preassessment (diagnostic), formative (ongoing feedback) or summative?)

For the greeting the students will toss an inflatable globe in a circle. Wherever their right
thumb lands the students will be instructed to say, Greetings from (that continent). This
will allow the teacher to see if the students know the continents and are able to locate
them on a map.
During the Morning Meeting Activity the teacher will ask the students to decide on a
verb. Based on the students suggestions the teacher will be able to see how well the
students understand the concept of a verb.
During the Morning Meeting activity the students will use the selected verb in a sentence
replacing the verb with the word Padoodle. This will allow the teacher to see how the
students are able to use verbs in a sentence as well as if they are able to use the verb in
the correct tense (For example, saying Last week I padoodled a kite vs. Last week I
padoodle a kite.)
Throughout the Morning Meeting the teacher will be looking to see how well students
communicate with each other watching for students who speak in a clear and audible
voice and students who make eye contact with the person they are greeting.

Materials and Resources: (List here all materials that you will need in order to successfully
teach this lesson. Include technology and website links, texts, graphic organizers, student
handouts, physical manipulatives, etc.)

Small, inflatable globe

Key Vocabulary and Definitions:

Lesson Procedures:
1. Introduction and goal orientation (Minute 1-2)
The teacher will begin the Morning Meeting by having all of the students come over to the
carpet and sit in a circle. She will welcome the students and explain the greeting for that
morning.
2. Connecting to prior knowledge and experiences: (Questions or activities that help
students make links) (Minutes 2-5)
The teacher will say, This past week we have been learning about Geography during our
Content time. We learned about the 7 continents. Can I have a few volunteers help me name
the seven continents? Very good! What about the 5 oceans?
3. Tasks and activities: (What challenging tasks and activities will students engage in as they
construct knowledge, learn new skills or behaviors and develop understandings?) (Minutes 520).
The teacher will then say, For our greeting this morning we are going to take a trip around the
world. We are going to toss the globe around the circle. When I toss the globe I am going to say,
Good morning______ to whomever I am tossing it to and then I will toss it gently to them.
When you catch the ball you are going to look at where your right thumb is, and then say
Greetings from_________ whatever continent or ocean your thumb is closest to. You will then
greet someone else and toss the ball to him or her. Once you have had a turn put your hands
behind your back so that we will know you have gone. The students will complete this activity
until everyone has been greeted.
The teacher will then say, Now we are going to play a game called Padoodle. This game
involves using verbs. Can someone remind me what a verb is? Thats right, a verb is an action
word that describes what someone is doing. To play this game I am going to pick someone to be
it. They will go stand by my desk, facing away from us and covering their ears. Then we will
quietly pick a verb. Once we have done that I will call the person back. You can then take turns
raising your hand and using the verb in a sentence. The catch is, instead of saying the verb you

will say the word Padoodle. So if our word was fly I might say, I went to Padoodle a kite this
weekend. The person who is it will try to guess the verb based on your sentences. Once they
guess it we will choose a new person to be it. The class will play two to three rounds of this
game depending on time.
4. Closure: (How will you wrap up the lesson and reinforce key ideas? Closure may include
some form of assessment or exit slip)
The teacher will then thank the students for their participation in the Morning Meeting and
give them directions for the next transition.
Accommodations for individual differences: (How will the lesson be differentiated to support
diverse learners? Describe additional supports that can be used for re-teaching if needed, and a
challenging extension for students for demonstrate mastery quickly or show evidence of a lot of
prior knowledge.)

The teacher will review the continents, oceans, and definition of a verb before beginning
the activities. This will help to support students who might be struggling to remember
some of the concepts.
The teacher will ask a student who demonstrates mastery of verbs to be it in the first
round. This will provide more of a challenge for them and give other students access to
their higher-level thinking.
The teacher will provide scaffolding and support as needed throughout the activity. She
may provide some prompts or questions to promote thinking if a student seems to be
struggling with either activity.

Behavioral and organizational strategies: (What behaviors will you model or discuss with
students? What do you want to remember about organizing the lesson and materials? Use this
section for reminders to yourself about behavioral and organizational strategies. For example, do
you want to explicitly model how to work with partners in this lesson? Or demonstrate how to
use mathematical tools?)

The teacher will provide explicit directions for both activities before beginning.
The teacher will remind students to throw the ball gently and say the persons name
before throwing it to them.
If the students begin to be off task the teacher will use the Give me 5 saying to bring
their attention back to the Morning Meeting
The teacher will remind the students to raise their hands before sharing a sentence in the
Padoodle game. She will also instruct the student who is it not to call on a student
unless they are sitting quietly with their hand raised.