Creating Classroom Contracts or Community Agreements

This wonderful piece by the inspirational Carla Shalaby: Are We Teaching Care or Control? inspired me to write about class contract creation. I prefer “class contract” or “community agreements” over saying rules as rules feel more draconian and compliance focused, while agreements or a contract as a community emphasizes how we are all working together and sharing accountability for OUR community and space. For a deeper discussion about compliance vs care, we’ve used The Wedding Portrait (listed below).

I am out of the classroom for another year, so won’t be putting these ideas to work just yet. Here is a post from 2018 back in the days when Gabby and I were co-teaching: Creating Our Class Contract!

Some essential components of class contract creation for me are hopes and dreams or some type of reflection and goal setting, multiple read alouds, and starting with students’ ideas about what would make them feel safe and ready to learn at school. 

This photo from 2019 (with a different, also phenomenal co-teacher) shows how we wrote down students’ ideas and then combined them into a few “broader” statements. I firmly believe in writing down every suggestion even if they are oddly specific (a first grader once stated “Don’t kick anyone on the elbow!”). The reframing, summarizing, and reorganizing will come later. My former first grade student may have been kicked on the elbow and it was important for him to see me write it down and validate his contribution, even if we all later agreed that idea fit under a broader concept like keeping each other safe or respecting your own space. 

It’s also important to emphasize that this agreement or contract is something you all are creating together as a class. I have always allowed students to suggest how we want to share, express, and create the physical contract after we have agreed upon the 4-5 things we all will work together to do for ourselves and each other. Students usually want to have the contract displayed, but often choose to create art to go with it - we have had foil sculptures, comic strips, poems, a class song, and more. My students always wanted to sign their names as well (especially in 3rd grade when we had fancy metallic Sharpies and were learning to write in cursive!) and invite other adults in the building to sign too.

We also tried to think about our larger school community outside our classroom. One way we did this more tangibly was our hallway investigation! First, we talked about how we wanted to move through the hallway safely and with consideration for others. One afternoon, we sent students out to conduct (pre-arranged) interviews with adults in the building about what worked for them in the hallway. Students thought of questions beforehand, wrote them down on paper, and armed with clipboards, headed out in groups of 2-3 to conduct their interviews. They came back with what they had learned and we thought about how we could use our knowledge to make sure we were being respectful of others when we moved through the hallway. Sometimes students would reference a quote from a member of staff - “Let’s whisper because remember how Ms. – has a hard time answering the phone if it is too loud!” to remind us to reset before we headed out the door. This type of investigation can be applied to any space or practice!

Sometimes vague or abstract statements can be hard for students to conceptualize. Giving students opportunities to reflect on what the contract statements mean for them either through role playing, drawing, writing, or some other form of expression they chose can help especially with younger, more concrete learners. Teachers can also enlist other adults to help with role playing or use examples from books or video clips to have a class discussion.

Books for reading aloud throughout this process:

For creating Hopes and Dreams:

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney: I still have my childhood copy of this book, so that part is always a big hit with students. Such a classic, lovely story - also a great Earth Day (or everyday) read.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall: kids love this book and find it so relatable! There is a sequel now too, but I haven’t gotten to read it yet. Great mentor text, goal setting inspiration, and overall fun read.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown: I actually met Peter Brown at a reading for The Curious Garden so my students always love hearing about that detail. They also love tracking the garden’s growth through the book and the beautiful illustrations and story. Another great Earth Day/every day read!

For asking: What kind of community do we want to create together?:

Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan and Sarah Weeks is a chapter book, so a longer time commitment for a read aloud, but so worth it! Also, the lunch theme and the descriptions of food are what I needed to get through the beginning of the school year. Read about how we used it here. And read it, or at the very least, recommend it to your students!

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson is such a gorgeous book in every way possible. 

My Name by Supriya Kelkar: as I said in a previous post, I have been waiting for this book all my life! It is so perfect for back to school and community building, but also just a beautiful story that resonates with all kids.

The Wedding Portrait by Innosanto Nagaro: use this book to talk about when is it okay to break rules? Also great to tie in to protests and the purpose of our class contract. 

Funny “example” books:

No, David! By David Shannon: my toddler is currently obsessed with this book and we read it ALL THE TIME. I had forgotten how delightful it is and how much kids love “reading” it on their own. When I was a student teacher in first grade, my mentor teacher used it with our class to talk about how it feels when someone keeps saying no no no to you and why we want to try to frame our rules as what we are all trying to do together. It was masterful and really resonated with and amused the students.

Let Me Finish by Minh Le (Minh and I taught in the Marshall Islands at the same time and went to the same college, so that is always something my students love to hear about and of course we have to look at a map.) It is impossible to get through without students erupting into laughter. It takes far longer to read than you anticipate as the laughter will be so loud that you will have to wait (and you will need to stop laughing) to continue through the book. Great way to talk about respecting others wishes and different perspectives.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein is another very funny story that is a real hit with students. Use it for introducing participation norms, being a good listener, dealing with frustration - so many applications!

Happy community building!

Back to School 2023

It always feels like I (Nina) blinked and back to school is upon us again all of a sudden, but this summer time passed even faster than usual. I don't know how we are here already - it still feels like it should be July to me! And so many of my teacher/school friends are already back at work somehow. If you already started school or went back to work, hope you are having a smooth as possible start to the school year.

This will be my second fall in a row out of the classroom, and while I have some adventures coming up that I’m excited about (more about that in a future post) and love the extra time with my little ones, it is always bittersweet as Teacher New Year is so exciting, nerve-wracking, and just so many emotions as once. 

I may not be planning back to school read alouds for my own classroom, but I’m still excited about lots of new books! 

Here are some new(ish) books that would be amazing back to school read alouds and just generally belong in classrooms, libraries, and kids’ hands:

The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan. We all need this book! It is based on true events (their book The Arabic Quilt was banned in Pennsylvania, as detailed in an author’s note) and readers get to hear more about what Kanzi (main character from The Arabic Quilt) is up to these days. I was happy to note that she is still writing poetry! 

My Name by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (cover photo). I have been waiting for this book all my life! Although my first name - Nina- is generally easy to pronounce and “international” I still identify with the challenges and the general other-izing/feeling marginalized depicted in the book). Her book site has classroom resources too, including posters, nameplates, and a worksheet.

Where We Come From by John Coy, Shannon Gibney, Sun Yung Shin, and Diane Wilson, illustrated by Dion Mbd. A huge thanks to Katy (@KatySwalwell) for introducing me to this one - such a gorgeous book that every classroom needs. You could make your own class version or use it as a writing prompt in a myriad of different ways.

I'm From by Gary R. Gray Jr. and illustrated by Oge Mora. I was already excited when I saw that the illustrator is Oge Mora, as her illustrations are always a high point for me. But this book seems like it will be amazing on so many levels. Sadly, it’s not coming out until September 19th!

How We Eat by Shuli De la Fuente-Lau

My toddler LOVES this book. We read it every single day for a long time. I love it too because who doesn’t love books about food? And food? And representation? It is a board book which might be a challenging entry point for older kids, but could be projected on a document camera and used as a quick read aloud, conversation starter, writing prompt, morning meeting share, and so much more. What did you eat for breakfast? What’s something delicious you enjoyed this summer? Are both low stakes questions or greetings to help draw students in without potentially putting anyone on the spot or leaving anyone out who didn’t get to travel or go to camp, etc.

What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration by Alexis Bunten, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt has so many levels for students to connect and learn! For a simple greeting or response, ask students: How did you choose what to wear today? Or something you wore this past summer that was special for you? You can model with a hand me down or share something important to you. Students love hearing about their teachers’ lives. The representation and understanding of representation in this book are both so important.

No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Jeanette Bradley, and Keila V. Dawson. With all the climate change related disasters and tragedies this summer, climate change might be on kids’ minds so this book could be a helpful conversation starter to get some of our feelings out as well. Also, students want and need to learn about kid activists.

Meet Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly. One of Gabby’s current early reader faves and it belongs in every classroom! Short chapters, you could easily pass it on for early readers to finish the rest of it by themselves,  a glossary and discussion questions at the back! Yasmin is a treat--she’s a spunky 2nd grader, she’s Pakistani American (!!), and she goes through relatable ups and downs that are great classroom SEL convos (ie: how do I brainstorm an idea for a project? Why does everyone else have an idea and I don’t!?, comparing my work to others and what to do, making mistakes-- like ripping mamas kameez! etc..) She’d be a great BOY read aloud option. 

Happy reading!

Here are all of our back to school related posts from the past:

• Beginning of the School Year Fun

• Invaluable Beginning of the Year Tools & Tips

• Read Aloud Ideas for Back to School

• Back to School Night Tips

• Back to School Activities for Distance Learning

• Activities to Help Start the School Year Off Right

• Looking Back to Look Forward

• Preparing for the school year: Post #2: Things we are changing!

• Preparing for the school year Post #1: Things we are keeping!

Happy back to school!

Beginning of the School Year Fun

Happy Back to School! I know many schools are starting early this year, so if you already started school, congratulations on making it through the first day/week(s)! The first couple weeks are always so incredibly draining. I am not in a classroom this fall for the first time in many years so I am missing the first day anticipation and exhaustion! I’ve always loved setting up my classroom and writing students’ names on everything. 

Usually, I join my students in writing a letter to myself on the first day of school. It’s always fun to look back on and be surprised about your assumptions, emotions, thoughts, fears, and hopes. I also have shifted to asking students to share a moment of joy or deliciousness instead of something they did this past summer. It’s more inclusive and avoids isolating students who didn’t travel or don’t feel comfortable sharing. I often model by sharing about eating something I cooked or something a family member or friend cooked for me. It’s more relatable and starts a conversation about food which is of course always a win for me..

If you are still setting up your classroom (especially your library) or thinking about curricular materials/read alouds, here is your Reminder: Representation Matters! If you are in one of the many states restricting and threatening teachers, carefully chosen read alouds might be a subversive way to allow all students and families to feel comfortable in your classroom, but I know many schools or districts are grappling with increased book banning as well. 

I know many teachers who are still feeling a lot from last year on top of navigating new laws, book bans, and so much more. Try to think about ways to joyfully connect with students and rejuvenate yourself. A fun game that led to a few minutes of students giggling often uplifted me to get through another day of hybrid learning during the first year of the pandemic. Remember it’s important for kids to connect with each other as well. Building community is always key, but even more so this year after all of this isolation and disruption of the past few years. 

One easy win is to get students’ names and faces up in or around your classroom as soon as possible. I like to have students “create their name” and take photos of them with their name creation on the very first day of school, then print the photos and put them on our bulletin board. It has some many benefits: it makes me feel happy, is great for visiting families to see (if you have an in person back to school night this year), and most importantly, helps  students feel ownership over the classroom space. Name creation is also a high success activity to help students settle into being back at school.

When we went back to school last fall, students were really struggling to get through the full day for the first few weeks. We would consult and realize we needed to have quiet time to help them calm down and keep it together until dismissal. Often 5-10 minutes of quiet time after lunch or recess will end up saving a lot of teaching and learning time in the long run as it minimizes redirection later. My students loved the peaceful music and the freedom to choose any quiet activity they could do independently at their desks.

One other tool that always helped me is roadmaps and checklists. They are always helpful, but especially when settling into new routines and getting used to being back in school. I had a student who really struggled to stay engaged and kept asking what would happen next and when it was time for recess or lunch, so I gave him a personalized schedule in a whiteboard pocket so he could keep track himself and check off each class period when it was completed. He loved the tool and stopped asking for constant updates and was able to enjoy whatever was happening once he was freed from the anxiety of not knowing what to expect.. At the very least, writing a “roadmap” detailing each step of the lesson/period on the board helps me stay on track! It is also so useful for co-teachers or anyone else who comes into your classroom. My third graders loved reading the roadmap, checking things off, and adding something celebratory at the end if we finished (who doesn’t love a 30 second dance break?) all our tasks. They also loved when I had acronyms or used previously taught vocabulary words so they felt “in the know” and could explain what something meant to visitors. They also knew we would start every single lesson together by reading the roadmap and that routine really worked for them. It’s a great way to model organization, goal setting, and planning.

Wishing all teachers and students a joyful and peaceful start to the school year (or as close to one as possible for you). I hope you find some moments of humor and are kind to yourself during this exciting and intense time. Happy Teacher New Year!

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Back to School Activities for Distance Learning

I (Nina) am preparing to go back to work after my extended maternity leave. This is shaping up to be an unpredictable and unprecedented school year, but I hope my students and I can still find joy in learning and getting to know each other. My school has decided that we will start the year fully remote, although we are small (and independent) so we are lucky to have an option of some in-person small group meetings to meet students and parents, do some technology training, and distribute materials at the beginning of the year.

Conceptualizing distance learning has been challenging for me. In August of 2018, I wrote about some of my favorite ideas to start the school year and I am trying to think about how I can still do some of those activities with my students, maybe with a new twist! I try to think about the purpose of the activity and how we can still achieve the essence of it in a new way. 

Here are some ideas:

• Names! Name activities are the best. They provide an opportunity for you to learn about your students and ask them how they would like to be addressed in class. They also create a chance for you to share something about yourself while learning about students’ identities. They are my absolute favorite and I am excited to brainstorm ways they can still work:

  • Create your Name: this activity was inspired by SEED. Have your students create their name in a way that feels good to them, using whatever materials they have on hand. You can explain the activity by modeling how you created your own name (using scrap paper or whatever else you have around the house). I used to take students’ photos holding their “name masterpieces” and put those up outside our classroom, but you could have students submit photos of their work and share them, or even put photos of their “name masterpieces” together into a collage and make it your virtual background (or if you have a way of collecting physical papers from your students, put them up on your wall, but this seems complicated). Here are some digital collage resources, and I’ve also used Google Photos to do something similar in the past. I love the idea of creating a collage (virtually or otherwise) as it’s important for students to see all their names together and know you are still a classroom community. It’s also great for new students as this way everyone knows how they would like to be addressed.

  • Name Stories: these are always fascinating, validating, and so much fun! I always introduce name stories with a read aloud (see name related read aloud ideas below), and then give students prompts to interview each other and ask about the story of their name. Interviewing each other on live video might not be possible, but you can have students interview a family member about how they got their name. Some great questions to give students to start with: Who chose my name?  Why did they choose this name for me? Am I named after someone?  What does my name mean or what significance does it have?  What do you like about my name?  After the interview (which you can skip depending on logistics), students can write their “name story.” This is a wonderful activity to get to know students and students enjoy it as well because they can share as much as they like or choose to focus on one aspect of their name that feels good to them.

  • Class “My Name” Poem: This extension of name stories is a great way to build community. I’ve participated in this activity as part of a group of adults, and we loved it and felt more connected afterward. Ask each student to choose one sentence from their name story to share. If you are in person, you can have students write their sentences on a post-it. If not, they can simply read it aloud or post it on Seesaw, Google Docs, etc if you are using that type of tech. I liked having each student read their sentence aloud and then I would type them or write them down, but it can be hard to keep up, so it’s nice to have them submit their sentences as well. Once you have all their sentences (don’t forget to include one of yours!), sit down with them when your students are elsewhere and arrange them into a poem. Later, share the poem with your students. They will love hearing their sentence and appreciating what the class created together.

  • What’s Your Name Worth? This is a great Math activity that helped me start the year by seeing how my 3rd grade mathematicians approached a puzzle. For 3rd graders, we gave them a chart showing all of the letters in the alphabet and a corresponding value in cents (for example, a is worth one cent, b is worth 2 cents, etc), but you can create your own chart with negative and positive values, Math problems, or really whatever works for you and your students. Once students found the value of their name, they could choose a teacher’s or family member’s name and then had to try and find names worth exactly twenty five cents or a dollar. Again, this is something they could work on independently and then either verbally share what their name is worth or post it on a website.

  • Name related read alouds (for the chapter books, you can read an excerpt of the relevant part): A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jackie Woodson, Thunderboy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, The Favorite Daughter by Allen Say, My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits and Gabi Swiatkowska, My Name is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada - and there are so many more!

• Start a read aloud: We start a chapter book on the first day of school and it engages students in a shared reading experience from the very beginning of our time together. We read Save Me a Seat for our first read aloud last year and it was a perfect back to school book that fit into so many of the things we talked about (our needs as learners, our classroom contract, goal setting, appropriate challenge, and more)

• I Wish My Teachers Knew: give your students the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with you. This year, this is more important than ever!

• Numbers Important to Me: we use this activity to introduce our Math binders. In the past, we made the cover of our Math binders our “Numbers Important to Me” pages, but this year they could be shared virtually or displayed at home. Students write (and decorate) numbers and why they are important to them. For example, “5 - because I have 5 people in my family.” Make sure you make an example about yourself so your students can learn about you as well. This can be done on paper or on a computer - whatever works best for you and your students!

• Top Ten Lists: read the first chapter of The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of School for inspiration and then make a “Top Ten Things to Know About [insert your name]” list. Again, make an example to share! Students LOVE reading these about each other, so would be great to share virtually. If you want to do a live share, I’d suggest telling each student to choose ONE thing about themselves to share.

• Letter to Yourself: this can be a wonderful first day or week homework assignment (for older students) or an in class activity. Have students write letters to themselves making predictions about the school year. In the past, we would seal them in individual envelopes, put them away, and then give to students on the last day of school, but this year, you could have students email you letters or submit documents however works for you, and still either send them back to them or print them and hand them back (if we are in person again) at the end of the school year. This can also be a great tool for goal setting! I’d suggest creating an example that you wrote talking about how this year is new for you and what you are going to work on as this will be excellent modeling for students.

• Hopes & Dreams: set hopes and dreams for this school year. I always model with one of my own and try to have one that is social emotional focused and one that is about learning or trying something new. You could explicitly model to students how you modified your hopes and dreams for this year in a new setting or format. Later, use your students’ hopes and dreams to move into creating classroom rules and goal setting (more ideas and details are available from Responsive Classroom).

• Guess Who?: have students send in three “clues” about themselves (tell them beforehand that these should be things they are comfortable sharing) and every day, have a different “mystery student” where you share the clues throughout the day and take guesses about which student you are learning about! You may want to ask for more than three clues and then only share three in case the clues are too obvious or something you’d rather not share.

• Reader Survey: I’ve found that my students love filling out surveys online (we usually use Google Forms). I get so much more information from them through this medium, although they often use emojis to express themselves as well. Make a survey to get to know your students as readers. This is extra important right now as reading is one thing we can encourage students to do as an academic activity, but also something fun to do when other fun options are mostly off limits. Since we won’t be able to recommend books to students in person, knowing them as readers so we can try to recommend books through online platforms or the public library (ours in DC are open now with mostly “take out” service) is so important.

• Daily Life Word/Story Problems: this is a great way to model how we incorporate Math into our daily lives. Start by sharing some you wrote about your day. I’ve discovered that students love anything about babies and pets (don’t we all?). For example, I gave my baby 17 pieces of mango. He dropped 5 on the floor, put 2 in his hair, gave 1 to me, and ate the rest. How many pieces of mango did he eat? After you share, give students an assignment to write some of their own, and then during your next class (or later in class), they can share their problems and discuss different ways to solve them and “prove” their answer is correct.

• Share a photo: this depends on your comfort level and what you feel is most appropriate for your students. My co-teacher and I are sending our students a photo postcard of us (email or posting on a site would work too) so they can see our faces before the school year begins and get a nice note from us welcoming them to our class. If you are sharing photos virtually, it might be nice to send multiple photos showing how you are getting ready for the school year.

There are, of course, so many more ideas and possibilities, so please comment below with any of your go-to beginning of the school year activities and tips for modifications! If you are starting the year in person or in a hybrid model, any of these activities could still work. Sending strength to all teachers starting this new year, but especially those who still don’t know what their school year will look like, or how they will stay safe and keep their students safe.

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I Wish My Teachers Knew

Inspired by #iwishmyteacherknew, we asked our students to tell us what they wish we knew about them (and in general). We started by asking them what was on their minds now that they are back at school, and then asked them how they are different at school versus at home. These prompts set them up to share insights with us that could help us know and support them as the complex humans they are. Specifically, we asked if there was anything they wished we knew or anything they wanted to share with us. We also asked how to best motivate them or help them if they are feeling stuck. We were impressed with the depth of thought our students revealed in their answers. Many adults won’t be able to tell you what motivates them or helps them when they are feeling stuck (or will give you a cynical answer that doesn’t really help in the moment), as it requires a lot of self awareness and reflection.

Some of our students wrote about how home felt versus school, and shared that they enjoy the predictability and clarity of school. Others shared about feeling like they don’t get enough attention, or being nervous about events in the world or events in their lives. One of our favorites was a student who said he was, “bored at home because I like learning.” We will remind him that he can read, write, think, and investigate at home too!

Other students shared troubles at home, some with more detail than others. These troubles might range from a less than kind older sibling to discord or stress at home. One student said he wished we knew about some things happening at home, but they were (sic) “PRIVET” so he couldn’t share with us. Another student wrote about often feeling excluded or left out among friends. Yet another wrote about the death of a family member. Even without a lot of details, context, or background, knowing that students are dealing with something heavy at home helps us understand better what they bring with them when they come to school everyday.

We are grateful to our students for giving us more context into who they are. We will of course develop a nuanced sense of how to best challenge and support our new crew of learners as the school year continues. Nevertheless, this one survey has given us plenty of food for thought and a level of connection with one another that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to have at this point in the year. Here’s to starting this year by learning about our students by hearing from them!

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