1 Activity That Will Revive Your Morning Meetings

If your Morning Meetings are feeling a little stale, it's time to try something new. This activity might be just what you need! It's called Rare Bird, and it can help you to strengthen your community. It can be used during the sharing component of Morning Meeting as well, though I prefer to use it as an activity. And of course, while it's definitely best to do all four components of Morning Meeting every day, it’s convenient to have an activity that acts as both sharing and an activity for those days where you’re really pressed for time.

Have the kids brainstorm what is special and unique about them, or what makes them a “rare bird.” You'll probably need to discuss this before you do this the first time (or first few times depending on the age of your class). This should also be something others can't easily guess based on what they know already about their classmates. For example, I've known students who had certain obsessions that everyone in class knew about--this is not the time to talk about those obsessions!

Students write their rare bird statement neatly on a post-it note or index card, and then you collect them all. Next read each card aloud and let the class take a few guesses as to who that “rare bird” might be. If nobody guesses correctly, the rare bird stands up.

Here are some variations to make this work in your classroom:

• Have kids share new the things they learned about each other afterwards by playing "Who Remembers?"
• Have kids share connections they made to each other after playing. 
• Pass out each rare bird index card or post-it note to a different student. Have that child read the card out loud and see if they can guess who wrote the card he/she read. 
• Provide support by brainstorming categories to prompt students’ thinking for rare bird statements (surprising fact, special skill or interest, etc.) 
• Type up a sentence starter to make this faster for students. You may or may not include names.
• Break this up over the course of a week. Read a few during transition times or down time in your classroom. (I recommend adding names to rare bird papers if you choose to do this. Students might forget what they wrote or they might be out.)
• Use this as a closing circle activity instead of during Morning Meeting.

What makes YOU a rare bird as a teacher or in other areas of your life??