All Things CLASS

Good afternoon, 

I often observe teachers doing their morning routine on the carpet: pointing to letters, numbers, colors, shapes. They do the weather and sometimes make the letter sounds.    Obviously not high in concept development or quality of feedback.  I'm curious to know how others write this up in the report.  It even affects Positive climate, as the T sometimes has flat affect; little communication or interaction as the kids are participating in rote instruction.  When there is a student that gets to be a "leader" and point to the letters, it leaves the other students just sitting and they disengage.  Would love to hear your thoughts! 

Great observation-this type of morning routine often shows low Concept Development (rote naming, little analysis), low Quality of Feedback (minimal scaffolding or expansion), and can also impact Positive Climate when there's flat affect or limited engagement. When one child leads and others sit passively, I note limited opportunities for active participation.

In reports, I focus on how the interaction missed chances for deeper thinking and connection, and in coaching, I suggest small changes like open-ended questions or shared leadership.

📘 For reference, check out the CLASS Manual for your age level-especially the "Low Range" and "Mid Range" descriptors in Concept Development and Positive Climate. These provide great language for framing what's observed and how to support improvement.

(Available via your Teachstone account or training materials.)

Would love to hear what others highlight in similar scenarios!

If they are creative, questions for concept can be added to those types of morning routines.  For example, "How do we know that ___ comes next?" for days of the week or "Why do you think it is cloudy today?".  They have to implement those types of questions into these routines in order for us to give them more in Instructional area.  These types of activities are beneficial to young learners I feel but anyone working with young children should be more animated and alive in order to hold their attention and make learning fun.  

Greetings,

Morning meetings that rate high in concept development, or instructional support in general, definitely require intentionality through planning and structure of lessons. Typically, since morning meeting supports children mentally and emotionally preparing for the day, we see an absence of rigor or analytical thinking. When academics are included, we also see more of a rote experience similar to what you described. Predictions about the day ahead, planning for experiences, comparing feelings or analyzing why is it important for children/people to know the weather are all options that would contribute to higher scoring. These experiences give children a voice in morning meetings and prompt thought processes that connect with real world events. Rich conversations that promote children's voice have a way of naturally taking on a more pleasant affect than compared with rote or memorized conversations.  

I taught PK-2nd. For every level I did a "Morning News" that was a sentence frame structure I laminated, erased, used again.  The students would help by telling what went in the blanks and help with writing a letter or spelling. For PK it was: Today is____. The weather is_____. Today______. By 2nd, it looked like: Today is (day of week), __\__\__. Lunch will be _____. We will learn about _____. Today's news _____. The kids did the writing or ran the entire session themselves. It was a good way to get them involved, ready, talking, and practicing skills. 
I also did (TK/K) "Share Sack" as part of our integrated ELD. 2 students per day brought something from home, just like any share time. I added they had to say, " this is my ___. First it has/can ____. Next it has/can____. Are there any questions?" Then up to 3 questions were asked and answered. If someone asked the same question, they were taught to say, " I answered that question, do you have a different one?" This took care of Listening and Speaking standards, and kids loved it. I helped kids who were English learners.