All Things CLASS

Morning meetings can support Concept Development and stronger Instructional Support - but it takes planning and intentionality, not just routine.

Many morning meetings focus on helping children emotionally and mentally prepare for the day. Because of that, it's common to see warm but rote calendar or weather routines without much analysis or reasoning. To deepen Concept Development, intentionally add thinking questions into your routines:

• "How do we know what comes next in the days of the week?"

• "Why do you think it's cloudy today?"

• "What do you predict will happen later today?"

These kinds of questions help children think and explain, and they align with what CLASS considers strong Concept Development (analysis & reasoning, real-world connections). 2nd Edition Crosswalk

Rich conversational experiences like these give children a voice and choice - and when children are reasoning together, interaction quality naturally becomes more engaging and joyful.

Here are some practical ideas that other educators use:

• A "Morning News" routine with sentence frames that students help fill in or write themselves, increasing engagement and language use.

• A "Share Sack" activity where children bring an item and describe it using prompts like:

  • "This is my ___.
    First it can ___.
    Next it can ___."
    Then peers ask questions - and students learn how to respond and build language skills.

For more support and practical strategies tied directly to CLASS domains like Instructional Support (which includes Concept Development), you might explore the following Teachstone resources:
🔗 Teachstone CLASS Resources - free webinars, guides, and videos to help strengthen interactions and deepen understanding of domains like Concept Development and feedback strategies.
🔗 Instructional Support Essentials for Teachers - professional development focused on understanding and building interactions that promote language and thinking.
🔗 CLASS Instructional Support Kit - a classroom resource set with strategy guides and materials to help integrate instructional strategies into daily practice.
🔗 CLASS Strategy Cards - quick, dimension-aligned prompts and ideas to use everyday.

The key takeaway:
✨ Intentional questioning, student voice, and real-world connections can elevate morning meetings from routine to rich learning opportunities.

YOUR TURN...

What's one question you can try tomorrow that invites deeper thinking from your learners?

Morning meetings can support Concept Development and stronger Instructional Support - but it takes planning and intentionality, not just routine.

Many morning meetings focus on helping children emotionally and mentally prepare for the day. Because of that, it's common to see warm but rote calendar or weather routines without much analysis or reasoning. To deepen Concept Development, intentionally add thinking questions into your routines:

• "How do we know what comes next in the days of the week?"

• "Why do you think it's cloudy today?"

• "What do you predict will happen later today?"

These kinds of questions help children think and explain, and they align with what CLASS considers strong Concept Development (analysis & reasoning, real-world connections). 2nd Edition Crosswalk

Rich conversational experiences like these give children a voice and choice - and when children are reasoning together, interaction quality naturally becomes more engaging and joyful.

Here are some practical ideas that other educators use:

• A "Morning News" routine with sentence frames that students help fill in or write themselves, increasing engagement and language use.

• A "Share Sack" activity where children bring an item and describe it using prompts like:

  • "This is my ___.
    First it can ___.
    Next it can ___."
    Then peers ask questions - and students learn how to respond and build language skills.

For more support and practical strategies tied directly to CLASS domains like Instructional Support (which includes Concept Development), you might explore the following Teachstone resources:
🔗 Teachstone CLASS Resources - free webinars, guides, and videos to help strengthen interactions and deepen understanding of domains like Concept Development and feedback strategies.
🔗 Instructional Support Essentials for Teachers - professional development focused on understanding and building interactions that promote language and thinking.
🔗 CLASS Instructional Support Kit - a classroom resource set with strategy guides and materials to help integrate instructional strategies into daily practice.
🔗 CLASS Strategy Cards - quick, dimension-aligned prompts and ideas to use everyday.

The key takeaway:
✨ Intentional questioning, student voice, and real-world connections can elevate morning meetings from routine to rich learning opportunities.

YOUR TURN...

What's one question you can try tomorrow that invites deeper thinking from your learners?