You have 20+ students in your classroom. How do you get a pulse on how each one is feeling each and every day? For some this seems like an impossible task. I used to think it was unmanageable until I implemented a quick check in every morning.
The teacher librarian (@NancyGadzala) at my school helped create a quick Google Form that students fill out every morning when they arrive at school. This check in form allows them to share how they’re feeling at the start of the day and also has a space for them to tell me anything they would like to share. They can share why they’re feeling the way they are, something sad/happy/exciting that happened the night before, something they’re looking forward to, or anything else that might be weighing on their little minds. Reading the comments usually puts a smile on my face. How else would I know that a student’s Christmas Elf left them fruit snacks or that another student got a new pair of bright orange shoes and is super excited about it?
Another positive that comes along with this form is that all of this information is tracked in the form of a spreadsheet. This information came in super handy when I had a student who was struggling with his behavior. We looked back at his check ins and noticed a connection to the feelings he had in the morning on days when he had behavior outbursts–sad. Once I noticed this trend, I began making a bigger effort to spend some quality time with him right away on days when he checked in as “sad” in hopes of changing the outcome of his day. It didn’t work 100% of the time but it definitely helped some of the time.
The nice thing about this form is that it can easily be adapted for different ages. I decided to use emojis because they are easy symbols that students understand. Sometimes students, particularly young ones, confuse feeling words. A colleague of mine (@jeremyPomeroy3) used the characters from the movie “Inside Out” with his students. Another wise friend (@kimdarche) suggested switching up the feeling choices periodically as a lesson on synonyms and antonyms or even a vocabulary lesson. This is definitely an activity that can easily be tweaked for any grade level.
I am taking it a step further this year and adding a check out component at the end of the day. I adapted this form based off of something I do when tucking my own kids in at the end of the day. Each night while laying in bed, I ask them the same three questions.
- What was the best part of your day?
- What could have gone better?
- What did you do today that was kind?
Asking these questions is a great way to spark conversation about their day without asking “How was your day?” and getting the typical response of “fine.” I hope this may also provide some feedback on activities and lessons they enjoyed (or maybe didn’t enjoy so much.)
For little ones who may not be able to type well, the voice to text dictation option provides them support to get their ideas recorded. You could also do a whole group discussion where these questions are asked aloud and only a few students share their responses each day.
As always, I look forward to hearing how this worked for you in your classroom and how you tweaked it to make it better.
Primarily Techie 