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Good Morning Circle

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Madison Lesser

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Good Morning Circle Lesson Plan

Students will engage in a 15-minute morning meeting to greet peers, share feelings, and spotlight the character trait of kindness, aiming to build community and respect.

A daily morning circle fosters social–emotional learning, promotes positive peer connections, and reinforces core character traits, helping first graders feel seen, supported, and ready to learn.

Audience

1st Grade

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Structured circle time with greetings, check-ins, trait spotlight, and discussion.

Materials

Morning Meeting Slides, Feelings Chart Display, Character Trait Posters, and Talking Stick

Prep

Gather and Review Materials

5 minutes

  • Print or load Morning Meeting Slides and Character Trait Posters
  • Place Feelings Chart Display where all students can see it
  • Choose a classroom item (e.g., Talking Stick) for turn-taking
  • Review the morning message and trait spotlight notes

Step 1

Welcome & Greeting

2 minutes

  • Assemble students in a circle and warmly welcome them
  • Display the first slide of Morning Meeting Slides with a “Good Morning!” message
  • Model a greeting gesture (wave, smile) and have each student respond in kind

Step 2

Share & Check-In

4 minutes

  • Invite students to show how they feel by pointing to or placing a magnet on the Feelings Chart Display
  • Pass the Talking Stick; each student names their feeling and one word about why they feel that way
  • Thank each speaker and transition to the next step

Step 3

Character Trait Spotlight

4 minutes

  • Introduce today’s trait (“Kindness”) using Character Trait Posters
  • Read a short example of kindness and model an act (e.g., offering help)
  • Ask 2–3 volunteers to share how they can show kindness today

Step 4

Morning Message & Discussion

3 minutes

  • Show the morning message on Morning Meeting Slides
  • Read aloud and invite a student to point out capital letters and punctuation
  • Ask one comprehension question (e.g., “What word tells us how the sun feels?”)

Step 5

Closing & Transition

2 minutes

  • Recap the greeting, feelings check-in, and kindness spotlight
  • Have each student whisper one thing they will do to show kindness today
  • Direct students calmly to their next activity
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Slide Deck

Good Morning, Friends!

Let’s greet each other:
– Wave
– Smile
– Say, “Good morning!”

Gather students in a circle. Say: “Good morning, friends! Let’s greet each other by waving and smiling.” Model a wave and smile, then invite volunteers to wave back.

How Are You Feeling?

😊 Happy 😢 Sad 😃 Excited 😡 Angry

Point to the face that shows your feeling.

Show the class the Feelings Chart. Ask: “How are you feeling today?” Invite students to point to or place a magnet on the matching emoji. Pass the Talking Stick and have 2–3 students share their feeling.

Trait of the Day: Kindness

Kindness means:
– Being nice
– Helping others
– Saying kind words

Introduce today’s character trait: Kindness. Explain: “Kindness means being nice and helping others.” Share an example: “If a friend drops their crayons, you can help pick them up.” Ask 2–3 volunteers to share a kindness idea.

Morning Message

"The sun is bright and warm."

Notice the capital letter at the start and the period at the end.

Display and read the morning message: “The sun is bright and warm.” Then ask: “What is the first word? Where is the capital letter? What does the period tell us?”

Think Kindness!

Whisper one way you’ll show kindness today.

Great job! Let’s head to our next activity.

Recap the steps: greeting, check-in, and kindness. Ask students to whisper one way they will show kindness today. Then redirect them calmly to the next activity.

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Reading

Feelings Chart Display

FeelingEmoji
Happy😊
Sad😢
Excited😃
Angry😡

Point to or place a magnet on the face that shows how you feel today.

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Reading

Character Trait Posters

Trait of the Day: Kindness ❤️

Kindness means:

  • Speaking with gentle words
  • Helping others when they need it
  • Sharing and taking turns

Example:
If a friend drops their crayons, you can help pick them up and smile at them.

How can you show kindness today?


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