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How Warm Is Our School?

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Lesson Plan

Climate Check Blueprint

Students will assess the ‘warmth’ of their classroom community through visual check-ins, share constructive peer feedback, and co-create goals to enhance positive interactions.

By giving students a voice in evaluating and improving their classroom climate, this lesson builds empathy, strengthens relationships, and fosters a sense of belonging and shared responsibility.

Audience

5th Grade Class

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Visual check-ins, peer feedback circles, and collective goal setting.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Emoji Entry Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Display Emoji Entry prompts at the classroom entrance.
  • As students arrive, have them select an emoji sticker or drawing that reflects how welcome and connected they currently feel, then place it on the designated board.

Step 2

Warmth Meter Check

10 minutes

  • Project Warmth Meter Slides and explain the ‘hot’, ‘warm’, ‘cool’ scale for class climate.
  • Ask students to rate today’s climate by holding up colored cards or using hand signals: red for hot (very positive), yellow for warm (okay), blue for cool (needs improvement).
  • Tally responses to visualize overall feeling.

Step 3

Friendly Feedback Circles

20 minutes

  • Arrange students in small groups and distribute Friendly Feedback Circles cards.
  • In three timed rounds, each student shares:
    • One positive moment they’ve experienced in class recently.
    • One suggestion to make our classroom warmer.
  • Remind students to use active listening and kind, specific language.

Step 4

Debrief and Goal Setting

10 minutes

  • Reconvene as a whole class and summarize common themes from each circle.
  • Facilitate a discussion to prioritize 2–3 actionable steps for improving classroom warmth (e.g., morning shout-outs, buddy check-ins).
  • Record these commitments on a chart; explain you’ll revisit them weekly to track progress.
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Slide Deck

Introducing the Warmth Meter

The Warmth Meter is a simple tool to gauge how “hot” (very positive), “warm” (okay), or “cool” (needs improvement) our classroom environment feels each day. It helps us notice what’s going well and where we can grow together.

Welcome everyone! Today we’re introducing our “Warmth Meter,” which helps us check how positive our classroom climate feels. Explain that just like a thermometer measures temperature, our Warmth Meter measures how supported and connected we feel here.

Understanding the Scale

• Hot 🔴 — Our class feels very positive, supportive, and energized.
• Warm 🟡 — Our class feels okay; things are going smoothly but can get better.
• Cool 🔵 — Our class feels distant or disconnected; we need to improve our interactions.

Point to each level and describe it in your own words. Ask students to name examples of “hot” moments (e.g., celebrating a friend), “warm” moments (routine work), and “cool” moments (when someone felt left out).

How to Rate Today’s Climate

  1. When I say “Go,” choose a card or signal:
    • Red for Hot
    • Yellow for Warm
    • Blue for Cool
  2. Hold up your card or signal at the same time.
  3. Watch as we tally our responses to see the overall class feeling.

Demonstrate how to hold up the colored cards or show the hand signals: fist up for hot, open hand for warm, thumbs down for cool. Encourage students to respond honestly and remind them there are no right or wrong answers.

Tallying Our Responses

Red (Hot): ___
Yellow (Warm): ___
Blue (Cool): ___

What does our Warmth Meter tell us about today’s class climate?

After all students signal, tally the counts in each column. Read the totals aloud and ask: “What surprises you?” or “What makes you feel this way?” Use their feedback to guide our next steps.

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Activity

Friendly Feedback Circles Activity Plan

Setup

  • Arrange students in small groups of 4–5 chairs in a circle, facing each other.
  • Place a stack of Friendly Feedback Cards and a timer at each circle.

Materials

  • Friendly Feedback Cards (one set per group)
  • Timer or stopwatch
  • Paper and pencils (optional for note-taking)

Instructions & Timing

  1. Round 1: Positive Moment (6 minutes)
    • Prompt: “Each student shares one positive moment they’ve recently experienced in class.”
    • Remind students to practice active listening without interruptions.


  2. Round 2: Suggestion for Warmth (6 minutes)
    • Prompt: “Each student offers one specific suggestion for making our classroom environment warmer and more welcoming.”


  3. Round 3: Peer Applause (8 minutes)
    • Prompt: “Each student gives a sincere compliment or word of encouragement to each peer in the circle.”


Discussion Prompts (Whole Class Debrief)

  • What common themes or ideas came up in your circles?
  • Which suggestions can we implement right away?
  • How did it feel to both give and receive positive feedback?

Next Steps

  • Collect the top 2–3 actionable suggestions and add them to our classroom Warmth Goals chart.
  • Revisit these goals weekly to track progress and celebrate improvements.
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Warm Up

Emoji Entry

Objective
Students share, at a glance, how connected and welcome they feel as they enter the classroom.

Materials

  • Printed chart displaying 5 emojis (😄, 🙂, 😐, 😟, 😢)
  • Emoji stickers or markers
  • Bulletin board or chart paper mounted near the door

Setup (2 minutes)

  • Place the chart at the classroom entrance. Provide a sheet of matching stickers or markers.

Instructions (5 minutes)

  1. As each student arrives, invite them to pick the emoji that best matches their current feeling of connectedness and welcome.


  2. Have them place their sticker (or draw the emoji) on the chart under their chosen face.

Teacher Reflection

  • Observe the spread of emojis to gauge overall class mood before starting the next activity.
  • Note any patterns (e.g., too many neutral or sad faces) and address them during the Warmth Meter Check.
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