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How Welcoming Is Our School?

Tara Kolb

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Welcome Audit Roadmap

Students will audit their school environment by identifying factors that impact climate, then design and propose improvements to make our school more welcoming.

A positive school climate fosters safety, belonging, and engagement. By reflecting on feelings and their surroundings, students can take ownership of creating a welcoming community.

Audience

5th Grade

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive audit, discussion, and creative design activities.

Materials

  • School Climate Snapshot, - Feelings Check-in Guide, - Hallway Heatmap Template, - Chart Paper and Markers, - Welcome Poster Creation Kit, and - Exit Ticket Reflection Sheet

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review the full Welcome Audit Roadmap lesson plan
  • Preview the School Climate Snapshot slide deck
  • Print enough copies of:
    • Feelings Check-in Guide
    • Hallway Heatmap Template
    • Exit Ticket Reflection Sheet
  • Gather chart paper, markers, sticky notes, and art supplies for poster creation
  • Arrange small groups and hallway routes for the Heatmap activity

Step 1

Warm-Up: Feelings Check-in

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Feelings Check-in Guide
  • Students select emoticons or words to reflect how they feel entering school today
  • Pair-share: What stood out about your feelings?

Step 2

Introduction: School Climate Snapshot

10 minutes

  • Project the School Climate Snapshot
  • Define "school climate" and discuss examples of welcoming vs. unwelcoming features
  • Ask: What makes our school feel welcoming?

Step 3

Discussion: Hallway Heatmap

15 minutes

  • Hand out the Hallway Heatmap Template
  • In small groups, walk assigned hallway sections, marking areas as "hot" (welcoming) or "cold" (needs improvement)
  • Return to class, place sticky notes on a large space to create a collective heatmap
  • Discuss patterns and observations

Step 4

Activity: Welcome Poster Creation

20 minutes

  • Form new groups; provide chart paper, markers, and the Welcome Poster Creation Kit
  • Each group creates a poster highlighting one strength and one improvement idea for our school climate
  • Encourage use of slogans, drawings, and clear visuals
  • Display posters around the classroom or hallway

Step 5

Cool-Down: Exit Ticket Reflection

10 minutes

  • Hand out the Exit Ticket Reflection Sheet
  • Students write:
    1. One thing our school does well to be welcoming
    2. One recommendation to make it more welcoming
  • Collect sheets for follow-up and planning next steps
lenny

Slide Deck

School Climate Snapshot

What makes a school feel welcoming or unwelcoming?

Today we’ll explore the idea of school climate and learn how to look for clues in our own hallways and classrooms.

Welcome students to the lesson. Introduce today’s focus: noticing how our school feels and why that matters. Explain that “School Climate Snapshot” will help us see and describe what makes a place welcoming or not.

What Is School Climate?

School climate is the overall feeling or atmosphere in our school. It includes:
• Safety and security
• Respect and positive relationships
• The look and feel of our spaces
• Emotional support and encouragement

Define the term in kid-friendly language. Emphasize that school climate is about feelings, relationships, and surroundings working together.

Features of a Welcoming School

• Friendly greetings in halls and classrooms
• Colorful, clean spaces with student work on display
• Adults who listen, help, and encourage
• Activities where everyone is included and celebrated

Invite students to share examples for each bullet. Prompt them: “Where have you seen students and adults showing respect?”

Features of an Unwelcoming School

• Bare walls or empty hallways with no personal touches
• Crowded, noisy areas that feel overwhelming
• Signs of teasing, bullying, or exclusive behavior
• No adult supervision or help when needed

Ask students to think of times they felt uncomfortable or left out. Encourage them to name concrete signs: posters missing, loud noise, etc.

Think About Your School

In small groups, answer:

  1. Where do you feel most welcomed? Why?
  2. Where do you feel least welcomed? Why?
  3. What change would make that spot more welcoming?

Have students turn to a partner and discuss these three questions. Remind them to be specific about locations (e.g., by the library) and why they feel that way.

Preparing for the Hallway Heatmap

Next, we’ll walk through assigned hallways and use our heatmap templates:
• Mark “Hot” areas where you feel welcomed
• Mark “Cold” areas needing improvement
• Collect notes to share back with the class

Transition to the Hallway Heatmap activity. Explain expectations for safe, respectful observation. Show how to mark hot/cold zones on their templates.

lenny

Warm Up

Feelings Check-in Guide

  1. Circle the face that best shows how you feel about being at school today:

😀 🙂 😐 😟 😢

  1. What makes you feel this way? Write or draw below:





  2. Pair-share with a classmate: What stood out about your feelings when you arrived today? What surprised you?


lenny
lenny

Discussion

Hallway Heatmap Template

Instructions

  1. In your small group, walk through your assigned hallway section. Move quietly and respectfully.
  2. As you go, use this table to mark each spot as Hot (Welcoming) or Cold (Needs Improvement), record what you observe, and jot a quick idea for making it more welcoming.
Location (e.g., by the lockers)Hot 🔥 or Cold ❄️What did you see or hear? (Evidence)Improvement Idea

Group Discussion Questions

  • What patterns did you notice across different spots?
  • Which area felt the most unwelcoming? Why?
  • Which single change would make the biggest difference?

When you return to class, place a sticky note on the large hallway map:
• Use 🔥 for “hot” zones
• Use ❄️ for “cold” zones

Be ready to share one key observation and one improvement idea with everyone.

lenny
lenny

Activity

Welcome Poster Creation

Materials:

  • Chart paper or large poster board
  • Markers, crayons, colored pencils
  • Stickers, stencils, decorative items (from the Welcome Poster Creation Kit)

Instructions:

  1. Form groups of 3–4 students. Appoint a note-taker and a presenter in each group.
  2. Brainstorm (5 minutes):
    • Identify one strength of our school climate.
    • Identify one area that could be more welcoming.
  3. Planning (5 minutes):
    • Sketch a layout on scratch paper. Decide on a slogan, images, and color scheme.
  4. Create the Poster (10 minutes):
    • Title or slogan at the top in bold letters.
    • Use drawings, symbols, and words to showcase the strength and improvement idea.
    • Add decorative elements (stickers, borders) to make it inviting.
  5. Presentation (5 minutes):
    • Each group shares their poster, explaining their design choices and messages.

Discussion Prompts:

  • What emotions do you hope your poster evokes in viewers?
  • How do your images and colors reinforce your message?
  • Where in the school should we display these posters for maximum impact?

Display:

  • Hang posters around the classroom or in hallway hotspots identified on our heatmap.
  • Encourage classmates to read and add positive sticky-note feedback.
lenny
lenny

Cool Down

Exit Ticket Reflection

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________________

  1. One thing our school does well to be welcoming:





  2. One recommendation to make our school more welcoming:





Thank you for sharing your ideas!

lenny
lenny