One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. -- Carl Jung

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Overview

Prior to working for High Tech High, I taught at Stevenson PACT Elementary School, where my teaching partner and I taught to the Common Core State Standards for Listening and Speaking. In my current position, our grade-level team continues to use those standards to inform our work. With my students, I have developed success criteria for all classroom practices, including class meetings, and it is available here.

Each morning, I share something that makes me feel concerned and something that makes me feel excited before asking students to discuss to share their own highs and lows with a partner. This is called, "emptying our cups," and it is designed to provide space for everyone to share their most pressing concerns so that we can focus on school during our time together.

I then ask students a reflection question to which they can respond in front of the entire class. These questions may rate to their emotions, interests, plans, or past experiences. Early on, I distinguish between low-stakes, medium-stakes, and high-stakes questions and begin the year by asking questions that will be easier to answer and generate conversation quickly (What is your favorite movie?) before gradually introducing questions that are harder to answer but also lend themselves to humanizing those who are willing to make themselves vulnerable and buidling stronger relationships (What is something that makes you feel scared?). In accordance with our classroom norms, students always have the right to pass if they are disinterested, unsure, or uncomfortable with the question.

Immediately after the sharing activities, we have a meeting that might include a number talk, questions, announcements, appreciations, and a discussion about the day's agenda. I keep a record of those meetings to help keep absent students, families, friends, classrooms, and educators informed about our classroom happenings. Most recently, I have allocated 10-15 minutes each day to a different weekly agenda item.

• Monday: Critique of the Week and Discussion
• Tuesday: Photo of the Week and Discussion
• Wednesday: S.T. Math Update and Discussion
• Thursday: Reading and Writing Progress Update and Discussion
• Friday: Trevor Ask Me Anything​

2015-2016 Class Meetings Slides | 2015-2016 Class Concepts Slides
2014-2015 Slides | 2014-2015 Minutes 1 | 2014-2015 Minutes 2 & 3
2013-2014 Slides | 2013-2014 Minutes

During class meetings, I ask volunteers to help facilitate the conversation by doing the following tasks.

• Maintaining a speaker's list and inviting a new person to share whenever there is a break in the conversation
• Monitoring use of the attentive listening sentence frames during the conversation, particularly the use of the "frame of the day"
• Monitoring the amount of time I am speaking versus the amount of time students are speaking in order to minimize teacher talk and maximize student talk
• Montioring the number of times each person contributes to the conversation in order to minimize teacher talk, maximize student talk, and encourage those who normally speak to listen and those who normally listen to speak

The data collected during these conversations is tracked over the course of the day, week, and year to track trends and students' overall progress.

Attentive Listening Sentence Frames

• I have a question for [NAME]. [NAME], [QUESTION]?
• I think I have an answer to [NAMES]’s question. [NAME], [ANSWER].
• I have a comment for [NAME]. [NAME], [COMMENT].
• I made a connection with what [NAME] said. [NAME], [CONNECTION].
• I want to add on to what [NAME] said. [NAME], [ADDITION].
• I would like to respond to what [NAME] said. [NAME], [RESPONSE].
• It would help me to reword what [NAME] said. [NAME], what I thought you said was [REWORDING]. Did I get that right?
• I would like to know what [NAME] thinks about this issue. [NAME], would you mind sharing your thoughts?​

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Common Core State Standards for Listening and Speaking

Second Grade

Comprehension and Collaboration

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.B Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.C Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.5 Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Third Grade

Comprehension and Collaboration

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.C Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.D Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Fourth Grade

Comprehension and Collaboration

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.B Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.D Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)