Practice
I Notice, I Value
Begin or end class by noticing one positive behavior or contribution from the group
- “I noticed how focused you were during discussion today”
- “I value how you supported each other”
Love that Nourishes Belonging
Structures so every student is known, valued, and affirmed
Belonging that holds when the roster never stops changing, from a fifteen-second routine to a full class project.
Full lessons to build belonging and community
Four standalone lessons, 45 to 60 minutes each, that get students saying who they are and what matters to them.
Lesson45 to 60 minutes
I Am Poem
Write a poem that shares your beliefs, dreams, and identity.
When students share what is true for them and see it honored and displayed, they learn that their voice matters and that their presence shapes the room.
- Activity guide
- Student slides with speaker notes
- Printable handout with the worksheet, Do Now, and reflection
Lesson45 to 60 minutes
Coat of Arms
Draw and design symbols that represent who you are.
Affirming each student's identity in a form that goes on the wall lays the ground for a class built on mutual respect rather than compliance.
- Activity guide
- Student slides with speaker notes
- Printable handout with the worksheet, Do Now, and reflection
Lesson45 to 60 minutes
Culture Quilt
Create a quilt square that shows your experiences, values, and heritage, then join them into a class quilt.
The individual square matters, and so does the fact that it only becomes a quilt alongside everyone else's.
- Activity guide
- Student slides with speaker notes
- Printable handout with the worksheet, Do Now, and reflection
Lesson45 to 60 minutes
What I Want My Teacher to Know
Reflect on your strengths, struggles, and needs, and share what helps you learn best.
It is the fastest way to find out what a new student needs from you, and it tells them you intend to ask rather than assume.
- Activity guide
- Student slides with speaker notes
- Printable handout with the worksheet, Do Now, and reflection
Who We Are Wall
Every one of the four activities produces something that goes on the same wall. That is what makes it work in our schools: a student who arrives in week three does the activity and goes up beside everyone who was there in week one. And when a student leaves, their piece comes down and goes with them.
Small things you can do tomorrow to make students feel seen
Routines that cost you nothing to start and no time to prepare. Each works on a student's first day or their two hundredth, which matters when the roster never stops changing.
Practice
Daily Greeting
Start each class by greeting students at the door with eye contact, their name, and a genuine “glad you’re here.” A simple practice that roots the classroom in acknowledgment and belonging.
Practice
Name Check
Make a conscious effort to pronounce and use students’ names correctly. Ask them to share how they’d like to be addressed and model it for the group.
Practice
Affirmation Exit
At the end of class, ask students to write down one positive thing they noticed about themselves, a peer, or the class community.
Practice
One Word Intention
Choose a single word to guide your classroom interactions each week. Post it at your desk as a reminder.
- “Patience, Listening, Joy, Consistency, Openness.”
Ice-breakers to get the room talking
Ten to fifteen minutes each, for a group that does not know each other yet or a class that has gone quiet. They surface what students have in common and give them practice speaking up in front of people they have only just met.
Find Your Pair, and then Share
15 minutesThis activity gets everyone up and moving about, promotes creativity and problem solving, and then encourages students to safely share a little bit about themselves with another student.
- 1Prepare word pairs, like salt and pepper, milk and honey, sail and wind. Write each word on a separate piece of paper.
- Note: consider including some pairs that are unique to your setting/location/culture (for example, in New Orleans you might include Mardi Gras and Beads as a pair).
- 2Tape one to each student’s back.
- 3Students walk around and ask YES/NO questions to find out what their word or phrase is.
- 4Students find their pairs (provide support, if needed)
- 5Once students find their pair:
- They need to learn 3 new things about their pair…
- Or, you can put prompts on the board. For example: Once you find your pair, find out what their favorite movie is, who their favorite singer is, if they have any siblings, and if so how old are they
Sticky Story: That Person Over There
15 minutesThis activity gets everyone up and moving about, helps students share something unique about themselves, promotes creativity and storytelling, and encourages students to both listen and share.
- 1Give each student a Sticky Note or piece of paper. Any size will do, but the bigger the better.
- 2Ask students to draw or sketch out a figure or drawing that represents something unique about themselves. Depending on the culture in the classroom/school, you may or may not need to clarify that certain symbols are not acceptable. Give them a few minutes.
- Provide students with an example or two, and make your own. Examples: If you are someone who brings people together, you might draw a bridge. Or if you really value your family, you might sketch out a family using stick figures, etc.
- Then, tell students they should pair up. Each student explains their drawing to the other student, and then they swap Stickies.
- Next, go find another student, share the Sticky Story that you now have with that student and vice versa.
- Do this exchange a few times…
- 3Then ask each student to stand up and share the Sticky that they have in their hand. What does the drawing or sketch represent? And whose Sticky is it?
Signature Cards
15 minutesThis activity gets everyone up and moving about, helps students and staff get comfortable getting outside of their comfort zone, and combines physical movement with light sharing of personal matters (based on prompts).
- 1Come up with approximately 10 quick activities that each participant will have to ‘perform’ and get others in the room to sign off on. Try to select:
- A couple of activities that require participants to move around and be active (maybe even feel a little awkward), like “do 5 jumping jacks” or “do the bump” or “share a high five”
- A couple of activities that might require the participants to reveal a little bit about themselves, or that brings out something you want them to take away from the training, like “share something you are proud of” or a “memorable experience in elementary school” or “name a teacher who made a difference for you”.
- A couple of things related to music or movies or pop culture that might make people laugh and have fun, like “do a Michael Jackson or Drake dance step” or “share a favorite line from a movie”
- 2Mix and match the activities and come up with 2-3 different lists (they might each have a few in common), print them out - make enough copies for everyone. Have the activities on the left and a signature line next to them on the right
- 3Pass out the lists so that each participant has one list. Explain that each person has to go around, perform an activity, and get the person who witnessed it to sign their name as a witness. You can do one example to help explain.
- 4Have a silly prize available to the winner who gets their card filled out first…
- 5Have fun!
Step Forward If…
15 minutesThis activity gets everyone up and moving about, helps students see what they have in common, often leads students to see their peers in a new light, and encourages students to feel comfortable ‘standing out or alone’.
Before class: Preparing for the activity, make your list of ‘step forwards’:
- include a couple ‘easy ones’ to help people feel comfortable
- include a few that might be relevant given the specific geography or demographics or nature of the organizations
- include a few that might bring together many people, surprise people
- include a few that are specific to the people or region, or current events (Commanders vs Ravens, Tampa Bay vs Miami)
- include a few that might be personal or revealing or even difficult (have you ever felt like you didn’t belong), might create empathy (have you lost a friend or family member in the last year)
- finish with one that you really want everyone to feel/believe
- 1Have all students get in 2 lines, facing each other…spaced out.
- 2Explain: I’ll make a statement. If it applies to you, take a step forward—stay there for a moment, take a look around…step back. For example, if I said ‘step forward if you wear glasses…’ everyone who has glasses on would step forward, take a moment to look around and then step back. And wait for the next prompt.
- 3When you do the exercise, don’t be afraid to let a moment pass as people step forward and look around—and observe who stepped forward, etc.
- 4Wrap up, upon completion, prompt a brief discussion using some prompts. Were there any surprises? What did it feel like to be out there all by yourself? How did it feel when you were out there with lots of others?
Wake Up and Tune In
10 minutesThis activity gets everyone up and moving about, encourages students to listen carefully (tune in), and inevitably leads to laughter.
- 1Depending on the size of your class, break students and staff into one or two circles. We recommend circles of 5 or 6.
- 2Once students and staff are in their circles, explain that you will be working together on a fun game that requires a lot of concentration. It is a counting game, with substitutions…
- 3To get started:
- Count around the circle, starting with any person – 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4…Try that a few times just to get the hang of it.
- Now: tell students that instead of saying “one”, that person claps 4xs, then the next person says 2, then 3, then 4, then double clap…. Demonstrate and have the teams try this a little bit…
- Now: tell students that instead of saying “two”, that person stomps their feet three times. So the cadence goes: four claps, three stomps, 3, 4, four claps, three stomps, 3, 4… Demonstrate and have the teams try this a little bit…
- Now tell students that instead of saying ‘three’, that person makes a squawking noise two times – squawk, squawk. So, the cadence goes: four claps, three stomps, two squawks, 4, four claps, three stomps, two squawks…Demonstrate and have the teams try this a little bit…
- Now, last round: tell students that instead of saying ‘four’, that person snaps their fingers one time. So, the cadence goes: four claps, three stomps, two squawks, one finger snap, four claps, three stomps, two squawks, one finger snap…Demonstrate and have the teams try this a little bit…
- 4Have fun!
This part is for you
A few shifts and questions worth sitting with on your own, whether or not you use anything else on this page.
Three swaps worth making
Instead of
“My students don’t care”
Try
“What might my students care about that I haven’t tapped into yet?”
Instead of
“I have to control my classroom”
Try
“How can I co-create a community where students want to engage?”
Instead of
“I need to treat everyone the same”
Try
“Fairness means giving each student what they need to feel seen and supported.”
Questions to sit with
- When have you felt the strongest sense of belonging in a community? What created that feeling?
- What signals do you give (verbally or nonverbally) that tell students they are respected?
- If a student walked into your classroom for the first time, what’s one thing you’d want them to notice about the culture?
If you want to go further
WatchGreg WaltonStanford psychology professor and leading researcher on belongingInsights and practical strategies for cultivating a positive classroom culture built on trust and connection.ListenAmanda JohnsonA juvenile justice educator, teaching at Passages Academy in NYCHow she creates a classroom that welcomes students in and empowers them to make it their own. With hosts Kaylah Holland and Christina Campbell.
One question, if you have a minute
If a student walked into your classroom for the first time, what’s one thing you’d want them to notice about the culture?