My favorite way to build community is through Miss 5th’s whiteboard prompts. If you haven’t heard of Miss 5th, check her out on instagram @miss5th . She is amazing.
I purchased her set of community building whiteboard prompts. I use the prompts that my class needs most on that day. Prompts we use range from, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to “Pick a peer and tell them what makes them awesome!”.
The kids are welcome to write on the whiteboard anytime during morning work and our Daily 5 time. They know their answers need to be serious and match the answer. They are allowed to write on the board once during the morning (or they’ll spend the whole morning writing and erasing their answer).
A few days ago, our whiteboard prompt was, “How do you think this school year is going so far?” Here is a snapshot of their answers.
My favorite answer is the one in blue on the far left. “So far it’s going good because the whole class is my friend.” The answer that is cut of at the top say, “It is a *great day of my whole life.”
I love these kiddos and the family they have created. They are an amazing group of 7 year olds.
Confessions of a Real Teacher 
That is so sweet! It’s a testament to the classroom community you have created that the student feels like the whole class is his or her friend. Kudos to you!
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I’ll have to check Miss 5th out. I use daily prompts to start my classes so that everyone talks, because I have some reticent talkers.
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I will look into those prompts – they look like they have been a powerful community-building tool for your students. Thanks!
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Our classrooms sound similar. I think it’s great when a student can walk into a room and be themselves because they know that their classmates has their back. I’ll have to check Miss 5th out because that would be something my class would love to do in the morning.
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That’s a cool idea! Classroom community is so important. It seems like you’ve worked hard to create a caring classroom.
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What a great comment! I wish my sixth graders all felt that way. It gets trickier the older they get. I like this idea for any age!
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Thanks for the tip. I love getting ideas from other teachers. This idea is certainly working well in your class.
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