Time
Ongoing
Level
Primary / Junior / Intermediate
Material
Cue cards
Purpose
To celebrate and acknowledge things going on in each of our lives
- Introduce the bulletin board (alternative: binder, media wall, blog).
- Brainstorm with students what are appropriate things to share, contribute and celebrate (e.g., Sarah has a hockey tournament on the weekend, Mohitt passed a piano exam, Ari’s family got a dog, Caleb finally finished the “Harry Potter” series, Trish shares her family holiday tradition, etc.).
- Highlight any new item on the board to the class or follow up individually with a student about an event that happened (e.g., Anthony, did you win your basketball tournament?).
Instead of creating a bulletin board, a class journal of “exciting news” could be used. Students can write in the journal when they have news to share. The students have access to the journal to write in or to read.
Early in their education children form their own perceptions of themselves as individuals, learners, and classmates. They develop a perspective of values and success for themselves and others. It is beneficial to allow students an opportunity to socially share experiences of value to them and their successes, supporting a chance to receive positive feedback on them, thus supporting positive self-perception (Määttä, et al., 2016). This opportunity is also aimed at allowing students to find new common ground with other peers, therefore encouraging the development of peer relationships based on shared interest (Wentzel, 2003).
Määttä, E., Mykkänen, A., & Järvelä, S. (2016). Elementary Schoolchildren’s Self-and Social Perceptions of Success. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 30(2), 170-184.
Wentzel, K. R. (2003). Motivating students to behave in socially competent ways. Theory Into Practice, 42(4), 319-326.
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