Day 'O' Reflection

Congrats! First trimester is complete. This is a big deal for sixth graders. They've made it through their first marking period. In our district, this means that they've received grades for the first time. This can be scary, but it can also be really exciting. I want to take a day for them to celebrate their first trimester. Also, if their trimester didn't end up where they wanted it to, I want to make sure that they can set a goal for next time. What would they like to change about their performance.

If I have time, I try to set up the room differently. I might make a circle with all of my tables, so everyone can see everybodys' faces.

Then I pass out this first trimester reflection.

I allow for the kids to silently complete them at their spot.

After they finish, we share: How would you rate your first trimester experience? What has surprised you about middle school? How can you improve? It's a great bonding experience.

After we have our discussion, we have Shelfari time.

Read more about setting up Shelfari in this lesson:

Virtual Bookshelf Day.

Shelfari is a great way for kids to keep track of the total number of books they've read in a school year, as well as track genres and titles.

Here is a video on How to update a Shelfari shelf.

When kids update their shelves, they can also add reviews.

On Shelfari, you can also post discussion questions. Find a group and add the question. Kids love to respond to discussion questions online because they go on the Promethean Board--they're jumbo sized. Everyone loves to track their responses just remember to refresh the page to see the newest responses.

How to make groups and post discussion questions.