This type of class meeting helps students get to know each other - and it helps teachers get to know their students. These class meetings can be especially valuable during the first weeks of the new school year. This time helps children feel more at ease n the classroom, with each other and with their teacher.

An easy way to start these get acquainted class meetings is through use of a sentence starter such as: "Something I did during summer vacation...," or "Something I look forward to doing this year at school...." Class meetings can be used to discuss school and classroom behavior expectations. Some teachers allow students to help determine consequences.

As children know each other, have compliment time where children express what like or admire about each other. (Teachers need to assure that all children are included in giving AND receiving compliments)

As the year progresses, meetings can be used to discuss how to make the classroom better, how to work better as a team, things that will continue to improve the classroom atmosphere and allow students a significant role in both creating and maintaining a positive climate. Class meetings can be used to monitor or assess progress on agreements from earlier class meetings. Example: have a class meeting to get student feedback on classroom behavior.

Class meetings can be conducted at the end of the school day or week to evaluate how things went during that time and what the class can do to make things even better?

Watch this video from Edutopia.org for examples of how Louisville, Kentucky public schools are using classroom meetings to good effect.