Classroom Routines Build Community and Learning

One common misconception about progressive education is that there is no structure in the classroom. On the contrary, all of our classrooms have a daily and weekly schedule that sets aside designated times for math, reading, project work, recess, etc. In addition, most of our classrooms have unique daily or weekly routines that help build community and social skills while they learn and practice new skills.

Below are examples of daily or weekly routines from a few of our classrooms:

Practice in Sharing Our Feelings Through Words

A key developmental learning focus in early years is learning how to express thoughts and feelings in words, and to build empathy for others.

“In our K-1 classroom, we work towards developing a community of children and adults who care deeply for one another," say teachers Ms. Nadine Brockman and Ms. Lizbeh Marquez. "One of our morning routines is singing a variety of morning greeting songs. One is called "How does _______feel today?"

"We also do our daily Kimochi routine which helps the group learn about one another by hearing and sharing how they feel. For example, the Kimochi for the day might be 'sad.' We then go around and share: 'I feel sad when_____' There are approximately 50 Kimochi feelings in our repertoire."

At the end of the day, our early learning classrooms enjoy the tradition of a "Daily Suitcase." Students reflect on their school day and offer their best memories of the day's activities. The teacher writes these reflections in the students' own words on a whiteboard. This reinforces reflection, the practice of sharing our thoughts with others, and reminds students of all the fun things they can share about their day with their families when they go home.

Routines That Make Learning Fun

Our 5th-grade classroom has two routines that bring a sense of fun to learning. Ms. Lori Nitzsche explains: "We focus on something positive in the news almost every day. It's a student's job to play a news video that reports something realistic and positive. Then, that student calls on another student to summarize the story. The kids show a high engagement with this activity, while they work on listening and summarizing skills. Plus, we all get a dose of something that warms our heart about the world."

"Another special routine we have is map-marking around the world. Throughout the week, whenever we encounter a new location in our reading, discussion, or sharing times, it is one student's job to note that location on a running list. Then, once a week, that student leads us in finding those locations on our individual student maps, marking them, and noting where/how we heard about that location. It's our way of studying geography in context, with the students in charge."

'Daily Mile' Walks and Recess: Learning Through Play

Middle level classrooms often include a "daily mile" walk together. After a movement break, everyone comes back to the classroom refreshed, refocused, and ready to learn. Research shows multiple benefits of movement and fresh air breaks for attention, memory, and learning.

Some classes enjoy a recess as part of their daily mile. Hear what our 7th-grade teacher, Mr. Louis Kertgen, observes during their regular daily mile routine:

"We have spent so much time outside during our daily mile at Scoville Park playing games from hacky-sack to ultimate frisbee. While the games do get a bit competitive at times, what I enjoy most about it is that almost the entire class participates and plays well with others," he explains.

"We've had discussions on how to make games like ultimate frisbee enjoyable for everyone. These discussions fall in line with our democratic practices and beliefs. Our play offers students the chance to build positive relationships outside of the classroom setting, while they learn how to cooperate, settle disputes, and self-govern." 

Explore more about activities your child might experience in the classroom in early childhood, elementary grades, or our middle-level classrooms.