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Do you focus on one convention in the message and leave that out or use it incorrectly? Does it become a quick mini-lesson then on one convention?
Although I occasionally will write an incorrect Morning Message (usually when I want to focus on capital letters or punctuation) and will request help with the editing, more often than not the message is correct and I'm asking: "What can you tell me about the print?" Students will respond (according to their grade level) by telling me about the letters or letter combinations they recognize, contractions, compound words, verb endings, possessives, words that are on our word wall, etc. The sky is the limit.
First, I highlight as many of their responses as I can. I want to reinforce their participation, as this creates a sense of ownership over print. I also want to validate the constant growth in their understanding, recognition, and use of conventions.
After I have circled, drawn boxes around, or highlighted many of their observations, I will usually (depending on the length of the mini-lesson coming up) choose one convention to study further. For example, I might say, "Today, let's take a second look at Will's ing at the end of walking. (As you can imagine, connecting a convention to the student who recognized it that day helps everyone to focus on and remember it. If you want to increase participation, particularly when starting this method, place student initials next to their observations.) Then I will ask, "Can you think of other action words that end in ing?" and we will list them on the chart paper or white board. If I'm teaching kindergarten, I am simply helping students to recognize that the sound they hear at the end of many words is three letters: i-n-g. If I'm teaching second grade, I might quietly put the words they call out in three columns: words where we simply add ing, words that require a double consonant, and words that drop the e before adding ing. I'm hoping ,of course, that my placement of words raises their curiosity, and that they begin to guess my rules for organizing them. Students love to discover the rules for spelling on their own.
Many days I know exactly which convention I want to highlight (and will have stacked the newsletter). Other days, the students' discoveries lead us to someplace unexpected, and I'll grab the teachable moment.
So, yes, I suppose on most days, the morning message does turn into a quick mini-lesson on one convention. And there is no reason why it couldn't be the only mini-lesson that day . . . steering students toward whatever trait you're currently working on as well (word choice, organization, voice, etc.).
Do you write it before the students come in?
If the read-aloud or my mini-lesson at the end of the morning meeting is going to be on the longer side, I will often write the message ahead of time. But, as you know, it's incredibly valuable to model the writing in front of students, particularly if you "think out loud" making decisions about word choice, spelling, conventions. When you do write in front of the students, do not hesitate to revise.
I also think it's essential to write in front of kindergarten and first grade students to model "stretching out a word" and phonemic spelling. (Though I wouldn't necessarily do this for the whole morning message every day, just perhaps just the last sentence or two.)
Here are a few additional tips:
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Do not let the message become too routinized. The students should not be able to dictate from memory: "Today is Monday. We have art today . . .
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"Remember to use "wait time" or popsicle sticks to call on students so everyone has time to think, listen, and become engaged.
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Keep the reading and response to the message zippy. If you're like me, you'll be tempted to overly comment on every observation. No need! Doing so will bog down the activity and overwhelm your students. Think of it as a mini-lesson that allows for differentiation first.
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for primary teachers
