I knew I had hit the jackpot when I started Morning Meetings in my classroom. I loved how it was the most positive and fun routine to begin every single school day with my students. As I noticed my students gaining self confidence, becoming more open with me and their classmates, and most of all, engaging in open dialogues about themselves, my heart was full after just 15 minutes of class time each day.
I wondered how I could incorporate something to do at the end of each day to keep the positive momentum going. I knew that dedicating 15 minutes at the end of each day for a dismissal activity would be impossible, so I thought of incorporating quick little dismissal questions to help send my students on their way home with smiles on their faces.
Dismissing students for recess, lunch hour, or after school has always been a struggle for me. I have had students jump out of their chairs and head straight for the door as soon as they heard the bell rang and I couldn’t take it anymore! But after introducing Dismissals Made Easy, my students learned to put everything away, put up their chairs, and wait for their cue to head out the door!
Dismissals Made Easy contains 180 dismissal cards to help your students get dismissed quietly and calmly while you learn all about their home life, their interests, their dreams, and their opinions. There are enough cards for 1 dismissal per day for an entire school year, however, I have made these cards so versatile that they can be used more than once – making it possible to use them for any dismissal you may have until the end of the school year.
So, how do I do this in my class? Well, it’s quite simple.
1. The bell rings.
2. I ask my students to put their books, pencils, crayons, etc. away and put up their chairs (if it is the end of the day)
3. I start reading a Dismissal Card. “If you have been to a museum, you may go.” I wait for the students who have done this to leave. Then I ask the second suggestion. “If you have been to a public library, you may go.” Again, I wait for students to leave the room. I give a third suggestion. “If you have been to a theatre, you may go.” I wait once again for students to leave.
4. If some students are still around, I ask them to tell me one place that they have been so that all students can be dismissed.
Your download comes with dismissal cards like the samples up above. Simply print them out, laminate them for durability, attach them to a key ring, and let the fun begin! Starting this routine in your classroom will bring a lot of smiles to everyone’s faces and will provide you with some really cool information about your students!
Click HERE to get your own copy today!
What do you do to dismiss your students? I would love to read all your ideas in the comments below!
Have a great day!
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