Morning Classroom Conversations
Build Your Students' Social-Emotional, Character, and Communication Skills Every Day
- Maurice J. Elias - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA, Academy for SEL in Schools, The Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, SEL4US.org
- Nina A. Murphy
- Kellie A. McClain
Foreword by Joshua Freedman
Get students thinking and learning by getting them talking!
Transitioning from home to school can be chaotic—but it doesn’t have to be. When you make Morning Classroom Conversations (MCCs) a regular part of your homeroom or advisory period, you give students a safe space to practice critical and creative thinking, build active listening skills, learn to respectfully disagree with others, and strengthen peer relationships… all while improving overall classroom climate.
Written by expert practitioners in the area of SEL, this book provides teachers, school counselors, and other conversation leaders with a wealth of tools to guide successful MCCs from start to finish—in just 10-15 minutes! Features include:
- Three calendar years’ worth of thought-provoking prompts and themes
- An overview of the underlying structure and goals of MCCs
- Sample scripts
- Vignettes and student and teacher voices
Adolescents need to feel heard and understood—by adults and by their peers. MCCs teach them to channel scattered thoughts and strong feelings into dynamic discussions while also strengthening social, emotional, and character development and building the skills they will need to achieve their goals as they transition to adult life.
Free resources
Teaching Students How to Have Meaningful Conversations
Following a year or more spent distance learning, many students, especially adolescents, seem to need a strong refresher in conversational skills with both peers and adults. In this article, the authors of Morning Classroom Conversations share their tips for teaching students how to have more meaningful conversations.
Get Students Thinking and Learning through SEL-Based Conversations
Have you been feeling unsure of how to reconnect with your students after returning to the classroom? Morning Classroom Conversations authors Kellie McClain and Nina Murphy share their strategies for getting students thinking and learning through SEL-based conversations in this article posted by UNESCO.
Bringing Morning Classroom Conversations to Your School
In this webinar, the authors of Morning Classroom Conversations share why conversation matters, what Morning Classroom Conversations (MCCs) are, and how to bring MCCs to your school and classroom.
Chapter 1: The Art of Conversation
Read Chapter 1 from Morning Classroom Conversations for a look at the importance of conversations and the connections between SEL and conversational skills.
Sample Materials & Chapters
Chapter 1. The Art of Conversation
Chapter 2. Morning Classroom Conversations Instructional Framework