Building Community Before the First Day of Middle School and Beyond

Teachers can take steps to create a positive classroom culture before school even begins that will pay off throughout the year.

Middle school science teachers can have students explore the natural world, strengthening their scientific habits of mind.

Expressing gratitude has a lot of benefits for students, and teachers can give them the freedom to express it in different ways to promote student choice.

Teachers can use classroom decorations to promote and showcase student learning while spending little or no money.

By focusing on ideas rather than individual students, math teachers can move beyond assumptions that some kids are ‘good’ at math.

Teachers can increase student engagement by establishing relevance at the beginning of class and discussing the broader purpose at the end.

Giving students an opportunity to develop a plan for improvement is empowering and can boost academic performance.

When students and their families are invited to participate in meaningful activities, they can learn what their new school has to offer.

Math teachers can use short activities based on student goals related to equity in order to make classes feel more inclusive and accessible.

Older students can use these tools to introduce themselves to their teachers and each other—even before school starts.