Maintaining a Tight-Knit Classroom Throughout the School Year

There are a few telltale signs that the excitement of a new school year is wearing off. A scarcity mindset develops around pencils, behavioral issues increase, and students resort to pointing at each other during discussions because they never learned their classmates’ names.

As a veteran middle school science teacher, I’ve learned that strong, tight-knit classrooms require nurturing. I’ve developed strategies and ideas that are especially helpful as the school year hits its stride. These brief strategies keep classmates engaged in learning and encourage a sense of humor and community.

Students Need to Know Each Other’s Names

Though it sounds obvious, students really do need to know their peers’ names. Familiarity between classmates increases everyone’s comfort during group assignments and discussions.

To promote a friendly environment and strengthen positive relationships, I greet students by name at the door. If I miss someone walking in, I greet them by name at the start of class. This strategy, and referring to students by name each time you call on them, makes it easier for others to match names with faces.

Additionally, if we finish a lesson with a few minutes left, I sometimes offer a prize to whoever can correctly name everyone in the room.

Icebreakers Are Always Worthwhile

I’ve found it worthwhile to connect with students before immediately launching into content. Upon entering the classroom, there’s a student-generated “Would you rather?” question on the board. When the bell rings, I use a random name picker and structured conversation model for students to share their answers with everyone else. We often start class laughing and discovering our similarities.

Playing two truths and a lie is another easy way to forge connections between students. Students write their two truths and a lie on index cards after taking into account some loose parameters: focus on life outside of school, be positive, and don’t mention any names. Every Friday, I read a few cards aloud—the class guesses who wrote each card, then the students who wrote the cards pick someone else to guess their lies. I put my own card into the mix too. Year after year, my students look forward to this weekly tradition.

Random Groups Promote Inclusivity

I use random groupings for most everything, which allow students to work with a variety of classmates and, ideally, form friendships. To save time, I make a digital spreadsheet with class rosters and copy it onto a random groups website. After reminding students to have a neutral reaction and go straight to their numbered table, I project the groups.

Once students are grouped up (check to make sure they’re in the correct spot), I ask students to introduce themselves and quickly answer an icebreaker question. In doing so, students warm up their voices and become more comfortable.

It’s important to spend time modeling this procedure. My class talks about what their tone of voice and body language should look and sound like while interacting with others. Students are given sentence starters about ways to respectfully respond when agreeing or disagreeing, how to invite others into the conversation, and how to equally distribute the workload. And I always have step-by-step, written instructions visible during a task, as well as a timer to keep students on track.

When students finish their task early, they get conversation cards, which are an excellent way to keep them anchored to their seat while getting to know one another.

Passion Projects Promote Community

As a means of getting to know students better, I invite them to dive deep on a topic of interest. I use this strategy during our flex/advisory period, rather than my science classes, and keep the assignment very open-ended. Prompts I provide to get students started include these:

• “What do you really care about and why?”
• “What do you wish others knew about this topic?”
• “How can you apply this topic to your daily life?”

Students can present through a medium of choice, such as slide shows, podcasts, comics, or posters. They share their passion projects with me so I can glance over them first, and then we go over two or three presentations per class period. I keep track of who’s presented to ensure that we’ve heard everyone’s voices, but I don’t give an official grade for this assignment.

I’ve had students present about microplastics, endangered species, sports they enjoy, why they love a certain city, and their pets. Students discover common ground and learn from each other. During transitions in class, I’ll smile as I overhear, “I’m a cat person too” and “Your presentation was really cool.”

Continue Reviewing Expectations and Procedures

We can’t expect students to be positive, contributing members of our community without explicitly teaching them the skills to do so. When necessary, I return to the norms and rules we established at the beginning of the year, so students can individually reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement. I make a point of celebrating what’s going well, and then I brainstorm with the class about what can be improved. I remind students of the expected behaviors, all of which everyone agreed on, in order to promote a shared goal of a positive and safe learning community.