Daily Messages -- From Erin J.

At our High Scope training last year, we learned about the way that High Scope presents daily messages.  I wasn't sure how well it would work in my EN/MLP class, but I decided to give it a try.  I've been really impressed with how many students are beginning to respond to our messages and to how seamlessly it fits into our day.

Each day before school, Jean prepares our message board with three messages about our day.  Since our kids need a lot of consistency and repetition, our messages usually include what we are doing for small group, if we are going somewhere, and what type of planning we are going to do.  In the messages above, we are doing small toys during small group, going to gym, and using pictures and blocks to make a plan.

Jean shares the messages with students during arrival.  Then, we review them as a class during our large group time.  I ask questions like "What do you think we will do in gym?" or "Where are you thinking about playing today?"  Finally, we use the messages as part of our daily recall activity.  We talk about if we completed all of the messages and try to recall where we planned to play.

How do you use the daily messages in your classroom?