This morning I was looking over the complied list of community building activities and I realized that they were mostly all activities. I know activities are a great way to help build community but the classroom community should not be soley built on activities. The students should have respect for one another and value what each student brings to the classroom. \
A great way to do this is do point out things students do without even knowing it. For example the community building activity the students do in one first grade class involves them all sitting on the carpet and sharing something. My host teacher saw that one student was especially good at turning his body slightly and making sure his eyes were on the person talking, so after the person talking was finished she said, "Thank you Shay for turning your body and making sure your eyes are on the speaker. This shows you care about what your friend is saying. And it is a good way to show respect."
From then on more students turned their bodies and looked engaged in what was being said.
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