Morning Message

Why Do We Write A Morning Message?

By participating in the writing of our morning message, students learn…

• writing is speech written down
• proper letter formation
• upper and lower case letter recognition
• associating letters and sounds
• left to right progression
• differentiate between a letter, a word, and a sentence
• reading of common sight words
• spacing
• punctuation
• to look for spelling patterns within words

Morning Message Formats:  

Chart Paper:  Make a road map for your message.  This means that every word you write will have a yellow line under it indication the beginning and end of the word.  You can either write the message ahead of time, or do it in front of the class.  I do it both ways.  I often omit letters, words, punctuation marks, and/or parts of words.  Students fill in missing parts, locate star words (circling them in green), locate commas (highlight them in yellow), and stop sentences (circle sentence stoppers in red).  We read the message, count the words, letters, sentences, and lines.  I allow students to take the messages home and keep them.  Your student of the day could be the one to take it home.  I just draw a name from our name cup.

• Chart Paper
• Black Marker and Yellow Marker
• Red, Green, and Yellow Marker
• Pointer

White Board or SMARTboard:  Can be done similar to chart paper method.  I vary the routine by picking student names out of a cup and having them come to the board and erase a word.  Before they erase, they must read the word.

• White Board
• Expo Markers (black, yellow, red, green)
• Eraser
• Can
• Student Names on Popsicle Sticks
• Pointer

Overhead Transparency or Document Camera:  I write the message on the overhead ahead of time (in black).  We read the message as a class using a pointer.  We also count the letters, words, lines, and/or sentences.  Students are selected to come up one at a time and swat a word they can read.  They must read the word before swatting it.  I let them give the word a good WHACK.  They love to do that!  We circle star words in green, highlight commas in yellow, and circle sentence stoppers in red.

• Overhead Projector
• Transparency (programmed like primary writing paper – – with lines to write on)
• Vis-A-Vis Markers (black, yellow, green, red)
• Fly Swatter
• Can
• Student Names on Popsicle Sticks
• Pointer

Magnetic Board:  I determine the message ahead of time and select the necessary word cards from my index box and place the cards needed for the day’s message in a special container.  When the students come in, they choose 3-4 cards each.  Iverbally give the message and students construct the message using the cards they have.  This is GREAT for listening skills!

• Magnetic Board (my red felt board is magnetic)
• Magnetic Word Cards
• Pointer
• Can
• Student Names on Popsicle Sticks

Ideas for Facilitating Morning Messages

• Say the words as you write, spelling each as you go.
• How many words are in the first sentence?  Circle and count the words.
• How many letters are in the first sentence?” Circle and count the letters.
• Talk about which sentence has more letters, and words.
• Discuss how what you say, you can write
• Observe where to start writing an d which way the writing goes (L to R)
• Observe where to begin the next sentence or line (top to bottom)
• Practice saying the words, then saying each letter, one at a time, as it is written
• Notice capital letters
• Notice the use and function of punctuation
• Count sentences
• Count words in sentences
• Count letters in words or sentences
• Decide which of the sentences has more words/letters
• Clap the sounds (syllables) you hear in words, like today (to-day)
• Talk about how you start and end a message
• Talk about the things that happen each day (notice patterns)
• Talk about special events that happen to students in the class

After several weeks release responsibility to the students:

• Can someone show me where I start my morning message?
• What sound do you hear at the beginning of this word?
• What letter do I write at the beginning of that word?
• What do I put at the end of that sentence?
• What do I put at the end of that question?
• How do I show that we are excited about going?
• How do I end my sentence?
• Can anyone help me spell the word, ‘love’?
• Does anyone know what letter to begin ‘Today’ with?
• Can you find a word you know and circle it?
• Can you find a word that begins like Adam?
• Can you find a word that rhymes with ______?

Morning Message Links:

• http://www.thekcrew.net/buzzbook.html
• http://www.pre-kpages.com/mornmessage.html
• http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2728.html
• http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/morning_message.html
• http://goo.gl/WJ9cFi
• http://firstgradehooray1.blogspot.com/2011/12/morning-message.html