Morning Meeting Lesson Plan Morning Meeting Mastery
Lesson Plan
30 Minutes (Daily)
Why This Matters
Morning meetings establish a consistent routine, build community, and reinforce essential academic and social-emotional skills daily. This lesson helps students develop communication skills, understand their environment, and prepare for the day ahead, which is crucial for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Prep
Review slides, script, and story materials.
Print and laminate Weather and Emotion cards.
Prepare Fact or Opinion sorting visuals.
Charge and program AAC devices with relevant vocabulary.
Print Daily Routine and Cool Down sheets.
Materials
• Projector & Slide Deck
• Morning Meeting Script
• Weather & Emotion Cards
• Fact/Opinion Sorting Cards
• Daily Routine Worksheets
• AAC Devices & Markers
Objective
Students will actively participate in a morning meeting routine, identifying calendar elements, describing weather/emotions, distinguishing fact from opinion, making predictions, and reviewing routines with AAC support as needed.
Instructional Sequence
5m
Warm-Up: Greetings & Calendar
Slides 1-3
Review day, month, date, and year. Ask: "What day was yesterday? What day is tomorrow?" Encourage AAC use for responses.
5m
Weather & Emotion Check-in
Slides 4-7, Icon Cards
Identify current weather using visual cards. Discuss personal feelings and "why" using emotion cards or AAC devices.
5m
Fact or Opinion Fun
Slides 8-9, Sorting Activity
Read simple statements aloud. Have students sort them into "Fact" or "Opinion" using visual markers or AAC.
8m
Short Story & Predictions
Slides 10-11, "Little Seed" Story
Read the story. Pause at designated spots to prompt predictions ("What happens next?"). Model with "I think..."
7m
Routine & Wrap-up
Slide 12, Worksheet, Review Game
Review today's schedule. Mark off worksheets. Play the review game and complete the cool-down reflection.
Morning Meeting Slides Good Morning, Everyone!
Welcome to Our Morning Meeting!
What's Today's Date?
The Day Is
Monday...
The Month Is
October...
The Date Is
23rd...
The Year Is
2026...
Teacher: Point to the calendar. Encourage students to use their AAC devices to fill in the blanks.
Yesterday & Tomorrow
Yesterday was
Tomorrow will be
Weather Check!
What is it like outside?
Sunny Cloudy Rainy Snowy
How does it feel?
Hot Warm Cool Cold
Let's Describe Today
☀️ Sunny
☁️ Cloudy
🌧️ Rainy
❄️ Snowy
How Do You Feel Today?
😊 Happy
😢 Sad
🤩 Excited
😴 Tired
My Feelings Are...
"I feel ___________ because ___________."
Use your talker or point to a card to share!
Share with a friend
Fact or Opinion?
Fact
Something that is true and can be proven.
Example:
"The sky is blue."
Opinion
What someone thinks or feels.
Example:
"Blue is the best color."
Let's Sort!
Listen to the sentence.
Fact
Opinion
Story Time!
"The Little Seed's Big Adventure"
Listen carefully! We are going to be detectives and make predictions about what happens next.
What Happens Next?
Prediction Time
"I think..." or "Maybe..."
Our Day Ahead!
1
Morning Meeting
2
Math Class
3
Reading Workshop
4
Lunch & Recess
5
Science
6
Art Class
7
Dismissal
Time to Wrap Up!
"What was one new thing you learned today?"
"How did our meeting make you feel?"
Great job, team!
Morning Meeting Script Morning Meeting Script
Teacher Facilitation Guide
For Teacher Use
01
Warm-Up: Greeting & Calendar (5m)
TEACHER: "Good morning, wonderful learners! Let's start our day with our special morning meeting. Look at the Morning Meeting Slides. Can everyone say 'Good Morning'?"
Pause for responses. Encourage AAC users to activate their greeting buttons. Model verbal response with exaggerated tone.
TEACHER: "Let's see what today is! Today is... [Point to Day] ... Monday! Can you say 'Monday'? The month is... [Point to Month] ... October! The date is the 23rd, and the year is 2026!"
TEACHER: "Now, think. If today is Monday, what was yesterday ? Yes, Sunday! And what will tomorrow be? Right, Tuesday! Excellent work!"
02
Weather & Emotion Check-in (5m)
TEACHER: "Time to be weather reporters! Look out the window. What is the weather like? Is it sunny? Rainy? [Show Weather Icon Cards]. Who can describe it for us?"
Encourage pointing or AAC device selection. Acknowledge and validate student observations.
TEACHER: "Now, how are you feeling today? Are you happy? Sad? Tired? [Show Emotion Cards]. Point to a card or use your talker. I'm feeling happy today because I'm with you!"
03
Fact or Opinion Fun (5m)
TEACHER: "Let's play Fact or Opinion! A fact is true and we can prove it. An opinion is what someone thinks. 'The sky is blue' is a fact. 'Blue is the best' is an opinion. Ready to sort?"
Read statements from the activity sheet. Prompt students to give a 'thumbs up' for Fact or a 'hand on head' for Opinion (or use pre-programmed AAC buttons).
04
Story & Predictions (8m)
TEACHER: "It's story time! Today we read 'The Little Seed's Big Adventure.' As I read, we will make predictions —that's a smart guess about what happens next!"
Read the story text provided. Pause at the prediction point. Prompt: "What will happen to the seed in the dirt?" Validate all answers with "Good thinking!"
05
Routine & Wrap-up (7m)
TEACHER: "Let's look at our day ahead! We finished Morning Meeting. Next is... Math Class! Take out your schedule worksheets and put a checkmark."
TEACHER: "Final game! Quick review. What day is it? [Pause]. What was one new thing we learned? You all did amazing. Have a great day!"
Weather Icon Cards Weather Icon Cards
Print, laminate, and cut for student use.
☀️
Sunny
☁️
Cloudy
🌧️
Rainy
❄️
Snowy
⛅
Partly Cloudy
🌬️
Windy
🔥
Hot
🥶
Cold Emotion Cards Emotion Cards
Print, laminate, and cut for emotional check-ins.
😊
Happy
😢
Sad
🤩
Excited
😡
Angry
😨
Scared
😌
Calm
😮
Surprised
😴
Tired Short Story Reading The Little Seed's Big Adventure
Once upon a time, in a cozy little garden, lived a tiny brown seed. It was very small, but it had a big dream: to grow into a tall, strong plant!
One sunny morning, a kind gardener came by. She carefully picked up the little seed and placed it gently into the warm, soft soil.
Teacher Prediction Pause
"What do you think will happen next to the little seed?"
The little seed snuggled deep in the earth. It felt the sunshine warming the soil above and then, drip, drip, drip, rain started to fall! The seed drank up the water, and something amazing began to happen.
A tiny, green sprout pushed its way out of the seed and stretched towards the light.
Day after day, the sun shone, and the rain fell. The little sprout grew taller and taller. Soon, it had strong roots reaching deep down and green leaves reaching up to the sky.
It was a beautiful, blooming sunflower, standing tall and proud in the garden, smiling at the sun! 🌻
Daily Routine Worksheet My Day Ahead!
Name:
Date:
Check off each activity as we talk about it. Draw a picture of your favorite part!
Check
1. Morning Meeting ☀️
Check
2. Math Class 🔢
Check
3. Reading Workshop 📚
Check
4. Lunch & Recess 🍎
Check
5. Science Experiment 🔬
Check
6. Art Class 🎨
Check
7. Dismissal 🚌
My Favorite Part of the Day is: Fact or Opinion Sorting Activity Fact or Opinion Sorting
Listen carefully! Is it a true FACT or a feeling OPINION?
Fact: True and can be proven.
1. The sun is bright. ☀️
Fact
Opinion
2. Chocolate ice cream is the best. 🍦
Fact
Opinion
3. A dog has four legs. 🐕
Fact
Opinion
4. Recess is the most fun. 🏃♂️
Fact
Opinion
5. Birds can fly. 🐦
Fact
Opinion
6. Wearing a hat looks silly. 🧢
Fact
Opinion
7. There are seven days in a week. 🗓️
Fact
Opinion
8. Learning is hard. 🧠
Fact
Opinion
9. Trees are green. 🌳
Fact
Opinion
10. Pizza tastes better than salad. 🍕
Fact
Opinion
Fact or Opinion Answer Key Answer Key
Fact or Opinion Sorting Activity
Teacher Resource
Statement Answer Reasoning 1. The sun is bright. Fact Can be proven true by observation. 2. Chocolate ice cream is the best flavor. Opinion Personal preference; cannot be proven. 3. A dog has four legs. Fact Biological characteristic; observable. 4. Recess is the most fun part of school. Opinion "Fun" is a subjective feeling. 5. Birds can fly. Fact General biological fact for many species. 6. Wearing a hat makes you look silly. Opinion Subjective judgment based on taste. 7. There are seven days in a week. Fact Standard unit of time on a calendar. 8. Learning is hard. Opinion Experience varies by individual. 9. Trees are green. Fact Proven by presence of chlorophyll. 10. Pizza tastes better than salad. Opinion Taste is a personal preference.
Daily Review Game Daily Review Game
Morning Meeting Mix-Up!
How to Play:
The teacher asks a question. Students answer using words, pointing, or AAC devices!
Calendar
"What day of the week is it today?"
Weather
"What is one word to describe the weather?"
Emotions
"Can you show me how you are feeling?"
Fact or Opinion
"Is 'The grass is green' a FACT or an OPINION?"
Story Time
"What was the little seed hoping to become?"
Routine
"What is the next thing on our schedule?"
Teacher: Choose 3-5 questions to keep the game quick and engaging!
Cool Down Reflection Sheet Cool Down Reflection
Name:
Date:
Let's think about our Morning Meeting!
1. What is one new thing you learned or remembered today?
2. How did our morning meeting make you feel?
(Draw a face or write a word!)
3. What was your favorite part of Morning Meeting?
Great job being a learner today!
