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Handout

Center Relationships and Care: Reflection Prompts and Action Steps

As you prepare to welcome students back to school, use these reflection questions and action items to help you center relationships and care in your teaching.

Last Updated: June 30, 2021

Handout

Language

English — US

Subject

English & Language Arts
History
Social Studies

Culture & Identity
Equity & Inclusion

The prompts in this handout will help you identify ways that you can use social-emotional learning strategies to build relationships and foster empathy in your classroom.

The handout is part of our Back to School Toolkit, which also features a variety of back-to-school activity ideas and suggestions for establishing classroom routines.

Activity

Students reflect on a meaningful, inspirational, or thought-provoking quotation.

The back of a white book with a quote from Brianna Wiest which reads "I thought becoming myself was improving each part piece by piece. But it was finding a hidden wholeness seeing the fractures at the design."

Activity

The Rose, Thorn, Bud exercise increases students' self-awareness as they reflect on recent successes, challenges, and opportunities.

A bush of blooming red roses.

Activity

Students communicate how they are feeling in response to a chosen prompt, giving teachers a pulse on the class’s opinions or well-being.

A person holding a rectangular white photo frame near a body of water.

Activity

Read aloud a chapter of a book your students are interested in to build community around stories and storytelling.

Person sitting on the floor while holding a book.

Activity

Students identify their strengths and areas for growth in a journal reflection.

A student in a grey sweatshirt looks down at a paper with a pencil in hand.

Activity

Students get an opportunity to give feedback about the class and communicate their needs and worries.

A person holds a compass in their hand with the ocean in the background.

Activity

Students share how they are feeling, what their needs are, and what goals they’d like to set in an exit card.

A person holds a glass door open with a backpack over one shoulder.

Collection

These opening and closing classroom routines will set a welcoming tone, allow students to connect with one another, and encourage goal setting.

Two students in conversation while looking down at a laptop computer.

Activity

Students explore the relationship between our names, identities, and the societies in which we live.

A pile of "Hello my name is" nametags and sharpie markers sit on top of a desk.

Activity

Students identify an object that holds special meaning and learn about each other by sharing the stories of these special items.

A person holding a rectangular white photo frame near a body of water.

Activity

Students analyze a poem in order to determine the qualities of a classroom community where members are seen, valued, and heard.

Two students look at each other in conversation. One student is also taking notes.

Collection

These first-week-of-school activities create welcoming learning environments that prioritize care, relationships, and community.

Students sit around a table working on a big paper activity while receiving feedback from an educator.

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The resources I’m getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

— Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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