How to Have a Star Student of the Week
Highlighting a star student of the week each week is a great way to learn about your students and build classroom community. I love doing this with my students because you can learn SO much about them and the project is really led by them. This is a great way to highlight various cultures and individuality among your students. Help celebrate your students by making each day of their week special. I do this by giving students time during our morning meeting each day to “celebrate” or share something unique about them.
Monday: Student of the Week Poster Share
Give students time to display and share their posters that they have worked so hard on. Typically, this is the longest day. However, I give students a lot of time to share and then allow the other students to ask questions about the poster. I love to highlight four categories: about me, my family, my favorite things and when I grow up. You can read more about how I have students share this portion of their work here.
Tuesday: Special Items
On Tuesday, I allow students to bring in 2-3 special items from home. These can be toys, books, special photos, and more. I let them share the items with the class and then the other kids can ask questions about these items.
Wednesday: Parent Letter
On Wednesday, I have parents send in a letter about their student that I read aloud to the class. This is a special moment because parents will share what makes their child special. This is usually a really cool moment for the student, but is also very moving for everyone. I ask for the letter on Monday so that if a parent forgets I have time to write a letter or have time to ask another adult at the school to write a letter about the student.
Thursday: Book Share
On Thursday, I have students share their favorite book with the class. They can read either the whole book (if it is short) or an excerpt of the book aloud to the class. This is a great way to get students excited about new texts while also letting students share more about themselves.
Friday: Star Friends
On Friday I do two fun things. First, I allow students to bring in their favorite treat. This is of course only allowed if your school allows snacks. Second, I let the rest of the class spend time making a book for the “Star Student”. They can write a compliment, a favorite memory, something new they learned or something that they like about the student in the book. I have them write at least 3 good sentences and then add a picture. While the other students work on that, I have the star student make a cover for their book. At the end of the day, I staple it together for the student to take home. It always makes a special memory for the students.
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What do you do to help your star student of the week feel special? Drop it in the comments below!