Jamboard - An Inclusive Way To Build Classroom Norms

With this Jamboard template and lesson plan, teachers can easily create a space where everyone feels welcome and included when building classroom norms.

Like many classroom teachers, I was introduced to Jamboard during the pandemic's first school shutdown.

Since then, Jamboard has been a staple for both classroom and facilitating professional development activities.

One of my favourite applications of Jamboard is to use technology to promote student voice when creating classroom norms. By posting ideas and voting on others, students can collaboratively decide the conditions that will promote student success and wellness in the classroom.

I used Canva to make this Jamboard template. The "what worked" refers to previous learning experiences. Scroll past the graphic for a download link and sample activity to be adapted for your individualized classroom environments.

Lesson Plan | Community Building With Jamboard To Set Norms With Student Voice 

Click here to download a free copy of the Jamboard template used in this lesson plan.

Duration: 40 to 60 minutes

Dramatic Arts Concepts:  Building community, voice, collaboration

Learning Goal:  Students will collaborate to reflect on previous learning experiences to build norms to promote success and wellness.

Success Criteria: Students will be able to:

  • Populate the Jamboard with their reflections and thoughts.

  • Connect with their classmates by building on their ideas using sticky notes on the Jamboard.

  • Use their personal learning experiences to build productive norms to promote student voice, success and wellness in the classroom.

Materials:

  • Jamboard template.

Non-Digital Extension: 

The entire activity can be adapted using chart paper, markers, sticky notes and dots. 

Equity Considerations With Technology: 

Depending on your individual classroom contexts, teachers should consider booking a common space (e.g. library, computer lab) if the classroom doesn't have access to technology for all students.

Minds On: 

  • Before logging into the Jamboard, split the students into pairs or small groups.

  • Invite them to verbally brainstorm what has worked for them in the past as learners and popcorn out ideas.

  • As the teacher, you can put a series of prompting words on the board, such as: "balance of assessment, clear instructions, feeling like I belong, asking questions."

Action:

  • Invite the students to log into the Jamboard. Depending on your group of students, you may invite them to complete this task individually, in pairs, or small groups.

  • Review the goal of the activity, which is to collaborate as a classroom team to build a series of norms for the classroom.

  • Go through the Jamboard slides and pause for questions. You can use examples from your own learning experiences to explain the activity.

  • Give a set amount of time for the task. Consider displaying the time on a projector in the background. If students need more or less time, adjust accordingly.

  • Teachers may decide to scaffold the task and do one slide at a time. If using groups to complete the task, teachers can mix up the groupings between different questions.

Consolidation:

  • Review the common themes and comments on the Jamboard.

  • Develop 5 to 7 sentences from the Jamboard to add to your classroom norm document as a class.

  • Thank the students for their participation in developing the first building block of the classroom community.

Optional Extension:

  • Small groups can review the common themes and have a group member "report back" to the class their observations.

  • Invite a member or team from the class to write out the norm statements or visually represent the norm statements.

  • Print the Jamboard and display it in the classroom.

  • Develop look fors (2-3 points per) for the norms and display them in the classroom. The look fors could be broken down using feels like/sounds like/looks like as a structure.

Reflection:

Invite the students to discuss what they learned about themselves and the class during the activity. Students can popcorn out answers, write the response in their portfolio, or complete a think/pair/share with the teacher capturing the reflective thoughts for the class.  

DOWNLOAD THE RESOURCES:

To download a copy of the Jamboard, click here.

To make your own Jamboard using Canva, and access a 30 day free trial of Canva Pro, click here.