Are you looking for fresh ideas to make your morning meeting or circle time more engaging and meaningful? In this blog, I’m joined by special educator Jenn Adams, who shares her favorite tips and tricks for creating a morning meeting that truly works for all learners. From building consistent routines to creatively supporting communication, Jenn brings practical strategies and real-life examples that will inspire you to rethink how you start the school day. We also dive into the importance of teamwork, problem-solving, and how to adapt your morning meetings to meet the unique needs of your students—no matter where they’re at.
Meet Jenn Adams
Tara: Hey there, friends! Today, I’ve got Jenn from Teach Love Autism with me. We’ve been chatting a bit before recording, and let me just say—we’re going to be teacher besties in no time! I’m so excited for you to meet her.
Jenn: Hi, everyone! I’m Jenn, and if you’ve seen me online, you might know me as Teach Love Autism. That’s the name of my blog and social media. I’ve been teaching for about 17 years now. I actually started in general education, working mostly with younger students in early childhood. But it was tough to find a teaching job back then, so I decided to go back to school and get certified in special education. That’s when I got my master’s degree too.
Tara: Wow, I didn’t realize you started in general ed! That experience definitely gives you such a great perspective. What made you move into special education?
Jenn’s Journey: From the Classroom to Coaching
Jenn: It was kind of a journey. I took a job in a middle school autistic support classroom—way outside my comfort zone, because I thought I’d be a kindergarten teacher forever. But I ended up loving it! I stayed in that role for seven years. Then I moved to a cyber school and taught virtually for three more years. Now, I’m an instructional coach for special education teachers in autistic support, life skills, and emotional support programs. It’s been such an adventure, especially learning how to support students virtually.
Tara: That’s amazing. And I totally agree—virtual teaching is not easier. I remember those days of distance learning during COVID. Trying to keep three- and four-year-olds engaged on a screen? That really stretched all of us!
Jenn: Absolutely. And with students on the autism spectrum, engagement across a screen adds even more challenges. But we find creative ways to make it work.
Tara: You’ve had such a wide range of experience. I can tell your heart is really in this work. I felt the same spark when I first worked with autistic students. Even though I didn’t learn much about autism in college, as soon as I started student teaching, I just knew—it was where I was meant to be.
Okay, let’s get into what we’re here to talk about today: morning meeting! I hear from so many teachers in the Autism Little Learners community about how hard it can be to make circle time or morning meeting work in an autism classroom. Especially when you’ve got students who are non-speaking or just starting to use AAC. So, how do we create predictability, keep things engaging, and reach all of our learners?
Making Morning Meeting Work in an Autism Classroom
Jenn: That’s such a great question. I’ve used morning meeting in every classroom I’ve taught—general ed and special ed. I never skip it. It really sets the tone for the day. My goal has always been to create a routine that brings structure and comfort, but also excitement and engagement.
Tara: Yes! That structure is so important, especially for autistic students.
Jenn: Exactly. Students on the spectrum thrive when they know what to expect. But honestly, we all do! I always think about how I feel walking into a conference—I want to know the schedule, what’s next, when’s lunch… kids are no different. They feel safer and more ready to learn when there’s a predictable start to the day.
Tara: That’s such a good point. So what did your morning meeting actually look like?
Differentiating to Meet Every Learner’s Needs
Jenn: I had multiple modes going at once. I had a bulletin board with visuals, a Smart Board with interactive elements, and materials for the students to use at their seats. It sounds like a lot, but once the routine was set, it flowed really well.
I even gave students jobs. One student might run the bulletin board part, rotating each week. It gave them a role, something to look forward to. That’s a great way to boost engagement.
Tara: Love that. Giving them ownership—such a great idea!
Jenn: And it’s the perfect time to work in AAC. I would hold up a number or a day of the week, and students could respond using their devices. I also had symbol cards that matched what was on their AAC systems. When students are just learning to use AAC, it really helps to see and use symbols they’re familiar with.
Over time, we would start to generalize those symbols to other contexts, but first, it’s all about making that connection—seeing the symbol, hearing the word, and understanding what it means.
Tara: That’s such a great strategy. And it ties in beautifully with everything we talk about here—meeting kids where they are and setting them up to succeed.
So Jenn, I know you mentioned earlier you taught middle school. But you’ve also spent time in Pre-K, right?
Start Small with Morning Meeting
Jenn: Yes, I have! I actually taught middle school for years, but I also had two years in a Pre-K setting—and in college, I worked at an early childhood center as my part-time job. So I definitely remember trying to corral those little ones and keep them on the carpet during circle time. It’s such a different world, but stamina-building is huge at any age.
Tara: Totally. And that idea of stamina—it's not just for littles! We always talk about it in early childhood, but middle schoolers need it too, right?
Jenn: Oh, 100%. I used to tell my paraprofessionals, especially the new ones, “We have to build our stamina for everything we do in the classroom.” At the beginning of the year, our goal was always to get to a full 30-minute morning meeting—but we never started there. Some years, especially when I had returning students, we could jump in quicker. But most years? We were starting from the ground up.
Tara: Yup. You have to start small. Add in those predictable pieces and build from there. I used to have teachers visit my classroom from other districts, and they'd say things like, “Your kids are just so much higher than ours.” And I’m like, “Nope. I promise—we’ve just been doing this a long time, slowly, with lots of repetition.”
Jenn: I got that all the time too. Elementary teachers would be like, “Well, of course your middle schoolers can do that!” And I’d say, “Come observe in September. We’re starting at square one just like you.”
Tara: Exactly! And with little ones, maybe they’re there for just three minutes at group time. That’s okay! Some kids might check their schedule and head to another activity. Others, especially returning students, might stay longer. It’s fine if I end up with just two kids left at the rug—I still want to give them the morning meeting experience they can handle.
Making Greetings Meaningful (and Fun!)
Tara: Okay, so let’s talk greetings. That’s such a big part of morning meeting—whether it’s Gen Ed or Special Ed. It’s a great opportunity for using AAC, building social skills… Have you tried any creative ways to help autistic students engage?
Jenn: I loved using a greeting choice board! Sometimes I’d have a spinner version that the kids could use—they’d spin it, pick a friend, and then choose how they wanted to greet them. Fist bump? Elbow? Just say “hi”? And then we supported them in whatever way they could communicate that—maybe they found “hi” on their core board and showed it to a friend.
Tara: That’s so good. And I love how that ties into naturalistic teaching—like modeling how to use the core board in the real world.
Jenn: Yes! We’d teach them to hold up the core board so their friend could actually see it—because that’s what you’d need to do if you’re out in a restaurant or somewhere. Same goes for AAC devices—turn up the volume, make eye contact. Just those little things that help in real life scenarios.
Tara: And giving choices is huge. Everyone wants autonomy! That’s such a powerful way to reduce power struggles—especially with kids who really value doing things their way.
Jenn: Exactly. I’d have paras ask me, “Why are you giving them a choice? They need to follow directions.” And I’d say, “Sure, but they also need to learn how to make a choice. That’s just as important.” Giving them structured choices builds independence and reduces prompt dependence over time.
Calendar, Weather, and Hitting the Standards
Tara: So, let’s talk calendar and weather time. Some Gen Ed preschool classes do it, but I didn’t always include calendar in my classroom—it just didn’t make sense developmentally for my three-year-olds. But I did touch on weather when it felt meaningful. What about you?
Jenn: I definitely used calendar time more with my middle schoolers—but in a functional, accessible way. We’d count the days, which was great for working on numbers. I also color-coded the numbers and introduced patterns—AB, ABB, even ABC sometimes. It was a fun way to sneak in those math concepts.
Tara: Yes! And I know for some teachers, especially in special education, it’s hard to justify morning meeting when admin is looking for standards. But there are ways to work them in.
Jenn: Oh, for sure. I’ve heard from so many teachers—“I’m not allowed to teach morning meeting because it doesn’t hit standards.” So we get creative! Counting, patterns, identifying numbers—those are all in the standards. Especially in the younger grades.
Tara: And weather?
Jenn: We’d pull up the weather report on the smart board and start small—like, “Look, there’s a sun!” Then we’d build up to temperatures, what the numbers mean, and how to dress for the weather. I’d use visuals to connect abstract concepts—hot vs. cold—and we’d even do an activity where we dressed someone for the day based on the weather.
Adapting and Evolving Your Morning Meeting
Jenn: One year, I was stumped. It was the beginning of the year, and you’re in that phase where you're planning things, trying to figure out how you're going to structure your classroom. That year, I had three students who were non-speaking, using devices or core boards for communication—very much those learners who really needed that core vocab time I was just talking about, and not as much of the traditional calendar and weather focus. They needed more functional communication.
Then I also had three students who really needed to be pushed academically. And I just remember thinking, “How am I going to make morning meeting work for this group?” Because they had such different needs.
Tara: Yeah, that’s a tricky combo.
Jenn: Right? And I was like, “I don’t want it to feel like a waste of time for anyone.” So I ended up kind of splitting my morning meeting into two parts. I’d start with the whole group—we’d do a song, some greetings, just getting everyone engaged. Then I’d break it off a bit. The students who needed that intense functional communication work would stay with me for some targeted instruction. The others would go with a para and work on something a little more academically challenging.
Tara: That’s such a smart way to do it. It still feels like community time, but you’re differentiating within it.
Jenn: Exactly. And I think that’s something I want teachers to feel empowered to do—make morning meeting work for your students. There’s no one right way. It doesn’t have to look like everyone else's classroom.
Tara: Totally. And it’s so encouraging to hear that even when you’ve been doing it for years, you still have to pivot sometimes.
Jenn: Oh, for sure. Every group of students is different. Some years, the stuff I did last year just doesn't work—and that’s okay. You just adjust. And honestly, that’s part of the beauty of teaching. You’re always learning and growing with your students.
Tara: Yep. And sometimes the best “curriculum” is just knowing your students and what they need that year. Thanks, Jenn—this was packed with so many helpful, real-life ideas. I know teachers are going to walk away from this feeling encouraged and ready to try new things in their morning meetings.
Jenn: Thanks for having me! I love talking about this stuff and hope it helps others feel a little more confident and excited about trying something new.
Connect with Jenn Adams
Jenn's website Teach Love Autism
Teach Love Autism Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachloveautism/?hl=en
Teach Love Autism Teachers Pay Teachers Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/teach-love-autism
Listen to the podcast episode #119
More on the Blog:
Circle Time For Special Education
Why Predictable Routines Are So Important For Autistic Preschoolers
If you use visual supports in your classroom or home, you are going to want to sign up for this free Visual Supports Starter Set ASAP! Click here to have one sent to your inbox. Also, be sure to read more about visual supports and how they can help autistic children here.
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