Start Building Rapport with Students Using Check-Ins

From the moment my students walk in the door, I am looking for ways to connect with them, building rapport using check-ins. 

These check-ins range from Google Forms to quick polls to use of technology and feedback strategies.

In this post, I’m sharing a few of my best strategies for checking in with students. I’m hoping you’ll find some practical ways to infuse your lesson with multiple opportunities to connect. 

Someone told me once that he made it a point to make a personal connection with each student every day. Quite frankly, that statement made my little introvert heart skip two beats. 120+ students to connect with…every day…so. much. talking. 

Right?

Well, thankfully I have found that check-ins can go beyond “Well, hello, Marci, how are you today?” Not all teachers have the same personality, teaching style, etc. Find what works for you and your students. 

And, remember, the most important thing is that students know you care. Making an effort on the daily to connect in various ways goes a long way for building student rapport AND student engagement.

What is Building Rapport?

Well, simply put, building rapport means that I’m going to try my darndest to figure out what makes each student light up. Sometimes, I stumble upon it. Most of the time, I gain this insight through consistent work with each student, taking the time to listen, and carefully planning ways to give and gain feedback from students.

It Starts With Hello

Though check-ins should extend beyond a simple “hello,” my first (and very important)  interaction is upon entry into the room. Whenever possible, I make it a point to stand at the door and greet students as they enter my room. This allows me to make eye contact, say hello, make a joke, ask them a specific question, etc. This also sends the message that I’m present and that I care.

I’m not always able to do my door greeting routine due to being in a mobile classroom and traveling between the building and the mobile (don’t even get me started on the ping-pong ball schedule I had last year that gave me so many opportunities to move around). Last year, my 4th hour class, in particular was always difficult to start in this way because I supervised study hall in the testing center, had to collect and lock up the tests, then walk (no, run) to the mobile (sometimes through ice and snow), set-up my laptop, change it to projection mode to project the daily agenda, and get ready to teach. 

I digress, but the point I’m trying to make is that I noticed very much that the lack of interaction at the door before the 4th hour made building rapport with students more difficult than, let’s say, my 8th hour. I was already in the room after my 7th hour class, so in that class, I already had everything set up, and could greet students at my leisure. This led to a more relaxed start to the hour that allowed me to make that initial point of interaction my focus.

Other Beginning of Class Check-Ins

Beyond saying hello, I try to give something for students to do as they enter the room that is interactive in nature.

Door Questions

Ask students each a question as they enter the room. I find that this or that / would you rather questions work well. In lieu of this, you can have students vote as they walk in the door. Give each student a sticker as they enter, and have them put it on a sheet of paper to vote for the day’s activity, to let you know where they are at with a draft, or just to vote on something silly.

Sticky Notes

• A quick way to group students is to have three different colored pads of sticky notes in a central location for student pick-up as they enter the room. Post clear directions so students know the criteria for grabbing one color vs. another. 
• As an example, I have had students choose from three different colors that represented where they were at in the writing process. ⁠I asked them to write down what they would have completed by the end of the period on their sticky note, along with a question for me about their work. ⁠Then, they placed their sticky note on the board. I quickly grouped students by goals, determined which students needed a conference first, and then spent the remainder of the time checking-in to ensure progress toward goals.

Do Now

• Use Poll Everywhere or a Google Classroom question to gather quick student input on a serious or content-related question (or a completely silly, random question). 
• Post an agenda with a “do now” task that allows you to circulate and work with students right away. My “do now” is always 10 minutes of independent reading time, during which I conference with students. 
• Post a different goal for student work at each station or table.
• Use motivational videos and journal responses. 

Silly Questions for the Win

My students know that I am a bit quirky. I like to keep them on their toes. One of the ways I do this is by changing-up the way I phrase questions as a check-in during the lesson. 

Which picture/book title/meme/gif/movie represents ____________?

• Last night’s reading. 
• Your current mood. 
• Your level of understanding.

Who is your favorite ___________?

• Underdog. 
• Person in the whole wide world? 
• Non-Disney cartoon character? 

Audience and Role

• Explain ___________ to a kindergarten student. 
• Explain ___________ so that your grandmother could understand it. 
• Teach ___________ to a college professor. 
• You are a mime. Explain ___________ to me. 
• As President of the Foundation for Misunderstood Fictional Characters, you must explain to ___________ why the reader feels ___________ toward him or her.

I also use a bit of humor and/or an allusion to spice up Google Form student reflections which my students fill out prior to submitting assessments.

Show and Tell

Another quick way to build rapport with students is to give them a voice in the classroom. The following check-in strategies will help you formatively assess student learning AND connect with students. 

1. Flipgrid. What I love about this platform is I get to hear every student’s voice. I also love that I can record a quick response back to each student. 
2. Highlighting a draft. Having students show you evidence of their learning through color-coding a draft helps them to be responsible for their own learning. It also can be the start of a conversation about their work. 
3. Use Nearpod or Padlet to showcase student thinking. 
4. Use a backchannel chat during student discussion.
5. Use choice boards, student discussion trackers, or authentic assessments to engage students. 
6. Feedback conferences for reading and writing.

Feedback Check-Ins

As you seek to grow student writers, I find feedback to be a powerful tool for building rapport with students. I want to build a conversation through feedback on their draft. 

• Post only questions on student drafts. They revise and respond. Then, I can respond back again. 
• Student led writing conferences. 
• Give one, get one. Students post one paragraph, one question, etc. as a response to a Google Classroom question. I set the post so that students can respond to each other. They respond. I respond. It’s a beautiful thing.

Weekly Email & Response

At the beginning of each week, I make it a point to send an email to students and parents with a brief summary of what to expect that week and a link to the week’s agenda slideshow. I ask students to respond back to a question I ask in the email and/or agenda slides. The first 10 students who respond get a piece of candy in class the next day. This becomes a friendly competition, helps incentivize students to open and look at the week’s agenda slides, and gives me another touch point with each student.

SEL Check-Ins

I have a running Google Form pinned to the top of my Classwork tab in Google Classroom that students fill out each week. Over time, I can notice trends in student responses to questions that target their emotional status, what they’re celebrating or worried about, etc. I use these trends to decide whether a student may need to be referred to a social worker or counselor or to pull aside for a quick “hey, I noticed _______ and I want you to know ________.” I’ve had students say that they went through their entire day and no one noticed that they were “off” and that they were so glad that I did. 

Running focus groups also allows me to get a sense for the temperature of the room, but more specifically what individual students may be experiencing as a participant in my room. I like to think that I’m really good and hawkish about noticing anything amiss, but there are things I miss and I’m not too proud to admit it. Making the time to routinely talk with small groups of students helps me know what’s up.Beyond this, feel free to check out this post on ways to help students build a growth mindset.

Wrapping it up

I hope that you are now thinking about ways you can check in with your students not just to say hello, but throughout a lesson. 

Check-ins for building rapport with students don’t have to be a totally separate part of the lesson. The best ones are a natural part or extension of what you already do! 

So try one of the above ideas, mix in a movement break or four-corners question, celebrate student birthdays, make your own classroom traditions, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to be yourself and let your personality, care for students, and passion for your subject matter shine through!

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to streamlined grading. I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm.

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