circle-time

circle-time

Plan ready-to-run PreK-2 morning meetings sized to a requested duration and calibrated to age. Every plan is printable and teacher-runnable without additional prep.

When to trigger

Use this skill whenever a user asks for a circle-time plan, morning meeting, opening routine, calendar/weather segment, greeting or closing song, or transition/SEL activity for PreK through 2nd grade. Teachers may phrase the request many ways — trust the description keywords, not a strict format. If the only thing missing is the age band, ask one clarifying question. Otherwise proceed with defaults.

Inputs

Parse these from the user's request:

• Age band — PreK (3-4), K (5-6), 1st (6-7), 2nd (7-8). Required.
• Theme — weather, feelings, letter/number of the day, seasonal, SEL topic, community helpers, nature, book-of-the-week. If absent, suggest two and pick one.
• Duration — 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Default 15.
• Group size — small (≤8), medium (9-15), large (16+). Default medium.
• Accommodations — sensory, bilingual/ELL, mobility, nonverbal/AAC.
• Calendar/weather included? — default yes for K-2, no for PreK.
• Date / day-of-week — optional.

Age inference (check before asking)

Phrase	Band
"preschool," "PreK," "3-year-olds," "daycare"	PreK
"kindergarten," "kinder," "5-year-olds," "TK"	K
"1st grade," "first graders"	1st
"2nd grade," "second graders"	2nd
"morning meeting" alone, no age	ask once

If age is missing and you can't infer, ask ONE question:

Quick check — which age band? PreK · K · 1st · 2nd

Accept freeform ("PreK circle time about apples, 15 min, small group, sensory-sensitive child") or structured prompts.

Workflow

1. Parse inputs; fill defaults.
2. Compute per-segment time budget from the age calibration table below.
3. Load references/tunes.md and compose original lyrics to a public-domain tune that matches the theme, age, and meter.
4. Load references/books.md and pick one primary and one alternative picture book matching theme + age (title + author).
5. Load references/finger-plays.md for movement; pick one that fits group size; always include a seated alternative.
6. Load references/sel-frameworks.md and choose the check-in protocol (thumbs, colors, feelings wheel, one-word share) appropriate to age.
7. Load references/transitions.md for one-line transition cues between every adjacent segment.
8. If any accommodation is flagged, load references/accommodations.md and apply substitutions inline (not as footnotes).
9. Assemble the markdown plan in the 8-section output order below.

Output — required sections in this order

Every plan must include every section below (calendar is included only when requested). Place a one-line transition cue between every adjacent pair of segments.

1. Header — theme, age band, duration, date (if supplied), total estimated time, and a materials list.
2. Greeting (2-3 min) — named greeting ritual (handshake, wave, name song, ball pass) with teacher script.
3. Song (2-3 min) — full original lyrics (≥2 verses or 4 lines), tune attribution in the form "to the tune of [public-domain tune]," and hand motions if applicable.
4. Calendar / Weather / Attendance (2-3 min) — only if the user requested it or the age band defaults to yes. Include day-of-week chant, weather observation prompt, and attendance cue.
5. Theme Discussion (3-5 min) — 3-5 open-ended questions + 2-3 vocabulary anchor words + an optional visual-aid suggestion.
6. Movement or Finger-Play (2-3 min) — named activity with step cues AND a seated alternative listed inline.
7. Story Time (3-5 min) — primary book (title + author) + one alternative (title + author) + 2-3 pre-reading prompts + 2-3 post-reading prompts.
8. SEL Check-in (1-2 min) — feelings protocol (thumbs / colors / feelings wheel / one-word share) with teacher script.
9. Closing Ritual (1-2 min) — transition-out song or chant + preview of the next activity.

Between every adjacent segment, insert a one-line teacher transition cue (e.g. "Criss-cross applesauce, hands in your lap — it's song time!").

Total per-segment times must sum within ±2 minutes of the requested total duration.

Age calibration

Band	Max segment	Language	Movement	Calendar math
PreK	5 min	5-7 word sentences, concrete nouns	Lots, frequent standing	No
K	10 min	Short sentences, 1-2 new vocab words	Moderate, ≥1 standing activity	Yesterday/today/tomorrow
1	10 min	Full sentences, 2-3 vocab words	Moderate	+ days-remaining, number-of-day, patterns
2	12 min	Longer discussion, early writing prompts in closing	Any	+ date-math, early place-value

Discussion questions escalate from concrete ("What did you eat for breakfast?") at PreK to reflective ("When is a time you felt proud?") at 2nd.

Locked defaults

• Songs: Original lyrics set to public-domain tunes (Twinkle, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Wheels on the Bus, Frère Jacques, Row Row Row Your Boat, etc.). Write fresh words each time that fit the theme and meter.
• Books: Title + author suggestions. Always include one alternative in case a title is out of print.
• Holidays: Default to nature/seasonal framing (harvest, lights, spring). Offer tradition-specific versions on request.
• Inclusive language: "grown-up at home" / "family" / "the people who love you." Diverse authors and family structures in book picks by default.
• SEL default: Responsive Classroom four-component structure (greeting, sharing, group activity, morning message). Conscious Discipline phrasing available on request.

Micro-example (what a generated plan looks like — trimmed)

User: "15-min circle time for K on feelings, medium group"

Inferred: K, theme=feelings, 15 min, medium. No clarifying question needed.

# Circle Time — Kindergarten · Feelings · 15 min

**Materials:** feelings-faces cards, classroom carpet spots.

## 1. Greeting (2 min)
Name song to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat":
  Hello, hello, hello friends, glad to see you here…
  [4 lines, continues with each child's name in turn]

→ "Criss-cross applesauce, hands in our laps — song time!"

## 2. Song (3 min)
"My Feelings Face" — to the tune of "If You're Happy and You're Knowing It"
  When I'm happy and I know it, show your smile (big grin!)
  When I'm grumpy and I know it, show your frown …
  [2 more verses: sad, excited]

## 3. Theme Discussion (4 min)
Show feelings-faces cards. Ask:
  - Have you ever felt the way this face looks?
  - What makes you feel happy? Sad? Excited?
…
(Calendar/Weather, Movement, Story, SEL Check-in, Closing follow.)

Every adjacent segment has a one-line transition cue.

References (load on demand)

• references/tunes.md — public-domain tune catalog with meter, syllable patterns, age fit, and composition rules for writing ORIGINAL lyrics.
• references/books.md — picture-book catalog by theme — title + author + one-line summary + age band only.
• references/finger-plays.md — age-appropriate finger-plays and movement rhymes with seated alternatives.
• references/transitions.md — transition chants, call-and-response cues, visual-cue strategies, teacher scripts.
• references/sel-frameworks.md — Responsive Classroom (default) + Conscious Discipline (alt) briefs, feelings check-in protocols.
• references/accommodations.md — bilingual, sensory, mobility, AAC, religious-neutral, inclusive-family substitutions.

Edge cases

• Mixed-age request: calibrate to the younger band; add "stretch prompts" for older children.
• Large group (16+): prefer whole-group call-and-response over individual shares; pace for transitions.
• First week of school: emphasize name-learning greetings, low-demand SEL, predictable structure.
• Rainy / indoor-only: favor finger-plays and seated movement; no "go outside" activities.
• Sensory-sensitive: pick visual transition cues over auditory; swap loud activities for breathing or quiet finger-play.
• Bilingual: offer key vocabulary and greetings in English + L2 (default Spanish, or user-specified).
• Nonverbal / AAC: offer point-to-picture paths, thumb scales, and 5-second pauses after each prompt.