Developing rituals and establishing consistent routines is a central part of MD's classroom structure. Having students know what to expect and when is crucial for them to be able to participate in the classroom community successfully. "Children need ritual," is MD's belief, and she creates varied opportunities throughout the day to structure in not only consistent ways of participating, but ritualistic activities that require collaborative participation by the whole classroom community. As the video clips below illustrate, rituals can be brief as in the daily pledge and infrequent "check-ins." And routines can be found weaving together the curriculum, as in the ways that MD introduces the work of the day. While rituals and routines make it possible to function as a first grade community, once the structure provided by them has been established, the breaking of routine is made possible.