Almost there... 1 more day!!

I hope your first three days are going well!  My crew is making progress 1 rule at a time.  

By now most of you have taught the rules and class yes.  Some have added Mirror Words and Teach OK.  

Class Yes:  Don't forget to add VARIETY!  The kids will get bored with just class yes.  Spice it up once in awhile.  Even volume differences help a ton.  

Scoreboard:  Be sure you are only giving Smiles for BETTER behavior.  Make them earn it!  I had to remind my kinders that anytime I see behavior that is baby or preschool behavior that is a frown.  Anytime I see something that makes me think Im teaching 1st or 2nd grade that is a SMILE!  

If you have not added Mirror words I would encourage you to try it.  Any time you need them focused on what you are saying.  Great times for mirror words are when you are teaching routines.   Use 1st you .... 2nd you... 3rd you  make up actions to go with it.  

If you started TEACH OK good for you!  We are working on turning and telling in Kindergarten but we will get there!

Have a great day tomorrow and please feel free to email or call if you have any questions!  

First Day... Check!

I hope everyone had a great first day!  Since a number of you are still not able to subscribe to the blog, I just decided to send an email to the group!  

I want to encourage any of you that thought today was HARD to hang in there!  My group is a bit "challenging" and we spent the WHOLE day on just listening.   Some groups just need more practice.  Don't give up!  Use the scoreboard A LOT!  Practice right way and wrong way.  I did the wrong way and had the kids show me the right way then let them try to show the wrong way.  It helped.  

Hopefully everyone was able to get class yes and the rules done.  Mirror words were VERY helpful today.

As you head into tomorrow look at what worked and give yourself a ten finger woohoo!  Look at what was tough and take the time to do LOTS of practice.  In reality I hardly DID anything today!  Probably won't tomorrow either... that OK!  Once your class has the hang of it you will have SO much more time for teaching later!

I would love to hear what worked and what didn't!  If you have questions please let me know how I can help!  

Have a great day tomorrow!

Stacey

PS I heard a rumor from a certain NEW administrator that he heard a LOT of WBT going on in classrooms all over the district today!  SO AWESOME!  

Get Ready, Get Set....

Hi Everyone

Tuesday morning is just around the corner!  I will start my day by teaching Class, Yes wbile my class is in line.  I ask them to practice the class, yes with their eyes on me and hands together (if they are not carrying loads of schools supplies of course!)

Once we have class, yes down, I ask them to hang their backpacks then go find their seats.  I will have an activity at their table to keep them busy while we get everyone to their seat.  Then we practice class yes some more.  I ask them to go back to the work they were doing and we do class yes again.  We keep going until it looks the way it should.

Before we move on I start 3 peats.  Remember 3 peats are when students repeat what they are to do 3x.  I do it for stand up, push in your chair, carpet, seat, crayons away, etc.  We practice, practice practice!

Because I teach Kindergarten, I only teach the BIG rule, "Listen while your teacher is talking!" the first day but if I were teaching  older students I would work through all the rules the first day.  I think adding one rule per hour is a great way to do it, so that you can address some of those "smart choice" issues when you hit rule 4.

Once we have worked on the Big rule day one we add "Hands and Eyes".  I like to use hands and eyes as a "refocus" cue.  Those hands and eyes are easily distracted!

Next up, SCOREBOARD!  I use a VERY SIMPLE smiley/frowny on my easel.  I teach the kids that we are going to use the scoreboard as a GAME to see if we can win everyday!  (WE DON"T WIN EVERYDAY!)  We practice the 'Oh Yeah! and Mighty Groan! and I use the scoreboard to give them feedback on how they are doing.  I want quick responses with energy!  Remember Coach B says you have what you want... only give smiles when they are improving towards what YOU want!

Mirror, Words is next on the agenda!  I start by asking what a mirror is and what they see in a mirror.  Then we do mirror checks (I use these all year!)  My mirror checks are FUN!  Lots of crazy moves to keep them engaged and smiling.  I tell them whenever I say mirror words they repeat that and copy my words and gestures.

Of course you will have resistant students on the first day.  I love to use scoreboard and 10 finger WOOHOOs to celebrate the students who are "all in"!  I am so excited to hear how your first days go!  PLEASE let me know!

I am including YOUTUBE links below to give you some extra WBT insight into your first day!  I have had a few people tell me they could not watch my class video so that is included.  Remember I am a work in progress!  :-)  You can also refer to 122 Amazing Games! Chapter 1.

WBT the first hour!

WBT the first day

3D shapes in Kindergarten 

Stay tuned... I will be blogging my class tour (room still has guys in it!)  and each day the first week!  Jump in and enjoy the engagement and fun!

Countdown to the first day!

Hi Everyone,
The first day of school is just under two weeks away, and I am still waiting to get in my classroom and set it up!  I will be making a classroom tour video once it is set up so stay tuned!

 Some of you already attended a session at the ISD, and others are starting next week during our PD time.  Many of you have started reading the book which is great!

I have had quite a few teachers ask, "WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?"  Here are my suggestions:

Read the first chapters of 122 Amazing Games paying close attention to the CORE 4:  Class Yes, Mirror Words, Teach OK and Scoreboard.  I also would encourage you to read the section on the class rules.

You can print  Class rules posters from the WBT website, make your own,  or find free posters on TPT.  Search WBT Class Rules and you will find countless themed rule pictures.   I just made my own using digital clip art.

Think about the scoreboard and where you want to keep it.  I like to keep mine on my easel because I am near it all the time.  I have found I use my scoreboard consistently is directly relate to its proximity to my teaching area.  You may want to use a portable scoreboard on a lanyard if you move around throughout your room all day or often travel with your class.

I highly recommend watching the following videos to help you get started.

2015 Core 4 Starter Video

I look forward to seeing many of you next week at the two PD meetings!

Welcome

I am beyond excited to share Whole Brain Teaching with you!

Four years ago I was teaching two sections of Kindergarten and about to lose my mind when I stumbled across Andrea Shindler's WBT youtube video.  It rocked my world!  In the past 25 years I have taught preschool through 6th grade special education and 5 years of Kindergarten.  I can honestly say that using Whole Brain Teaching's techniques and strategies has literally changed my life.  I absolutely love teaching again.

Why do I love it?
*  My students are ENGAGED!  WBT is all about efficiency and keeping kids engaged.  As Coach B. says,  "Don't STOP  the Train!"   Using the classroom management techniques has drastically cut down on behavior issues because the kids are so busy they don't have time to misbehave!

*SO MANY STRATEGIES:  As the year continues, there are more strategies and levels to implement to keep your students engaged.  We all know that what was fabulous in September is old and boring by Decemeber for the kids and US!

*ACADEMIC PROGRESS:  Using the lesson design format and the writing strategies, I watched my students make greater academic gains than I ever could have imagined.  Most of my students exceeded the grade level expectations by more than half a grade!  My students are actively engaged in their learning and using critical thinking skills.

* FUN!!  I am having fun!  The kids are having fun!  Yes we are working our tails off, but we are having fun doing it!

*It is EASY and FREE!  This is not a curriculum!  You can take it step by step as you and your students are ready.  With the exception of the two books, everything is free.  There are tons of free ebooks on the website as well as free printables on TPT.

*It is great for ALL ages!  Across the country, teachers are successfully using Whole Brain Teaching in grades K-12!  Currently in our district there are a number of teachers K-6 who are having great success using the WBT strategies.  I hope to be sharing this with 7-12th grade teachers in the near future!   My own kids (18 and 21) wish they had teachers using these strategies.

This year as a WBT site leader, I will be here to encourage you and point you in the right direction using the countless resources WBT offers. I will also be guiding us through book studies this year which may be used for District Provided Prof Dev. hours.   There are several other teachers in the district who will also be available to answer questions and give you guidance.

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