8 Strategies For Teachers To Learn Student's Names Quickly

 Well, my accomplishment for the week is learning all 28 of my homeroom student's names! In classes, we were told that one of the most important things we can do to help build relationships with our students and begin establishing classroom management is to learn our student's names as quickly as possible and it definitely makes a difference!  I found that my students noticed immediately when I was able to greet them by name and were often surprised (I think that I learned their names before some of them could remember what mine was, haha). Knowing a student's name shows that you are paying attention, care about them and care about how the classroom is operating. I know that some students felt as though they could push the limits of some classroom policies because I was new to the classroom but as soon as I was able to call on them by name this quickly diminished. So today I wanted to help you with learning Student's Names.

What you do:

1. Greet each student at the door, ask for their name, and check it off on your roster sheet. Then look back and forth between their written name on the sheet and their face to cement the relationship in your brain. That’ll get you at least five names down right away.

2. Have students make “tent” name tags by folding the cardstock in thirds and writing their first name in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS on the part that faces you. These are instructions you can put on the board so students can start right away while you’re checking people in. I like to set a timer because I’m a control freak. Also, this is a good time to demonstrate high. If they make a silly nametag or write really small, ask them nicely to do it again

3. Ask students to introduce each other to the class.
Give students 2-3 minutes in pairs to interview each other and discover something that "no one can forget." Go around the room asking students to introduce each other, allowing about 1 minute per pair.

4. During the first part of class (going over rules, procedures, syllabus, whatever), make it a point to use as many names as possible. I like to make things extra weird and repeat each name three times.  “Can someone read the next paragraph out loud for me? Yes, Luis-Luis-Luis.”

5. When you’re done with your first day spiel, announce that you’re going to give yourself three minutes to practice and then test yourself on names. At this time, have students keep their name tags up. Run through everyone’s names repeating them out loud and take a good look at everyone’s face. At this stage I sort of pretend I’m an athlete warming up for a big competition and crack my knuckles, stretch, etc., but feel free to behave normally if you wish.

6. Have students put their name tags face down so you can’t see their names and see how long it takes for you to get them all correct. Your students will be surprisingly into it, and you will surprise yourself at how quickly you learn them all (it usually takes me less than five minutes if I’ve been using their names during class). If you have enough time, have your students time you to see how fast you can do it. Then open the floor to see if any students want to take a crack at the name game!

7. At the end of class, tell students to keep their desk tags and bring them to class for the rest of the week. You’ll forget some the following day, but by Friday you may even know last names!

8. Have kids create something.  

Author Dave Burgess suggests a first-day activity involving Play-Doh in his bestseller “Teach Like a Pirate.”  This is a fun activity, I’ve tried it. I do something different every year. This year, I’m having kids find and create mini quote posters and personal goal infographics. I’ll use them for decorating the room and refer to them for inspiration. While they’re going crazy with the research and Sharpies, I’ll have downtime to talk to each student, which helps me connect and learn names quickly. NOTE: You can do this sometime else in the school year if your students don't seem as motivated anymore. Then, they can read the quotes for motivation and keep pushing.

The best way to get off to a good start to the school year is by taking enough time to learn students’ names and build a positive classroom community. So many of us feel rushed to dive into the curriculum, but taking a quick beginning of the year pause to organize, learn names, and build community pays off in amazing results throughout the year!

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The Five Step Lesson Plan

A fundamental part of Whole Brain Teaching is the five-step lesson plan.  I love the five-step lesson plan.  Mastering this lesson plan design will move you one step closer to teacher heaven.  What makes it so great is that it is easy to follow and can be used with any lesson or program that you currently use.  All you need to do is tweak the lesson to make it fit into the five-step lesson plan.  Soon it becomes a habit, and you are automatically writing up every lesson that you teach in this format.

Step One:  Ask a question.  This sets the stage for learning because it causes your students to start thinking about what they will be learning about.  Recently, I was teaching a math lesson on more than/less than; so I asked my students the question, "What is more than less than?"  This is done using Teach-Okay.  Below is an explanation of Teach-Okay.

Teach-Okay is all about student engagement.  Its structure is designed to create 100% participation in a lesson.  The way it works is simple.  After sharing a brief chunk of information with the class (in this case the question), the teacher claps her hands twice and says, "Teach."  The students clap their hands twice and say, "Okay."  They then make a full body turn to their partner and teach the information that the teacher just shared.  At the beginning of the lesson, they simply restate the question.  

When the teacher wants the classes attention, she calls them back with a class yes.  The class is expected to immediately turn, look at the teacher, and fold their hands.  The teacher then continues with the next part of the lesson.

Step Two:  Answer the Question.  Give the students the answer to the question that you asked.  This often means providing them with a definition.  In my more than/less than lesson I defined more than less than using gestures and Mirror Words.  Sometimes I will use Silent Mirrors or Magic Mirrors  Below is an explanation of Mirrors.

Mirrors is another student engagement strategy.  Students are expected to copy the words and/or gestures of the person teaching.  The teacher begins by stating the type of Mirror that he/she will be using and using the gesture for that Mirror type.  The students then repeat the name of the mirror and copy the gesture for it.  Mirrors stay on until the teacher says, "Mirrors off."  Here are the three types of mirrors:

Mirror Words:  Students are to repeat your words and copy your gestures.

Silent Mirrors:  Students only copy your gestures.

Magic Mirrors:  You put your hands behind your back, and students create gestures for what you are saying.

Teach-Okay generally follows Mirrors.  This allows students the opportunity to teach each other, with the use of gestures, the information that you just taught them.

Step Three:  Expand.  This is where the actual teaching of content occurs.  It involves the use of Mirrors and Teach-Okay.  It involves chunking the information being taught into small segments and having the students teach that information to each other.  The rule of thumb is that a teacher should never talk more than 30- 45 seconds at a time.  Any longer and we go into lecture mode.  This is when we start losing our students.  It takes a little bit of practice at first, but after a while, it becomes a habit.  My more than/less than lesson came from a program that our grade level is using called Engage New York.  I simply took the material that I needed to cover in the concept development portion of the lesson and put it in the Mirror/Teach-Okay format.  Here is one example of this.  The lesson called for students to draw on a form that was provided three similar numbers using base ten blocks.  They then were to create their own problems using these three numbers and the more than/less than symbols.  Here is what I did.  After the students drew the base ten blocks for each number I revealed the following sentence frame:  _________is more than/less than __________ because __________________.  Then, using Teach-Okay and Tag Team Switch (In Tag Team Switch students take turns sharing.  Teachers have a set procedure on who always go first.  In my class, my students are labeled Peanut Butters and Jellies, and Peanut Butters always go first.  After taking their turns, the Peanut Butters will high five the Jellies and Jellies will take their turn.  This continues until the teacher calls the students back together using Class Yes.) the students create their own problems using the sentence frame that I provided.  Using the word because (WBT calls this a because clapper) is very important, because it asks students to give a reason (proof) for their answer.  As I walked around and listened to the students I heard lots of amazing proof.  They would say things like, "549 is more than 149 because it has more hundreds."  A couple of my higher students actually stated how many more hundreds:  "It has four more hundreds."  When I called the students back together I wanted them to hear each other's thinking.  I especially wanted the whole class to hear what my high students had to say.  So I asked those students to share.  They do not, however, share in the normal way.  They stand and using Class Yes and Mirror Words, they actually teach the class.  The class will repeat their words and gestures, just like they do mine when I am teaching.  This is the beauty of Whole Brain Teaching.  When one student shares, the whole class is still engaged!

Step Four:  Test.  This is where you check for understanding.  There are two ways to do this.  This first is with Yes/No Way.  The teacher makes a statement.  For example, 335 is greater than 353.  The students respond with "Yes!" (and a fist pump) or "No Way!" (hands-on forehead and then quickly pulled off)  The other way to test is called QT (question time).  When you say QT to your students, they should say, "Cutie."  They then put their heads down and lay their hands flat beside their hands.  The teacher then makes the same type of statements that were used in Yes/No Way, but this time students keep their heads down and respond with either a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  The teacher uses a clipboard to note which students need additional help.  Based on the results, you can choose to either move on to step four or go back to step three and reteach.  Please note that Yes/No Way is optional, but QT should be used in all of your lessons.

Step Five:  Critical Thinking.  This step asks students to engage in higher-order thinking skills.  It is a critical component and should not be left out.  Often it will involve writing.  In my more than/less than lesson, this was the question that I asked my students:  Noah's number was 353.  Manuel had 35 tens and five ones.  Who had more?  How do you know?  Students had to write out their answer and show their proof.  

It is important to note that you do not have to do all five components in one day.  Depending on the subject, the time, and the material to be covered; I will often do steps one through three the first day.  The next day I will spend some more time on step three, and then go on to steps four and five.

I have found this format to be extremely successful.  The students are engaged throughout the entire lesson; this means few if any, behavior problems, the students are excited about learning; they retain more information; and they have not asked me once this year, "How do I _____________."  They got it through the lesson format because they were engaged!  If you have not yet tried the five-step lesson format, I would highly encourage you to do so.  I can promise you that you won't be sorry.

Links below for 5- step templates

5 step template

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Whole Brain Teaching Series! Super Improvers Wall

This is my eighth Whole Brain Teaching Series post and so I am happy to present you with information on the "Super Improvers Wall"! I hope that this focus on a specific WBT strategy is helpful to those of you who are wishing to learn more about how a certain strategy may work. Last time I highlighted "Mind Soccer".

     The "Super Improvers Wall" is a fun and long-lasting method used to increase student motivation WITHOUT pinning students against one another. I strongly believe that we, as teachers, should focus on creating respectful learning environments that not only foster a sense of community amongst our students but also ensure that our students feel safe. Although competition can be a great motivator for some students, competition amongst peers can often leave students feeling inadequate, embarrassed or ashamed. These types of experiences leave our students with a negative view of the task/subject or even a negative view towards school in general! What I like about the "Super Improvers Wall" is that it is based on students beating their own personal goals, whether they are academic, social, or behavioral. No two students are ever EXACTLY the same at something and each student can have their own goals so competition between classmates is minimized if not eliminated. The following describes the "Super Improvers Wall" as it is stated by Chris Biffle in the free WBT e-book, Whole Brain Teaching Model Classroom (pg 7).

** You must have a free account to access and download the free e-books

      "When you observe students improving in any classroom activity... put their name on your Super Improvers Wall. As you note the continued improvement in any learning or social activity, add stars after the child's name. When a kid has accumulated five stars, then something special happens.

    Bring in your camera and take the students picture with any friends he or she chooses. Encourage the kids to make funny faces. Children love to see pictures of themselves making funny faces.

     Develop the picture and bring it to class. Do not show the child the photo but replace their name on the Super Improvers Wall with the picture, image side to the wall. At this point, the child wants, almost more than anything in the world, to have the photo turned around and see his/her funny face picture with their friends.

     As you note continued improvement... put a star on the back of the photo. When the photo has five stars, make a big production of turning it around. Viola! Announce that your Super Improver has become a Student Leader! We almost guarantee that at least once a day, the student and her friends will go up and look at the picture.

     What should student leaders do?

     Assign leaders for one day to perform, at your request, any of the following callouts: class!, hands and eyes, mirror, papers, seats, lines, switch, teach, Mighty Groan, Mighty Oh Yeah. (Depends on what Whole Brain Teaching Strategies we are using in our classrooms. You could have them be a part of any part of your classroom routine as well.) Change leader tasks daily, not everyone who has a photo turned to face outward will be a leader every day."

     Obviously, this is a strategy that is more geared towards younger-age students but perhaps there are modifications to make it more appealing/appropriate for high school age as well? I will do some brainstorming but what are your thoughts?

Check out this awesome Super Improvers Wall from "A Whole Brain Teacher"s blog

Love the flare of this one created by Heather Hansen a WBT Intern 11/12

 Check out the Whole Brain Teaching website to see Chris Biffle's instructions in context or check out the videos on Chris Biffle's YouTube channel to see this strategy in action

Thanks for checking out Whole Brain Teaching Series!

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Red/Green Writing

If you are looking for a good and easy place to get started with the WBT writing program, I would highly suggest red/green writing. To get started all you need is a green and a red pen.  Assign students a ten-minute quick write.  Make the topic open-ended so that students can not claim to be finished.  Announce the focus skill/s that you will be looking for.  At the beginning of the year start with neatness.  Then, every one or two weeks, add an additional skill that you will be looking for.  Students are responsible for both the previous skills and the new one.  As students are writing walk around with your pens.  Place a green dot next to an example of something the student did right.  For example, a word that is written very neatly, a capital at the beginning of a sentence, or an end mark used correctly.  Place a red dot next to an error, but do not say anything.  You want the student to correct the error on his/her own. As a result, your students will be much more careful when they wrote.  They would get so excited when they had all green marks on their papers.  If you want to know more about red/green writing click this: Program 531

I have given a lot of thought to what I want red/green writing to look like this year.  I used the WBT proofreading list as a starting point and created my own proofreading list, upon which I have placed the focus skills in the order that I will be introducing them during red/green writing time.  This is the list that my students will be using to do Paperclip Proofreading.  In Paperclip Proofreading, each student is given a paper clip that they clip beside their writing rules.  Each rule has a proofreading task in parenthesis next to it.  When students complete the task, they move their clips to the next rule.  As a teacher, you can tell immediately which error a student is looking for, based upon where the paper clip is at.  It is also an easy way to tell which students are following directions.  Just watch their gestures.  On the WBT website, there is a great free download called Whole Brain Writing.  There you will find additional information on Paperclip Proofreading, as well as other components of the writing program. Click here to go to my Writing Rules and Proofreading Checklist. If you can't edit this please reach out to me.

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Whole Brain Teaching Writing Program

I have found a writing system from WBT that I will be using this year and I wanted to share it with you. I can't help but reflect on all of the changes that have taken place in my classroom last year. I know it must have been some kind of divine intervention that led me to whole brain teaching, and I am forever grateful for the wonderful things it has done to my classroom.

 I am amazed at how this program actually works and the growth I have seen in students critical thinking, communication, leadership, reading, and writing skills. My only regret is that I didn't do the program in the year when I first found out about it!

This year, here's the order that I would like to introduce writing.

1. What is a sentence - Program 549- These are the basics of what a sentence needs to have in it. Even in sixth-grade, students continue to write fragments and run-on sentences.

2. Oral Writing -Program 502 - This builds off of the complete sentence lesson above, and gives daily and constant practice in starting with a capital letter, giving a complete thought, and ending with punctuation. Brain toys, such as the because clapper, example popper, and detail adder are also introduced as frames for writing different types of sentences that convey clear ideas.

3. Genius Ladder - Program 841 - This program works to add depth to sentences by adding adjectives, adverbs, and "extenders".

4. Red/Green Marker Writing - Program 531- The beauty of this program is that it allows the teacher and peer editors to focus on one specific concept and mark wherein a student's writing it was done well, and where it needs improvement.

5. What is the main idea- Program 550 - Building on the idea of writing a complete sentence, this program works, obviously, on understanding the main idea.

6. Triple Gold sentence - Program 542 - This program takes the main idea and works to add detail - building towards a topic sentence for a paragraph.

7. What is a topic sentence- Program 551  - Continuing the program above, the triple gold sentence is used to show the main idea of a paragraph.

8. What is a paragraph- Program 552 - Finally, a Triple Whammy paragraph gives a basic paragraph structure of topic sentence, detail adder, detail adder, detail adder, and concluder. This basic paragraph frame can then be enhanced through complex sentences and depth in detail.

I think the power of the WBT writing program comes from its simplicity, and its ability to be used to write college level essays. It's a starting place, with specific steps to follow and concepts to master, that can then be expanded to every grade level!

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First Day of School Reflections

Where to even begin?  Day one was better than I could have ever imagined!  The morning went so smoothly and so quickly.  It all started with "Class Yes".  From the smiles on my students' faces, I knew that they were hooked.  Rule one was a lot of fun, especially when I tied it into the scoreboard.  My favorite part of the morning, however, was the "3-peats".  What a great management tool!  If you are not familiar with them, this is how they work:  First. make a list of all of the class transitions that you want to happen quickly and smoothly, and then come up with a code word/words for each one.  Here is the list that I taught my students today:
Transition                                                                     Code Word/s
Getting out pencils                                                     Pencils Out
Getting out a folder                                                     (insert folder's color) folder
Putting pencils away                                                  Pencils away
Standing behind desks                                             Bodies and chairs
Lining up                                                                       Line
Going to the meeting area                                        Meeting area
Sitting down at desks                                                Seats
Putting a folder away                                                 Folders away
Next, teach your students that when you say the code word, they repeat that word three times as they are following the procedures that you taught for the direction.  It is amazing how quickly things happen!  To speed things up, even more, I added: "Beat the Clock" to the bottom of my scoreboard for line and folders.  Whenever I said the code word, I started counting.  I then recorded on the bottom of the scoreboard the number of seconds it took for my students to accomplish the task.  By the end of the day, we were lined up in a straight quiet line in under six seconds.  Wow!  Let's all give a ten-finger Wooh for 3-peats.

I saved the best part of the day for last.  It was oral writing with the Brainies and red/green writing all tied together.  I began with a question.  I asked the students what the best part of their day was.  I then had them put their heads down to think of an answer.  To assist them I posted the following sentence frame on the board:  The best part about today was ________________.  When students could complete that sentence in their minds they gave me a thumbs up.  I then had them share their sentence with their partners using "Teach-Okay".  It was at this time that I introduced "Tag Team Switch".  (When one student finishes his sentence, he high fives his partner and says, "Tag team.  The partner then shares his sentence.")  I then called the class back together with "Class Yes" and introduced them to the following Brainies:  capital and end mark.  Next, I had students share their same sentences again using the techniques I just described, but they had to include the Brainies.  After that, I taught students our procedures for sharing with the whole class.  They absolutely loved saying "Class" and hearing the response "yes" when it was their turn to share.  Most students remembered the Brainies when sharing, but for those who didn't, we just gave them a "You're still cool."  Then they would try again, but this time using the Brainies.  Next, I introduced the "Because Clapper".  In my plans I had written that I would introduce "Adders", but I decided to wait for them.  The "Because Clapper," just seemed to fit better.  I used the same procedures as above, but this time the students had to add onto their sentences a reason why what they chose was the best part about today.  Finally, I introduced them to red/green writing.  (I give a detailed description of what this is in a previous post.)  I asked the students to write the sentences that they had been sharing orally.  I can honestly say that I have never had such great sentences from a class on the first day of school.  Even though I was only marking for neatness, not one student in the class forgot his capital or period.  Keep in mind that I am the inclusion room, so the majority of my students have entered my room significantly below grade level.  Here is something else I did as I was walking around.  (This was not part of my red/green writing, but I couldn't resist.)  When I saw that a student had capitalized a word incorrectly - as we know many students will - I would simply point to the word and say, "Did we use a capital Brainy on this word?"  Most would say no and immediately make the letter lowercase.  Others would say no and just look at me.  I would then ask, "If we didn't use a capital Brainie, why did you capitalize the word?"  They immediately made the correction.  I seem to be using this word a lot today, but I will just say it again, "Amazing!"

In conclusion, (Wow, I just used another Brainie!  I can't wait to teach this one to my students.) WBT rocks!  Teaching has never been so much fun!  I can't wait to go back tomorrow.  Oh, I almost forgot.  An added bonus is that this is the first time since I have been a classroom teacher that I have not had a raw throat on the first day of school.  Another reason to not talk so much!

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