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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What to do on the first day of school of using Whole Brain Teaching?

The hardest part of any journey is the first step. The same is true for implementing any new technique or strategy in your classroom. Change is hard. The unknown can be scary. But there's no reward for those risks not taken. So... if you are thinking of using WBT in your classroom next year...make the decision to JUST DO IT! :) The community of Whole Brain Teachers around the world is the most supportive and helpful group of people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. There are hundreds of resources available at your fingertips, and many people are available to answer your questions (and hold your hand if needed) along the way.

When I decided to start using WBT techniques in my classroom, it wasn't a hard decision. After watching hours of YouTube videos and downloading as many free eBooks from the website as I could...I knew I had to start using the strategies right away. It wasn't a choice. It was a calling. I know that now. But, to be truly transparent, you need to know that I embrace change. I love trying new things and am constantly modifying what I do in my classroom. I've never taught the same lesson in the same way twice. Change is relatively easy for me. For many, that's not the case. Whether you embrace change or run screaming from it, my hope is that this post will help you feel more prepared and confident to walk into your first day of school.

And I've recently learned that some schools start the new school year in July and September! That's crazy. But that's off-topic. :)

Back to our original question...What should you do on your first day of using WBT? This post is written for those that teach class periods or blocks or different students throughout the day. If that's you...keep reading. And, even if you have one group of kids all day, you may find some helpful tips below. Please leave a comment after you're finished reading, I love the feedback!

Greet your students in the hall. (5 minutes)
This may sound strange, but doing this immediately lets your students know that there's something a little different about your classroom. Have them line up outside your door.

When the bell rings, start by saying, "Please look at me." It sounds funny, but what will happen is you will get a few more kids looking at you who weren't previously, and it sets the tone that you are in control of the environment.

Next, you are going to welcome them and quickly introduce yourself.. Say something like, "I'm so excited to meet all of you today. I'm Ms. P, and I'll be your teacher for the year."

Finally, you are going to teach them the class yes. You can say, "We will be doing a lot of moving and talking in class this year, and I need to be able to get your attention very quickly. To do that, we use something called the 'class yes'. When I say class, you say yes. Class! (a few of your students will say yes). Good. Now however I say class, that's how you say yes. If I say "Class Class!" then you say...(a few of your students will say "Yes Yes!'" You can try a couple varieties of class yes, and praise your students for their attention.

Now your students are ready to enter your room. Give them directions as to how they are to find their seats. I prefer to have a seating chart posted on my SMARTboard, and ask that students use that to find their assigned seat. While they are doing this, I take careful observations of who are the leaders, the followers, the clowns, the shy ones, and the clueless.  Yup, I said the clueless students. You know you've got some. We love them anyway. :)

Learn everyone's name. (10 minutes)
The best, most extraordinary way that I've found to learn students' names is called The Name Game. It's very simple. Tell the kids that you need their help to learn everyone's name. As you point to a kid, they tell you their name. Point to a kid, "Johnny". Point to a kid, "Sue". Point to a kid, "James". Then you repeat the names, in order, two or three times, while you point to them. (Johnny, Sue, James, Johnny, Sue. James." Then the whole class says the names together. "Johnny, Sue, James."

Now you go on to the next three kids. Point to them, one at a time, and they each say their names. Then, go back to Johnny, and say all of the kids' names in order two or three times. Then the class says all of the names in order with you.

Repeat this until you've gotten through the whole class. Don't forget to call a Class Yes if they start having too much fun and losing control. Reign them back in with the Class Yes.

Now, here's the magic: If you forget a name, ask the class 'Who is this?" And then say, "You got it, great job!" Even if you know the kid's name, you can still use this trick. The point here is not to just learn the names yourself, but to engage your students into learning each other's names as well. Don't be afraid to make a mistake - this is your chance to show your kids that you are human and that you know how to laugh! There should be a lot of laughing and fun in the game. And it really does work! The next day I silently play the game again to myself while they are working on something. I repeat that every day for a few days, and usually within the week I know all kids names. Even when they change clothes. Even in the hallway. Oh yeah.

 Slowly introduce Teach OK. (5 minutes)
Getting buy in on this is absolutely critical. So a slow entrance works best. First, you want to sprinkle in moments, right from the start of class, where you have the kids say things to each other. For example, when you are giving directions for the Name Game (above), you could say something like, "I need your help to learn everybody's names. I want to have all of your names memorized in the next ten minutes. Tell your neighbor, "She can't do it!" Well, let's see if I can!"

Do this several times, where you ask each kid to "Tell your neighbor..." Tell them exactly what you want them to say. You want to get them used to the fact that they won't be allowed to sit there and blend in. No one is under an invisibility cloak. This is a talking class, and everybody gets to talk. You're giving them the exact phrase to repeat so there's no fear of having to come up with something. You also want to have them say funny things to each other, which shows them that it's ok to laugh and have fun!

After you've had them tell their neighbor a few specific things, now it's time for them to "Tell your neighbor everything I just said." This next scaffolded step towards the teach ok gets them used to using their own words to repeat something you've said.  A great example is to list out everything they need to bring to class. You might say, "For this class, you will need to bring your folder, notebook, agenda, and pencil. Folder, notebook, agenda, and pencil." As you list these things out, use your "big counters". Hold four finger up with your left hand, then swing your right hand around in a big way to land on each finger of your left hand. When you say folder you swing your right hand around to the first finger on your left hand. When you say notebook you swing your right hand around to the second finger on your left hand, etc. Then say, "Now tell your neighbor, using your big counters, everything I just said."

Using big counters is a great way to get kids using gestures, which is the next step.

Introduce Mirror Words. (10 minutes)
Explain to the kids that when you say "Mirror Words", they say, "Mirror Words" and raise their hands ready to mirror your gestures. Then whatever you do and say, they do and say. More on how to keep kids engaged with Mirror Words (and get their buy-in). For now, you are just introducing it. You can do a silly mirror check, wave your arms around crazily, get them laughing as they follow you. It's important to practice using mirrors here, and with limited time in upper grades, the best practice is with something you need to tell them on that first day (like we did with the supplies in step 3). For me, I go right to the rules. I have them mirror me as I teach them all five rules.
Rule 1: Follow directions quickly (swim your right hand through the air like a fish swimming forward)
Rule 2: Raise your hand for permission to speak) raise your right hand, then make a talking motion with your hand)
Rule 3: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, aaahhhh (raise your right hand, then walk your two fingers through the air, then throw your right arm back into the air for the "aaahhh")
Rule 4: Make smart choices (use your right pointer finger to tap your temple three times)
Rule 5: Keep your dear teacher happy (make a picture frame underneath your face with both hands and smile!)
After I have shown them and had them mirror each rule, I'll ask them to TURN and tell their neighbor each of the rules over and over. Notice the continued scaffolding towards the teach okay. Earlier they said something to their neighbor, then they explained something to their neighbor, now I'm asking them to TURN and tell their neighbor OVER and OVER.

Teach the full Teach-Okay. (10 minutes)
Now you're ready to show them the entire Teach-Okay. Tell them that all class period long you've been asking them to talk with their partner and that in this class they will be talking more than you. In this class, they will get to talk almost the entire class period most days. That will get their attention.

Explain that you when you clap twice and say, "Teach!" they will clap twice and say "Okay". Have them practice this a few times.

Next explain that after they say Okay, they will do a full turn to their partner, shoulders facing shoulders. Have them practice this a few times. Get their attention back with a class yes. Now have them tell their partners that your Grandma moves faster than them. What was rule 1 again? Have them tell you with the gesture. And have them practice the teach Okay with full turn a few more times, faster.

Finally, show them that after their full turn, their arms should be up ready to gesture. Have them just practice the teach, okay, full turn, arms up to the routine a few times. Praise those groups loudly that are doing great. Say things like, "This side is doing great, I'm not so sure about that side over there." but be very vague about which side you're talking about. Be mysterious, it keeps them on their toes.

Now you're ready to use the Teach-Okay. Here's where I fit in all of the other stuff that I'm "supposed" to do on the first day. All of the administrative stuff that I am supposed to do can be given in short segments, using mirror words to highlight the key ideas, and followed up by a Teach okay. Before the first time, you'll need to say, "Now when I clap twice and say teach, you clap twice and say ok...then you're going to do a full turn, make big exciting gestures, and TEACH your neighbor over and over what I just said. Imagine that you are now the teacher, and you have to explain it to your partner. Keep explaining xyz (insert a reminder of whatever it is you just talk them), over and over, until I call you back with a class yes. 

DONE! IN 40 minutes, you've taught the class yes, mirror words, 5 rules, and Teach-Okay.

Disclaimer: It is YOUR classroom. Nothing in this post is meant to be absolute. It is an example of what you can get done in an upper-grade or an elementary classroom in 40 minutes on day 1. Every school and classroom is unique, so it's up to you to tweak these examples to fit your needs. If you have any trouble figuring out how to do that, please leave a comment; I'd love to help!

Next up...Day 2: the Scoreboard, complete sentence answers, and Brainies! Coming soon...

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Back to School Shopping List

Since the students will have some supplies on the first day of school, I don't want to buy too much right now. Which is difficult. Only teachers really understand this. Every time we go to any store, but especially Wal-Mart and Target, we have our eyes open for useful things for our classrooms. Both a good and bad thing.

 I have a secret obsession with crayons. They are wonderful.
You can never have too many!

 I ran out of notebook paper last year, so I will be stocking up at back to school sales this year.

Folders are always needed. Student loses theirs or they get torn up.

I am constantly adding to my classroom library, so I will be hitting garage sales and Half Price Books pretty soon!

 I label the student's desk with nameplates. (Like most teachers.)

Give one of these to my students and they go to town. I ask them to clean to tops of their desks every now and then to help get rid of germs. They love it. They clean inside, under, the legs of their chairs, and some of the kids even did the floor around their desk! It made me laugh. They are also good for all those little spills or gross moments in the room. These come in handy!

I have the kids wash their hands with soap every time we go to the restroom, but I like to keep this in the room for after blowing your nose, sneezing, messy glue projects, and to use before lunch.

I prefer to use the fine tip markers with the kids. I like to put papers we are working on in small group in a page protector and let the kids fill it in that way. I use fewer copies and they are a little more engaged because they are using markers. The fine tips are better for that kind of work.

I am really going to be focusing on Interactive Journaling this year. I am going to buy a class set of these for my students. I am going to give them a try and then I can see if I should add them to our school supply list for next year.

This is what we asked for on the supply list. We will be decorating the fronts and using them every day. We will have a morning work journal, writing journal, reading journal, math journal and a science journal. I am really working on limiting my copies this year.

Make sure you buy many erasers and/or pencil top erasers as well because my kids always eat them in the first few weeks (teehee). I have no idea where they go!!







I use lots of page protectors for many different things. Such as, I just started using page protectors last year and I love them! You could also use your desk surface as a huge white board for the students...with the bound comp books, remind the students/parents not to tear the pages out...it makes the books fall apart!
















My students use glue sticks a lot more often than a bottle glue - less mess, easier to paste things into our Reader's And Writer's Notebooks/ Journals.

What have I forgotten? I know I will buy hundreds of pencils. Is there anything that I left off that you would die without? Let me know!! I love to see comments!

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Summer Checklist for Whole Brain Teachers

Here are some things that you may want to think about and plan as you get ready for another year (or your first year!) as a Whole Brain Teacher. Visit my post about  My To-Do List for more ideas to do in your classroom.   Please leave a comment if you have any questions!

Summer To-Do List...

• Print and laminate posters for Class-Yes, Teach-Okay, Mirror, Hands and Eyes, and Switch. You can use the ones from the WBT website, or find some great ones on Pinterest.
• Get some whiteboard tape (or just some black electrical tape) for your scoreboard
• Decide if you will be doing whole class cards or individual cards on the Super Improvers Team
• Look at the first unit that you will be teaching and identify the main emphasis topics. You may want to look at the standards you will be covering, the "I can" statements you may be using, or just think about the big ideas that you want them to remember and understand all year. 
• Turn the topic into a question, answer the question in kid-friendly language, and create a simple gesture to go along with the answer. You can turn all of this into a Power Pix too! You also may want to search around - there are a lot of great WBT Teachers creating Power Pix all the time that you could use. 
• Look at the first few lessons that you will be teaching, and see how you can transform those lessons into the five-step format. Here's a free template that I use, please feel free to download a copy for yourself or create your own template and find some more on the web. 

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