tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50088103941472261302024-02-19T00:49:28.423-08:00Mrs. Stoltenberg's Second Grade Class: Whole Brain Teaching in Progress!Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-1940970862357032402016-09-23T15:11:00.000-07:002016-09-23T15:20:32.644-07:00The WBT Infinite Scoreboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ElOcvi2YkxLu8ICpv_d5QeNvXhj92JvFwcHcA7SebKl4peC8r9fXCcMpN9ItYg11RWPQ2I5yicEPSUR-jZUb4zrdff0p9qy4qMDCvOD9B08ilSh60oHH-azBn9t5X41GyfC60b-zgLB0/s1600/Scoreboard+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ElOcvi2YkxLu8ICpv_d5QeNvXhj92JvFwcHcA7SebKl4peC8r9fXCcMpN9ItYg11RWPQ2I5yicEPSUR-jZUb4zrdff0p9qy4qMDCvOD9B08ilSh60oHH-azBn9t5X41GyfC60b-zgLB0/s320/Scoreboard+Image.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to introduce the <span style="color: blue;">WBT Scoreboard</span> to your
class!
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<br />
The first day I use the <span style="color: blue;">Scoreboard</span>, I have it illustrated on
the white board at the front of the classroom with a Frownie face and a Smiley
face. I want students to focus their attention there for the initial
instruction. I will show them my portable Scoreboard later.
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<b>Teacher: Class! </b>(clap,clap)<b> Class!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: Yes! </b>(clap, clap)<b> Yes!</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: You are amazing students! You have already learned Class-Yes and
Rule 1! I think you’re ready for the Scoreboard game! Tell the person next to
you with great happiness, “I’m ready for the Scoreboard game! Are you ready for
the Scoreboard game?”</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: </b>(turning to each other with great happiness and big
smiles)<b> I’m ready for the Scoreboard game! Are you ready for the Scoreboard
game? </b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: Classity, Class!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: Yessity, Yes!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: All you have to do is KEEP THE SCOREKEEPER HAPPY!! I’m the
Scorekeeper! Tell your neighbor the Scorekeeper is the teacher!! </b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: The Scorekeeper is the teacher!!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: Class! Oh, wonderful class!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: Yes! Oh, wonderful yes!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: Today, we are playing for more or less recess! Say, “I can dig
it!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: I can dig it!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: I will put a tally mark under the Smiley face when you are doing
something that keeps me happy! When I put a mark under the Frownie, that means
you are doing something that doesn’t keep me happy. Tell your neighbor, “We want
Smilies!”</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Students: We want Smilies!</b>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher: When I mark a Smiley, I will say Mighty Oh, yeah! As soon as I
lift my marker off the board, you need to QUICKLY clap your hands and shout,
“Oh, yeah!” </b>(Show students the gesture and practice it several times
together. Model the right way and wrong way. Don’t assume they know the right
way!<b>) </b>
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<b>When I mark a Frownie, I will say Mighty Groan! As soon as I lift my
marker off the board, you need to QUICKLY lift your shoulders to your ears and
give a very fast “Ugh!” </b>(Show students the gesture and practice it together.
Again, model the right way and wrong way. Don’t assume they know the right way!)
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<span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Rule 1 Practice</b></u></span><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
<b>Teacher: To begin the Scoreboard game, what keeps me happy is a class that
can follow Rule 1! What doesn’t keep me happy is a class that doesn’t follow
Rule 1! </b>(Using the Scoreboard, give more Rule 1 practice)
<br />
<br />
<b>“Stand up…Too slow!...Mighty Groan…Sit down!...A little slow…another
Mighty Groan…Now you have to be really fast…Stand up! Great job!...Mighty Oh,
yeah!...Rule 1!...Not enough gesture!...Mighty Groan!...</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
Again, remind students they have to wait for you to lift that marker off the
board before they clap their hands quickly with an, “Oh, yeah!” When you mark a
Frownie, they need to hear you say, “Mighty Groan!” before they very quickly
raise their shoulders to their ears and make a very fast “Ugh!”
<br />
<br />
The <b><u>+/- 3 Rule</u></b> is
a must with the score. Never let the difference between Frownie tallies and
Smiley tallies be more than 3! If the game is too easy, or too hard to win, your
students will lose interest! Smilies are not easily given, which makes students
work very hard to earn them. You control the score to heighten the engagement!
By using the <span style="color: black;">Scoreboard</span> consistently throughout the day, and
emphasizing that the students in your class work as a team to support each
other, student participation will stay high!
<br />
<br />
Want a fast way to energize your class and your Scoreboard? Use <b><u><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Ping Pong!</a></u></b> Students and
teachers LOVE this Power Boost!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedSWNjAQk-DN8m3fk7AenNs2D1WKLQmTrqIg7JS8GpxMg211y4n5TvjETJ53xXHSTMvwMGj7LgYuVeONGvdPpi9wsdu64NZ70Wx5PuznJFONTosvA15Hw5aUojrG_KYkdCaLeNvxzfa5b/s1600/IMG_4676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedSWNjAQk-DN8m3fk7AenNs2D1WKLQmTrqIg7JS8GpxMg211y4n5TvjETJ53xXHSTMvwMGj7LgYuVeONGvdPpi9wsdu64NZ70Wx5PuznJFONTosvA15Hw5aUojrG_KYkdCaLeNvxzfa5b/s320/IMG_4676.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Extremely important note:</b> Smilies can be earned as a result of
even one student’s special efforts, but a Frownie may only be given for a Team
mistake, not an individual error. <b>We never chastise or punish an individual
student before their peers. </b>
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<b><br /></b>
The <b>Scoreboard</b> will be a
constant in your room all year! I let my students know that in order to earn a
Smiley mark, they will need to work as hard as 4th graders! I ask them if they
think they can do it, and they always answer, Yes! So we model what 4th graders
look like when they are learning, lining up, using Mirror Words, etc. You will
be amazed at how hard they will work for that 4th grade mark! Here is an image
of a 3<sup>rd</sup> grade Scoreboard:<br />
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A complete explanation of the multiple levels of the Scoreboard can be seen at
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/intermediate/scoreboard/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/intermediate/scoreboard/</a>
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</h3>
Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-82361085910765470062015-11-03T15:56:00.001-08:002015-11-03T16:22:43.212-08:00WBT Power Pix…Foundational Core Knowledge!!<h5>
</h5>
<img alt="" border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuF1gNrOtnJlZOBzQDnB5OVv4CwAniufXRjfCVkGlINTRFjI-nv29T_GgFNOjuGVO16M2EQIH8KTaLn8WJjFhTKJLMw05_WZuL5wc8IusFJ6sMHBrukROZQlC99HTewYtersS7cfHkaeHd/s400/PowerPix+Antonyms.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /><br />
A hot topic on the Whole Brain Teaching website forum and blogs is Power Pix! What are they? How do I use them? Are they appropriate for all students?<br />
<br />
Each year, my school district has grade level teams meet to create and organize curricular pacing plans for each area of study. These plans are developed to align curriculum with state standards, now labeled Common Core. The pacing plans provide teachers a unified time table of instruction, using specific district approved materials. To ensure the continuity of instruction across the district, the plans include quarterly benchmark assessments, which later lead into mandated state testing in the spring.<br />
<br />
My experience with pacing plans through the years is that they never allowed for the time needed to fully develop certain concepts. In addition, the time required to meet the remediation needs of certain students, based on different learning styles, was not included in that time frame either. So what's a teacher supposed to do? Enter <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> and <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Power Pix</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Chris Biffle</a>, a creator of Whole Brain Teaching, states, <b>"A significiant quantity of modern brain research demonstrates that we learn best by seeing, saying, hearing and doing. When we see information, we employ the visual cortex near the rear of the brain; when we say and hear information, the language centers, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area in the brain’s left hemisphere are active. When we engage in a physical learning activity we employ the motor cortex, our most reliable memory storage area, located in a band across the top, center of the brain" </b>("2nd Grade LA Power Pix" 4).<b> </b>Mr. Biffle goes on to say,<b> "We want our students to see, say, hear and do … we want them to experience the joy and power of learning with their whole brains. Power Pix, as you will see, employ all four learning modes, and are designed to solve a very practical problem, how to teach the state standards in Math and Language Arts." </b>("2nd Grade LA Power Pix” 4).<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCagptcmp8VTTi7sbjOr6ZRYLcI5ghwG39jaydXadJWzb-tqBo-xNEUVHhZ2EYRKfRLfQeDJM6Z8hZSj-oUHJmFqMdRiZat1r9ORqKXYJBv8R7MZlsD9O-XWEcrmYhZBb-BncGSS8c0FF4/s640/PowerPix87.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" />Using Power Pix in my classroom helps to ensure my students are not only learning and comprehending the state standards, they are also able to articulate them within the district guidelines for curriculum and the district pacing plan.<br />
<br />
I introduce the Pix in the order of the pacing plan, using the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEbwZIeL544">5 Step Lesson Template (WBT Video Library)</a>. Pre-teaching a lesson by starting with a designated Pix Lesson, really helps to get your lessons off to a great start. This is particularly helpful to English Learners! Then, instead of setting the Pix aside when we move into the next chapter or unit of study, they remain posted on a grid wall for daily review. No more having to say to your class, “Remember when we were learning about synonyms last October?” No, now it’s, “C7! What is a synonym?” The gesture and answers become automatic for all learners because of the visual, verbal, auditory, and physical participation by every student in the repetition of each Pix daily!<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4leOxoetK46FD0OH9LW9G6FAm-GoOMPCxlIXOVoZ0cg1ykp0hM93BTOd0hUIiSKLz4L8y5APJAtH7wbsQCMvi5_Uqg6NSwgAXKjKdGetjfdQd7v6dUh45hjaUDcUVNbYSSI7BhAbqrN-a/s320/power+pix+3.JPG" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="238" /><br />
<br />
When the school year begins, I have already set up a blue grid wall for Language Arts and a red grid wall for Math. These walls are initially empty of Pix. I start with two Pix from LA and two from Math. They are posted on my front white board and introduced using the 5 Step Lesson Template. (When you download the free Power Pix, you will find they even come with a script to help you!) The Pix stay on the front board until the majority of your class has grasped the concept. I usually allow one week. At this point, I have a duplicate, reduced size Pix ready to go on the grid wall. (I have to reduce the size because I have limited wall space, and I want to make sure the Pix stay visible for the year.)<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwc4eVRL_6cajL37WVjtjiEPebsVxagUuOLr6REh5ATBAgOAFJeNmuQCcewQX7Lwixhs0kwc-jJSrRXteKiOavIhCjbU3zT7Bl-oHuZzxh2WnnjFMhkwdID_bS6FMBVYxiLzRH-uz2ujJ/s320/power+pix+4.JPG" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /><br />
<br />
The grid wall becomes a major cue system for recalling the standards. I make Power Pix practice a standard part of our daily morning routine. After I feel like the procedure for morning practice has become routine, I start choosing two student leaders each day to go up and call out the grid info. These students will each choose a Pix from the Math and one from the LA. For example, “B2!” The class responds back, “B2!” The student leader and the class will then recite together the Pix question with a gesture and the answer. Repeat this procedure for each of the choices the student leaders have picked that morning. Because the Pix stay visible to the class all day, they can easily be used for small group or individual instruction and review as needed. Here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032OlHFwI6Y">Video</a> of my class doing daily morning practice of the Pix with a Class Leader.<br />
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There is no limit to how you can incorporate the Power Pix into that pacing plan! Building a strong Foundational Knowledge base through the use of the Power Pix in my classroom has ultimately led to an elevated application of differentiated instruction. Being able to pull on that core knowledge to offer and support strong evidence during participation in a variety of learning environments, including PBL scenarios, students display an increase in critical thinking and individual personal growth, academically and socially. In addition, when you come to district and state testing periods, and have to cover up or remove any instructional materials from view, your students will be prepared and more confident to meet the tasks at hand!<br />
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The Power Pix are a free Ebook download at the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a> site. Check this <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/wbteachers/wbt-powerpix/">Pinterest</a> link also for more information about Power Pix and how to download a range of subject and grade level Power Pix! Here is another <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInK14Swh-s">video (Check at 33:07 and at 35:07, specifically)</a> with info on the Power Pix. <br />
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Final note, if you are just learning of the Power Pix, don’t be put off by the time in the year. Go back to your year-long pacing plan. Note what core concepts have been introduced, and pull the Pix for those now. These will be easy to present, and the cue gesture attached will heighten the review. Then, look at your pacing plan to decide when to introduce the next Pix. <br />
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If you have ANY questions, don’t hesitate to leave them here! You may also contact me at <a href="mailto:NancyStoltenberg@WholeBrainTeaching.com">NancyStoltenberg@WholeBrainTeaching.com</a>Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-56876225507622729582015-10-29T23:27:00.001-07:002015-10-29T23:27:11.705-07:00The AMAZING Brainies!!!<p><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3vHoXoiUM-p8IaqGNos18ySmjaHvWjEJj7WO2pWZbbrHty1FNFj3Thls6PFmX_BAYvRH_xDJc3zkRRELpMdrBZW67fumhCTMAh_MDgFsplYRH0B0_UqMz-rqV5eqSG0pYNOKRNcimUyL/s1600-h/SuperSpeed%252520Brainies%252520Banner%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="SuperSpeed Brainies Banner" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="SuperSpeed Brainies Banner" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NLMU_AVfYf9-1mmRYtO6p2HJyqEbZ2jv1UiBLdRZHfTVQT_mLdLYtoUd8cAyPwTVznV1v8M3twNh57IVqT-FlVk4LtkOcPvKcfFN7dcxyh7udf5xM9Pts7vaqDEyRJHQyY28yxdqFXF4/?imgmax=800" width="286" height="182" /></a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>"The Brainies!”  </em></strong><b>are powerful <a href="wholebrainteaching.com">WBT</a> tools used to help </b><b>elevate reasoning, critical thinking, and Funtricity in the classroom!  These simple and fun cue gestures better enable students to grasp abstract concepts by activating the motor cortex, visual cortex, and limbic system.</b></p> <p><b>In addition, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com">Chris Biffle</a>, founder of Whole Brain Teaching, states, </b><b>“The Brainies are a combination of sounds and gestures that when used are guaranteed </b><b>to develop amazing writers. By using these Brainies, students WILL be college ready </b><b>and prepared to write exemplary 10 page college term papers.”</b></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2lRkPov-zylkVHEEyMO4TvNnsHNcG6XGulcg-pqVAOpuZDiqp1qSab8zvoj-LMB9wMys-tjVwDZrDdyVG5lo6WFRc_fr48Wc75JV46rXkXesybqSf0_IG2z7biS2ogUZJmlvOu1Mc5T6/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2lKMWnN8Km_3Fi50GLmstOLtpA4dcIJx7JqdDxC2w-lOhpuL7Tu-1a6Ec2BlRO2TXM5ZvM-n94UELBvNur5VA9TTXgwwwmxeoPMIxBibbaZbMV1vs27ZeXHF4lj1z9CVjbATFom3nlhj/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="185" /></a></p> <p><b>I introduce this activity the first day of school, so I need to have my materials ready for </b><b>each student.  Above is an example of the Brainies Desk cue card, reduced in size, for </b><b>each student. Below are directions for preparing the Brainies and introducing them.</b></p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6gTZlfSm3IuaXdyQ2lGZTE5M1h5bUx0cHRHTDRhWFhhWjdF/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6gTZlfSm3IuaXdyQ2lGZTE5M1h5bUx0cHRHTDRhWFhhWjdF/view?usp=sharing</a></b></p> <p><b>I copy the sheet on card stock, cut apart, and laminate. Each student receives a copy </b><b>for personal use at their desk. I tape it below their Name desk plate for a quick visual </b><b>reference. Students use this as a cue card during Oral Writing, writing assignments, </b><b>Prove it!, and Brainy Competitions. As students learn the Brainies, they become less </b><b>dependent on the card as they speak and write. I make several extra cards to have </b><b>ready for small group instruction as well. </b></p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b> I </b><b>introduce Brainies the first week of school to set the expectations in my classroom. <b>I introduce the end marks, comma, capital letter, because, and For example first. </b>The </b><b>students love the gestures, and they are asked to teach their families the gestures as </b><b>well. If you can afford the colored ink, I send an extra card home for use.</b></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn1C4wtTHAzoLSji9wYzmz2XItUe8hYBEFzPinvKP01Fi0LV7SnEqFKBDxpslh_gG7IwphcQSvXlyXMxXj8vuK1_-PH1f9SspgTM3i6cyBjMjTUZDHEIHQhoP7EozOsbS6EBXSupVsiTf/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoqxMrK8NRFMwADuQddP778U1hwci6MeOCt4JSHfE2A0FLoiutX-xVsIk-KgHx8kAE5EtZXrBBZvj3K1lFkxDNjJxp1lFkpU0KkziOMVYBSnz5Oepqwi7zURZWUrpfta6tj4Ad2lCqmak/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="138" /></a></p> <p><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZJFNPuSFZYP72ckAnTWa9dmnqN_LYoVGXdpJcLs8xxbp8_WMZ-HHtw5D9IKFfUFX3WVn9-JBFD0JSrkv3aBfJTUsUoRJ5BcizcAgv-wylFdX6fOOGk9DxEXiywMSZMCjkDhfwfBmR9iW/s1600-h/IMG_8235%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8235" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz510Mfp_z9yEszRTKtPFYlEgKu3UgdGtYPq53NQ_YnsEBEnOihUOnO0YDhlfxC3O9SBv1CtVBnsgv9DZ9yJKtNHsjb7SZ1H4vkddr8nvCsBMljj2eNNGMxMDEaDxxHp0LBjo-hTQDEf_C/?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Every day put up one or two Brainies: Capital Letter, Because Clapper, For example, Also, Compare, etc. When the kids are talking to each other during a Teach-Okay set, you are looking for them to add the gesture/concept . We want to move Teach-Okay beyond the crucial skill of paraphrasing and into Oral Writing and Critical Thinking.  </em></strong><strong><em>When you see kids using the Brainies, then praise them ... you see them continuing ... you can give them a star on the Super Improvers Team Wall.  </em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>The Brainies are easy to implement and "powerful"!  So, after you do individual Brainies, then you can have them work on two or more!  Another extension is to tell your students, "You pick the ones you and your partner want to work on ... and let me see if I can guess which ones you picked."   </em></strong></p> <p><b>For more information on how to use the Brainies in your instruction, see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xng7PL0QB4">Webcast # 579</a> and download the free ebook at </b><b><a href="wholebrainteaching.com">wholebrainteaching.com</a>, The Brainy Game.  I encourage you to also check out Chris Biffle’s newest book, <a href="http://goo.gl/mHE9kK">122 Amazing Games!</a>  This includes the game, The Brainy Minute! which is a fun way to get your students started on using the Triple Whammy!  </b></p> <p><b>Here are some videos demonstrating the use of Brainies in the classroom.  Don’t hesitate to leave questions!</b></p> <p><a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6qXPSDdYE0" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6qXPSDdYE0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6qXPSDdYE0</a></p> <p><a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJEHd4DB68" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJEHd4DB68">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJEHd4DB68</a></p> <p><a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuBtwMyB4w" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuBtwMyB4w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuBtwMyB4w</a></p> <p><a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInK14Swh-s" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInK14Swh-s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInK14Swh-s</a><strong> (see minute 33:30)</strong></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-31947195323516961172015-10-01T17:09:00.001-07:002015-10-05T12:16:15.361-07:00The Engager!! Mirror Words!!!<div align="left">There is never a bad time to pull out your MIRROR! Oh, yeah! There are three kinds of WBT Mirrors, but for the first of the year, our focus is on Mirror Words. You will be using this amazing technique from the first day of school until the last day of school! It is that powerful! This can be used for teaching and reinforcing any concept or procedure throughout your day! You will get an instant read on who is participating and who is not! Informal assessments start here, on the first day of school!! </div> <div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrzXDYADsTvQ1Z9NTGYR7mZPZj6hQVixUY-vmuWSndY_9VPAynXfuP7s9aUGrqMdJZ-DHxP3h6eNoqT3EHtwaRzrBBj5dtOcHHJSSSlMrHH2-tlNhY8noaFMCosnQbCCTVEDPUnIrnG4Y/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9CV3x65jHrUxaZ45EoRWw5fs4OeD9NZHoOPHE8mAM_h4Un220NOmBOG9fhVHCFB_WRBleaKn5HdH2SigUHmMw2pjdgjNJgRN0bXRz_KJplDe-6avR9aXWao2pH4D4_JEXL2c-CDcbbL0/?imgmax=800" width="369" height="221" /></a></div> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="left">Here is a script for introducing mirrors to your class:</div> <b>Teacher</b>: Class! Class! Class! <br /><b>Students</b>: Yes! Yes! Yes! (Reminder: Students should fold hands quickly and look at you intensely! I call it Laser Eyes! Remember, use your Scoreboard!) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: When I say Mirror Words, you say Mirror Words and pick up your hands like me. Mirror Words! (Your hands should go up quickly with palms facing forward.) <br /><b>Students</b>: Mirror Words (Students raise hands with palms facing forward.) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: That was pretty good, but you need to go faster! We don’t waste any time in 2nd grade! Mirror Words! <br /><b>Students</b>: Mirror Words! (Students raise hands fast this time!) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: Great job! Mighty Oh, Yeah! (Mark the Scoreboard with a tally on the Smilie side to reinforce their response.) <br /><b>Students</b>: Students clap quickly and call out, Oh, Yeah! <br /><b>Teacher</b>: When I say Mirror Words, you say Mirror Words and raise your hands quickly. Whatever I say, repeat back. However I move my hands and arms, move your hands and arms the same. Mirror Words! (Quickly raise your hands, palms forward.) <br /><b>Students</b>: Mirror Words! (Students repeat and quickly raise hands, palms forward.) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: Today is (Sweep your arms wide with lots of energy. This is not only more FUN, but it gets everyone engaged in your energy!) <br /><b>Students</b>: Today is (Students repeat and sweep their arms wide.) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: the first day of second grade. (Hold out one finger and then switch to two fingers out.) <br /><b>Students</b>: the first day of second grade. (Students repeat and hold out one finger and then switch to two fingers out.) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: I am so glad (Pat your hand rapidly on your heart!) <br /><b>Students</b>: I am so glad (Students repeat and pat their hand rapidly on their heart!) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: that we (Circle your hand towards them and back to yourself, dramatically.) <br /><b>Students</b>: that we (Students repeat and circle their hand towards you and back to themselves, dramatically.) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: will be learning together this year! (Touch your fingers to your brain and massage it!) <br /><b>Students</b>: will be learning together this year! (Students repeat and touch their fingers to their brain and massage it!) <br /><b>Teacher</b>: Mirrors off! (Drop your hands and fold them together so they can see what you did.) <br /><b>Students</b>: Mirrors off! (Students repeat, drop their hands and fold them together.) <br /><b>Note</b>: ‘Mirrors off’ will signal the end to this activity. Students’ hands are folded and their eyes are looking at you! Oh, yeah! <br />Coach B says, “Your kids will magically repeat after you and imitate your gestures. You now have everyone’s mirror neurons locked into yours. 100% STUDENT ENGAGEMENT!” <br />Here are some Video Resources to see how to introduce Mirror Words to your students, and to see students in action: <br /> <br /><b></b> <br /><b>2nd Gr:  Classroom Tour (Check at Minute 13:52)  </b><a title="https://youtu.be/kInK14Swh-s" href="https://youtu.be/kInK14Swh-s">https://youtu.be/kInK14Swh-s</a> <br /><b>2nd Gr: 2nd Grade Reading</b> <a title="https://youtu.be/G6qXPSDdYE0" href="https://youtu.be/G6qXPSDdYE0">https://youtu.be/G6qXPSDdYE0</a> <br /><b></b> <br /><b>2nd Gr: Brainies in 2nd Grade</b> <a title="https://youtu.be/ENJEHd4DB68" href="https://youtu.be/ENJEHd4DB68">https://youtu.be/ENJEHd4DB68</a> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-55437058142590155472015-09-23T14:00:00.001-07:002015-09-23T14:00:46.449-07:00WBT Wednesday Blab and Blog Link Premiere<p>BIG <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com">WBT</a> FUNTRICITY NEWS!! The WBT Wednesday Blab Series officially starts TODAY!!!  Wednesday, 9/23/15, at 6pm CST! Subscribe now!! <br /><a href="https://blab.im/whole-brain-teaching-wbt-wednesdays-the-attention-getter-the-focuser-wholebrainteaching">https://blab.im/whole-brain-teaching-wbt-wednesdays-the-attention-getter-the-focuser-wholebrainteaching</a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VjEk_Q5EdQ205zSaWFHk0RuwZSL42TJHn0Ce9qTg6ycCG3c5z64ZhQzPkG_do1AZxqL0aZqTSw-s3HRLtdgPMiUv4peiioDBqF0WDQwaEJ7PAHTY_Tt7mI21m_6Xd_PIA1iMBkdj4fOh/s1600-h/WBTWed2%252520%2525281%252529%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="WBTWed2 (1)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="WBTWed2 (1)" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA9lylhhXOOWaN7AxKhOxOzeYtLBHJ6f-n70IpftNH8c1pkq_WG-nYPcBqpFbXKnsPK1171eKUUilqGfnyF4bJOfqWG0aOVNndFqEd6Kw_0lpkXVvpoQlQ342fnl-kAIWfmzt0kiDUadu/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="223" /></a></p> <p>Also, anyone with a blog is welcome to participate in our blog link up starting this Wednesday! Simply write your blog post on The Attention Getter & The Focuser (how you use it, have you used it?, how does it work, what variations do you use, etc). Then visit Heidi Martin's blog Wednesday morning to link up!  <br /><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.droppinknowledge.com%2F&h=OAQGc79aTAQF3AeclQHNqJ4RXQsoWLI7cGJl4JgJgldR9Kw&enc=AZPB8_vfzxG9yu3oSnLGUnDaolT20NFCJTsgzzLG39hoPUGPMhZ6DJ63dPdDwZ8WD0MYAqQapRfUCoBkPvVQcDb2SuekqlqU_z8ubn9pi3STZ6EtPZppomjA2scqmANI2f_cXD30Bp6iN6-IC731cdv9Tv8qvWBQmYqxvxMUX4YIEo7w4Z90B6n7QtHX-YRD6k4Xpn86a60gCvh3q2f-tTWB&s=1">www.droppinknowledge.com</a> SHARE this news far and wide!!</p> <p>Bring a friend and get your year ENERGIZED!!  Each week is a new topic and an Open Chat with WBT Executive Board Members and WBT Staff!  Can’t make the scheduled time?  Don’t fret, it will be recorded for you to watch later!  Hope to see you there each Wednesday!!  Oh, yeah!!</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-37157403592679964682015-07-28T14:24:00.001-07:002015-07-28T14:24:59.593-07:00Periscopes and Whole Brain Teachers United<p>If you haven't checked out Periscope yet, this is a great week to get started! Periscope is a live broadcasting app that teachers all across the world are using to share ideas.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6LmJRpSgZWk3XLtcnsjFb_ckr7RIVgqhIxDzGJkI_Sgac_QmgMgNB_RPCNqaSBztZ7AGHacZzlQ9SPWFWeNvPQ5LoVH1bn9NbbHpX73GxfrF7U5b9_43EtMs-HjAfcBxObPNOr-R0V2y/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wIBN8yr6FxPXx2RxW8fLWkxTVjZoJz84LMC8Q4ECDslaAD9d3G9q3VOuIcY4B-6dCVLnib0_ta8uCb4MSKl45-N7htnrILvYUonw7CFtvsG1LAoc9qwcQRKh7BLjnBvf3jAixycslkDL/?imgmax=800" width="175" height="96" /></a></p> <p>Here is this week's schedule of upcoming Scopes from several WBT Executive Board Members for you to participate in! The times listed are all Central Time Zone. I will be broadcasting this Thursday 7/30 about how to get your year started with WBT in 2nd grade! Wahooo!! (Twitter and Periscope @NancyStoltenber) Please come!!! Please share this post!!!!</p> <p>Tuesday 7/28/15 <br />9am The Lesson Sketch and Microlectures (Sarah) <br />3pm Chapter 6 Class Yes in Upper Grades (Sarah) <br />8pm Chapter 9 Teach Okay (Farrah)</p> <p>Thursday 7/30/15 <br />1pm The Super Improver League for Upper Grades (Sarah) <br />7pm 2nd Grade Start of Year (Nancy)</p> <p>Friday 7/31/15 <br />Time TBD Upper Grades WBT (Andre) <br />8pm Chapter 10 Teach Okay (Farrah)</p> <p>Impromptu broadcasts will also occur! Follow each Exec Board Member so you don't miss a single one!</p> <p>Each broadcast can be viewed on a mobile device or computer for up to 24 hours after the broadcast has ended. If you have a mobile device, download the Periscope app on iOS or Google Play to receive a notification when a broadcast is starting! If you don't have the Periscope app, you can find the link to each broadcast on Twitter.to</p> <p>Since Periscope is connected with Twitter, you can follow each Exec Board member through either app. Simply click the links below to go to their Twitter page and click "Follow", or search each name in the Periscope app.</p> <p>Chris Biffle on Twitter and Periscope @ChrisBiffle</p> <p>Kinder-2nd Grade <br />Andrea Schindler on Periscope @littlerocket <br />Farrah Shipley on Twitter and Periscope @MrsShipleyWBT <br />Nancy Stoltenberg on Twitter and Periscope @NancyStoltenber</p> <p>3rd Grade - 5th Grade <br />Chris Rekstad on Twitter and Periscope @WBTChrisRekstad <br />Jasselle Cirino on Twitter and Periscope @JasselleCirino <br />Kate Bowski on Twitter and Periscope @KateBowski</p> <p>Middle School - High School <br />Sarah Meador on Twitter and Periscope @MeadorScience <br />Andre Deshotel on Twitter and Periscope @WBTandre <br />Jeff Battle on Twitter and Periscope @Jeff_Battle</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-5279335947280952442015-07-15T16:57:00.001-07:002015-07-15T16:57:29.769-07:00WBT Writing…All Year Long …and Beyond!<p><b>Teaching children how to write is challenging, but writing orally and in print daily makes all the difference!  When I introduced the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOIVRJnZ-I">WBT Writing</a> methods, I found it made a huge change in my style of teaching and in the results of all my students, which included RSP and EL (English Learners)!</b></p> <p><b>Here is the writing schedule I use in a 2nd grade classroom.  Don’t hesitate to contact <a href="nancystoltenberg@wholebrainteaching.com">me</a> with questions!!  I have included lots of links in the orange highlighted terms!  Click away!!</b></p> <p><b>Aug-Sep</b>  They started the year with daily <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5yy3ezr0Us">Genius Ladder</a> sentence building on the first 2 rungs.  Many of my students had to learn specifically what a noun and a verb are, and of course, what a sentence is.  We honed in on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bXb7RAHTDo">Power Pix</a> for these 3 concepts right away, and revisit them often in the daily morning <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032OlHFwI6Y">Power Pix Wall practice</a>.  </p> <p>As they became more proficient with the Oral Writing of the sentence, we moved into the Extender Rung.  It was very important to be introducing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbpgqVzYP80">Brainies</a> along with this.  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdFxioUZW_SjPoFnVK5SM7siFD62KgS1Rw3Die8c9SahHTI7Rkq6nzWJEyzYmgt5BGG_n2kwS8T3oV9MqnoZs4iUhRoPFUTUW2BOamvPv5j2FpKz7q4oCkIkBJkUeq5XhdADucxv7ASin/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQVHWg1ZOFzIXIg81j-GcZVXKCJ-tOagR3vlf6Lf2qvk8-cZu2T3xdxIVMUQeRYC3X-z7DW3YvS_0J18W50WQwf7fJIXr34hahyphenhyphenAD55mq2gqAG3YnOey49mFD2WCxNMTtF8sJXW4C41rl/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="138" /></a></p> <p>When we got to the Extender, the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Super Speed Grammar</a> practice was a great support to understanding how to build more detailed sentences.  Also, because they are 2nd graders, I had started the practice of having them write the Genius Sentence in a Journal they keep in their desk.  </p> <p><b>Sep-Oct </b> I found as I moved up, I was continually reviewing the basics of the Blah/Spicy.  This allowed me to set up a frame on the board for independent seat work.  This was great for learners at all levels. It was also a great way for me to assess individual progress.  They were, and still are, required to read their sentences back to themselves using gestures, including Brainy gestures, as they edit/add on to the sentence(s) they have created.  (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwd9sNCXZQ">Red Green Proofreading</a> is part of this also).</p> <p>I moved into the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Whammy frame</a>, and did a lot of Oral Writing practice.  We started very simple, as shown in <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">The Writing Game</a> download.  Again, the Brainies are big here.  Just like the original Genius Ladder, the beginning Triple Whammy frame was rather blah/simple.  These became more elaborate with practice.  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKqDyDBkh5s">Coach's webcast #589</a> on this subject is excellent!  They worked with a partner and created several Triple Whammy sentences from a list of topics. Using a Who, What, Why, Where, When question on a topic, students created an appropriate Triple Whammy response, thus creating a Topic Sentence. </p> <p><b>Oct-Dec</b>  With the experience of creating lots of Triple Whammy topic sentences, it was an easy transition to move on to the Micro-essay.  I used a color coded cue system on the board to help students get a format going. I leave this up on my board.  I find my higher learners grasp the pattern fairly quickly and don't need the visual as much as the slower learners.  Look at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKqDyDBkh5s">webcast #589</a> again.  Here is how I set mine up.  I indent my model on the board, and we use the Brainy, "New Paragraph" and gesture, when we start to read the paragraph. To help students avoid "getting stuck" with the problem of creating different sentence starters each time, I initially start with the ordinal transition words.  Later, I will move them into choosing their own sentence starters.</p> <p>     ______________________  <font color="#00ff00">______________</font>, <font color="#0000ff">______________</font>, and</p> <p><font color="#ff0000">_________________</font>.  <font color="#00ff00">First, __________________because_______________</font></p> <p><font color="#00ff00">_______.</font> <font color="#0000ff">Second, _________________________  because _______________</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">__________________________.</font> <font color="#ff0000">Finally, ________________________________</font></p> <p><font color="#ff0000">because ___________________________.</font> In conclusion,  <font color="#00ff00">__________ ___________,</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">_____________</font>, and <font color="#ff0000">______________________</font>.</p> <p>We use this pattern every day, initially as Oral Writing, and then as print together, and finally as independent seat work. Based on your students' progress, you will decide when to move to the next level.   </p> <p>The next step, was to put an Adder/Extender sentence with each of the color coded sentences.  By then, they had had lots of experience with the Brainies. Now the cue system looked like this on the board (Note: each Adder is expected to be different within the paragraph):</p> <p>     ______________________  <font color="#00ff00">______________</font>, <font color="#0000ff">______________</font>, and</p> <p><font color="#ff0000">_________________</font>.  <font color="#00ff00">First, __________________because_______________</font></p> <p><font color="#00ff00">_______.  Adder</font> <font color="#0000ff">Second, _________________________  because _______________</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">__________________________.  Adder</font>  <font color="#ff0000">Finally, ________________________________</font></p> <p><font color="#ff0000">because ___________________________.  Adder</font>  In conclusion,  <font color="#00ff00">__________ ___________,</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">_____________,</font> and <font color="#ff0000">______________________.</font></p> <p><b>Dec-June</b>  Now we move to the 5 paragraph essay!  Now the cue system has changed to this:</p> <p>   ______________________  <font color="#00ff00">______________</font>, <font color="#0000ff">______________,</font> and</p> <p><font color="#ff0000">_________________</font>. </p> <p>    <font color="#00ff00">First, __________________because_______________</font></p> <p><font color="#00ff00">_______.  Adder</font></p> <p>   <font color="#0000ff"> Second, _________________________  because _______________</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">__________________________.  Adder</font></p> <p>   <font color="#ff0000"> Finally, ________________________________</font></p> <p><font color="#ff0000">because ___________________________.  Adder</font></p> <p>    In conclusion,  <font color="#00ff00">__________ ___________,</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">_____________,</font> and <font color="#ff0000">______________________.</font></p> <p>When I first go to the multi-paragraph format, my students learned that each time the color changed, they had to "Drop and Shove! New Paragraph!"  They literally would drop their body down a little and shove their hand across their body to emphasize the format change of the essay.  They love the FUN of this!  </p> <p>We stick with this for a couple of weeks and then it changes.  They are now expected to write a total of 3 sentences in each paragraph...2 Adders. Each Adder had to be different.  They have a Brainy cue card on their desks to help them with variety.</p> <p>  ______________________  <font color="#00ff00">______________</font>, <font color="#0000ff">______________</font>, and</p> <p><font color="#ff0000">_________________</font>. </p> <p>   <font color="#00ff00"> First, __________________because_______________</font></p> <p><font color="#00ff00">_______.  Adder Adder</font></p> <p>    <font color="#0000ff">Second, _________________________  because _______________</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">__________________________.  Adder Adder</font></p> <p>  <font color="#ff0000">  Finally, ________________________________</font></p> <p><font color="#ff0000">because ___________________________.  Adder Adder</font></p> <p>    In conclusion,  <font color="#00ff00">__________ ___________,</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff">_____________,</font> and <font color="#ff0000">______________________.</font></p> <p>(This is also the format you will be using as you begin <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJEHd4DB68">Competition Brainies</a> in your class.)</p> <p>One element is different for me.  In my district, because we are using district writing guidelines, I had to change up the last paragraph.  My paragraph does not restate the 3 Whammies, but is a statement of reflection about the topic instead.  It looks like this:</p> <p>     In conclusion, I think _____________________________________________.  I learned _________________________________________________________.</p> <p>In my classroom, there is a question on the board every morning for them to respond to.  When I tell them the question (which is based on a story, science, social studies, whatever is current in your lesson plans) I say it, then say Mirror Words, and they do it with me.  I then have them turn to their partner in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjKsgsWzivA">Teach Okay</a> set and talk about some possible answers to the question.  I use <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Uh, oh Switch!</a> to give both partners a chance to orally participate in this discussion. (By doing this, students have a chance to get some ideas to help get their writing started...especially important for slower learners!)  I call them back with Class!  The next step is to ask them to decide what the Target words are in the question that they will need to use in their Triple Whammy topic sentence.  They just call out the main vocabulary words, and I underline them with a blue line.  For example:</p> <p>How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving?  I would underline <u>family</u>, <u>celebrate</u>, and <u>Thanksgiving</u>.  They would be expected to write something similar to:  My family celebrates Thanksgiving by <font color="#00ff00">______</font>, <font color="#0000ff">_________</font>, and <font color="#ff0000">___________.</font>  They would then proceed with the 5 paragraph essay format shown above.  They are reminded that when they finish, they are to reread with gestures (Brainies included) and edit as needed.</p> <p>What is really great about this basic format, you can adapt it to any writing assignment!  They become very fluid in their writing, and you can easily move into more complex sentences.  Electronic SuperSpeed Grammar is used at least twice a week(more often at the beginning of the year).  </p> <p>Hope this helps get you started on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInK14Swh-s">Day One</a>, which will be here soon!  Watch for some writing samples to show you the difference WBT Writing can make with your students!!</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-73018941763687694332015-06-09T14:55:00.001-07:002015-06-09T15:11:25.294-07:00It’s Never Too Early…Yes, I know school just got out for summer for most of us, so the thought of preparing your classroom is a distant thought! Then why am I already getting so many school supply catalogs in the mail?!! If you would like to get the latest and greatest new resource from <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a>, you need to hit this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/books/8975350011/ref=zg_b_hnr_8975350011_1">link</a>:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQpeGLyjXulmICTH5-hhQv0Znnk1Hyuul2-jyc9fNIiekFXKPm3s1wuuE59A7RshZRn8IqXw6KTLXQ1d6SnKRrfwZTH0xj2mRbQCkLyQKKC1eONfhUHfKoUdq866vFuksamdPX8bVwkWU/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_jzVJaGqdl3bcxyPpmYrq-6_vP0-VOZBqDYgvi4Xxg4nL7obHjV4HkikKIgPsUZfkoJTtaOnkeSqNgo5bSe-KeU3_EqDr1kvhscVzZmU1pp3agFY0yyiJYM31UOPTL3i1fpwEE2n8vgN/?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="162" /></a><br />
Coach B has done it again! Not only does this book give you updates on the original WBT techniques, it offers you over 100 learning games to highlight critical thinking skills and heighten student engagement in your lessons. Biggest news of all…it just hit #1 Common Core Selection on Amazon! Oh, yeah!! Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-62501463730930108592014-06-01T23:03:00.001-07:002014-06-01T23:03:14.241-07:00The Power of a Teacher!<p><em><strong>This is a repeat of a post from May 20, 2013.  I find it very appropriate to share again with the culmination of another school year!  Marie Everman is an amazing teacher, just like so many educators around the world, who works tirelessly and selflessly to enrich each child’s life on so many levels!  I hope her story is a special reminder of how much each of you were able to accomplish with your special class of students this past year! Happy Summer to you all!!</strong></em></p> <p>The end of a school year brings a range of emotions.  The demands of seemingly endless administrative paperwork, combined with a rise in student behaviors, can make one wish the last day would come a little faster.  On the other side of it, when you reflect back on your students’ growth, you realize how blessed you were to have been a part of it all!</p> <p>Today, a very special teacher of very special children posted on the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT forum</a> an amazing reflection on the power of a teacher to make the difference in the long term success of a child.  Marie Everman is a teacher of special needs students in West Virginia.  This year she began to incorporate the philosophy and strategies of <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> to help her students reach new heights!  Here is her story:</p> <p><font color="#0000ff">The Genius Ladder <br />“If a child</font> <font color="#0000ff">can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrada </font></p> <font color="#0000ff"> <p> <br />INTRODUCTION <br />My teaching career as a Special Educator has spanned twenty four years and I have worked with students who have had Special Needs or handicaps including LD, ED, ADHD, ESL, and oral and visual Processing Problems due to trauma, malnutrition, cultural circumstances, and other causes. In my experience, the most difficult subject to teach these children has always been written language. During my career, I have tried numerous written language programs including 4 Square Writing, Traits of Writing, writing prompts, writing journals, sentence strips, photo cards, picture books, story cards, story starters, and others. I have attended many workshops near and far over the years, many specifically designed for children with Learning Disabilities. With the arrival of the digital age, there have been webcasts, podcasts and multiple CD’s and DVD’s that promised to motivate handicapped students and teach them to write cohesive sentences, paragraphs, and essays. Nothing worked! My students were still barely able to compose an interesting simple sentence and were still inconsistent with capitalization and punctuation. I felt frustrated because I had been unable to teach them this vastly important skill. Then, Teacher Heaven opened up! I discovered Whole Brain Teaching and the Genius Ladder.</p> <p>  <br />DESCRIPTION <br />The Genius Ladder is an engaging written language plan that uses a cartoon format to teach students to write increasingly longer and more interesting sentences. Then, they build on these sentences to compose paragraphs and essays. Because the pictures and sample sentences are fun, silly, and colorful, they grab and keep students’ attention. The “Blah” sentence is the bottom rung of the ladder, and it is composed of only three words, an article, a noun, and a verb. The “Spicy” sentence is next on the ladder, and it expands the “Blah” sentence by adding an adjective to describe the noun. Next up is the “Extender” sentence which adds an adverb. On the top level is the “Genius” sentence which further extends the sentence by using two adjectives and two adverbs. The final operation needed to complete this effort involves having the students write cohesive paragraphs using their Genius sentences as the main idea. Because it contains over 500 slides, the Genius Ladder pdf contains exactly what my students’ need: lots and lots of oral practice. </p> <p> <br />METHODS <br />This school year I am a collaborative teacher in a 3rd grade remedial RLA class, so the general educator and I both claim these students. The first week these children were introduced to the “Blah” sentence and learned to orally substitute the noun and/or the verb. We also used gestures to teach the definition of the sentence as well as the required capitalization and punctuation. The class worked as a whole with us, but also spent much time working with a partner. Then they wrote as many sentences as they could in fifteen minutes on the computer. The computer was chosen because writing on paper was such a laborious task for them, and they had rarely been successful with paper and pencil assignments earlier in their school careers. But the computer was neutral and had no prior associations with failures. The next few weeks the same teaching strategies were followed with the “Spicy,” “Extender,” and “Genius,” sentences. The day that all twenty-two of these children composed, capitalized, and punctuated complete “Genius” sentences pandemonium broke out in the computer lab! The children were out of their chairs hugging and laughing and dancing along with their teachers. The joy on their faces and in our hearts was indescribable. Coach B said teachers who use this program need to have big hankies close. (But I only needed two tissues.) That was my most wonderful day in teaching! Funtricity at its highest. </p> <p> <br />CRITICAL THINKING <br />Critical thinking develops slowly in handicapped children, is an ongoing process that is measured in baby steps, and requires repetition in varied ways. Now that the students can construct sentences mechanically, they need to use higher level thinking to enable them to build cohesive paragraphs to form essays. (After mastering Genius sentence composition, we had the students begin using paper and pencil to record their thoughts.) Our strategies are to use lots of teacher prompts, to continue to write orally in whole class and partner situations, and to use gestures and onomatopoeia. What seems to work best is using examples taken from fairy tales so the children can relate their own stories to the characters and events from those stories. Of course, we use real life situations too. One of their assignments was to persuade the principal to lengthen their recess time. Their progress with the paragraphs and essays is increasing, albeit slowly. We all had to learn to walk before we could run. But they have come so far during this year, they get lots of ten finger woos from us. <br /></p> <p>THE BIG HAIRY TEST <br />In March, the Mother of All Tests, the online writing portion of the WESTEST, appeared. This requires every student in West Virginia to respond on the computer to an unknown prompt with an essay. In past years, most of the SPED students wrote a couple of sentences and quit or just gave up. But this class spent two hours writing rough drafts and typing in their essays. They insisted that we read their drafts before they were shredded because they were so proud. We won’t know how truly well they did until September when the scores are returned. But each of them is a gigantic success story to us. <br />“When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing” <br />Enrique Jardiel Poncela </p> <p> <br />CONCLUSION <br />The Genius Ladder rises to the summit as the crème de la crème of all writing programs which enables students with Special Needs to master the skills needed for composing sentences, paragraphs, and essays. <br />Thanks, Coach B and all of those great folks who work with you to make teaching successful and fun for teachers as well as students.</p> </font> <p><font color="#000000">After I read this, I was so inspired and reminded why every day of the school year is not to be taken lightly!  Our students depend on us, even as they are leaving us on that last day of school, to always seek out the best programs and strategies we can to help them realize their full potential!  Thank you, Marie for that extra punch of energy we all need at this special time of year!</font></p> <p>For more information on the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT Genius Ladder</a>, go to <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-32646145851678057382014-03-09T22:51:00.001-07:002014-03-09T22:54:25.058-07:00Power Stars and the Grand KaSlami!!Here's the latest and greatest from <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach B</a><strong><em>...." Power Stars!” Every day put up a Power Star ... a star with a word on it. For example, Capitals or Because Clapper or Also or periods or compare, etc. This means all day when the kids are talking to each other, you are looking for them to ADD the gesture/concept during Teach-Okay. We want to move Teach-Okay beyond the crucial skill of paraphrasing and into Oral Writing and/or Critical Thinking. We will use Power Stars to get way more Oral Writing and/or Critical Thinking reps. </em></strong><strong><em>When you see kids using the Power Star concept, then praise them ... you see them continuing ... you can give them a star on the Super Improver Team Wall. In other words, Power Stars connect lots of our stuff to Super Improvers Team. This is easy to implement and "powerful"! So, after you do individual Power Stars, then you can have them work on two or more ... then, Freebie Power Stars! Tell your students, "You pick the ones you and your partner want to work on ... and let me see if I can guess which ones you picked." Finally, there’s the Grand KaSlami! A Grand KaSlami is when the teacher selects five Power Stars and the kids try to use them all ... oh, what a Grand KaSlami that would be ... "</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> </em></strong>Check out these pictures below of three of the Power Stars my students used during <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Teach-Okay</a>! I started with the <strong>Capitals Star</strong>, then added the <strong>because Star</strong>, and finally put up the <strong>For example, Star</strong>. Even though my students have been utilizing <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Oral Writing</a> and <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Air Punctuation</a> techniques all year, the Stars became COOL visual cues! The CHERRY on TOP was the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">SIT (Super Improvers Team)</a>! This winning combination together inspired them to elevate their participation with their partner. The best result was the higher level of critical thinking I observed as I moved around the classroom during the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Teach-Okay</a> sets during the day. Each day, I changed the Stars out and built back up to three on the board at once. We are working toward the Grand KaSlami!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUko4B_SD9tManFbWdNFrVHSFHRm9oW43VnXVAtHVSwzfgY_8cQSt6fF16oX_FBzFkDjCIZ1H6y1M3c2iU89XWo0XhiBHrNC1eYhMryN9fE-r6lONTS5JR7EsfxcIAI1tZnqNa1Wbx54Kg/s1600-h/Power-Star-Pic-12.jpg"><img alt="Power Star Pic 1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOWGsD70bQE4m5JTed3k75k8Ph15EG_YYmXjGSh_NZxfO8mIbcjmJ-Dbhk81gQH-a_Qlgqopb8SvpBDFmao6TQzs-13QdwTuidNCzMfoutw2Xav6JfyJ8c35usA5ZV8oLMEFFwampmUKC/?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Power Star Pic 1" width="184" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yklQ6ex2GYeT85fXMmQysKingdzvAWnZ1WcpKi3n4lwJjNQ-EabeVoXGWT2yjtaqpEV4mOPumLhtzmP3aTK3b55U6y2TvwiERedm_1LCbd8KnbL5tuzArtZuJMGsks4LvfnkX_xGUGma/s1600-h/Power-Star-Pic-22.jpg"><img alt="Power Star Pic 2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpWnvD-PulPKxcAGcJ8Y-ltwvSyKdJiUF08zeTOHO-ldoI-ePV2nZo71tu3BXDfLq1Zi0_waQ7Gg9KV8JJuLHf9vPqUEnqPhfYThr6HndYPObzA3WHeU2cMj1-jUWWWfJ3ObsFg9x3t5H/?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Power Star Pic 2" width="184" /></a><br />
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Here is the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HoY_baf8vPwrPNtpTAo5T7TWKX2jKyk13HbMyCzpX7k/edit">FREE download</a> of the complete set of Power Stars! Share your experiences with us!Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-50560724250014006242014-03-04T21:47:00.001-08:002014-03-04T21:47:04.410-08:00Crazy Professor Reading…Un-silent Reading!<p>The <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Crazy Professor Reading Game</a> is a multi-step program that engages a student into the world of written language in a whole new way! In the Silent Reading segment of the game, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Chris Biffle</a> states, <b>”A major problem with silent reading as an in-class activity is that students drift off into their own worlds. If you’ve instructed your students to quietly illustrate what they read with gestures, you can easily tell who is on, or off, task. In addition, using gestures as they read will increase students’ comprehension. Instead of glossing over phrases, they must find a physical equivalent of the meaning of what they’re reading.” </b></p> <p>Now here is a change! For young students…take the ‘Silent’ out! Beginning readers need to HEAR the language as they read. They need to bring BIG kinesthetic movement through gestures to the process to increase the understanding of the printed word. Later as a student matures in the reading process, ‘Silent’ reading takes its place!</p> <p>So how do you get a student started in this method of UN-silent reading? Model! Model! Model! When you introduce a selection, use <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Mirror Words</a> and pull your students into the wonder of the words. Create dramatic gestures that imprint meaning into the vocabulary. This is not only important for English Learners, but for all learners of the written language! Don’t limit this method to just literature. Bring math, science, and even the Lunch Menu to life! If it’s in print, bring new meaning to it!</p> <p>Here is a short sample of the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Crazy Professor Reading Game</a> in the Un-silent mode with a group of second graders. <div id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:85a53b1d-c686-4bb5-a527-6e5933e0ecf0" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><div id="2f170557-189a-4cbe-b0b2-2dcbb2b86032" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-wqrDBR03U" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lp9t8-pW0yA/Uxa6VFjAURI/AAAAAAAABr8/NoXCAPJmIO4/videoa1ed09c8d3a1%25255B43%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('2f170557-189a-4cbe-b0b2-2dcbb2b86032'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1-wqrDBR03U?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1-wqrDBR03U?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> </p> <p> </p> <p>The next level of the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Crazy Professor Reading Game</a> is Paraphrasing…Yes, 2nd graders CAN do this!  After many readings, students are now ready to retell the story to a partner in dramatic style with their own words!  Amazing!  I incorporate <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">‘Switch!’</a> to keep the engagement and energy high!  The print comes to life again through the words and gestures of each individual student!  Watch again as this same group of students retell the story!</p> <div id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:526271b4-5109-49c3-badc-733a710a5507" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><div id="0ed16759-8b92-441e-87f7-b759166bda95" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPhUqAoekm4" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7_4C8bFbRmg/Uxa6VmmW1KI/AAAAAAAABsA/8-IbMSE4eRo/videoc435cf83e154%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('0ed16759-8b92-441e-87f7-b759166bda95'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/SPhUqAoekm4?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/SPhUqAoekm4?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>For more information, go to <a title="http://wholebrainteaching.com/" href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-85598545463681087532014-02-23T18:11:00.001-08:002014-02-23T22:30:12.639-08:00WBT Word Problem Solvers…Prove It!All through the year, my students are given a variety of problem solving scenarios in their Math studies. Word Problems have been interwoven to bring specific application of math strategies into real life settings. This not only requires students to read and solve the problem, but also to justify their solution…Prove it! <br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">‘Prove It!’</a> in <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching </a>is used across the curriculum to encourage higher levels of critical thinking skills. We incorporate<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"> Oral Writing</a><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"> </a>techniques to raise the bar on communication skills. We add in the<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"> Because Clapper</a> to extend the responses beyond simple memorization of facts. <br />
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I use the WBT<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"> 5 Step Lesson Template</a> to get the foundation of solving a word problem established. The Critical Thinking step of the lesson is based on <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Oral Writing</a> and <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT Writing</a>. Below is a script I used for my class:<br />
<h3>
Question: How do I solve a math word problem?</h3>
Teacher: <b>Class! Class!</b><br />
Students: <b>Yes! Yes!</b><br />
Teacher: <strong>Today, we are going to learn how to solve a word problem! Today, we are going to learn how to solve a word problem! Tell your partner how extremely excited you are to learn how to solve a word problem! </strong>(Students quickly turn to their partners and share their anticipation to learn how to solve a word problem. Get the Limbic system pumped up right from the start!)<br />
Teacher:<strong> Class! Class! Chicka Boom Boom, Class!</strong><br />
Students:<strong> Yes! Yes! Chicka Boom Boom, Yes!</strong><br />
Teacher:<strong> How do I solve a math word problem? How do I solve a math word problem?</strong><br />
Teacher: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> How do I solve a math word problem?</b><br />
Students:<b> How do I solve a math word problem?</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> Okay!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Oh, class!</b><br />
Students:<b> Oh, yes!</b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<h3>
Answer the Question</h3>
Teacher: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>To solve word problems in Math, I need to read the problem twice while using lively gestures.</b> (Use Air Punctuation gestures to note capital letters and punctuation.)<br />
Students: (echo) <b>To solve word problems in Math, I need to read the problem twice while using lively gestures. </b><br />
Teacher: <b>Teach!</b><br />
Students: <b>Okay!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>Classity, class!</b><br />
Students: <b>Yessity, yes!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> After I read the word problem two times, I need to follow six steps to solve the problem.</b><br />
Students:<b> After I read the word problem two times, I need to follow six steps to solve the problem.</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Tell your partner, ‘You need to follow six steps to solve the problem!’</b><br />
Students:<b> You have to follow six steps to solve the problem!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher:<strong> Step 1 Circle Key Numbers! Step 1 Circle Key Numbers! </strong>(Gesture: draw a circle up high)<br />
Students:<strong> Step 1 Circle Key Numbers! Circle Key Numbers! </strong>(Repeat gesture)<br />
Teacher:<b> Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> Okay!</b><br />
Partner 1 rises quickly with hands up and teaches Step 1. Partner 2 mirrors the gestures. Teacher calls out, <strong>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</strong> Students respond, <strong>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</strong> Partner 1 quickly sits down and raises hands preparing to Mirror Partner 2, who is quickly standing to teach Step 1!<br />
Teacher: <strong>Class!</strong><br />
Students: <strong>Yes!</strong><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher:<strong> Step 2 Underline the question. Underline the Key Words. Step 2 Underline the question. Underline the Key Words. </strong>(Gesture: Sweep hand across to underline for the Question and again for the Key Words.)<br />
Students:<strong> Step 2 Underline the question. Underline the Key Words. Step 2 Underline the question. Underline the Key Words. </strong> (Gesture: Sweep hand across to underline for the question and again for the Key Words.)<br />
Teacher:<b> (Clap Clap) First two steps! Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> (Clap Clap) First two steps! Okay! </b><br />
Teacher: <b>Oh, Class! Oh, Class!</b><br />
Students: <b>Oh, Yes! Oh, Yes!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>Step 3 Determine the Operation! Add Subtract Multiply Divide</b> <b>Step 3 Determine the Operation! Add Subtract Multiply Divide</b> (Use gestures to designate each)<br />
Students: <b>Step 3 Determine the Operation! Add Subtract Multiply Divide <b>Step 3 Determine the Operation! Add Subtract Multiply Divide</b> </b> (Use gestures to designate each)<br />
Teacher: (Stomp Stomp)<b> First three steps! Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> </b>(Stomp Stomp)<b> First three steps! Okay!</b><br />
Partner 1 rises quickly with hands up and teaches Steps 1-3. Partner 2 mirrors the gestures. Teacher calls out, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Students respond, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Partner 1 quickly sits down and raises hands preparing to Mirror Partner 2, who is quickly standing to teach Steps 1-3!<br />
Teacher: <b>Math! Math! Class!</b><br />
Students:<b> Math! Math! Yes!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Step 4 Write an equation! Step 4 Write an equation! </b>(Gesture a pencil writing in the air)<b></b><br />
Students:<b> Step 4 Write an equation! Step 4 Write an equation! </b>(Gesture a pencil writing in the air)<b></b><br />
Teacher:<b> </b>(Snap fingers twice)<b> First four steps! Teach!</b><br />
Students: (Snap fingers twice)<b> First four steps! Okay!</b><br />
Partner 1 rises quickly with hands up and teaches Steps 1-4. Partner 2 mirrors the gestures. Teacher calls out, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Students respond, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Partner 1 quickly sits down and raises hands preparing to Mirror Partner 2, who is quickly standing to teach Steps 1-4!<br />
Teacher: <b>Smart! Smart! Class!</b><br />
Students: <b>Smart! Smart! Yes!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>Step 5 Solve the equation! <b>Step 5 Solve the equation! </b></b>(Gesture pencil writing in the air)<br />
Students: <b>Step 5 Solve the equation!</b> <b>Step 5 Solve the equation! </b>(Gesture pencil writing in the air)<br />
Teacher: <b>First five steps! Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> First five steps! Okay!</b><br />
Partner 1 rises quickly with hands up and teaches Steps 1-5. Partner 2 mirrors the gestures. Teacher calls out, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Students respond, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Partner 1 quickly sits down and raises hands preparing to Mirror Partner 2, who is quickly standing to teach Steps 1-5!<br />
Teacher: (Clap Snap) <b>Class!</b> (Clap Snap) <b>Class!</b><br />
Students: (Clap Snap) <b>Yes!</b> (Clap Snap) <b>Yes!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Mirror Words!</b><br />
Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b><br />
Teacher: <b>Step 6 Prove it!</b> <b>Step 6 Prove it! </b>(Gesture is clap hands together quickly twice)<br />
Students: <b>Step 6 Prove it!</b> <b>Step 6 Prove it! </b>(Gesture is clap hands together quickly twice)<br />
Teacher: <b>First six steps! Teach!</b><br />
Students:<b> First six steps! Okay!</b><br />
Partner 1 rises quickly with hands up and teaches Steps 1-6. Partner 2 mirrors the gestures. Teacher calls out, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Students respond, <b>‘Uh, oh! Switch!’</b> Partner 1 quickly sits down and raises hands preparing to Mirror Partner 2, who is quickly standing to teach Steps 1-6!<br />
Teacher: <b>Class-a-doodle doo!</b><br />
Students: <b>Yes-a-doodle doo!</b><br />
Teacher:<b> Give yourselves a Ten Finger Rolling Woooo for learning all the steps to solving Math Word Problems!</b><br />
Students:<b> Wooooooooo!</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<h3>
Explore</h3>
<b> </b>Using a math word problem preprinted on a student worksheet, work with students to follow the steps below to solve the problem. Use <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Mirror Words</a> with gestures to read the printed problem twice before starting Step 1! <br />
Step 1: Circle Key Numbers (KN)<br />
Step 2: Underline Question Underline Key Words (KW)<br />
Step 3: Determine the Operation(s) Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide (write and circle after the question)<br />
Step 4: Write an equation<br />
Step 5: Solve the equation (includes student work, such as student-drawn pictures, used to determine correct answer)<br />
Step 6: Prove It! (Student must write complete sentences explaining/justifying the solution to the problem. Academic language [<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">College Talk</a>] is a must to receive credit for this step.) I have the example frames below posted on the white board to model the expectation.<br />
<br />
Example: My answer makes sense because I___________ and I ___________. Also, I ________________. Therefore, _________________________________.<br />
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When a student finishes writing the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Prove It </a>sentences, he then uses the Sockless Puppets (<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Brain Toy</a>) to read his sentences out loud to himself. When the majority of students are finished writing, I will call out Class! They respond, Yes! I clap my hands together twice quickly and say, Prove it! They clap twice and say, Okay! Students will then turn and Partner 1 stands quickly to begin proving his answer, while Partner 2 mirrors his gestures. Call out, Uh, oh! Switch! Students respond, Uh, oh! Switch! Partner 2 quickly rises and begins speaking as Partner 1 mirrors him.<br />
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Reminder…you should be walking among the students during the Teach-Okay to Praise, Prompt, and Leave! You will be able to quickly informally assess student engagement and progress. <br />
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At this point, I may <strong>Call Out</strong> a student to share their Prove It comments with the class: <br />
Teacher: <b>All eyes on Mary!</b> (I point to Mary with arms outstretched.)<br />
Students: <b>All eyes on Mary, Mary, Mary!</b> (Students are turning and pointing to Mary with arms outstretched.)<br />
Mary<b>: Class!</b> Students: <b>Yes!</b> Mary: <b>Mirror words!</b> Students: <b>Mirror Words!</b> Mary will begin to speak in short phrases to allow students to echo and gesture with her. If Mary has difficulty, she has been taught to say, <b>Help me!</b> The class may call out suggestions to her. When she hears one she likes, she calls the class back with <b>Class!</b> They respond, <b>Yes!</b> She proceeds as before. Upon completion, I will ask the class to give her a Ten finger Wooo!<br />
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The Explore step of this lesson will require <strong>many</strong> examples of word problems for students to become fluent with the process. <strong>Model! Model! Model!</strong> When you feel the majority of your class is proficient, go to the next step of this lesson. <br />
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<h3>
Assessment: QT! (Quick Test)</h3>
Create a set of True/False statements about the steps to solving word problems. When you call out <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">QT</a>, students will bury their eyes into their arm on desk and place other hand flat on the desk top. When they agree with your statement, they will raise their thumb up. When they disagree with a statement, they will point their thumb down. Have a student roster handy to note students who answer your statements incorrectly. <br />
<br />
Sample Statements:<br />
<strong>1. Read the word problem at least two times before solving the problem. (True)</strong><br />
<strong>2. The last step to solving a word problem is to circle the Key Numbers. (False)</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<h3>
Critical Thinking</h3>
Have students explain why the order of the steps to solve a word problem is necessary by using a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Whammy</a> response. Post a sentence frame on the board to encourage participation from all styles of learners. <br />
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<b>Example: </b><br />
<b>You need to solve a word problem using all six steps in order because <span style="color: blue;">________,</span> <span style="color: red;">________</span>, and <span style="color: lime;">______</span>. <span style="color: blue;">First, _______________ because ______________. </span><span style="color: red;">Second, _______________ because _____________________.</span> <span style="color: lime;">Finally, _____________________ because ________________________.</span> In conclusion, you need to solve a word problem using all six steps in order because <span style="color: blue;">_______</span>, <span style="color: red;">________</span>, and <span style="color: lime;">__________.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></b>
<b>(To see an example of a 5 Step WBT Lesson, watch<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuBtwMyB4w)"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuBtwMyB4w)</a></b>Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-32814105945633207302013-09-05T06:23:00.001-07:002013-09-05T06:23:18.166-07:00Universal Homework Model…WBT Style!<p>School has started!  Your classroom looks great, your students are eager to do their best, and the plan book is humming!  If your district is like mine, you have also been gearing up to address the Homework Policy!  </p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> offers an amazing <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Universal Homework Model</a> that can be used as is, or modified to meet your local district requirements.  This model is based on a team effort by the class to complete daily assignments using three levels of participation.  </p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTL3-cmo4U9nTFGAuWODipRK2nzIuRDgZzIDnbHogxkbq_O1J9h7fGAJaf_UL10TKPvuDkS-j0fQGPscX-4MyiqX30p6LW3oSW7V2Oo3WOq08c6HOxmpa0JSWYguMk7V-2L1Pm4_BxZ_b/?imgmax=800" width="286" height="193" /></a></p> <p>Each level is worth a set amount of Team Stars. These stars accumulate each day to earn minutes of a learning game called <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Mind Soccer</a>!  </p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrsp2uB0HtKd-qA5mkPVjxw4ReUvY7O1Fpa5s_xPZb9zbaDrx7_WBMgo7GmqYfzu2GMFQaLxBTTygNMg0UUL0fIVyh3K_dMD2xvhpJKGbggaE6afGBoG3_V7b2dojf_cf2sNFZXFsKFbk/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="174" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5x4wizPW-rRnUu1v1zt0q9IkwW2oQ-s4s9qaiiNhXGaeHyg1OBe6YeVkAzu7KNLROIAOl76NEW0jY97X6Zyhj_HtfaP3KPSRQiJT-LV2cdBcfgqPkkY9bkWXBSWKmXwhL47hI-7gUNs4H/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="182" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYd6B59o1p5wL9c7oUPiEob3zBXmte9fXQDkA4qcpURCCSywztk_6GjcmfhR6eWWtykaJZF9W2U0frUAFk-af9AYY99AUXeEuhDFyE9WJTdq8SIIXge6jM8sNNFccy4d2jU5lmnuzn53b/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="187" /></a></p> <p>In my class, when students arrive each morning, they place their daily homework on their desks for me to check in.  As I collect, I count out loud the total number of Stars as I move between desks.  When I come to a student who has completed Two or Three Star homework, I will call out, “Please give ____ a Ten finger Wooo for bringing in Extra Stars for our class today!”  Students quickly shout out “Woooo!” wriggling all ten fingers in the direction of that student!  I know you can picture the look on that student’s face as he reaches out to “grab” that Woooo!  (You may be thinking right now; what about the student who didn’t return any homework that day?  As I move between desks, if I come upon a student with no homework, I keep moving on while making a mental notation to speak to that student privately later.  I DO NOT draw attention to that student!  Depending on the reason for no homework that day, he may have a one minute rehearsal of Rule 4, Make smart choices!, at recess.)</p> <p>When I have collected all the homework, I note the total Stars for the day on a special line graph on the front board.  Starting on the second day of collection, I write an addition computation on the board of the previous Star total plus the new Star total.  Students are asked to do Mental Math and solve the problem.  They must blow their answer into their hand and hold it up.  When all the cupped hands are raised, we solve the problem out loud so they can check their answer.  There are always lots of cheers, and no one is on the spot for making a mistake!  Everyone participates! The graph is marked with goal lines for earning the extra minutes for <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Mind Soccer</a> I mentioned earlier. The blue numbers indicate the Extra Minute goals.  I use a different color to plug in the daily totals as we go through the week.  The graph starts clean every Monday.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQV7-zddojjK_49kd6x_O65Mx-eBW0XIyi8ClfxgD3C0DeWlDQYW4pUODTa_022EhdHJAy6r-WG1QlNbp6S52eQLAEbuMGiPRRa4y61sFu5yopEUB3g_mbArnlP9_g9N6-h_vsy1nLnsH/s1600-h/photo-256.jpg"><img title="photo (25)" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="photo (25)" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqB8D-7uPLgty7b2QencVzRkYZf8hLcFK_ZY8WmFcTe9N9YMmgH-CmKnI0eEb6t3tXvaYQvLsJtP88vLcg6hLibhmxq-0SStcqGuybfBrvAScFkUHpMgsmmKqbGk0eUutKTkgRAXJlJl3/?imgmax=800" width="234" height="316" /></a></p> <p>I have 30 students in my class, so the first opportunity to earn a minute would be at the 60 Star mark.  At the end of each school quarter, I raise the number of Stars needed to earn the minutes.   </p> <p>You really want to get Team Spirit hyped up, so here is the recommendation from Coach B:</p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvJX3l-F6u1DQvcjJvIPp7lYIWcdyrmYTgonlGFuoaMmu5zdmK6BidlyVjJ9CqyPJT8QNE6zruDu57vGFAFtpS4fjMTaFGVdDH_4WwacZOAV63wsqiQvkRKmuWC1FdoztsFgHAAHbn3xg/?imgmax=800" width="337" height="255" /></a></p> <p>This really works!  I am always happily surprised to find students not only eager to volunteer, but also follow through on their commitment the next morning!  You may find as I have, that some of those eagerly volunteering are the ones struggling in class, and/or have not always been consistent in returning daily homework!  Amazing!</p> <p>Earlier I mentioned how you can adapt this model to fit your requirements.  For my district, that is exactly what I had to do.  Here is the outline that is attached to my 2nd grade team’s weekly homework packet.  It contains the Star outline, and the directions for the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Super Speed Read and Math</a> folders that are checked each Friday for progress.</p> <p> <a href="http://nancystoltenberg@wholebrainteaching.com"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfVu8nSfTwG1ZZ4eCDJ8J4pyuJjos5YqwasGiLHsTD4cAE47CcfIGSU3vbNkFR8sEgdFNp3pozOSi4g0yklBK_0aMDNrUOAjSA2s_2ay4W2VPUSok6uK4m9TU5fGPUSYHkcX9HW4ZgcHs/?imgmax=800" width="469" height="611" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>When you present the homework plan to your parents, it’s very important for them to understand that extra homework turned in for Stars does not count as Extra Credit!  Many are shocked when their child comes home excited to do more school work just to earn more minutes to play a learning game!  No Treasure Box!  </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif32M2DQDoRuIanb54rmf6l7sUqQnTRpOnxUJKtpOnWXg8-Ny6NvYZyUE59-KMItxWME39BrDaHS_iEIE3vugBfksmHn89hFCJAKy72t3s_0K1K7T5pIoiTe2eYrFijBAcnI2ogq0vFt0r/?imgmax=800" width="370" height="277" /></a></p> <p>My final comment is that this is the best Homework Plan I have ever used in terms of student participation, parent support, and overall results in academic learning! Last year, my students were voluntarily turning in illustrated book reports, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com">Triple Whammy essays</a>, and yes, original poetry!  All for a Star for their TEAM!!</p> <p>For more detailed information, please visit <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a>  Watch the WBT Webcasts  for Universal Homework: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP9LC2hasKs&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLDB8B4C4DBF1F7346">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP9LC2hasKs&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLDB8B4C4DBF1F7346</a>  Mind Soccer:  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwqGpal2tI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwqGpal2tI</a>  </p> <p>Download <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Free EBooks for SuperSpeed Read and SuperSpeed Math</a> at <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a>  </p> <p>If you are interested in a copy of my modified Homework Model, you can email me at <a href="mailto:NancyStoltenberg@WholeBrainTeaching.com">NancyStoltenberg@WholeBrainTeaching.com</a></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-77485977737952985862013-08-19T19:16:00.001-07:002013-08-19T19:16:30.792-07:00Opening Day in WBT<p><font color="#0000ff" size="5"><strong>The First Minute, Hour, Day in 2nd Grade</strong></font></p> <p><strong><font color="#0000ff" size="5"></font></strong></p> <p><font size="5"><strong><font color="#0000ff">Schedule</font></strong><strong> </strong></font><strong> <br /></strong></p> <p><strong>This morning’s lesson <br />1. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_0784a9cc-1b7a-429c-917e-53bed5dd5888">Class-Yes</a> <br />2. Rule 1: Follow directions quickly! <br />3. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_f4a3443e-ca16-4122-9e25-0fdfb4c69b4e">The Scoreboard</a> <br />4. Practice Rule 1* <br />5. Learn student names: Name Game** <br />6. Practice Rule 1 <br />7. Mirror </strong></p> <p><strong> <br />This afternoon’s lesson <br />1. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_28c387ce-cad1-4e76-938b-0cb106fdc94a">Teach-Okay</a> <br />2. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_e45496c8-c892-4236-8b2f-6d9fd8ff6370">Five Rules</a> <br />3. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_a71c11be-46a9-488d-a900-9a541fdb5d82">Oral Writing</a> <br />4<a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_e2513a4a-c592-4274-a5da-c418daaa7e4c">. Power Pix</a> <br />5. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/wholebrainteaching1/video?clipId=pla_7ad52837-68cc-4246-9114-6eb99e89b31b">Red/Green Writing</a> <br /></strong></p> <p>I post this schedule on my board for the students to see. This schedule contains <br />terms that are brand new to them. Not only does it keep the interest of my students up, it keeps me on target throughout the day. For second grade, I choose to cover up the afternoon section of the schedule until after lunch. You may choose to cover up more of the schedule depending on the ability of your class to stay focused on the activity at hand.Standing in front of your class, practice the Class-Yes a few more times…remember to smile, be confident, and be in charge! You are ready to teach Rule 1! Oh, yeah!!</p> <p> <br /><font color="#0000ff" size="5"><strong>Rule 1: Follow directions quickly!</strong></font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff"><strong></strong> <br /></font><strong>Teacher: Class! Class! <br />Students: Yes! Yes! <br />Teacher: Today, I’m going to teach you the first of our Five Rules. <br />Rule 1 Follow directions quickly!</strong> (Make gesture) <br /><strong>When I say Rule 1, you say…Follow directions quickly! <br />Teacher: Rule 1! <br />Students: Follow directions quickly!</strong> (Some of the students may make the <br />gesture.) <br /><strong>Teacher: Very nice! Let’s try again, but we need to be faster! Rule 1! <br /></strong>Practice this two to three times. <br /><strong>Teacher: Class! <br />Students: Yes! <br />Teacher: Now, let’s practice following directions quickly!</strong> (Quickly give some short commands …Look up…Look down…Raise your hand…etc. Be sure to praise for speed!) <br /><strong>Teacher: Class! Class! Class! <br />Students: Yes! Yes! Yes! <br />Teacher: Rule 1 will help us learn and have fun! Raise your hands if you think Rule 1 will be good for our class.</strong> (No matter the number of hands raised, continue on with the following statement.)<strong> I agree that Rule 1 will be good for our class!</strong></p> <p> <br /><font color="#0000ff" size="5"><strong>*Classroom Procedures with 3Peat</strong></font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff"><strong> <br /></strong></font>Procedures, procedures, procedures! These make or break a class! You know <br />exactly what it is like to step into a classroom where disorganization is evident just by the look on the teacher’s face! You cannot start teaching productively until you have procedures! So, starting the VERY first hour of the day, teach procedures! I will say that again! Teach procedures! Teach procedures! Teach procedures!</p> <p> <br /><strong>Rule #1, “Follow directions quickly!”</strong> has been introduced and practiced several times at this point of the day. Teaching procedures using 3peat, involves the repetition of this rule several times. Setting your expectations is very important that first hour, and day!</p> <p> <br />We repeatedly use “Seats, Seats, Seats”, “Bodies up, up, up”, and “Lines, lines, <br />lines” during the day. Any direction that you want a quick student response to, <br />becomes a 3peat! Here are some examples:</p> <p> <br /><strong>Teacher: Bodies up! Students: bodies up, up, up!</strong> Your students should <br />immediately stand and push in their chairs, if appropriate, and stand straight <br />without a sound. I model the RIGHT way and the WRONG way to do this. Do <br />not assume they understand your expectations the first time they hear the <br />direction! Practice, and use the Scoreboard!</p> <p>  <br /><strong>Teacher: Line! </strong><strong>Students: Line, line, line!</strong> Your students move quickly and <br />orderly to the lineup area without a sound! Use the Scoreboard, and MODEL <br />again. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Teacher: Seat! Students: Seats, seats, seats!</strong> Students must move to sit <br />down, feet under the desk, hands folded on the desk.</p> <p> <br />With all of these commands, and any others you choose, practice the right way and wrong way! If you are not consistent with your expectations, your students will cue right into that! Whatever level of response you are willing to accept, that’s what you will get! Make it right the first time, and realize you will be practicing a lot! Another big point: Use the Scoreboard…a lot! You should have a total of at least 10 marks on it by the end of the first hour!</p> <p> <br /><strong><font color="#0000ff" size="5">**Name Game</font></strong></p> <p> <br />Coach has come up with a fast, efficient, and fun way to learn the names of your <br />students…all of them! Coach B’s Name Game is not only fantastic for quickly learning your students’ names; it is a great way to set your expectations for getting your 2nd grade students to answer questions with complete sentences! <br />When you ask, <strong>“What is your name?”</strong> you will model how you expect them to answer. <strong>“My name is …”</strong> Since you expect “college talk” in your class this year; you get the ball rolling with the expectation of your students answering in complete sentences the very first day! Play this game with lots of energy! Remember, these are young students with “fragile” attention spans. They’ve only been in your class for an hour! You most likely don’t know who might roll out of their chair at any moment! So to keep engagement high, I use a script similar to this:</p> <p> <br /><strong>Teacher: Oh, class! <br />Students: Oh, yes! <br />Teacher: I just LOVE to play games! One of my favorites is the Name Game! It’s really fun! It’s really fast! And, the only things you need to know for this game are your name and how to listen really good! Tell your neighbor, “I can play this game! Piece of pie!”” <br />Students: “I can play this game! Piece of pie!” <br />Teacher: So this is how we play! I am going to point at someone and say, <br />“What is your name?” That person will answer back with their name in this sentence. “My name is _____.”</strong> (To help students remember what to say, I have a frame sentence on the board for them to use if needed.) <br /><strong>Teacher:</strong> (Point at a student you believe will answer quickly.) <strong>What is your name? <br />Student: My name is Tom.</strong> (If the student does not answer with a complete <br />sentence, just say,<strong> “Complete sentence, please.”</strong> Student should try it again.) <br /><strong>Teacher:</strong> (Once student answers prompt, always ask the child to repeat their answer again.)<strong> Please, say again.</strong> (After you have called on 3 to 4 <br />students, tell the students: <strong>Repeat after me.</strong> You will then point at a few students and say, <strong>This is Susan. <br />Students echo back. This is Susan.</strong> </p> <p>When you come to a student that has been introduced previously, but you can’t remember the student’s name, don’t panic! Just say as you point to that student, <strong>What is this student’s name?</strong> At least one person in that class will know! Continue on with the game, pointing to a student and asking them, <strong>What is her name?</strong> This gives the class a chance to practice the names, and it will help you learn the names also! If you forget a name anytime during the day, use your class to help you! <strong>Class, what is his name?</strong> Your students will help you on the spot! Now you can proudly say at the end of the day, that you know all your students’ names, not just the three names of those three people in trouble on the playground today!)</p> <p>Wishing everyone a great First Day of the new school year!  Please share some of your experiences with all of us!</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-33238447779259611332013-06-06T18:11:00.001-07:002013-06-06T18:11:06.375-07:00WBT Summer Book Club…Sizzling!!<p> </p> <p align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em><strong>You’re Invited!</strong></em></font></p> <p align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em><strong>Summer, Funtricity, and the WBT Book Club</strong></em></font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDXs_0QpHacJJregcFaz77sDJuCoYIoU9umiiTfVBcjehhVlUhgmC5_lAZ-EtauDYYF9zO4azsa_4ZJg8Kbl4QMZnne44Xdm3rK6NBK1mywhR-5rmsmhfLub_SFYFqYqq4NtV8T69sNRg/s1600-h/clip_image002%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="clip_image002" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILUu0umcI2mmO0raIUMaJXeFfI2ki_KqWx6hVqn8fghsM_hD9BY8OQ00LnkLLNsyFGxyQSzgj3_3_7GxtrI6q6pzVeznuj_ftRQYpxMUc76MhJMmu4WcGUXl4ww6rdlDkN9qg66KT5sum/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="158" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em><strong>We have created the first Whole Brain Teachers Book Club! Our highlighted book for discussion is the newest WBT book from Coach B with all the latest and greatest strategies and techniques</strong>:<b> </b></em></font></p> <p align="center"><b></b></p> <p align="center"><b>Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids </b><a href="http://goo.gl/gBNAW">http://goo.gl/gBNAW</a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIifk-073qQJ-4di80ifLP0urBsZPLUprCOVxAdEec7fKaR2orvRPVCj3cUfLLInZ5nF7aoxZJFO6vIStNBId883-MUuha1dBTFkwwNv03W51Dhay12tRjHYuAD8lwNoH3iNyWEpbfv0jT/s1600-h/clip_image004%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="clip_image004" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image004" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElEJWpbWkIaEhE2Vadvv5YdDo_bnhokDl7GLbJCLhzM0lFmfAFZyTpNnAg5v-l6aDEwNoThCkfiUCaB8c0nEXjHPCF7G-VWUj8xZFbt8m0RqahtKyA-M-v9675jHqe9M30-ef9Oet33i1/?imgmax=800" width="139" height="205" /></a></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><b>Where: </b><a href="http://wbtbookclub.blogspot.com/">http://wbtbookclub.blogspot.com/</a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmt-lG0J5K8WQBBErMbe1PTqeZjz8h0jzBwdUBAB1DhzXIqbFGip_UJGxiScJXoWd5C8fZOsOoW32pPZjkFKGBJudWi7ejT4EAQZbev75ayyP436sUAeNtxb3jS7zag7zO6Q-eQKHqjcJ/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdt_mP3hAXGx7XlA9TxU1TiG7ouL2t9-26b49xrD7jRh-J-IlEJRGwqcNlIafdk9-06jIkgYSBeVduBy3QXDeLkR2YQHVOQWzgizeuDqbipCTVEWxd_Xr3UarrmmM6GMggMDBpD9KRYVO/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="55" /></a></p> <p align="center"><b>How: Go to this link and become a member! It’s Free! Grab the book on Amazon or Kindle! Start reading and join the posted discussions! Be prepared for some thought-provoking, energizing, moving, and always lively conversations with fellow WBT teachers from around the world!</b></p> <p><strong>You can also earn up to 700 Whole Brain Teaching Certification Points with your posts! We'll be exploring, chapter by chapter, our manual, "Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids." Follow these directions ... Step 1: Go to </strong><a href="http://wbtbookclub.blogspot.com/"><strong>http://wbtbookclub.blogspot.com/</strong></a> <br /><strong>Step 2: Scroll down to "Members" on the left hand side. Click on "Join This Site" and become a member. You will need a Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Open ID, AIM, or Netlog account to do this. Becoming a member is a necessity to use the book club, as you have to be a member to post. <br />Step 3: Enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of the page (below Members). This will allow you to receive messages regarding new discussion topics and important info.</strong></p> <p><strong><font color="#0000ff">Hope you can join us!!</font></strong></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-68947098441958905342013-05-20T22:14:00.001-07:002013-05-20T22:14:29.168-07:00The Power of a Teacher!<p>The end of a school year brings a range of emotions.  The demands of seemingly endless administrative paperwork, combined with a rise in student behaviors, can make one wish the last day would come a little faster.  On the other side of it, when you reflect back on your students’ growth, you realize how blessed you were to have been a part of it all!</p> <p>Today, a very special teacher of very special children posted on the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT forum</a> an amazing reflection on the power of a teacher to make the difference in the long term success of a child.  Marie Everman is a teacher of special needs students in West Virginia.  This year she began to incorporate the philosophy and strategies of <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> to help her students reach new heights!  Here is her story:</p> <p><font color="#0000ff">The Genius Ladder <br />“If a child</font> <font color="#0000ff">can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrada <br />INTRODUCTION <br />My teaching career as a Special Educator has spanned twenty four years and I have worked with students who have had Special Needs or handicaps including LD, ED, ADHD, ESL, and oral and visual Processing Problems due to trauma, malnutrition, cultural circumstances, and other causes. In my experience, the most difficult subject to teach these children has always been written language. During my career, I have tried numerous written language programs including 4 Square Writing, Traits of Writing, writing prompts, writing journals, sentence strips, photo cards, picture books, story cards, story starters, and others. I have attended many workshops near and far over the years, many specifically designed for children with Learning Disabilities. With the arrival of the digital age, there have been webcasts, podcasts and multiple CD’s and DVD’s that promised to motivate handicapped students and teach them to write cohesive sentences, paragraphs, and essays. Nothing worked! My students were still barely able to compose an interesting simple sentence and were still inconsistent with capitalization and punctuation. I felt frustrated because I had been unable to teach them this vastly important skill. <br />Then, Teacher Heaven opened up! I discovered Whole Brain Teaching and the Genius Ladder. <br />DESCRIPTION <br />The Genius Ladder is an engaging written language plan that uses a cartoon format to teach students to write increasingly longer and more interesting sentences. Then, they build on these sentences to compose paragraphs and essays. Because the pictures and sample sentences are fun, silly, and colorful, they grab and keep students’ attention. The “Blah” sentence is the bottom rung of the ladder, and it is composed of only three words, an article, a noun, and a verb. The “Spicy” sentence is next on the ladder, and it expands the “Blah” sentence by adding an adjective to describe the noun. Next up is the “Extender” sentence which adds an adverb. On the top level is the “Genius” sentence which further extends the sentence by using two adjectives and two adverbs. The final operation needed to complete this effort involves having the students write cohesive paragraphs using their Genius sentences as the main idea. Because it contains over 500 slides, the Genius Ladder pdf contains exactly what my students’ need: lots and lots of oral practice. <br />METHODS <br />This school year I am a collaborative teacher in a 3rd grade remedial RLA class, so the general educator and I both claim these students. The first week these children were introduced to the “Blah” sentence and learned to orally substitute the noun and/or the verb. We also used gestures to teach the definition of the sentence as well as the required capitalization and punctuation. The class worked as a whole with us, but also spent much time working with a partner. Then they wrote as many sentences as they could in fifteen minutes on the computer. The computer was chosen because writing on paper was such a laborious task for them, and they had rarely been successful with paper and pencil assignments earlier in their school careers. But the computer was neutral and had no prior associations with failures. The next few weeks the same teaching strategies were followed with the “Spicy,” “Extender,” and “Genius,” sentences. The day that all twenty-two of these children composed, capitalized, and punctuated complete “Genius” sentences pandemonium broke out in the computer lab! The children were out of their chairs hugging and laughing and dancing along with their teachers. The joy on their faces and in our hearts was indescribable. Coach B said teachers who use this program need to have big hankies close. (But I only needed two tissues.) That was my most wonderful day in teaching! Funtricity at its highest. <br />CRITICAL THINKING <br />Critical thinking develops slowly in handicapped children, is an ongoing process that is measured in baby steps, and requires repetition in varied ways. Now that the students can construct sentences mechanically, they need to use higher level thinking to enable them to build cohesive paragraphs to form essays. (After mastering Genius sentence composition, we had the students begin using paper and pencil to record their thoughts.) Our strategies are to use lots of teacher prompts, to continue to write orally in whole class and partner situations, and to use gestures and onomatopoeia. What seems to work best is using examples taken from fairy tales so the children can relate their own stories to the characters and events from those stories. Of course, we use real life situations too. One of their assignments was to persuade the principal to lengthen their recess time. Their progress with the paragraphs and essays is increasing, albeit slowly. We all had to learn to walk before we could run. But they have come so far during this year, they get lots of ten finger woos from us. <br />THE BIG HAIRY TEST <br />In March, the Mother of All Tests, the online writing portion of the WESTEST, appeared. This requires every student in West Virginia to respond on the computer to an unknown prompt with an essay. In past years, most of the SPED students wrote a couple of sentences and quit or just gave up. But this class spent two hours writing rough drafts and typing in their essays. They insisted that we read their drafts before they were shredded because they were so proud. We won’t know how truly well they did until September when the scores are returned. But each of them is a gigantic success story to us. <br />“When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing” <br />Enrique Jardiel Poncela <br />CONCLUSION <br />The Genius Ladder rises to the summit as the crème de la crème of all writing programs which enables students with Special Needs to master the skills needed for composing sentences, paragraphs, and essays. <br />Thanks, Coach B and all of those great folks who work with you to make teaching successful and fun for teachers as well as students.</font></p> <p><font color="#000000">After I read this, I was so inspired and reminded why every day of the school year is not to be taken lightly!  Our students depend on us, even as they are leaving us on that last day of school, to always seek out the best programs and strategies we can to help them realize their full potential!  Thank you, Marie for that extra punch of energy we all need at this special time of year!</font></p> <p>For more information on the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT Genius Ladder</a>, go to <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-5741791831712461992013-04-12T21:46:00.001-07:002013-04-12T21:46:52.560-07:00All eyes on…”Student Engagement!”<p>Another amazing week! Thank goodness for WBT!</p> <p> <br />One of our newest strategies refocuses on calling students to share responses in class. While circulating among students during a Teach-Okay set, note students who are highly engaged and sharing great information with their partners. Lean over to that student(s) and say, “Great job! I may be calling on you later to share with the class.”</p> <p> <br />Call the class back with, “Class!” and wait for their response, “Yes!” Repeat the question from the previous discussion. Now point to a student you spoke to earlier and say, “All eyes on Sam!” Class responds, “All eyes on Sam!” while turning to look at Sam. Sam rises quickly and says, “Class!” Class responds, “Yes!” Sam says, “Mirror, Words!” Class says, “Mirror, Words!”</p> <p> <br />Sam answers question, using gestures and pausing to allow class to echo and mirror his complete sentence answer. You may encourage him to give additional details and examples by spinning your pointer fingers around each other. You are always looking to encourage critical thinking from your students. When Sam is finished, there should be some major Ten Finger Wooos! At this point, you may decide to call on another student to respond, or proceed on with your 5 Step Lesson.</p> <p> <br />If you have had the opportunity to try this in your class, please share with us!</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-22009055514894594792013-04-03T23:17:00.001-07:002013-04-03T23:17:53.317-07:00WBT Certification and Facebook!<p>If you have been thinking about becoming a Certified Whole Brain Instructor/Presenter, or you have already started the process, there couldn’t be a better time to further your Journey!  Oh, yeah!  </p> <p>A WBT Certification Facebook page has been created just for 2nd Grade educators!      WBT 2nd Grade Certification, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/WBT-2nd-Grade-Certification/233628713446895">http://www.facebook.com/pages/WBT-2nd-Grade-Certification/233628713446895</a>   </p> <p>As the Director of WBT Certification, I am currently working with amazing teachers from around the world who are working on their Certification Journeys!  I would love to offer my personal services to help you also!  Hit the Link above and then hit LIKE!  I can’t wait to hear from you!</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/WBT-2nd-Grade-Certification/233628713446895"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Cert 3" border="0" alt="Cert 3" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6luhS8fj2LEman5c4CK3cIKX5_owqh9AYxh775nKSX-p9PKtNIaDRQ7QMlaH4tbtd9nYggO2EEdr2iPfeKE8HDQ4WZapZdqZatuy4ngM7CaHcqwgDZzxIxUOaG8w3goVKhJysQdCjsbzF/?imgmax=800" width="240" height="244" /></a></p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-4656112169137284372013-03-11T23:25:00.001-07:002013-03-12T21:09:58.787-07:00In, Over, Under…Complex!If you are wondering how to elevate your students’ writing, try this new set of sentence frames from <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach B</a>! My class has had the benefit of the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Genius Ladder</a> and <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Whammy</a> writing this year, and has made great strides in writing mini essays and multiple paragraph essays. Last week, after <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach</a> posted these frames, I began a writing session based on the premise that since we were approaching the end of third quarter, students needed to bump up their writing again.<br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietU_RwpbrqXDVC9eP1-_r9BCqDpZfeg5RM3edPDJ3mN9IhTocBcNLHEKHjPDtv0eoQL28EMTWYivcoPNHUp3EYIgCKX4R4sJC60ulS2pZIKlONIp5QAT1c0XIZXlzfLduLkrXbyTNeS6a/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="436" /></a><br />
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We started with the first frame, “ In ______, the girl laughed.” Without even filling the blank, we used <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Teach-Okay</a> to repeat the sentence frame over and over with a partner just to hear the language of the frame as is. The next step was to introduce a simple noun. I started with a couple of examples, “In <u>the classroom</u>, the girl laughed.” “In <u>the car</u>, the girl laughed.” Using <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Tag Team</a>, students then worked with partners to fill the frame with as many different nouns as they could. Their next task was to record at least two examples of the sentences they had created orally with partners. For students who finished early, they were asked to read their sentences silently, using <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Air Punctuation</a> and gestures while waiting. When the majority were finished, I did a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Teach-Okay</a> and students shared their written sentences with partners again, also adding in the gestures as they spoke.<br />
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With the basic frame introduced and practiced, the next step was to move from Blah to Spicy! Students revisited their previous sentences and orally added adjectives (Spice) to their nouns. “In <u>the very noisy classroom</u>, the <u>silly</u> girl laughed.” <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Tag Team</a> was again utilized to elicit as many reps as possible. Students were then tasked to write at least two examples of created sentences.<br />
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The agenda of the activity became established, so moving on to the next sample frame was simple. “On ____, the boy cried.” Starting Blah, and then onto Spicy, students created a wealth of sentences. After each set, another frame was introduced. “Beside _____, a dog barked.”<br />
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Roughly 45 minutes was spent on this activity. We concluded the session by doing some student call-outs to hear the variety of sentences created. (Reminder, when calling on a student to share, that student should stand quickly and call out, “Class!” and the response from the class, “Yes!” Student speaker then says, “Mirror with words!” Class echoes that request, “Mirror with words!”and then proceeds to mirror and echo the student speaking.) Finally, working with their partners, students were asked to prove, using a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Because Clapper</a>, how the Spicy sentences were better than the Blah sentences. <br />
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For the next lesson, students will be given a list of prepositions to choose from to create new sentences using other frames recommended on the above list. Finally, we will take one of our complex sentences and use it as a starter for a mini-essay paragraph. Let’s see, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Genius Ladder</a>, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Whammies</a>, and now complex prepositional phrase sentences! Oh, yeah!Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-41386198868904970502013-01-03T19:58:00.001-08:002013-01-03T20:23:18.561-08:00There’s Gold in those Sentences and Essays…Who Knew?!<br />
Every year in my class, writing instruction begins on the first day of school, and continues everyday for the remainder of the year. All students need support, encouragement, and very importantly, tools to help them become successful in the art of written communication. As an educator, your students look to you for all of the above, no matter their age or ability. <br />
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Of the programs I have used through the years, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">The Writing Game</a> created by <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Chris Biffle</a> for <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a>, has had amazing results in my classroom. (<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">The Writing Game</a> is a free EBook download at <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">wholebrainteaching.com</a>. Check out the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">webcasts</a>, #536 and #537, Writing Game Part 1 and Part 2 at the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a> site also.) Now, to make this program even better, Coach B has introduced <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Gold Writing</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Gold Writing</a> begins by teaching your students how to write <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">“one, perfect, information packed sentence.”</a> When I introduced my class to this process, I used the scaffolding examples shown in <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">The Triple Gold webcasts</a> at <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a>.<br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHiQLUkdCSQnDoQiiS8AvNtWtGqHtzPfllwsULHhyphenhyphenAYnmVdB8AZetlUdqjjw5Fmibnwn7LFLd0YBWrCbA3axAUqro9Rw0X58oUirbuHpkXsjUbjZac1F772ar-2B-zr8SQhKCuE0UrTYj/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="288" /></a><a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0XE9m_azjudK6GEfqPs0f3v2PajLEb25Xytj-4BRmJWUjMF2KQS3Lga8XWDZ6vjbKk9PKE31Z6WcM5im3cbfeRcbfAj0B9EsWwP83OOwHmkSbDCjLzWBAwJldPANhKa04xpI6nvaCH5e/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="291" /></a><br />
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I started with lots of oral repetitions to help students understand the task. As <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach</a> points out, remind students that a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder</a> is about three separate subjects. Otherwise, you have created a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">“Clinker”!</a><br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9KesrVe5QlcKc-QuuehI478y-Pw2e8WYhmkBqhfWdrcJKhhg4XGPsNd58L27aLjJZndaSH2Rp8zT7Ul4V9Ohbm9-zUmTm1YCPjo-Qm5MLyv1K84hLo4mWSzGPunm5C8vVRp5I3KdV3c6/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="291" /></a><br />
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At the beginning, at least ten minutes was spent every morning just in oral practice, incorporating <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Teach-Okay</a> with <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Tag Team</a> to keep student engagement high and to generate as many student responses as possible. The next step was to have students generate written examples while still working with partners. Both steps allowed for the range of abilities in my classroom to participate more successfully and with less intimidation. Once I felt at least 80% of my class were becoming more fluent in their written responses, I shifted to the next level…the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Paragraph</a>!<br />
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For the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Paragraph</a>, I switched to a paragraph framework where each piece of the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Sentence</a> became a sentence on its own. This step was helped by the fact that my students had been working on <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Genius Ladder</a> paragraphs for some time. Using the pattern below, students were able to see a familiar pattern, but with new directions.<br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqkrP5tC-FB8qH_j5kkGybT7QPVkaZru2WdyL-uydUUr6K6g7VRqhRWqFFkYej7aI1JCojkU_hDN7NrlAqsoXUndRVMdKHl7c3A2IfxB2hZNUnqcfzVZcW7tj_RyvH4LcInts2tbJqi5W/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="264" /></a><br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTa7-gwdaBG0oFIsH4dHjVz2kV1IrZwhkAJ4WSZG4U64PO4MN_CnHWdz-nDby8BCf3W0FrVSSzXtIna9dNbZ0e2gs-i5IVb7bJYMwGubSKP16CHVYE3mSGXl7v-oSgyV9xal-s7AEg-4C/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="353" /></a><br />
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After several days of practice using this frame, I then required this pattern as the standard for daily writing. As a result, the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Paragraph</a> soon became an automatic response to daily writing tasks. <br />
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But as you may know, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach B</a> couldn’t stop with just a paragraph! New goal…<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Essay</a>! First, I told my students that <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach B</a> had just sent us a new challenge in our writing, but that he wasn’t quite sure if we were up to it! Of course, you can picture the reaction from the class! They were not stepping back…bring it on! When I showed them the essay pattern followed by examples, the light bulbs went LED!! They realized the new frame was a continued pattern from the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Paragraph</a>! Here is <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach’s</a> diagram I posted on my front board as a guide for my students.<br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWupCYt8ZxeKmW3F7-ONK6bEeDrlyyOSF6dhYJWcrptUZjKdomPw63YtIRHmiJEnzQ1ixCCgS9dbtZPYV5LRhDnwxZFwsCSf0Om2wC-lY40mgBRMQst4HEKhAXvTwiJa1Wo4DbNzOj7uFf/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="225" /></a><br />
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We took the sample below and began walking through the steps orally. I then took one of our original <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Golder Sentences</a>, and slipped it in for further oral practice. <br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNY17LnbrjIJ-UsMt5Sr7qvRCxFZcsisn9CoswVUFtCS_YmwWvk63t8X3SBin01LXSyBKFw3Roxgc9a63kfUxwx7Mu2ErJQQDdDnAXwu9FKZwWb5hxtJxjc1W31qHsYEZfUADae1zUEOG/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="234" /></a><br />
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The written essays then started taking shape. Note, the frame did not remind them to indent with each new paragraph, so that was a mechanic many had to work on. For the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Adder sentences</a> in each paragraph, students used a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Because Clapper</a> and a <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">For example</a> <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">sentence</a> to demonstrate critical thinking in their sentence choices.<br />
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Learning to write is not easy, but mastery can best be achieved through daily practice in a safe, supportive environment. Here’s how <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach B</a> sums it up:<br />
<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Hsm39zSSV4qarKtcxInMWgBAVbRrmWj-subB28dNv8FZOBiU-0YY46svA_2akLzTEVw9ox6yeb3X6hhdIAl72RuZvmENbduGlAK0BNeL4FLB59cvHf5KDPsaj49L77cTPRgILSI5B4JQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="398" /></a> <br />
I am including some examples of my students’ essays to give you a feel of what you might expect from 2nd graders.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4493_gZNs-XamaRuvdJR-xZwqU45uD0d6XqAZvLy7jh8SyLJ1sWf4D863zfs5-rtu314I1izlw7vRnRBCjUDm_evvK8Hjc46aFFmVHgOjHsLBZdwFQfwmO_NBuvRsb2OBmgETwpo9iHL_/s1600-h/image%25255B84%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMflDRfCq0Fp0Q4Jy_hZSdRt8sE38qyUBtv0TIkdii8hyphenhyphenxdqWaLihw3PWfhlTSkslktEON3o9TxIFSuEdQoDThCZEFvrc9HfeW5HjuwZUvo5ldFKT5yb1IQEcbkN76kD98VnjIDT0k4ux/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="435" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFl5DHS-G0QuaAl5JoIvRDCa8s8bxcMie61AV86BLQhYrSdQmNle2vHxNWc25I3vCLU6YR_BvLPQy5ufw7yEZC6qfa9gs0UR-yPOuoJLdBVY_iBj5Cwr2ZDUlx6ImdVlkQ98ny8NHwonwT/s1600-h/image%25255B80%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="579" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpZbVqMXMWpbVa4CI0ph0VjAgK6PG_Gp2tAsSnT84o2adm2yXjPel8vezgm1hgMeKCpBSxT8pB4eRyP1TiiRgH5hMNqT7tdL9gBc-cQxxXafVXWoch6BcObW5U3TivboO9m7BLTZvv1QL/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="427" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOGxleZ9ox-n0K0x1XEbC8gL3X0Gmx3ylzgjbKCnqK9RwFOeAE_onrd49nyNqCZ0XhMMMb_6fh5rfGayKDf9XGy-hJZwN-XELNE-Sqbeiq4NZgKBoilyyGb8HtYrY827nmwORqkbBRZfz/s1600-h/image%25255B89%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaXP7TA4wXsuQpUXdhV58j31kFAvy5F0SL9na-DTuGV_qLbtwrwYEwApWSYz1i0gB8C-RAP6jSccWs70sFYCr2rx6mC_Kdc7NTa9wJrYgLc8gJFtVcyceWSovlwj8Mp8xIf-d0lMYllfp/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="478" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuL3RI8HY-jlz0G1W1K1ltJT6isk1_LslHGubsOgatRr4OTmWxOULFr-iaZeYQQr66fhXgGIWhc4FpT32yjMcs8GBQ3Py3nNkIYGpQl_ZYa3oj6Eg2JOEIeUsmVBSvOxXDOifcu0v_MVmJ/s1600-h/image%25255B94%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGdCvpXZhFxSvoK5Dpfao1GTW3Ml0GDnMwwBZ520f_CNbH_NITAW0EjMGYgZakJEBmzMnYxJqYsemQRYYDIFK02i9SP_Lb3TLsQdSYlkkd1zFtSuJx6eaJprgiYACIiXc6aT2siQeWqEz/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="473" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi105UyACKNyZtkBNNZj6ySEXAVPKp0Ri1s8zbHa5X2d8WBWYx7Qf1jjumEFCfQZtDrJMilx-_i6FsQ46mHEWD52OuwEK5GoVPSlRKMuf0PIjFQuuWu8577f8ddA8gY6NpehgyGmDD4Jam6/s1600-h/image%25255B98%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZmlHN3ill8p2d_aNlljY7bdBoJM_Wmw4cOiwEnv_KTLgJXoNN1G81D7JdHwS5PHllsdbONHiBQDvKpExI0KYWJ6aKCLfxDK9cSChuRcgf7T-a9n2I5Jue2Nw2uIbaBcLgrFP76lgFJCm/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="480" /></a><br />
For more information on <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Triple Gold Writing</a>, check out the free webcasts at <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/" title="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">http://wholebrainteaching.com/</a> I look forward to hearing about your “gold” experiences!Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-77291647324147337262012-12-16T01:02:00.000-08:002012-12-16T01:10:55.483-08:00"Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary"<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLKBdpfiQvEQl4C8Btdojzcvp3uKC4qejmB_GkFTqYGolGYbXAplIsqbGQ4vQHZUBIfPzWIy2CdOeEI7nhRJLp4CMRfOYry_WFU2kW0PvW5DreUu0tPQ78kxnCEmZTbpqFu6yoKA8S14M/s1600-h/image4.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1D1UjeEAUh4P6_WngN1ahSeBTEXq-PxtTNpnYjCZ7vEAZE2Y0UghTHBkS58P_h2xs5NVt0Gacz5skLdATEqTK0Qftw7jgx089H4LgtEqAU-K4-ox8-mHCvKF0mDtNkqfAiG0vHvjhucR/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a>Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-14412925728135571262012-11-25T00:37:00.001-08:002012-11-25T00:37:26.914-08:00The Beauty of the Heart<p>At this special time of year, as we offer thanks for all our blessings, I would like to share a recent experience at my school.  On November 13th, my best friend and fellow 2nd grade WBT teacher arrived at school at 6:30 am to discover her classroom had been destroyed by vandals over the Veterans Day holiday weekend.  She was devastated by what she found!</p> <p>To begin with, Robin’s room is a wealth of material accumulated and created by a 30+ year career in teaching young children.  In the last three years, she has also transformed it into a model classroom for Whole Brain Teaching.  Her students benefit from her amazing talents everyday!  </p> <p>At this time of year, our school collects food cans for the less fortunate to be put into baskets for Thanksgiving meals.  Many of the recipients come from our own school population.  Robin’s class had also been collecting money for the Student Council for evergreen wreaths to be laid on Veterans’ graves the first week in December.  Her students had responded generously to both causes, even though it’s a sacrifice to do so.</p> <p>When Robin entered her room that morning, she discovered that every inch from floor to ceiling had been covered by the contents of all those collected cans of food.  In addition, vile words and pictures covered walls and ceiling tiles.  Her computers were thrown about, along with the classroom projector she had recently purchased when the school funds did not allow for replacing her old one. Every cord to any machine had been cut and destroyed.  Every student piece of posted work had also been destroyed by the food or from being ripped down.  The classroom sink had been plugged and allowed to run for some time, evident from large pools of water still standing in the room.  Every teacher gift mug she had received and set out for display had been smashed and shattered across desk tops and carpet. Even her own family pictures had been drawn on.  After the police came to investigate and test for fingerprints, Robin was allowed to re-enter the room and learn that at some time during the vandalism, her personal collection of children’s books, over 800 books, had been urinated on and covered with food juices.  The shock and hurt to Robin was about more than the value of these lost items, but about the memories of all her students through the years reading page by page to find out, “what happens next!”</p> <p>When Robin’s students arrived for class about an hour after she found this, she went into teacher mode to shelter them from this vision.  She was given an empty portable outfitted only in large 6th grade desks.  We quickly put supplies together collected from other classrooms.  She started her day with her normal, “Class!”, and was answered back with a hearty, “Yes!”   Student engagement and learning were off and running despite the circumstances!</p> <p>Lots of questions that day from students wondering why their friends in that class had changed rooms.  When we explained in subtle terms that some very unkind people had ruined the classroom and books with the collected food, and yes, had taken the money collected for the Veterans, the looks of shock and dismay were heartfelt!</p> <p>So now for the special part of this whole tragic story, I need to explain what happened the next two days before we left for Thanksgiving Break.  If you have ever had the opportunity to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”, remember back to the ending when all the town’s residents showed up with gifts.  That’s exactly what happened at our school!  Students from across the school brought in bags of canned food, children’s books they had taken from their own shelves at home, and dollar bills for new Veteran wreaths.  Word spread to schools across the district and book drives were initiated!  Robin’s previous students that had moved on to middle and high school set up collections at their sites! </p> <p>My very humble friend was overwhelmed by the immediate responses of caring and generosity shown to her and her class!  She will not get back into her classroom for awhile, but when she does, she knows the love of this generous and caring community will surround her students and help bring some normalcy back to their young lives.</p> <p>This weekend was the infamous Black Friday weekend of shopping, but all I could think of was the heartfelt generosity of an economically challenged population, who gave from their hearts to a very special teacher and her 30 very innocent children!  Life is good!</p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-91474836354704388932012-10-25T00:27:00.001-07:002012-10-25T22:39:54.627-07:00LADDERS to Critical Thinking!<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> is raising the bar again! “Total student engagement is a necessity in ensuring students are participants in the learning process.” Such a generic statement, but it is the buzz statement on the educational stage currently. Administrators have it printed prominently on teacher evaluation forms. Teachers specifically notate it on daily lesson plans. Parents see it under Study Skills on report cards. I “googled” it and found 4,200,000 results! Amazing!<br />
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Student engagement is one vital puzzle piece in enhancing the education of the individual child. Educators need to seize those moments of engagement and, within a stimulating and well-planned learning environment, address the development of the child’s ability to think critically.<br />
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Developing a child’s ability to think critically and problem solve in a variety of situations must be recognized as a life long journey, beginning very early in life. <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> theory and practice acknowledges that and offers an intense program leading to increased student engagement and ultimately higher levels of critical thinking skills. <br />
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Two specific techniques offered to teachers by <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a> for critical thinking development is the use of oral and written language within informal and formal settings. The traditional classroom has accepted the quick question and simple one word answers as satisfactory. Unfortunately, answers as such stop there and never call upon the child to support the given answer. Welcome the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Cosmic Genius Ladder</a> courtesy of <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Coach Chris Biffle</a> and Whole Brain Teaching! (<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT Video Library #538)</a> In this arena, students are taught and given continuous practice in answering questions individually and in “choral” with the class, with complete sentence answers beginning with the subject addressed and the answer to the question. <br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyr5NAcO5LPSCR0WOdhYmsrdzLRAdO97fR0YZFRIOHvwLjgg6PpOlrNKMQFjYC2duw4LfBJN3tPMHRtFCgPfsHKzGb1iRSilIDCX1WJe_Zg0V95S_BkEuQ3j4afz1Lhk5cAU9KYk-wwcx/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="302" /></a><br />
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For example, “Why did Bob go home after the ballgame?” “After the ballgame, Bob went home.” <br />
The next level is Critical Thinking. Using the same method of question and answer, the student/class extends the answer with evidence. <br />
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“TO THINK CRITICALLY YOU MUST TELL <br />
STRONG EVIDENCE FROM WEAK <br />
EVIDENCE, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO <br />
THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT YOUR CRITICAL <br />
THINKING!” Chris Biffle<br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5WjxTreA3JKnQ-rrQUAv7c-WcQUlONtmZssYVY-ECpgo-PSRsyf8Ch2YfXNH6PUnwrgXvVqGzLCb2eM1RXJtxX4f52tjnldEG2McWMIvA8caZVk2cpUtlXf3msLqSqp-x7LyL37OOnYl/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><br />
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“Bob went home after the ballgame because (<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Pitty-Pat Clapper</a>) he wanted to.” This answer is an example of weak evidence.<br />
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“Bob went home after the ballgame because (<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Because Clapper</a>) he had to finish his math homework for school.” This answer is an example of strong evidence.<br />
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<a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHal-HbCZ3Z97Sw5FreDRfTy770XrnLnxmjIl_Aufee75NKLSvcduuC0uMQPK0fOiO4R3ST4dCPTT_hyphenhypheniuf8rLvNWwyAR83UaZjT2Gd7nv8seiNGh8hyphenhypheni9NlrdriBZKq6i8h8Mzg_nut7/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="271" /></a><br />
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This is a student created sample from my 2nd grade class written independently after many various sessions of oral practice with the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Genius Ladder</a> and <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Cosmic Ladder</a> format. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_sZFCjnVjGHLaBx_lBZDhTMHss_85x52jfXujvg2mSTeF5G3y9BiEf9SCQOHL9M5ZFXKF7WzIanKRhuxegjs8pt-i5pdbi7KRy2x2OkqGKduu3cPDrWG3d9FFnEqYDuDub0q48qTU8FV/s1600-h/image%25255B21%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmbyVENhrxHxBNZwJNxLVQPaj5G_e3ylmzQvuYojDCgW2FyXOIpkddGFOrvsuTH7XGnlciNL2arrQ5Bc5krJuQYTgDT22iSbLgifMy-2Qbfe2NO6smGILH-_ZP6EaLjKx_SD__N7xrsAM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="529" /></a><br />
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The expectation of producing strong evidence in response to questions is becoming more automatic in my classroom with each day. As an instructor, it is our responsibility to “set the bar” for our students. Who will if we don’t?Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-34902793784829075272012-09-24T23:20:00.001-07:002012-09-30T00:44:40.930-07:00Fall Leaves and WBT!How can it be? We’ve been in school for six and a half weeks! Fall officially started! District Benchmark assessments have been delivered for administering! I’m scheduling Parent Conferences to begin next week! In the midst of all this is <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a>! Oh, yeah!<br />
My class is a shining group of WBT Stars! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNOa-rF5h9Q&feature=colike">Rules</a> are now being led every day by distinguished Class Leaders. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8pt0YHC7vQ&feature=colike">Scoreboard</a> is in full operation, complemented by the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CMpUSiIXAs&feature=colike">Super Improvers Team</a>! We no longer have just white cards reflecting Level One. There are now pops of red cards showing here and there for Level Two! There was major celebrating the day that first student earned the 10th star. Completed Level Cards are always sent home for the Family Celebration, followed by the “refrigerator posting”.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poj_ZRgbSkE&feature=colike">Procedures with 3peats</a> can be heard throughout the day…Line, line, line!, Papers, papers, papers!, Page 136, page 136, page 136! Breaking our time record is a daily goal! The Scoreboard is a great source of inspiration here, as students know they have to get more smilies than frownies by the end of the day in order to earn that extra minute of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwqGpal2tI&feature=colike">Mind Soccer</a>!<br />
Having a strong <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a> classroom management plan in place can only lead to one place! That’s right, it’s Teacher Heaven in Room 4! Enjoy the brilliant colors of Fall!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPxTy7Xb56juejWe_pdh7W5axT0BV_wlrZed8yji4zM2tCvQ_nkMUfx9ndbh39IaRnVz41gxdeHmfIQiAmLssFZKamWhoSuAvvGoYujt5e12f8irb7QflA1ShOVQIndDvqkNO0QZkNPgh/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOLtud5CDich7kKuD7lIiCl3ijKab9R7o37N4s2zNpoMQA0ChpmNIMCffe5r1DVONQC_zN2M9KS2lbbLIabIwQ7d4JxkgxROct7AVkINgK3a5vs0q7Z8nDf-HSdvGICZ5j88mtslG2jL6/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a>Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008810394147226130.post-55596852278228523242012-08-29T00:09:00.002-07:002012-08-29T00:15:59.469-07:00Back To School Night with WBT<p>Every year, within a few days of school starting, most schools hold the traditional Back To School Night. Parents come to meet their child’s teacher and hear an overview of the new school year. At my school, there are often many children in attendance with their parents. This is usually because of child care, and sometimes because the child is the translator for the parent.</p> <p>My 2nd grade team of four teachers started making this event a team presentation a few years ago, with all our parents in attendance in the same room. Our goals have been to educate the parents to grade level expectations, district and state mandates, and general school information.</p> <p>Three years ago, <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> entered the second grade classrooms of my school! Back To School Night has not looked the same since! Parents come in prepared for a “typical” listen to a short teacher spiel, grab a handout, and move onto the sibling’s classroom talk! They’ve just come from work, soccer practice, etc. Needless to say, they are weary and just want to check off the yearly “obligation box”! </p> <p>Now, to better illustrate what’s coming, I need to back up to the first day of school. If this is the first time to my blog, please read the post prior to this one, where I describe introducing students to <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a>. By the time our school hosts Back To School night, our students have had five full days of instruction, rules, and procedures using <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">WBT</a> techniques. On the day of the parent event, each of the team teachers explains to her students that if they attend that evening, they might be called on to demonstrate what they have been doing in school so far. </p> <p>Picture a packed cafeteria of parents, grandparents, children, siblings and the general loud echoes of voices bouncing off the bare walls. </p> <p>“Class! Class!” <span style="color:#ff0000;">“Yes! Yes!”</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> </span>“Classity, class!”<span style="color:#ff0000;"> “Yesity, yes!”</span></p> <p>The 2nd grade students’ voices swell in unison, like a well oiled machine, from every corner in the room! And then there is silence! Oh, yeah! Parents are stunned, and students are beaming!</p> <p>“Bodies, up!” <span style="color:#ff0000;">“Bodies, up! Up! Up!”</span> Every 2nd grade student is now standing! You can still hear a pin drop! “Line!” <span style="color:#ff0000;">“Line! Line! Line!”</span> The students make their way from their positions near family to the front of the room! </p> <p>With almost 80 students now standing up front facing the audience, we start the presentation of the <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">5 Rules</a>! What a chorus line! And then, the roar of applause and whistles fill the room! What a moment of celebration! </p> <p>“Seat!” <span style="color:#ff0000;">“Seat! Seat! Seat!”</span> The students quickly and quietly return to their places in the audience. Let the teacher presentation begin! </p> <p>The power of that quick student performance cemented the strength of the second grade team by showing the parents that our teachers and students, and now parents, will work as a team to reach the same goal…a fantastic education for the children based on state, district, and school site standards and expectations! </p> <p>Each teacher then proceeds to explain a portion of the 2nd grade plan, and the use of <a href="http://wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> to reinforce and individualize the instruction for each child. Not one parent left the assembly early, and the handouts were sought out! </p> <p>The school year has now officially begun! First Hour! First Day! First Parent Team Meeting! It’s going to be a great year! No “bench warmers” in this crowd! Oh, yeah! </p> Nancy Stoltenberg Director of WBT Certificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628355109841526946noreply@blogger.com4