There’s Gold in those Sentences and Essays…Who Knew?!

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. 

Of the programs I have used through the years, The Writing Game created by Chris Biffle for Whole Brain Teaching, has had amazing results in my classroom.  (The Writing Game is a free EBook download at wholebrainteaching.com.  Check out the webcasts, #536 and #537, Writing Game Part 1 and Part 2 at the WBT site also.)  Now, to make this program even better, Coach B has introduced  Triple Gold Writing!

Triple Gold Writing begins by teaching your students how to write “one,  perfect, information packed sentence.”  When I introduced my class to this process, I used the scaffolding examples shown in The Triple Gold webcasts at WBT.


I started with lots of oral repetitions to help students understand the task.  As Coach points out, remind students that a Triple Golder is about three separate subjects.  Otherwise, you have created a “Clinker”!


At the beginning, at least ten minutes was spent every morning just in oral practice, incorporating Teach-Okay with Tag Team 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 Triple Golder Paragraph!

For the Triple Golder Paragraph,   I switched to  a paragraph framework where each piece of the Triple Golder Sentence became a sentence on its own.  This step was helped by the fact that my students had been working on Genius Ladder paragraphs for some time.  Using the pattern below, students were able to see a familiar pattern, but with new directions.



After several days of practice using this frame, I then required this pattern as the standard  for daily writing.   As a result,  the Triple Golder Paragraph soon became an automatic response to daily writing tasks. 

But as you may know, Coach B couldn’t stop with just a paragraph!  New goal…Triple Golder Essay!  First, I told my students that Coach B 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 Triple Golder Paragraph!  Here is Coach’s diagram I posted on my front board as a guide for my students.


We took the sample below and began walking through the steps orally.  I then took one of our original Triple Golder Sentences, and slipped it in for further oral practice. 


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 Adder sentences in each paragraph, students used a Because Clapper and a For example sentence to demonstrate critical thinking in their sentence choices.

Learning to write is not easy, but mastery can best be achieved through daily practice in a safe, supportive environment.  Here’s how Coach B sums it up:
 
I am including some examples of my students’ essays to give you a feel of what you might expect from 2nd graders.






For more information on Triple Gold Writing, check out the free webcasts at http://wholebrainteaching.com/   I look forward to hearing about your “gold” experiences!

"Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary"

The Beauty of the Heart

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!

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! 

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.

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!”

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

LADDERS to Critical Thinking!

Whole Brain Teaching 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!

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.
 
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.  Whole Brain Teaching theory and practice acknowledges that and offers an intense program leading to increased student engagement and ultimately higher levels of critical thinking skills.

Two specific techniques offered to teachers by WBT 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 Cosmic Genius Ladder courtesy of Coach Chris Biffle and Whole Brain Teaching! (WBT Video Library #538)  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. 



For example, “Why did Bob go home after the ballgame?”  “After the ballgame, Bob went home.” 
The next level is Critical Thinking.  Using the same method of question and answer, the student/class extends the answer with evidence.

“TO THINK CRITICALLY YOU MUST TELL
STRONG EVIDENCE FROM WEAK
EVIDENCE, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO
THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT YOUR CRITICAL
THINKING!”   Chris Biffle



“Bob went home after the ballgame because (Pitty-Pat Clapper) he wanted to.”  This answer is an example of weak evidence.

“Bob went home after the ballgame because (Because Clapper) he had to finish his math homework for school.”  This answer is an example of strong evidence.



This is a student created sample from my 2nd grade class written independently after many various sessions of oral practice with the Genius Ladder and Cosmic Ladder format. 



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?

Fall 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 WBT!  Oh, yeah!
My class is a shining group of WBT Stars!  Rules are now being led every day by distinguished Class Leaders.  The Scoreboard is in full operation, complemented by the Super Improvers Team!  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”.
Procedures with 3peats 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 Mind Soccer!
Having a strong WBT 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!
                                      

Back To School Night with WBT

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.

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.

Three years ago, Whole Brain Teaching 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”!

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 Whole Brain Teaching. By the time our school hosts Back To School night, our students have had five full days of instruction, rules, and procedures using WBT 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.

Picture a packed cafeteria of parents, grandparents, children, siblings and the general loud echoes of voices bouncing off the bare walls.

“Class! Class!” “Yes! Yes!” “Classity, class!” “Yesity, yes!”

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!

“Bodies, up!” “Bodies, up! Up! Up!” Every 2nd grade student is now standing! You can still hear a pin drop! “Line!” “Line! Line! Line!” The students make their way from their positions near family to the front of the room!

With almost 80 students now standing up front facing the audience, we start the presentation of the 5 Rules! What a chorus line! And then, the roar of applause and whistles fill the room! What a moment of celebration!

“Seat!” “Seat! Seat! Seat!” The students quickly and quietly return to their places in the audience. Let the teacher presentation begin!

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!

Each teacher then proceeds to explain a portion of the 2nd grade plan, and the use of Whole Brain Teaching to reinforce and individualize the instruction for each child. Not one parent left the assembly early, and the handouts were sought out!

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!

And the New Year Begins…!

This is my third year starting the school year with WBT, but this has to be the best one ever! I have an amazing group of 2nd graders, who very eagerly responded to my first direction of the day, “When I say Class, you say Yes! Class!” “Yes!” “However I say Class, you say Yes. Classity Class!” “Yesity Yes!” Love, love, love that command! It never fails to get your group together!

Coach B recently presented webcasts on the First Hour and the First Day. (See the WBT Video Library #532 and #533) Using the suggested schedule for the day, I organized my presentation accordingly. I loved the flexibility it gave me to adjust it to my school’s schedule that day too!

I posted this list on my board for the students to see as they walked in. Not only did the schedule keep me on target throughout the day, it kept the interest of my students up. This schedule contained terms that were brand new to them. They quickly found that just learning a rule also required participation with gestures and lots of repetition!

Rule #1, “Follow directions quickly!” was introduced and practiced several times then, and often through the day. Teaching procedures using 3peat, involved the repetition of this rule several times. Setting your expectations is very important that first hour and day! We repeatedly used “Seats, Seats, Seats”, “Bodies up, up, up”, and “Lines, lines, lines” during the day.

By introducing the Scoreboard, and emphasizing that the students in my class work as a team to support each other, student participation went even higher! Smilies were not easily given, which made students work very hard to earn them. They had to learn how to “wait for it” before giving a quick clap of hands with an, “Oh, yeah!” after I made the tally mark. When I gave a Frownie, “Hug those ears!” meant a very quick “Uh!”, as they raised their shoulders up to their ears. Note, 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.

Coach B’s new Name Game was not only fantastic for learning my students’ names quickly, it was a great way to set my expectations for getting students to answer questions with complete sentences!

When I asked, “What is your name?”, I modeled how I expected them to answer. “My name is …” Since I expect “college talk” in my class this year, we get the ball rolling with the expectation of answering in complete sentences the first day!

After lunch, we worked on the other 4 Rules, and I introduced Teach/Okay and then Mirror to model and reinforce the new procedures. Modeling the right and wrong way is especially important to demonstrate your expectations also! With these “tools” in their back pockets it was time for a Fun Burst!

The Fun Burst in the afternoon was especially effective in helping students release some energy, while also keeping the learning mode intact! As Coach B states in the slide above, the Class/Yes is a must for instant control!

Oral Writing was the finale of the day. We worked on Blah and Spicy sentences! I used a frame sentence, “The dog is big.” Students, working with their partner, came up with as many words as they could to replace dog. I was able to incorporate Teach/Okay into this activity since they had used it earlier with the rules. For Spicy, we switched to, “The brown dog is nice.” Again, students worked with their partner to replace the word brown with as many words as they could. Working with a partner encourages participation from everyone, especially children who are not comfortable sharing with the whole class yet.

“Backpacks! Backpacks! Backpacks!” Off to waiting parents with lots of experiences to share about the first day! Oh, yeah!!!