Prep Week…WBT Style!

On Monday, the school year began with the presentation of the Keys to The Classroom! Well, actually, it was just a matter of signing a district form and getting my keys back from our awesome secretary! This is my 27th Key Signing! I have to say, no matter what number it is, the same feelings of anticipation and excitement swelled up this year as they did so many years ago!

Turn the key, step in, and voila!

The “blank canvas” of the classroom can be a little daunting at first! Where to begin?! That “take a deep breath” feeling eased up a lot 3 years ago when I made the plunge into Whole Brain Teaching! Yes, I still haunt the local teacher store, dollar store, etc. for great deals on supplies. I joined TPT and TN this year too! The big difference now is that my walls aren’t just meant for eye-catching posters and decorator apples!

The elements of a WBT classroom allow for the creative style of individual teachers, but the five most important elements that go up first are the Super Improvers Wall, the Power Pix grid wall, the Genius Ladder, the 5 Rules, and the Scoreboard.

Super Improvers Wall

The Super Improvers Wall is the “heart” of my room! There are so many great tools in WBT for classroom management, and the Super Improvers Wall is an amazing way to reach ALL students! I remind them that the only person they are competing with is themself, and I will be watching to see how each is growing and improving. There are 10 levels, each labeled with a different dinosaur. The T-rex is the ultimate level, of course! Check out the Video Library #503 at WBT for a more detailed explanation.

Power Pix Grid Wall

The Power Pix grid wall is one of the most interactive tools in my classroom! It is a work in progress as students are taught core standards. This will be used daily to ensure all students are not only introduced to the standards, but are able to internalize them using critical thinking skills. View #529 in the WBT Video Library, and see my previous post regarding Power Pix.

The Genius Ladder

The Genius Ladder is a model for creating oral and written language. Students work from the bottom of the ladder, simpler sentences, to the top of the ladder, a paragraph. Check out The Writing Game, a free Ebook at WBT and #504 in the WBT Video Library

The 5 Rules

The 5 Rules are the “cover all your bases” rules! These rules are practiced orally with gestures EVERY day! Initially, I practice them at least three times a day. A complete set may be purchased at the WBT store. Go to the WBT Video Library #515 for information.

The Scoreboard

The Scoreboard is the Motivator in WBT! It is used to reinforce positive behavior throughout the day in an energetic and fun environment! My scoreboard is drawn on my whiteboard very simply each day. See the WBT Video Library #517.

Desk Arrangement

With my five WBT elements in place, I move to desk arrangement. I have found that keeping my desks in groups of two facilitates Teach/Okay. Students do not have to decide partners, and they have already been told if they are a One or a Two. This placement also allows me to move between students easily while they teach one another.

Now, on to the posters and decorator apples! Oh yeah! To be continued…

"Breaking down the Set..."

Doesn't it seem like we were just putting our Whole Brain "Stage" together for the year?!  If "Walls Could Talk!"...what stories to share!  As I remove the Power Pix from the Grid wall, I hear the echos of, " B7! What is a noun?  A noun is a person, place, or thing!" I see 32 students echoing and gesturing in unity!  The Genius Ladder...Spicy!!  Tears of joy as I read my little EL's letter to the Principal last week using the 5 parts of a letter with complete spicy sentences, capitals, Zoops, periods! The Super Improvers Wall is a piece of Art now with a rainbow of colors all the way to the Gold!  So many celebrations of improvement as we would gather and cheer for each student as they moved up another color level!  The Class Leader Wall with all the great "Silly Pals" pictures comes down to sighs and aww's, as students recall the day they got that picture taken! Oh, yeah!!  The Mind Soccer "nets" are all faded on the board now, but the spirit of the Game never will!  Who knew how hard students would work to earn minutes of "Learning" time, not recess!  So many wonderful memories of a great Team of students and the legacy they take with them for the next Season of Learning!  Letting go is tough, but so much satisfaction in knowing their "back pockets" are full of WBT strategies to help them climb the next big hill in life!  A Rolling Ten Finger Wooo with a Sizzle and a POP! POP POP! of fireworks to my AMAZING 2nd Grade Class of 2012!!!  You ROCK!!!!!

We Did It!!!

Testing is done!!!!!  Seems like we all just ran a marathon...but with the best time ever!!  I am so proud of each student's efforts to do his/her best!!  Yes, tears of joy!!  I can not stress enough the importance of starting testing strategies at the beginning of the year!  Get the Power Pix up and practice them daily!!  Super Improvers Wall is mandatory!!  I don't know my scores yet, but I know my class is All Winners!!

Test Prep and The Wall!

Super Improvers Wall August

Levels

Super Improvers Wall March

In my last blog entry, I talked about the value of using the Super Improvers Wall with Test Prep for State Testing. My SI Wall has been one of several positive Constants in my WBT classroom this year. While it has unlimited uses for encouraging individual student improvement, it has been especially valuable most recently for encouraging positive test taking behaviors in test simulation. The instant reward of a Star on a card is amazingly powerful! Telling students a specific behavior you're "watching" for lets them focus in on a goal. Coach B has just posted a new video in the Video Library, #521 State Test Prep, that should not be missed. The Super Improvers Wall video (#503) is there also with a complete explanation of this tool and its many uses. In the pictures above, you can see the evolution of my Wall from August to March using the Rainbow colored levels labeled with dinosaur names. The goal is to reach Gold, T-rex! State Testing is 3 weeks away now, and it's exciting seeing all the students' hard labors coming together. As educators we want to think we've given them every opportunity to Shine. WBT methods have definitely improved the odds of success!

Spring! Spring! Spring!

Happy Spring Everyone! It's a beautiful season for reflecting on the blessings of Life!!

Third Quarter has ended! We're rounding the corner of the School Year and heading into the Infamous Fourth Quarter! Scary and exciting in the same breath!! If you're reading this and wondering if there's still time to jump into Whole Brain Teaching, I have three words for you...YES! YES! YES! It is Never too late to start! There are some great videos in the Video Library at www.wholebrainteaching.com to help you, or send me questions also.

Test Prep and Test Simulation are very important for your class. Students need to know content, but they also need to understand how to solve! Test questions come in a variety of forms, so being able to read a variety of Directions and Test Vocabulary is a crucial element of test taking strategies. Prove It!, #506 in the Video Library mentioned above has some excellent suggestions you can use to help your students recognize Kinds of questions and strategies to solve. If you're using the Super Improvers Wall, use it to encourage good testing habits during your practice testing sessions. For example, give the students a goal for that session such as simply bubbling neatly. "I really like how neatly Mary is filling in her bubbles today." Then put a star on her card. They may not have the strong interest in that State Test, but they do want those stars on that Wall! The simple step of completing the test neatly "Slows" the student down in order to avoid careless mistakes. You're looking for visible effort by your students that they are using testing strategies to analyze each question and answer carefully during practice sessions. Then you give them that star! Practicing the strategies helps students use them more automatically during THE TEST when you have to step back and "Let them go!" Telling your students to "Do your best!" is not nearly as helpful as saying it and knowing they have a "back pocket" full of testing strategies they can choose from! Help them fill those pockets!!

Counting Blessings!

What a special time of year to reflect on all our special blessings. As educators, this time of year is often the time we count down the hours 'til Thanksgiving Break! I know I can find myself wearing thin with all the behaviors that seem very exaggerated by the approaching holidays. Now, more than ever is the time to reach into those "back pockets" and pull out all those special tools that WBT offers! The Super Improvers Wall has been a lifesaver right now! I have 5 students who just reached the Iguanadon Level, which means, PICTURES!! I now have students suddenly trying to earn extra stars, so they can get to that Picture level! Universal Homework Model is on FIRE right now! Students are ASKING to write Poetry!! Yes, those are tears of joy! It's so big that the 2nd Grade classes are competing to earn those Team Stars so we can have a major Grade Level Mind Soccer game! Bring it on, Mrs. Blaze and Mrs. Kackley! Power Pix are swallowing up the wall! Daily Practice is a requirement every morning! And don't I know it if something comes up to change that morning routine! Genius Ladder is the common language for writing! Today, I had a student running into class waving her Homework, "I wrote three Because Clappers in my story last night!" Yep! Tears of joy again! So, in conclusion, I am counting my blessings this season, all 31 smiling faces!! Oh, yeah!!!!!

Super Improvers Wall!

There are so many great tools in WBT for classroom management, and the Super Improvers Wall is an amazing way to reach ALL students! I remind them that the only person they are competing with is themself, and I will be watching to see how each is growing and improving. This week we had two students move to Level 2! What an exciting moment! We all stopped at the end of the day to gather round as the two white cards were exchanged for red! Each student received a Ten Finger Woooo with a Sizzle and cheers! Levels are labeled as dinosaur names, so the Brachiosaurus just became an Ankylosaur! The T-rex is the ultimate level, of course! When the white cards were pulled out, I wrote a note of congratulations on the back and sent the card home to be displayed proudly!