Whole Brain Teaching #2 Class-Yes

Whole Brain Teaching has enhanced the way I approach teaching.

Last year I used just the Five Rules.

 You can go here to read about it. 

This year I intend to use more elements, such as the Class-Yes, the Scoreboard, Mirror, Teach-OK, Hands and Eyes . . .

All of it!

I want to do it ALL because I can see all the great benefits each will have in my classroom.

The Class-Yes is considered Step 1

 and the Five Rules are considered Step 2.

The reason I started with the Five Rules first was because I was searching the Internet trying to figure out what I wanted for my classroom rules and how I was going to present them.

Through my search I came across Whole Brain Teaching and Chris Biffle's videos.

I was intrigued to say the least.

I am not only a teacher but a life-long learner;

I would love to learn from educators and professors that use this method of teaching.

The Class-Yes is a WONDERFUL attention-getter.

I can see myself using it A LOT in my classroom.

It's simple and it's a powerful management method.

This is how it works; every time the teacher says "Class"

 the students respond with "Yes". 

Whatever way the teacher says it that's the way the students must respond.

If the teacher says it it a long drawn out low voice "Cl-a-ss"

 then the response is "Y-e-s".

Or if the teacher says it twice in a high pitch voice "Class Class" 

then the response is a high "Yes Yes".

It's fun!

It's engaging!

It works with all ages!

Since I teach First Grade this is how I think it could play out in an elementary classroom. 

Here are two scenarios. 

I think you'll agree it has its advantages.

Elementary Classroom:

Teacher: "Have a seat."  . . .

 "Let me have your attention up here." . . .

 "Sit in your chair." . . .

"I'm waiting on              to put that away and look up here." . . .

"Okay, today we are going to learn about  . . ."

(Teacher is now slightly aggravated and has lost about six minutes of instructional time.)

Same Elementary Classroom using the Class-Yes:

Teacher: "Class!"

Students: "Yes!"

Teacher: "Classity Class!"

Student: "Yesity Yes!"

Teacher: "Today we are going to learn about . . ."

(Students are engaged and waiting to hear what the teacher will say next.)

Getting and keeping your students engaged is the obstacle we deal with on a daily basis. 

Our school meets together for Chapel every Wednesday and it can be hard to get 100+ students to "listen up".

With my success of Class-Yes in my classroom I hope to be able to suggest the power of the Class-Yes to our principal for Chapel.

Whether your a new teacher or a seasoned teacher the Class-Yes could alleviate a lot of aggravation.

I think seasoned teachers might actually gain more benefit,

 especially if you are starting to feel a little burnt out.

It's time to liven it up!

Power Teaching may be just what you need to rekindle your love of teaching.

Start here with the video below.

I love this video that Chris Biffle made because he tells you that it's never to late in the year to start. Even if it's the middle of the school year you can begin the Class-Yes. The way he says to present it; as if you had planned on starting it Today is absolutely critical to its success in your classroom.

I wish you all "Much success this school year!"

Update: Teachers returned last Thursday, so I will be creating lesson plans instead of blog posts. I still intend to post, they may just come farther and fewer between.

Old Skool Listen to Reading

Oh, the school teacher in me just about burst coming across some vintage Listen to Reading a couple of months ago.

We're talkin' Old Skool!

Who remembers these?

I Do! I Do!

And I remember my Fisher Price record player, too!

It looked like this, with the retro orange and brown.
 

And I also had this one!

 

This stash of  nostalgic Disney fun was a great little find on an overstuffed bookcase of unloved and  forgotten books in a storage room.

So I rescued them.
 

Love the picture of the kids on the back.

 

I have come across a book or two before but the record was always missing.
Not this time.
This time each book has it's original record (I almost said CD) accompanying it.

Alice in Wonderland
1979
 

It just so happens that today is my unbirthday!

Is today your unbirthday, too?
 It is!?!

Uh - Oh, I feel a song coming on!

"A very merry unbirthday to you, to you.

A very merry unbirthday to you, to you.

It's great to drink to someone, and I guess that you will do.

A very merry unbirthday to you-u-u-u-u!"

Peter Pan
(1977)

 

I always wanted to be one of the sassy stuck-up mermaids at Mermaid Lagoon.

Don't ask me why.

 

Three Little Pigs
(1978)

 

I have read different versions of this story over and over and over and over.
Literally!
 In small reading groups, I have 4, we read two different variations of the Three Little Pigs in our curriculum during the school year.
And No. One. words it better than Disney!
You know what I mean.
When you grow up on a certain version of a classic book, like the Three Little Pigs and then someone comes along and rewrites it leaving out certain Important elements and adding their own twist to the ending. You're like; "Oh no you didn't!" {simultaneously snap your fingers and neck roll}

The wolf never dresses up in sheep's wool in these other books.

HE'S SUPPOSE TO DRESS IN SHEEP'S WOOL!

You can't end it by throwing a lid over the pot.
He is suppose to jump out of the pot of boiling water and run off howling.
 He still has an appearance to make in the Little Red Riding Hood.
 

Bambi
(1977)

 

Thumper is my favorite.
 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1977

I never had a favorite.

 I don't discriminate between little nuggets, I love them all the same.

 Okay, maybe Dopey.

But that's only because I'm partial to big ears and droopy purple caps.

Mother Goose Rhymes
1977

 

I have never heard this Disney version and am quite curious of how it sounds.

Does anyone have a record player I can borrow?
Maybe an orange and brown one from the attic.

I will say that the pictures are done in pure Disney fashion with all our beloved characters from Mickey and Minnie to Goofy and Donald representing the clan.

I was brought up reading Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever.
 The pictures are the BEST.
 No one, not even Disney, does it better.
 (Just my opinion).
Each year I read it to my class.
They love it!
 

 

I would definitely like to add to this little collection of Disney record books over time.

 

Here's a few other fun Disney items:
 

When I came across this puppet book,

Mickey Mouse Takes a Vacation

copyright 1976

It took me immediately back to when I was just a young girl.

I remember my dad reading it to me before bed. And I could still to this day tell you what was coming on the next page before I even turned it.

 

I don't know if mine is in the attic of my parents old home but I was so happy to have this copy to share with my own children.

I'm going to have to look around for some of my old childhood favorites I know my mother saved a few.

Do you have any old favorites?

I just recently, as in this past week, found this Disneyland record from 1968 titled

Walt Disney's Merriest Songs.

And wasn't I singing a merry little tune when I paid only 20c for it!!
It's a full size record.

I really need a record player now!

Can you guess what items will be featured in next Sunday's Vintage Finds post?!
Here's tip #1:
Web Star

Check in on Tuesday for tip #2


 

Cutest DIY Book Banner - Ever!!

I couldn't help myself...
 I HAD to make a Book Banner and I HAD to do it Today!!
 It was really easy and adds so much color to the classroom.
 And did I mention it was Super Easy to make!!

 I have three large windows spanning the two longest sides of my classroom and so for this moment this is what it looks like. I had my 10 year old in tow to help me create a video tutorial and he was BEYOND READY to go so I put it up real quick for a pic but I don't think it is staying here. I'd like it over my library. My classroom is stacked and packed for the summer so I will have to post a picture of it's final hanging spot in a couple months.

Now I will admit, I didn't think I had enough book jackets. But I was determined to "get my craft on". Today! So I started searching through all my favorite children's books from my classroom and my kids' rooms.
 Low and behold I found more than I expected!!

Being a Newbie teacher has it's perks - book dust jackets aren't worn out yet! If you are a seasoned teacher this may not be the case. Don't let that stop you though - ask your neighbors, friends, family and class parents if they have a few to send your way. You can always add to it later if need be with my simple method. I think 8 or 9 is perfect to get you started. I did this one with just 9 and I can easily add more using the method I'm about to show you.

 Quicker, Cheaper, Easier

I made mine a little different than the others I have seen out there. There are 2 things I did differently.

 First, I spent a lot less money on ribbon as I did not stream it across the tops of each cover. And it requires NO hot gluing so my fingers are Happy!

 Secondly, I have a cute back to mine. The reason for the back was that I wasn't sure if I wanted to hang them against a wall, or in front of the windows, or possibly even in the middle of the classroom from the lights. In the latter two cases someone would have to look at a plain white back to the cover - Boring!! So this is how I made them colorful for all viewers, whether from the front or the back.

So here's my confession. I made my banner and then thought about putting it on my blog as an after thought. So sorry I was caught up in the moment. But I had two Christmas ones that I was saving for the season so I will use them in this tutorial.

Here's How I worked it out:

1) After collecting my stash of jackets I cut out just the face and the back, cutting off the spine cover and flaps.   

2) Then I taped the front and back of each book jacket to a black sheet of paper.  The reason for this is that if you are hanging it in front of a sunny window you will most likely see the back through the front distorting the final piece.
 I just used construction paper since I had plenty left over from the school year, plus cardstock might make the banner too thick and heavy.

3) After they were all taped I sliced off the access  on the big paper trimmer in the office at my school, to make each front and back even. And well since I was Right next to the laminator I HAD to zip them through there {Of Course}!
And Whala!!
I know I am OCD about laminating but I would seriously recommend you laminate this project for durability through out the years.

4) I gave them each a quick hole punch in the top corners and then laid them all out on the floor. I wanted to make sure the size and shapes were balancing out, so that my banner was exactly how I envisioned.

5) Then I tied them all together with some cute ribbon! The great thing about the way I did mine was that you can always expand your banner by adding a newly acquired book cover wherever it would look best. And you don't have to spend a small fortune on ribbon!

  

With the help of my son I put together a quick video to show you each step along the way!

Now go get some ribbon and "get your craft on"!!

Whole Brain Teaching #1 The 5 Rules

I am beginning my certification in Whole Brain Teaching and so I am breathing new life back into this blog.  I just completed my second year of teaching, well year one was student teaching, AND THEN my first full year of independent teaching, it was amazing! My stint in student teaching left me feeling ill prepared, (at least that's how I felt; I was told by a seasoned teacher that all teachers feel that way their first year) so the summer between student teaching and becoming a "real" teacher I searched the internet for MORE preparation and what I found was WBT. I watched a series of videos and absolutely loved how engaging and fun it looked. It was definitely not the way I had learned as a child, or how I was taught to teach in my college courses. Lectures. WBT would keep my "lectures" lively and reach all my students and their differentiated learning styles, especially my bodily-kinesthetic learners. I had gone to Howard Gardener's seminar about the theory of Multiple Intelligences early in my college years and it  was an experience that has always been in the forefront of my mind when I plan my lessons. It is always my objective to differentiate my teaching to engage each learning style (SUPER interesting if you want to read more on the theory of Multiple Intelligences  {here}).

Anyhow, I knew WBT would take time for me to learn and implement, and being that this was my first year on my own, majority of it would have to wait till next summer (this summer). Baby steps. So I just focused in on the Five Rules of WBT and this is how it went...

On the first day of school I had intended to come up with class rules as a whole class. You know; where the students think they're making the rules but you are really guiding them to the same rules you would have made without them.  Oh, the nature of psychology. I had  learned this approach in college and had read about it on many teacher blogs, but then low and behold I found the Five Rules of Whole Brain Teaching and decided to take this out-of-the-box approach. I then found other teachers on the internet that were also using the Five Rules of WBT. I read about how it was working in their classrooms and solidified my commitment to this approach. To my delight an awesome teacher in blogland had already created cute posters that had my classroom Zebra theme and so I quickly printed those beauties out and laminated them (I am OBBSSESSED with laminating EVERYTHING in my classroom! Seriously their should be a 12 Step program for teachers like me!) You can snag yours for free {here}.

So instead, on the first day I stood between my eager First Graders and my cute little posters of the 5 Rules. Then I began  to teach. I taught them each rule with the hand gestures I had learned from the WBT videos. They LOVED the rules and the gestures, it was almost like a game for them. We practiced them several times throughout the first two weeks. Then throughout the year all I had to do to correct a rule breaker was say, "Rule number 2"! All the students respond with the rule, "Raise your hand for permission to speak!" and the gesture. I never had to point out the one who was breaking the rule and they were all back on track and engaged.

I (we) especially love Rule 5: Keep Your Dear Teacher Happy! Instead of listing all the dos and don'ts in 20+ rules the first four rules of WBT cover all the common rules teachers want followed in the classroom and number 5 covers Everything else!  The kids loved saying and gesturing Rule #5, too! I think because they had never heard a rule like it before. Again, here are the Five Rules of Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom!

If you are interested in getting started with Whole Brain teaching start with this video here. Chris Biffle does an excellent job teaching in his video series. I would love to learn from him in person. Remember these rules apply to All grade levels!!