Nicole

Hi Nicole,

I do it just as the books outlines it.  I did the 5 rules for 2 weeks before introducing the scoreboard which has been a hit.  My kids love it!  I am eager to give the frowny points so they are eager to earn the smiley points.  It really works!  It is easy doesn't cost a penny and they want to do it.
We are now doing the Teach Okay and that is fun.  It took a while for them to figure it out and learn what I was conveying but they are like sponges at this age.  They pick up things so quickly and are so eager to keep their dear teacher happy.  It makes teaching a complete joy.

Give it a try you will be surprised by the reaction.  I know I was.  I am about half way to my certification to teach it I am such a believer.  It has been about 8-10 weeks since I started it.

I'd love to hear back on how it goes.

Good luck!
Julie

Whole Brain Teaching has really changed my life as a teacher.  I can't believe how quickly the kids have picked up the rules and love them as well.  It is so cute to watch them tell each other what rules they are breaking.  LOL  The behavior has changed immensely.  My job just got easier!  This teacher is so happy I think I might be in teacher heaven.  

EXAMPLE:  Morning round table is where we all get together and discuss what we are doing for the day usually the exciting stuff.  We go over the calendar, do the pledge, talk about the weather, assign jobs for the day, recite the rules for the teacher and rules for our classroom.  During this time kids like to talk out of turn, and my students are quick to call someone out if they are breaking rule # 2 "Raise your hand for permission to speak".

Loving the Teach Okay!  This has been fun.  I need to do more of it and use it constantly as I think it has a ton of merit and will allow the students an easy fun way to learn new things.  I can keep their attention as well.
Having fun with outdoor play now that the weather is in the 80-90's. Water balloons, slip n slide all the fun one can have with water.  Looking to build a water wall so they can have some individual fun as well.
Stay tuned for more updates on how the WBT is going in our classroom!

Chapter 11 Assignment

From the 15+ variations of the Scoreboard in Chapter 11, pick five you will use in the school year. Explain why you picked each one and estimate how long you will use your selection before going on to the next.

I have been using the smiley and frowny face scoreboard for 2 months now and it has been a wonderful tool.  As a teacher of Kindergarten this is easily relatable to the children and it is a great motivator.  After a few months and I see boredom start to rise, I will move on to motivate them by using the gridboard. 

Gridboard: This should allow me to refocus those that are slow to be energetic and adding some fun and a different twist to the game. I will use this strategy for about 3 weeks and find fun ideas to add along the way.

Virtueboard: This will help my kinders learn about kindness of the heart and giving to others.  This could be my favorite, as it gives me many opportunities for teaching. I may keep this one around for a while and I may even keep it separate from the smiley/frowny scoreboard.  Teaching them these values will be life-long lessons. I can’t wait to try it.

Team Scoreboard: I may do this one on Fridays, for the last half of the day for a few weeks. Children love games and competition, so this should motivate them to really dig in and work as a team to gain points. Boys against the girls, Oh ya!  The children will gain a strong idea of learning what it means to have teams and leaders.  I will switch the leaders around so everyone can see how it feels to lead a group. This will also build self-confidence in my quiet students as well.

Boombox: My kids are going to love this one.  At this age music is an important part of learning and gaining an appreciation for different types.  I am looking forward to the reaction they will have when they realize the reward is music.  Even a minute or two will make them very excited to do this exercise.  I will do this one for about 2 weeks, that way when I come back to it, they will be excited to do it again.

Ultimately, I will go back to the smiley/frowny points. I own a school that teaches year round, so we will be changing things up soon and trying something new. I love that there are so many ways to change the scoreboard around to keep it fresh.

Chapter 8-10 assignment

Write a short dialogue, like one of the samples in Chapters 8-10, demonstrating the use of Teach-Okay in one of your favorite lessons.

I am a Pre-K Kindergarten teacher so we keep things pretty easy.

Teacher: Claass!

Students: Yeess!

Teacher: Today we are going to learn about using capital letters.

Teacher: Tell your partner how excited you are to be learning about capital letters today. (Hands raised high, for tall.) Don’t forget to use your gestures.

(Clap twice.) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: (Clap twice.) Okay, students repeat they are excited to learn about capital letters. (Using gestures)

Teacher: Classity, class!

Students: Yesity, yes!

Teacher: (Clap) Hands and eyes

Students: (Clap) Hands and eyes

Teacher: A capital letter is usually only the first letter not the whole word.

(Clap) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: Okay! Students repeat what I just said.

Teacher: Class, class, oh ya, class!

Students: Yes, yes, oh ya, yes!

Teacher: When you spell your name, the capital letter is the first letter in your name, the rest are lowercase.

(Clap twice) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: (Clap twice) Okay! Students repeat what I just said.

Teacher: Class (Squeaky voice)

Students: Yes (Squeaky voice)

Teacher: The first letter in a sentence is a capital letter, and always after a period.

(Clap twice) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: (Clap twice) Okay! Students repeat what I just said.

Teacher: Class oooo (Moving hands like the wind blowing)

Students: Yes oooo (Moving hands like the wind blowing)

Teacher: You always use a capital letter when it is a person’s name or a place.

(Clap, snap, snap) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: (Clap, snap, snap) Okay! Students repeat what I just said.

Teacher: Hey class, hey!

Students: Hey, yes, hey!

Teacher: You also use a capital when writing the title of a book or a movie.

(Clap) T-E-A-C-H!

Students: (Clap) Okay! Students repeat what I just said.

WBT Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Five, Powerful Classroom Rules

Describe how you will teach, and continue to reinvigorate for the school year, one of the Five Classroom Rules.

In my classroom we recite rules throughout the day. I love all the powerful rules but the one I will focus on for this exercise is, keep your dear teacher happy!  The one rule that can back me up, when there is no other.  The rule is so ambiguous and doesn't have a straight forward meaning, which I love. It allows me to challenge the children daily and empower them to make good choices rule # 4, which makes me happy.  I find they often go hand in hand in my class.  Our class will have practice (role play) sessions to help them understand what things make me happy. Examples: following the rules, helping your classmates, using your manners, and being truthful are just a few of the things that make me happy.  We rehearse what does not make me happy as well, just so there is no confusion on what does make me happy.  I want them to really know and understand the difference.

Being mindful to have a positive learning environment to teach, I empower my most diligent leaders to lead the class rules and be peer mentors in class.  This helps to empower other children to want to do the same. It is an entitled position in our class.  They get to pass out papers, pencils and any materials needed for class.  To reinvigorate the rules, I will give little “Thank You for Being Sweet” cards out, when I see that someone is doing something generous without being told.  Just one of my positive reinforcement tools! I also try to challenge them to see how quickly they can do certain rules by using a timer.  Followed up by trying to beat the last time we had.  I make it very playful and game like, I also use a lot of excitement in my voice, which builds eagerness in the children.  I can’t forget the one I use on “a very good day”.  I have a special box with games the kids love to play. If we have one of those “WOW, I can’t believe it was an amazingly easy day”, they earn a game hour on Friday.   They know how good they have been when these come out of the box!   I am continually amazed to find, that something this simple works.   I am one happy teacher!

Now that we have been doing the WBT for a month, I can assure you it works very well.  The kids love the 5 rules and totally love the classroom scoreboard.  Go figure, all I have to do it put a mark on the sad face and the kids are good.  Put a happy face point up and everyone is excited. There is no real reward for doing good they just want to.

I am going to implement reward incentives on their personal scoreboards.  They will receive a ticket for every 10 smilie points they get on a personal level.  With those tickets they get to pick something from the treasure box. I have all kinds of goodies from the dollar store for them to pick from.  If they gather tickets and save them, the rewards are puzzles, games and things for our classroom to share with other students. The catch to those rewards are they stay in the classroom. This challenges the child to rise above the normal and reach for the stars to become a Peer Mentor.  Tons of perks for this person, they pass out papers, pencils, glue and so forth for me, essentially a teacher helper.  Coveted job of the class however!  What a wonderful way to have a child start in 1^st grade, trying to be a peace maker, eager to help and someone who wants their teacher to be happy.  Lovin' it! 10 finger Woo  

This should be incorporated in schools all over the world.  Take the pain out of teaching and allows us to love our jobs.