Posters for Rules

I have been trying to think about what posters to use to teach my children the five fundamental classroom rules. Today, after reading a suggestion about using posters without the pictures to make them appropriate for all of my students, I perused TeachersPayTeachers, a site I love. I was unsuccessful-but it spawned a thought that I can't shake!

The first thing I am going to do is post my old rules that I downloaded from Chris Biffle, fearless leader of the Whole Brain Teaching curriculum. Click here to learn more. Anyway, I will have great posters to use the first day, but, then....

I am going to chose one child from each class. It will be the first one to arrive on the first day of school. I will have a tape "frame" on my bulletin board that I am going to make with blue painters tape or a cute bulletin board border. The child will stand in front of the frame and create the symbol that represents the rule. Each month, I will redo the posters until everyone has a chance to be the star of the rule. I think this will eliminate any idea that the poster is too babyish or too mature for anyone in the room.

I think this idea is out of this world! What do you think?

New School Year

I am getting excited. School starts in four weeks. I am fixing up my classroom, making my classroom furniture bring out character in my classroom. I am trying to decide which poster to put up...with the rules for the classroom. My class includes students in a six year spread, from 3rd to 8th, so I want to choose posters that will not be to "young" for the older students or too "mature" for the younger students. I may just make my own this year.

This is an important element in my classroom because the first things I will do is use the rules to share expectations with my students. What is the one classroom detail that you are spending the most time on this summer?

Summer Preparations for Whole Brain Education

Part of my problem with sustaining Whole Brain Learning in my classroom is a planning problem....therefore....I am planning things out this summer. My schedule will reflect time for SuperSpeed 1000 and the Crazy Professor Reading Game. I am meshing styles together and will include these in some of my partner reading times throughout the day. This will be my main goal for the first quarter. Of course, as summer moves along, I may find it easy to add the math and writing components. In fact, I hope I do because I have seen results with kids who struggle in their learning. It is harder to do in a classroom like mine-I have students in grades 3-8-but it is going to be well worth the effort! I am determined to make that effort during the 2013-2014 school year. I'll let you know how it goes!

Wow! I really let this blog down. Truth is, I teach in a multi-age classroom and it offers extra challenges for Whole Brain education. It also offers benefits and I am still working to balance them out. This next year, I hope to work this into my entire program...something I will be working on this summer. I love the ideas and free resources that are shared by Coach B on his website, wholebrainteaching.com, are incredible. If you haven't visited and signed up, you really must-if you are interested in this type of teaching. The materials are free...they just ask that you share it with others. I will try to keep the blog updated too. If you teach, you know how hard that can be...but, even with six grades, I shall endeavor to endeavor!

Day 5-August 19

Whew! After this post, I am caught up! What an exciting day! Two of my struggling students stood in front of the class and did the first 25 events in the life of Christ. When they were stuck, the other students did the motions and they remembered what to say! Then we clapped for them. The boys were walking a little taller. The other cool thing is, this was an action they each volunteered to perform.

Today is the first day I won the Scoreboard. No extra recess! It was interesting that they handled it so well. My guess is that, on Monday, they will shoot for rule number 5 and make their dear teacher happy!

The end of the first week has come and gone. The teachers and the students both enjoyed the week. Next week, as I start working regular classwork into the agenda, it will be fun to include the whole brain activities. I don't know about the kids, but I am looking forward to it!

Day 4-August 18

Today, we added the 21-30 events to the life of Jesus. They are doing so well! I can't wait to try this activity to other subjects. We also line up and do our times tables before we leave, starting with 1 x 3. One little boy always ends up at 3 x 7. I am sure he is going to know it soon.

A lot of our work and activities for the first week is to help them break any bad habits that were developed last year in our "normal" classroom. They love when I say, "Teach" and they get to share their new knowledge with another person.

One of my struggling students said, "I like school this year. I didn't like it before." The major difference in my room? Whole Brain Education.

For science, we used microscopes. I had them setting around the classroom. They worked in groups and rotated to each type of telescope, learning how to adjust them and make the slides appear. Good times!

Day 3-August 17

We started the day out reviewing the 10 events from the life of Jesus. When they stumbled, I did the action and they recalled the event instantly.

We worked on our math facts for the second time today. (Forgot to mention it last time.) We took a one minute timed test for all four areas: add, subtract, multiply and divide. When they took the test today, they were excited that they had improved. One of my third graders went from none right in multiplication to three right. We gave him a big "Woo Hoo!"