Ch 1 & 2 WBT assignment

One way to earn certification points is answers questions assigned to certain chapters in the book Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle.

Ch 1&2 assignment
CoachB says ….."You've just been made principal of a charter school and you're about to address your staff for the first time. Select three points from chapters 1 and 2 that you are going to talk about describing key aspects of Whole Brain Teaching. Include one story about your teaching experience."

My answer
Good morning and welcome to a brand new school year! As we begin this new year, I know many of you are feeling anxiety, nervousness, and pure excitement. Those feelings are normal as I experienced those as a classroom teacher, and now as your new principal. We all look forward to new lessons and strategies that provide productive learning, enthusiasm for the content, and 100% student engagement. I want to share with you a way we can accomplish those three things with every lesson.

Early in my teaching career I was introduce to the Whole Brain Teaching system. I knew it was the perfect solution for my classroom in a high poverty school. Whole Brain Teaching brought classroom management using a scoreboard, super improver's wall, and five important rules. Also the student engagement was very visible with "teach-okay" and "mirror and words.” The students enjoyed learning new content with the Whole Brain Powerpix and Speed games.

Now your probably asking yourself, what makes it work? The answer is simple according to Chris Biffle, “if a student’s whole brain is involved in learning, there isn’t any mental area left over for challenging behavior.” I experienced this first hand in my own classroom. When I started using Whole Brain teaching, I went from having 50% student engagement and “Little Johnny” disrupting everyone in the room, to having 100% student engagement, and “Little Johnny” was no longer disrupting everyone because he was trying to earn a star on the Super Improver wall.

I’m encouraged with you as my staff that we can change the atmosphere of learning in our school. I’m encouraged by the sounds of teachers practicing “teach-okay” in the classrooms. I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm our students will have towards learning. I’m encouraged by the number of students we will empower with knowledge. I am encouraged by you, and I want you to be encouraged by the change Whole Brain Teaching will bring to our school.

Let me leave you with these last words as I hope I have not done this to you. Chirs Biffle says the First Great Law of Whole Brain Teaching is “the longer we talk, the more students we lose.”

WBT National Conference

Last summer myself and two other colleagues enjoyed the Whole Brain Teaching Regional Conference in Lubbock, Texas. I enjoyed it so much, that this summer I am going to attend the Whole Brain Teaching National Conference in Pineville, Louisiana. Just like the regional conference, the national conference is FREE!! I cannot wait to to spend time collaborating with my own colleagues as well as other likemined teachers from around the world.

I hope to see you at the Whole Brain Teaching Conference at the end of June.

CATW

Our first and second graders took part in Christmas Around the World the week. We have 8 classes between the two grades. Each teacher picked a country they would discuss in their room. They would do a lesson, read a story, and do a craft. Some teachers even had treats for the students to try. My classroom was Mexico for the second year in a row. After last years adventure with making piñatas (which took way too long), I decided my craft was going to be a poinsettia ornament.

My class was the last class for the week. I decided to take a photo of them in the Mexican attire, and holding a Mexican flag (I made it last year out of butcher paper.).

TPT adventure and WBT Practice Cards directions

Like many teachers, I LOVE browsing all the great ideas on Teacherspayteachers. Today, I was looking for a comprehension test for a chapter book we have been reading during our read aloud time. Well, I was unable to find a test to go along with the book. That is when it hit me! I can just create one, and then put it on TPT for others to use if they are reading that same chapter book.

I began looking into what I needed to do to get started. TPT requires you to post your first item as a FREE item in your store. That was great because guess what? Remember the picture of my practice cards from the beginning of the year? Well, I made the direction sign on my own. So I had something to post in my store for free. One thing I learned at the regional conference was that all materials on TPT about Whole Brain Teaching should be free.

Click on the picture below to head to my TPT store, and get your WBT practice card directions now.

Corn Cob Toys

My class excited to make corn cob toys during in Native American unit in Social Studies. Thank you to Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom and the Oklahoma Pork Council for awarding us our grant.

Thanksgiving Feast

Every year our second graders have a feast with their families in our gym. They really enjoy it. This year they each pumpkin pie to take with them to the feast. The pumpkin pie recipe came from Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom.

Gilcrease Museum visitors

Today we had special visitors from the Gilcrease Museum. They spoke with the students about the Native American, and they danced for them. The students enjoyed every bit of it.

Pumpkin fun

One of the great things about receiving the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom grant is all the great activities my student's get to enjoy. I had the classroom set up with several pumpkin stations today. They really enjoyed being able to feel the inside of a pumpkin.

Bushels for Books

I am always thankful for those organizations that have a special place for education. Oklahoma Farm Bureau began a new grant this year called "Bushels for Books". The grant program is setup to where farmers from regions across Oklahoma donated a bushel from their crops to purchase books for classrooms. My class is the lucky recipient for the Northeast Region. My principal and I attended the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Pancake Breakfast to receive my books.

The Oklahoma Fame Bureau gave acknowledgement to my school and myself on their Facebook page.

Boats and STEM

This week my students have been working on a STEM boat project. We had been talking about absorbency. The goal of this project was the students would design, build, and test a boat. They had several opportunities during the week to make changes. The only catch was they were given so much money to spend, as when they were broke. That was it. Some of the boats turned out really amazing, and they held a lot of weight. Then some boats sank immediately.

Butter

Our science unit over matter is always fun in my room. After the students learn what a solid, liquid, and gas, I read the story, "The Butter Battle" by Dr. Seuss. Before reading the story I give each student a 1oz container filled halfway with heavy cream. While I read the story, the kids shake the containers. We stop and discuss how it started as a liquid, and how we are changing it to a solid. The kids enjoyed eating their butter with saltine crackers.

*Butter lesson is from Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom. 

Practice card parent letter

As mentioned before the practice cards take the place of our behavior sheets. When a students has to be reminded of a rule more than once, you give them a white practice card. The student will spend 2 minutes (during recess or free time) practicing that rule, and they will take a note home for their parents to sign. The practice card stays in their packet until the note comes back signed. If the note does not come back after 2 days, you send the student with a copy of the note to a co-partner in the building. That adult will have them practice the rule, and then send them back to class.

I found a great letter at Teacher Will Run for Books. She has both the needs work note and the great job note.

Johnny Appleseed and an apple volcano

This week we have been learning about apples and Johnny Appleseed. The kids always look forward to the last day of a unit because they know it will be filled with fun and discovery. I was excited when planning for this week because I realized our science unit over matter would be happening during the same time. I knew I wanted to do something they would remember. Apple volcano!!! We would still be using apples for Johnny Appleseed, and it would also cover solid, liquid, and gas.

(Don't mind me. I always dress up on fun days.)