First week....check!!

The first full week of school is over and WBT is in full swing. This week my students were introduced to the five classroom rules which they have mastered very quickly! We practice several times a day, as well as when the students need a reminder to redirect their behaviors.

Next, we learned about Class-yes, hands-eyes, and teach-okay. The students respond immediately to class-yes and hands-eyes. My class this year is a very quiet, laidback class. Teach-okay will be a work in progress, as my students are not comfortable being loud! I will be modeling, modeling, modeling, and modeling some more, so that eventually my students will feel comfortable with this strategy. I am also going to show a few of the YouTube videos, so they can see teach-okay in action.

Lastly this week, my class practiced triple repeat with line-line-line. I explained the procedure and then we practiced. At first, my students were taking 10 plus seconds to line up. After a few practice times, we lined up and the class made it in 5 seconds. So, the record on the board is 5 seconds for the week.

My entire grade level is on board and using WBT in their classrooms. This is going to be an exciting school year with WBT spreading throughout our building to every grade level! Please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ for more information.

Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012

2011-2012 school year..the journey begins with WBT

Last week began the new school year and the students arrived on Thursday. I have to say that the first day of school is my absolute favorite day! The students arrive with a BIG smile on their face, all their new supplies, dressed in their brand new clothes and shoes, and are ready to explore the new classroom they have been placed in for the year. Some students arrive and believe that this classroom will be like previous classrooms, but that belief changes drastically as they are introduced to Whole Brain Teaching routines.

I have to laugh alittle because on the first day of school, I wanted to walk in to my classroom full of students and immediately say "class, class, class!" and of course hear "yes, yes, yes!" then I remembered they don't know this yet! Our day began with introducing the parts of the brain with my students and how their brain works when using Whole Brain Teaching compared to the traditional classroom. The students found this to be intriguing! Next, we learned the five rules/hands-eyes/mirror/teach-okay with gestures and practiced them several times throughout the day. The scoreboard was introduced, along with mighty OH YEAH and mighty GROAN.

This grade level has many challenging behaviors and our goal is to use WBT to eliminate as many of those behaviors as possible. We are excited for the new year, WBT, and the new learning that will be taking place everyday! For additional information, visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/

Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012

Ready.....Set.....Read!

Hello! I have one week until the new school year starts and I am re-re-reading the eBooks again! I am also re-reviewing all the notes from the National Conference in Louisiana. I am reviewing new information from my teammates who attended the West Plains, MO conference! Every single time I re-read, I always come away with something new every time! I also feel re-energized and the whole body excitement that I feel using WBT returns! I am super ready for the new year, the new students, and the new learning that will be soaring to new heights in my classroom!

My classroom spaces are being reorganized! I am still in the process of deciding how to display the Power Pix and the Genius Ladder!

Have fun getting your classroom geared up for the new year!! Make sure one of your teacher tools is http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/! The website is an invaluable resource for new and veteran teachers, as well as, administrators and parents.

Laura Caisse

WBT Intern, 2011-2012