We began the day with Class-Yes. The students loved this. They enjoyed all of the different, silly ways that we could say "Class-Yes". A few times they got confused and answered back with "class", but overall they caught on very well. After a few get-to-know-you activities we continued to Rule 1. We practiced Rule 1: Follow Directions Quickly by doing different hand and body motions. Some examples were, "Raise your hands!", "Stand up!", and "Face you neighbor!" It was fun to see them enjoying learning a rule. Once we had rule 1 learned pretty well, I continued by explaining the scoreboard. Thne, it was back to rule 1. This time I added the 3 peat. We practiced getting out pencils, paper, reading books, and text books. When I said "pencils" the students would repeat "pencils, pencils, pencils" and get pencils out before I counted down from 10. They earned a point on the scoreboard if everyone was ready. This was also a perfect time to make sure that all the students had the supplies that they needed. The students practiced the 3 peat many times, but are still having difficulty remembering to repeat me 3 times. We will practice every day until they become pros!
Later in the morning we learned mirror. The class enjoyed learning to copy my motions. We practiced silly motions as well as rule one. I also gave the motions for the rest of the 5 rules as a preview.
After lunch we learned Teach-OK. We used this strategy for the rest of the afternoon while reviewing the morning's lessons, the 5 rules, and the PowerPix. The class already knows how to do the high-five switcher! Some groups were reluctant to do hand motions or wanted to stop sharing before it was time. A sad face on the scoreboard usually helped to get those students back on track.
The class also learned 2 ELA and 2 math PowerPix. We worked on memorizing the name of the concept, the definition, and the hand motion for each. We reviewed all 4 PowerPix with a Teach-OK and a Fun Burst! I can already tell that the PowerPix will be a powerful learning tool.
After PowerPix the class learned to do oral writing. After practicing the hand motions for "complete sentence", "adder", and "concluder" I had students ask me questions to show them how to do it wrong. Then we corrected my incomplete sentences. Students also volunteered to try it on their own. The class mirrored their hand motions as they shared. Many students spoke in run-on sentences. They also had difficulty with the concept of the concluder. It will be fun to see them improve on this skill throughout the year.
Before we went home the class wrote about what they did this summer for green/red marker writing. The students focused on neatness as they wrote. I marked a green dot next to their neatest word or letter and a red dot next to something that needed work. Many students wrote so neatly that it was difficult to choose a word to put a red dot next to!
As you can see, we had a wonderful first day. I am looking forward to an amazing year. I have included pictures of my Whole Brain Teaching bulletin boards.
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| ELA PowerPix |
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| Math PowerPix |
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| Super Improvers Wall. Sorry it's rotated! |
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| This is where the practice cards will be when we start using them later in the year. |
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| The 5 rules. Sorry again that they are rotated. |
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| Simple Scoreboard. I might make more permanent one later on. |
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| Today's lessons based on the webcasts "The First Hour" and "Day One" |
Wow! I've always been amazed at how much elementary teachers can pack in a day! What a great WBT Model! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Sounds like you had a wonderful first day.
ReplyDelete