CLllaaASss! and Clap! Clap! Teach! (Continued)

As I implement as much of the Whole Brain Teaching as I can, I do have favorites.  Perhaps as I learn more and more, there will be many "tools" I use.  Things I use over and over are my calling the class to order with a "ClLLAaaSs!"  The students answer with their "YeEESss!" I would love to tell you this is perfect.  (I am always eager to find perfection in this world...however disappointing that search may leave me.  Perfection always leads me to the One Who lived 2,000 years ago that alone was/is perfect.  I can't leave that out.)  Knowing that I will never find anything perfect, I am still so pleased with WBT!  I wish all the students were looking at me when I call CLASS.  But after 24 years of doing this job, I haven't found anything that focuses so many of my students almost all of the time.

In the past week, I tried shaking it up by calling something else out...I had read about doing this after establishing "Class-Yes".  For instance, if you're studying telling time, you could call, "The clock with a face!"  The class calls, "Analog clock!"  The first time I tried this, the class went silent.  Briefly.  very briefly!  The silence was the sound of wheels spinning in their heads.  I think I enjoyed that!  Then a few voices stumbled through a reply.  See, they knew they had been with their peanut butter and jelly partners for long enough, and anticipated the some old same old.  I love to shake things up!

Clap!  Clap!  Teach!  Something else I love that is tried and true.  Or tried and fun.  Not that fun is necessarily all we are after in a first grade classroom; but fun keeps the kids participating.  Fun, then, could be what keeps them learning.  The clap clap teach is usually something else these days.  It may be a sizzle, sizzle, snap, teach!  Teach may look like rain.  Rain may be ten fingers wiggling and falling down in front of you.  It could look like a slap, clap, slap, slap, clap, clap, teach!  Teach may be whispered.  Teach may be shaky.  Teach may be sideways.  Teach is the sign to turn to your neighbor (peanut butter and jelly partner) and explain.  Sometimes they repeat what I've just shown them using gestures.  The past week or so, I have used the teach time to explain to their friend what the answer is or how they know what the answer is.  Everyone has a desire to be heard.  (Not just kids:)  By doing this, kids get permission to talk.  Kids get the opportunity to confirm their answers.  Then with a CLASS!  YES! (or other call to order), students share what they discussed.

Okay!  There's more!  But I'll save that for another day!