Hi Everyone,

I attended my first conference in Hemet this past weekend and let me tell you, WBT is the best thing that could have happened to me. I, like a lot of teachers, was frustrated and looking at other careers. WBT FIRED ME UP!!!!! I have come back with a new zest for teaching.

I teach High School Social Studies. We are about to go on spring break so I just started putting in the Class/Yes, Scoreboard, and Teach/OK. For the most part my kids are truly enjoying it. I have a few, as I expected, who think the gestures and mirroring are "kidish". I told them that while I understand their reluctance to "act out" in class, this was not going to change and WBT was how I was going to teach for the rest of the year.

On top of teaching Social Studies, I teach Sheltered Social Studies, ELL 1-4. The 1 and 2s are really enjoying it. I like acting like a goof ball anyway and WBT allows me to do that while teaching them important info.

Since I have Spring Break coming up I have assigned myself the homework of coming up with questions, answers and gestures for my upcoming units (End of WWII, Cold War, and Current events). Does anyone have suggestions for gestures that would go with theses areas?

I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Scott

Wars are fairly easy to come up with gestures for. First, use a generic gesture for "War" ... I use punching my fists a few times in the air. Then, "Cold War" is hugging yourself like you are cold and punching your fists. WWI is punching your fists and holding up one finger, WWII is holding up two fingers, Revolutionary War is making a circle (Revolution) in the air and punching your fists, etc.

Even better would be to think of the concepts behind the wars ... let's say you defined the Revoutionary War as "the 13 American colonies breaking away from George III, the King of England" Hold up 10 and then 3 fingers, pat your chest for American, break an imaginary bundle of sticks for "breaking," hold up 3 fingers for George III and then put a crown on your head for England ... you see, you can make the gestures as simple or complex as you like. It all depends on how much you want your students to remember ... make complex, detailed gestures for concepts you'll be spending lots of time on.