We have been watching some videos on whole brain methods. Could you please send me some information about how to start the year off in kindergarten.

Thanks
Debra

I would love to get that info also.

I start school in ten days. I would really love to have this information!

I also start a new year in Kindergarten soon, after being out of teaching for 14 years! I love what I have seen online, but could you please email me information on how to get started in Kindergarten??? Thanks so much! My email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hello there! I just got back in the country and replied to a bunch of emails. Not sure if yours was one of them--so I will send it again--just in case:) Also--Biff is going to post the document for anyone else interested. Please keep in mind that this is just a pacing guideline for how I implement WBT in kinder. Hope it helps:)

Thanks, Andrea!

Andrea,
I noticed in your video that your 5 rules are different than the ones used for other grades. Did you create these yourself? Are there posters for them?

Thanks,
Greenie

Look in the kindergarten thread about behavior picture cards. ehess made some really great ones you can download.

Hi there!
the rules in that video are the rules that I adapted from when I taught 3rd grade. The first year I taught third grade I used Power Teaching and at the time I had my own rules so I just adapted my rules and used motions with them. When I moved down to kinder I brought the rules down with me (old habits die hard:P ) but I found that Kinders could not grasp the concept that you have to be listening to your teacher in order to hear the direction (so that you can follow Rule#1: Follow directions Quickly). So that is when I added a new rule#1: "Listen When your Teacher is Talking." Since that year, however, I have (finally!) adapted my rules to the standard WBT rules and I am happy to report that they work well! We have included "the big rule" which precedes Rule #1, and is "Listen When your Teacher is Talking." I am sorry to say that I no longer have the old rules picture cards because I use the WBT picture cards in my behavior chart. I think the key to WBT is that you have to do what works well for you and your personality. Mine is quite stubborn at times--so I clung to those old rules but adapted them to fit my WBT teaching style. Now I laugh at myself because the WBT rules do actually work very well, and I don't know why it took me so long to use them.

Hi, yesterday was the first day of school in Kindergarten and I stumbled on this site last night. I'm here at school now and ready to teach my rules and I would love to have the document on how to implement in K. I looked in the downloads and did not find the document. Could you please email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OR This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ? Thank you so much!!

look on the kindergarten thread "Starting Whole Brain Teaching (WBT)" towards the bottom. Chris Biffle put them there.

Thank you Polly! I am still getting a ton of emails so maybe that will help direct better than I did!

Please let me restate that this list is just a pacing guideline that I use for implementation. The detailed directions for how to do the techniques are in the Ebooks and videos. Thanks again:)

Katrina, how was your second day? Did you try any WBT strategies? We start Aug 24, and I'd love to hear how other newcomers are implementing the rules and strategies. I'm working on gestures for the first few days of our new reading program vocabulary words. I've been teaching a long time, but this is a new way to look at learning! Keep us posted!

I am starting day 4 in Kindergarten tomorrow and I feel like WBT is working wonderfully. I am having a lot of success with attention on the carpet and it is amazing that they actually stop and respond correctly when I say "class". I am introducing the k rules andrea uses in her videos one at a time and it is great. I felt a little nervous not giving them all to them at once but I really think doing it one at a time really helps them to understand each one. Day one was hard with 22 five year olds and 90% of them not speaking english, but each day it is getting better thanks to WBT!!!

Thanks for sharing your reflections, Ashley. I must remember to start slowly with just one rule. Have you introduced the scoreboard game?

Congratulations Ashley! Sounds like those kiddos are off to a great start!
I know it must seem crazy to introduce those rules one-by-one, but you're absolutely right--they so totally gain a deeper understanding of each rule (and seem to remember what they mean so much better) when you introduce it that way. Of course you must know that I still correct other behaviors (please believe me that I do not allow one of those kiddos to whack their neighbor on the head just because I have not gone over Rule #4: Make smart choices;) this, of course, is an extreme example but you get the idea:) )
I am also curious if you have introduced the scoreboard. This is the way I get the kiddos going and motivated and I really zero in and concentrate on the rule that we are focusing on the day. Rewarding them for modeling the correct behavior with a one-second party and a Mighty Oh-Yah! seems to leave a great impression. As does a groan with a Sad face point if we're not quite getting it right. Whatever you do, give them plenty of time to practice or try again--but ping-ponging them back and forth on that scoreboard really gets them going:laugh:
Keep us informed--sounds like they're doing great!!!

This will be my first year starting the year with WBT. Could you please send me a copy of the email about proper pacing for introducing WBT to Kindergarten. Tomorrow is the first day. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I would love to get this information as well. We start in less than a week!

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement Andrea!! I have introduced the scoreboard but I am guilty of not using all the time as I should. It is a habit that I have to get myself in...I forget about it. I am working on that!! It is just hard because our lunch and recess is so early (lunch @10:35 recess @ 11:15) that i feel "helpless" in the afternoon. Should I carryover afternoon points to the next day? I am in the process of getting my practice cards ready so I can implement the positive reinforcement pocket chart. Good point about the wacking of the kid!! How would you handle that situation? It happened today and I feel like I reverted right back to my "old" ways and sent her directly to time out. Not sure if that was the best thing?? Thanks for all your help and support! It is much appreciated!!

Ashley

Last year, my class would do ANYTHING to be able to do a "wiggly" song (I love Jack Hartmann and he has many songs that you move, sing and dance to) They used to ask me all of the time to do a song and I would answer "not now" or "that song was from december..." Then it hit me- if you can't beat, join 'em! As I caught some really good behaviors they got a ticket to write a title of a favorite song (and they were all educational so win-win for me!) Then I would draw from the tickets for the song of the day to work towards. Because singing to learn and being to leader was a very important part of our class, this was a huge motivator. Even substitutes would say, "wow they really work hard, just to sing the days of the week song!" Love it. It also helped choosing the song that had been selected by a classmate, rather then by myself. The buy in is already there because it's from their classmates. Long story, well, long... try using a song for your afternoon (or allday) motivator. Good luck
jh