I see on the How to start the year off with power teaching in kindergarten doc that on the first day you teach lines lines lines, seats seats seats, back packs back packs back packs and cubbies cubbies cubbies. Could anyone explain to me how this works??? Do they just repeat it as they walk to their cubbies etc? I am very excited about this and want to try it, but I want to make sure I start off right. Thanks!!

Hey there,

This is how I use it...

My desks are in rows and each row is a color. So when we are transitioning from our desks to the carpet or to line up at the door I simply start like this:

Teacher "Bodies up"
Students "Bodies Up" (this is said while the students stand up and push their chairs in and turn towards me with a bubble in their mouth and hands behind their backs)

Teacher "LINES"
Students "LINES LINES LINES" (this is said while the children come to the end of their rows where I am standing. Essentially making four short lines)

Then by row color I either tell them to walk to the carpet or line up at the door.

Once on the carpet (the kids know to stand when they get there with bubbles and hands behind their back)
Teacher "Criss Cross"
Students "Criss Cross"
Teacher "Applesauce"
Students "Applesauce" (while the kids sit down criss cross applesauce)

Now there are going to be some that even though they know the activity we are doing and which way they should be facing will not be facing the right direction. So...depending on the activitiy...either Morning Meeting or Story Time....it sounds like this....

Teacher: Morning Meeting
Students: Morning Meeting Morning Meeting
Teacher: Baskets
Students: Baskets Baskets Baskets (while stirring their baskets in a hands together spoon stirring motion and turning toward the calendar)

Then we procede with Morning Meeting.

To transition from carpet to their desks is pretty simple and reverse....my carpet is a 25 square rug and the kids do not sit necessarily with their color rows due to pairing for teach/ok. This is what it looks like...

Teacher: Bodies Up
Students: Bodies Up
Teacher: Put a bubble in your mouth
Student: Put a bubble in your mouth
Teacher: Lines
Students: Lines Lines Lines (while the children break up into their color row lines on the carpet. I put colored tape on the carpet in four places so they can find their group.)
Teacher: Desks
Students: Desks Desks Desks (while children walk to their desks in lines. I don't have a problem with running over each other simply because my row leaders on each row are respectful and they know when it is their turn to go...we go green, yellow, red, blue. Once at their desks they know to stand toes and nose to the board with their hands behind their backs and bubbles in their mouth.)
Teacher: Seats
Students: Seats Seats Seats (children quickly sit down and sit LLL (language learning position) which is hands together on their desks, feet on the floor, toes and nose to the board)

Now we are ready to learn.

It really didn't take too long to teach these things...a few days and they had them down. I always have a few that get space cadet on me and we wait for them to get how they are supposed to be. Amazingly I ususally just have to stand their quietly not saying anything and the kids know someone isn't doing the right thing or MAKING SMART CHOICES! So they will usually correct each other, which I allow as long as it is respectfully!

I don't use backpacks yet...don't have a need to yet....and papers I don't do to hand in papers since my TA is usually picking them up as they finish! Kindergartners tend to doodle on their paper if they sit there after finishing LOL!

Hope this helps!

Farrah Shipley

Thank you thank you thank you! That helps soooo much!!! If you have any other kinder suggestions or ideas that work, I would love to hear what you do. It sounds like things are running pretty smoothly for you!!! I am excited to get back to school tomorrow and give this a try.

Again... really appreciate your detailed response. It helped tons!

Jami