I am really focusing on each of the videos for kindergarten so I will be ready to do as well as all of you seasoned WBT"s, I am not sure of the use of the word "basket" and the gestures?

Please help I want to be really ready!
Annette

Well...first let me say...YOU CAN DO IT!!!!


"Baskets" if I am correct in what you are talking about is used to get them to put their hands in their lap while sitting at the carpet!

Me: Baskets
Them: Baskets Baskets Baskets (while putting their hand together making a stirring motion and dropping hands into their lap)

Gestures...

THESE ARE AWESOME!!!! They really help the kids visualize the concept you are teaching. For example with my vocabulary...one or first words is "raking--raking is the act of using a rake"

So we put one fist on top of the other and pretend we are raking up leaves.

Make sense?

HTH

Farrah Shipley
WBT INTERN

Ms. Shipley,
Thanks for the encouragement, I hope I can pull this off. Are you the same teacher in my most favorite WBT video, if so does "basket" take the place of "hands and eyes"? Also did you invent the kiss your brain (I think this is so cool).

I am making note of all of you who have started school before us, we start the 7th of Sept. and learning from the frustrations and celebrations.
Annette

LOL!! Thank you for the compliment!!

Baskets does take the place of hands and eyes for me on the carpet but not at their desks. It is just better than hands and eyes because they have a basket (their legs criss cross) and they "hide" their hands...so we don't touch our neighbor!

I wish I could take credit for the "kiss your brain" but that is actually a Dr. Jean thing!!! I have cd of songs and one of them is called "Kiss Your Brain"

HTH
Farrah

Mrs. Shipley,

Your compliment is should be a big:woohoo:
Your teaching style and mine are very much the same (with out the accent though If I watch your video anymore I think I may pick it up)

I will be asking more questions as school approaches, but for now here are some new ones:

How often to you use or make note of behaviors on the scoreboard, is there carry over?

How often do you reward for the scoreboard, and when do you give "tangable" awards (stickers and the like)

Annette

Hey there!!!!!

Wanted to take a few to answer some questions!

How often to you use or make note of behaviors on the scoreboard, is there carry over?

That scoreboard ping pongs back and forth all day! You know the first two days we had like 30 smilies and 32 sadies!!!!

Day three got a bit better because they were picking up the rules and procedures!!!

By Friday we had 18 smileys and 16 sadies.

I tend to use the score board a lot when I am actually "teaching" in front of the class. For things such as big gestures, participation, following directions, raising our hand to answer questions and such. I am very surprised at how my kinders in only ONE week have picked up on everything. I am looking forward to getting my video done for the beginning of the year next week. As for independent work I still use it just not as much. For instance if a child isn't working but is playing around...I might say "Oh My some of our friends are not working hard...Rule #5" and the class would recite the rule a few times followed by a point for me on the scoreboard. I usually give a quick glance at the student that isn't on task and they know that they are not making me happy!!! I never call them out by name...but that glance is enough!!! They are usually back on task immediately!


How often do you reward for the scoreboard, and when do you give "tangable" awards (stickers and the like)


Like I told the other teachers on campus that are using WBT for the first time..you have to find what works for your class. Every group of children will be different. Last year man if the reward wasn't tangible it didn't work!!!! This year..so far...I break my day into halves. Morning/Afternoon (since we have recess midday before lunch!)

Right before recess we count our scoreboard. If they are winning, they get to take the "toy tub" out to recess. They have bubbles, jump ropes, balls, sidewalk chalk and some other stuff in there. If they don't win they still get to go to recess but just have the playground equipment to play on...and quite frankly our playground is boring LOL!

Now when they come in we have lunch and then after lunch we recite the rules and erase the score board. This also gives them a "do over" if they had a rough morning. Just a bit of encouragement and chance to change their behavior. Then before leaving for the day we count our scoreboard. If they won...everyone gets a blue mark in their behavior folder. If they lose, everyone gets a green mark! And this behavior folder goes home. We are a team right now...no individual behavior. And believe me I have some leaders in the group that are none too happy about taking a green mark home because one of their friends can't stop talking. Of course the game is fixed and they weren't going to win this week...except on Thursday when they won before recess and got to take the toys out one time....that was to show them how much fun the toys were!!! Gotta leave em wanting more!

So you really have to find what works for you!!!! One of our first grade classes has won the score board everyday with a count of 2-5!!!! LOL! Most of them are kids from my class last year so they already knew the rules and procedures LOL! I told the teacher she got it easy!!! But I know those kids....they will come out of their shells!!!!! LOL!

HTH

Farrah

I hope others read this post other than just me, it really cleared things up and helped me out. The important peice I got from this is during the fist few days of school your kido's got almost as many frownies as smilies. This put my feet back on earth and made me think about the amount of reinforcement it is going to take to get the WBT intergrated into classroom routines.

The 7th is getting closer and the more I hear from you and everyone else the more excited and nervous I get (even a 30 year teaching vetran gets the willies before school it never comes easy).

Thanks,
Annette

great answers, Farrah! Annette, just to add to what Farrah said, you are correct when you say that the students get almost as many frownies as smilies. In WBT, we have the plus/minus three rule. Meaning the difference between the frownies and the smilies should never be more than three. too much reward and they get lazy. too much "punishment" and they give up. It's always got to be in reach. Please keep us posted about your first day! can't wait to hear how it goes:)!