I teach one World Cultures class, which is a nine week related arts class at my school. I call it a nine week trip around the world. We make our own passports, and beginning in Australia, we work our way around the world in a counter-clockwise fashion. I try to talk about as many different countries and cultures as I can, but this last nine week class started a little different. It went something like this: "Students in this class we have 5 classroom rules. We gesture a lot, too." :) Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. You get the idea, right? I started my new and final rotation of the year with, yes, you guessed it, WBT. It was awesome! In one class period, I taught these kiddos the 5 Classroom Rules, Class/Yes, Teach/Ok, Mirrors, and Switch. I had their full attention----Hook, Line, and Sinker, and it was absolutely awesome! It was awesome because a majority of this class does not have me as their history teacher, so it was all new to them. It was awesome because they were enjoying their new class, and learning the rules of the class was a very cool thing. It was also awesome because I got to review everything I had been learning about and using with my history students, but I was so comfortable introducing it this time around. I know know that the whole WBT set up can be taught in one class period (just like Coach B. says). WBT is really a great set up. From the start, the teacher teaches the Classroom Rules and CoreFour by using Class/Yes, Mirrors, Teach/Ok, and Switch. You can use CoreFour to teach CoreFour. How cool is that? It was a really fun class and a great way to begin the first day of the final nine week period. I can't wait to start the new school year with this first lesson (after a restful summer break, of course). Woo Hoo!!!
Mariaan C. commented-
ReplyDeleteMelinda, your excitement for WBT really shows, and as we learned in this class, the teacher sets the emotional environment for the students in her class. So I know you will be successful with your students, because of your enthusiasm. It is neat that you get to review with some new students, it keep things fresh for them and for you.
Sandra H. commented-
ReplyDeleteWell, that sounds like a very exciting and productive start to the last period of the school year. I love the feeling that we as teachers get from using WBT for a whole period and noting the enthusiasm that it inspires in our students. So much better than when you just want to drop your Social Studies book on the floor with a loud thud just to get their attention! I too look forward to the beginning of the new year when I can start from the very with all of the strategies that I have learned so far, and all of the strategies that I hope to learn in the future. There are still so many things that I haven't tried!