Whole Brain Teaching...WHAT??? and Some Awards!

Hello my dear bloggy friends! Yes, all FORTY of you! Wow! I published my first post on Tuesday and not even a week later I have 40 followers! It might have been that I was commenting on other blog posts and asking begging for them to check out my blog!! Ha!

I had said that I would talk write about my classroom rules so here I go!

[I thought I had taken a picture with my handy dandy iPhone and it is no where to be found! I do have an old picture though. In the current/new picture, I had covered the smiley face on Rule #5 with a picture of MY face! Ha the kids love seeing my picture and it reminds them of the {importance}! LOL]

These are my classroom rules:

1. Follow directions quickly
2. Raise your hand for permission to speak
3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat
4. Make smart choices
5. Keep your dear teacher happy

I did not make these up! {I wish I had!} They are from Whole Brain Teaching. I was honored to attend a Whole Brain Teaching workshop in my district with Chris Biffle {One of the guys behind WBT!} 

Whole Brain Teaching or WBT is not only a classroom management way of life but a completely different way to teach!!! I have not seen ANY blogger that I follow talk about it but if you have or use WBT... please tell me!!!! I love it and love how my students respond to it!! If you are interested on seeing some lessons check out the website {HERE} or YouTube them! There are some awesome teachers out there doing some awesome WBT lessons! It incorporates gestures, repetitions, positive reinforcement, and fun to get 100% ENGAGEMENT in your class!!!!!! It is UHHHH-MAZING!

Let me tell you a little more about the rules. On the first day of school, I teach the first 2 rules. Then, the next day I teach the other 3. I repeat them and have the students practice with each other. All five rules have gestures that accompany them when you say them. You can see them {HERE}. As I was looking for a video, I noticed that I do them a bit differently. So, I will be videotaping myself and my class practicing the rules on Monday... so be on the look out for that! I'm so excited to share my experience with WBT! :):):) 

Check out the Whole Brain Teaching Website {HERE}. There are a TON of FREE resources. You can print off the FREE ebooks that have the rule posters. You just have to make an account... super easy and totally worth it! There are also a ton of other resources, like Biffytoons (HFW), SuperSpeed Games and PowerPoints, forums with other teacher experiences, and much much more!

I will write additional posts on other WBT stuff that we do in my classroom!! I can't wait to share so you can use it in your classroom!!

:)

AWARDS!

I have been given 2 awards by some awesome blogger friends!!! I will start off with this one:

Here are the rules:

1. Show your appreciation.

WOW! I can't believe that anyone would mention me on their blog! Thanks so much ladies. You really made my day! Please check out the following blogs that have given me the Liebster Award:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

2. Nominate other blogs with 200 followers or less by posting a comment on their blog.

Here are other blogs that I have recently discovered:

Also, check out A Pirate's Life for Us!

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. Check out other nominees of the Liebster Blog Award and see what they have to offer!

The next award is this one:

The rules:

• Thank those that presented the award to you and link back to them. 

Thank you!!!! Live. Laugh. Teach. your button isn't working for me!! But, thanks so much!

• Tell seven things about yourself.

1. I am 23 years old!
2. I have a four year old daughter. 
3. My husband and I will have our 5 year wedding anniversary next month!!!! 
4. This is my 2nd year teaching.
5. I student taught in 1st grade and fell in love!
6. I am highly qualified to teach middle school math! Ya, I know they are mostly taller than me. I am only 5'1''.
7. I love sweets, chocolate, and sour candies! YUM!

I will say more about myself in future posts!

• Pass this on to newly discovered blogs and let them know they've received the award!

Please check out the blogs above! YAY!!

That's it for my ramblings today!! :) I can't wait to blog-stalk, plan, and spend time with Aly today! :)