Tuesday, August 30, 2016

WBT Rules Of The Classroom

Here are some rules
for you to print out and use
if you'd like.

They are a combination
of Whole Brain Teaching
and the 3 B's:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
And Ready To Learn.
Ooooh, you just hit Chris Biffle's
Whole Brain Teaching
AND
most of everybody's BRtI rules!
Way to go sista!
Maybe one size does fit all!

I go by Queen Chaos
so of course my rules
(much like my life)
are a hodge-podge
of things I like!
They work for my class,
and the kids love standing up
and saying them as a whole group.
It's a nice way to start our day.
I put the rules up on our
big screen, and once they've
learned the rules and hand motions...
I have two helpers come up
and lead the class.
This gives me an extra 2 minutes
to myself to take roll.
Those little stolen moments
of time are precious....
and well guarded! 
#preach

I made these for my
Kindergarten class about
3 years ago...and I've used
them with my First Grade class
for the past two years.
...and WBT can go all the way up through college!

Today, in the copy room...
I had both 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade
teachers asking to use them
when they saw them
hot off the presses!
Beg, steal, or borrow.
That's how teachers roll!
Sooooo....I thought I'd
share with all of YOU
since they can be used
for multiple grades.
Who knew?
 
Since my teacher friends liked this,
I decided to make these classroom rules
with different animal mascots to go with different schools.
 You can also choose to click on the set that just
has the children at the bottom of this post.
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eNnF1dTUwMmlhVG8/view?usp=sharing
Classroom Rules with a shark mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eNnF1dTUwMmlhVG8/view?usp=sharing

Classroom Rules with a dolphin mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
Classroom Rules with an alligator or crocodile mascot: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a raccoon mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a leopard mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a snake mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a lion mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eNnF1dTUwMmlhVG8/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a tiger mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing
 Classroom Rules with a bee mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eQkw5eXlTUlB2NjQ/view?usp=sharing

Classroom Rules with no mascot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eamtPVXd4eVcxa3c/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eamtPVXd4eVcxa3c/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eamtPVXd4eVcxa3c/view?usp=sharing
If you want to use the chant and hand motions
I've adopted from Whole Brain Teaching
and combined with my own hand motions that
I made up for the 3 B's...
Hey!  There you are!
(hi friend)


 you can see my video and copy the hand motions...
or make your own!
    Enjoy!
And may your rules RULE!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Kevin Henkes..Chrysanthemum Is My Favorite!



I just love me some Kevin Henkes!
Agreed!
The Mouse King Is Officially Invited
To Visit My Classroom Kingdom
Whenever He Sees Fit...
By Order of the Queen!
He is unbelievably talented,
and my kids
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
his books every year!
Teacher tested, kid approved.
All good!

Since I know we can never escape 
The DREADED DIBELS test...
I thought I'd make some
letter naming and nonsense word
practice sheets with one
of my favorite, little characters:
Chrysanthemum!
Such a sweet story.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eM0ppb2lwTzRyR0k/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eM0ppb2lwTzRyR0k/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eM0ppb2lwTzRyR0k/view?usp=sharing

  If you like that,
you may like other nonsense word sheets
that I have on TPT like
my Johnny Appleseed set:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Johnny-Appleseed-CVC-Word-Sort-Real-Or-Nonsense-Words-739857


Why is Chrysanthemum
my favorite Kevin Henkes character?
Well, if you must know...
I have had name problems
just as she does.
People like to tease me
about my name.
#mean

Yes.  Yes they do.
My name is Regina.
It's pronounced Re-jee-na.
I'm Hispanic,
so I'm fine with
Re-hee-na
from my Spanish
speaking friends. 
But....
nothing against
my British and Canadian friends....
when my name is pronounce
Re-jI-na  (accent on that I)  
 it just makes me cringe.
Why does it make me cringe you say?
AW SNAP!  You have to say it
out loud to really "get" that one!
A-hem, can you say awkward?!
The snickers and guffaws soon follow.
After all, I'm American
and live in the good ole USA.
Here, the word Re-jI-na
just sounds too much
like something else.
I like my rhyme time...
but not with my name,
thank you very much!

I remember once in college,
my professor was calling roll
and he pronounced my name Re-jI-na
(he was Canadian), and...
Oh the noise, the noise,
the noise, noise, noise, noise!
Of course, I corrected him immediately,
but there was
 such an eruption
that my ears still turn pink
thinking about it!
#awful
  
Even full-grown adults are either tickled
or appalled by the alternate
pronunciation of my name.
I kid you not.
We have an automated phone system
at my school where a computer will say
your name when someone leaves a message.
There's a way to change it to your own voice,
but I haven't quite figured that one out.
Anyway, people actually call my number
just to hear the computer's
rendition of my name.
I know this for a fact,
because they tell me they do it.
Need a good laugh?
Just call my number!
One teacher started insisting that
I change my phone message immediately.
All for my own good, of course.
I don't know.

Something happened.
A switch went off.
I became Chrysanthemum.
It took me until I was 43,
but I finally became
Chrysanthemum. 
I decided to like my name
with any pronunciation.
I had an epiphany.
If the Queen of England
can go by Regina Elizabeth
then I can go by Re-jI-na too.
(If you run into me...still call me Re-jee-na)
It's all good.
I am a Queen.
Queen of Chaos,
but a queen nonetheless!

And THIS Queen has
decided to make some graphic organizers
to share with her subjects!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing
 Have students write 3 sentences about Chrysanthemum.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing
 Use the bubble organizer to write or draw about Chrysanthemum.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing
Have students draw a picture of Chrysanthemum
and then either draw or write 3 things about her.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjylOkfka4eT1dtcXNTZnJZakE/view?usp=sharing
If you like these sheets,
my graphic organizer sets can be found on TPT:
 A+ Bundled Graphic Organizers Set 1: OVER 125 PRODUCTS!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Bundled-Graphic-Organizers-Set-1-OVER-125-PRODUCTS-1903812
A+ Bundled Graphic Organizers Set 2: OVER 125 PRODUCTS!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Bundled-Graphic-Organizers-Set-2-OVER-125-PRODUCTS-1904864

I have 6 copies of each of these
following books in my classroom library
(which I bought myself from Scholastic).
I am not kidding when I say,
"I LOVE Kevin Henkes!"  

Chrysanthemum

So why do I need these videos?
I use these great go-to videos
for those days that my voice gives out.
I swear by the 2nd week of school,
my immune system goes downhill each year.
It happens to all of us!
For me, that means laryngitis.
That's my weak spot...
it's the first thing to go
when I'm overly tired.
So, I have to be ready
to point and click....just in case! 


Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse


Lilly's Big Day

Sheila Rae The Brave

Wemberly Worried

Owen

Chester's Way

A Weekend With Wendell
 

May your first day of school
bring you well-behaved,
well-mannered, little friends.
And may you love them even
when they don't arrive like that!
May you have a jingle
in your step each day.
...because you remembered your change
for the Coke machine.
May you feel brave
when you're feeling lost
in your lesson plans.
...and may you remember that to
"fake it till you make it" is OK at times.
May you find your happy place
when you begin to worry.
...because this too shall pass.
And may each weekend
bring a smile to your face!
...because collapsing on the couch Friday
night is a luxury that only teachers can
truly appreciate!


From Kevin Henkes' biggest fan...
Regina The Brave.


Maybe this year I'll finally
figure out how to fix
my phone system! 
...nah! It's making too many
people happy.