First Day of School Plans

     Last year I posted my first day of school plans and heard from many that they found this helpful, so I decided to do the same thing this year.  Below you will find my first day of school plans for the 2015/2016 school year.  If you compare last year's plans to this year's plans, you will notice that the majority of it is the same.  The biggest changes were made at the end of the day during writing.  Since I will be piloting the WBT writing game, I structured what I am asking the kids to do around the game.  I hope that you find this helpful.  

Day One Lesson Plan

9:00-10:45 (Stop to pick up breakfast and eat when called down to the lunchroom.)

    *Class Yes

      Please look at me.  My name is Miss Ray, and I am so happy that you are here.  When I say class, you say       yes, fold your hands in a listening position, and look at me with laser eyes.  Practice.

    *Introduce and practice rule one

     Rule one is follow directions quickly.  When I say rule one, you say follow directions quickly.  Let's try that          again, but be fast.  Give rule one commands:  Look up.  Look down.  Raise one hand.  (Faster.)  Raise              both hands. We have rule one so that we will have a fun organized classroom.   

    *Introduce the Scoreboard

     We are going to play a very fun game called Scoreboard, and all you have to do to win is keep the                      scorekeeper happy.  I am the scorekeeper.  When I put a mark under the smiley face, that means that you        are following a rule and making the scorekeeper, me, happy.  When you see me making the mark, you will          clap your hands together quickly and say Oh yea.  Let's practice.  Practice.  When you are doing something        that makes me, the scorekeeper, unhappy, you will receive a mark under the frownie face.  When you see me      making the mark, you will quickly shrug your shoulders and groan.  Practice.  Next practice rule one using          the scoreboard.  Stand Up.  Too slow.  Groan.  Sit down.  Still to slow.  Groan.  Look at your partner.  Oh           yeah!  etc.

    *Play the Name Game

     1.  Emphasize how quickly everyone must respond.

     2. When I point at you, quickly say your name.
     3.  No matter how the child responds, say, "Louder please."

     4.  If a child is shy, skip him/her.

     5.  After pointing to a few kids, say to the class, "Repeat after me."  Point to these students one at a time.              Say each name and have the class repeat the name.  If you forget a name, simply say to the class, "Who          is this?"  They will tell you.

​     6.  Continue this pattern with the remainder of the class.One minute fun burst:  Practice Rule one using different voices.  Teacher leads.

    *Heavy Duty Practice of Rule One Using 3-peats:

• red folders
• ​folders away
• pencils out
• pencils up
• pencils away
• bodies and chairs
• seats
• line 

10:45-10:50  Take students on a bathroom break using the procedures for line just learned.

10:55-11:10  Introduce "Silent Mirrors" and "Mirrors Off" by having students copy teacher's movements using big gestures and stopping when the teacher says, "Mirrors Off".  One minute fun burst:  Students take turns mirroring each other.  Peanut butters begin.  (Students will learn who peanut butters are and who jellies are.)  Then use "Silent Mirror" to introduce procedures for bathroom, water, and tissue.  

11:10-11:20  Prepare for lunch  

11:20-12:00  Lunch  (Teacher goes to lunch duty at 11:50.)

12:00-12:35  Intro. "Teach Okay" to review rule one and introduce rules two and three.

Step One:  "When I clap twice, you clap twice;"  Do.

                 "When I clap twice and say teach, you clap twice and say okay."  Do.

*Repeat until all students follow smoothly and quickly.  Use scoreboard.

Step Two:  Repeat above, but add full body turn.  Practice until all students follow smoothly and quickly.  Use scoreboard.

Step Three:  "I want you when you turn to your neighbor to use big gestures and repeat rule one over and over, until I call you back with class.

* Do this step over and over until all students follow smoothly, use a full body turn, and big gestures.

Intro. rule two using non-examples:  Ask a student to blurt out while you are talking.  Congratulate him! Great blurting!  Then say, “Class, let’s do that again. But this time when Jack interrupts me, I’ll say Rule 2 and you exclaim, making the hand motion, ‘Raise your hand for permission to speak!” 

Students practice rule two using "Teach Okay".

Intro. rule three using non examples:  Ask a student to leave his seat without permission.  Great job of breaking the rule. Jack leaves his seat again, you call out Rule 3, and the kids exclaim, “Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat!’ 

Students practice rule three using "Teach Okay".

One minute fun burst:  Students practice rules one, two, and three with partner using silly voices.

12:35-1:25  Specials:  

1:25-1:55  Introduce students to Super Speed Math.  

One minute fun burst:  Use "Teach Okay" to practice the first three rules with your partner, using the silliest voices that you can.

1:55-2:55  Show Oral Writing posters (Question, Answer), Capital, Period, and "Because" Brainies, Slides from persuasive writing writing game one.  Explain to students that everything we do in our classroom is part of a very special kind of teaching called “Whole Brain Teaching.  Ask students the following question:  Why do you like Whole Brain Teaching?  Emphasize that questions must be answered in complete sentences. Introduce the gesture for complete sentences.  Place the following slide on the board:  “I like Whole Brain Teaching because ___________.  Students use "Teach Okay" to answer.  Tell students to take turns answering (Peanut Butters always begin) and fill in the sentence frame as many times as they can.  Show students the Improver slide, explaining how they are going to improve their writing by using capitals, periods, and the because clapper.  Students take out writing notebooks.  Students write their sentence in their notebooks with a focus on capitals, periods, and the because clapper.  (Point out the writing board where the label sentences must start with a capital and end with a period are displayed.)  Teacher walks around and does red/green writing, focusing only on capitals, periods, and the because clapper

One minute fun burst:  Using magic mirrors teacher calls out a gesture or Brainie learned today, and students must show that gesture/Brainie.  (Mirror, Tag Team Switch, capital, period, complete sentence please, rules one-three)

2:55-3:16  End of day procedures:  Introduce "Circle Walk" for students to pick up their backpacks.  Collect any supplies at that time that students have in backpacks.  Explain green folders (anything inside green folders goes home).  Teach procedure for stacking chairs.  Assign students their permanent number.  When they line up to go home, they are to line up in number order.  Explain to students that from now on, they will always line up in this order.