Long time, No post, and teaching the whole brain

So I failed to realize remember how tired I am the first weeks of school. I am so pumped about setting up my classrooms, dreams of fresh starts each year. Nothing’s better! Until I get a brand new batch of kiddos and I am slapped back into reality that they are really 1st graders and I am still a teacher with high expectations about behavior and independence! I love my kiddos already, but I am pretty sure I have never had kids that talked this much!
This bring me to my post topic…Whole Brain Teaching! I discovered WBT’s site when our reading coach recommended Super Speed 1000 and 100 for fluency. Last year I began really looking through the site and watching the videos. My 2 year old and I were both hooked {we spent a few late nights watching You Tube! It was a huge DUH! moment! I began using the expectations in late March and my class and I were loving it. So upbeat, quick-paced, loud…, just like my teaching style! I knew I would start with it this year, but it seems I am having to move quickly through the levels with this bunch.

Here’s what we’ve done
Day 1: Began using Class-Yes {the best thing ever!}
Day 2-3: began learning the rules {check them out here}
Day 4: Began using my flip cards for behavior {I just did not like the practice cards and haven't had time to remake them, so we are using green, yellow, orange, and red NEON index cards}
Day 5: Intro to scoreboard
Day 6 {tomorrow}: first day using scoreboard, cards, and rules {if I’d used scoreboard from Day 1-I would have clobbered them!}
Hopefully we will not be moving to LEVEL 3-No Guff…but that is a bit up in the air in this point
Do you use WBT strategies? The goodies are all free-you just have to register. The Crazy Reading Professor is probably the best reading lessons I did all last year with my 2nd graders!
Leave me a comment and let me know what works for you! fyi-I tried the clip chart and could not remember to “clip up” or where they ended the day-so it just was not effective for me.