First "Real" Day of Kindergarten

     I say the first "real" day because today was reality!  After last week's staggered start I had gotten used to only having a small group of kiddos.  Today I had all 24 with me and oh my, was it different!  Overall, they did VERY well.  Considering it was only their third day (my fifth), I was super impressed.
     Today I introduced the five, whole brain teaching (WBT) classroom rules.  After the initial introduction, we focused primarily on the first rule, "Follow directions quickly."  I've modified my WBT rules slightly from the traditional five.  The ones I use are; #1 Follow directions quickly; #2 Raise your hand to speak or stand; #3 Listen when your teacher is talking; #4 Make smart choices; and #5 Respect others, Respect yourself and respect your school.
     The original 5 WBT teaching rules have raising your hand to speak and stand as separate rules but I felt that it was kind of the same thing and should be together- plus they rhyme which is something that helps my kinders remember.  Another original WBT rule was "Keep your dear teacher happy".  I've never been super crazy about this rule just because kindergarteners know following the rules "keeps me happy" therefore to include this rule is kind of redundant.  Also, I do not want my students to be so focused on doing what they think will "keep me happy" that they're not putting themselves out there and trying their 100% best.  I think WBT is fantastic just the way it is, but for my classroom I think these five rules reflect my classroom and style the best.  Thanks to Mrs. Tyner over at The Curious Apple for making a custom set of these rules for me- in a camping theme!  You can find the WBT rule set that I use on TPT.
     Besides getting some WBT in, I also introduced a vocabulary lesson using the book Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts.  In this book we focused on the words routine, emergency and prepared.  For kindergarten, these are three VERY important words!  We always follow routine, I would like them to be prepared and they think everything is an emergency :)  This was a fantastic introduction to what is and is not ok to interrupt Mrs. Jarvis for.  For routine and prepared I simply gave examples (during reading) of what they are and for emergency I had them say "Emergency" for things that were emergencies, if it was not, they said nothing.  It was interesting to see/hear their responses.  It opened their eyes to things such as "students running in the hall" is really not an emergency.  It's an opportunity to be a good friend and remind them of the rules.  Many were also surprised to learn "not knowing how/being able to do their work" is actually an emergency, which means they need to tell me right away!
     Overall, fantastic day!  I only got through about half my plans, but good news is that means I can just do them tomorrow instead of planning tonight!  I usually plan a week in advance but that usually is not possible until a month into school.

First week= completed

     The first week is finally over!  I do not want it to sound as if it was not a good week- it was wonderful!  I am just so exhausted!!!  Last night and tonight will be the only nights I stay awake later than 8pm!
     As mentioned previously, my district decided to do a staggered start for kindergarten this year.  I am extremely grateful for this.  The intention was to have one half of the class come Tuesday/Thursday and the other half come Wednesday/Friday.  However, I have a handful of withdrawals, additions and changes to the schedule that two days I had 15 and then other two I had 9 students.  It really did work out ok though!  I was grateful to just have less than 25 (my originally scheduled class) for the first week.
     The first day I had not intended on introducing my clip chart, but quickly re-evaluated when I saw the potential to increase positive behaviors.  The first day first week or more, kinders often resemble preschoolers.  They do not know how to line up, raise their hand (AND wait to be called on to speak) or how to wait their turn.  I understand this and remember this each year, but it's always hard to get used to after remembering where my kinders last year finished.
     Most students were completely motivated by "moving their clips up"!  I was excited by this.  Simply mentioning "Jane, move your clip to blue- I love how you are sitting criss-cross with your hands in your lap!" (Jane is a pseudonym), encouraged and excited other students to do the same!  Moving clips down the first day did not happen.  Even if it took 10 reminders, they did not move their clips down- they're still little babes, learning the ropes.  My goal of introducing the clip chart on the first day- although last minute- was to encourage positive behavior.
     Overall, I was super impressed with their ability to sustain attention to tasks and interest in following directions!  I did observe some difficulty with a few to follow 2+ verbal directions at one time, so I stayed late tonight laminating visual cue directions for those who had difficulty.  Personally, I am a visual learner so I completely understand being confused and forgetful concerning verbal directions!   
     Looking forward to next week- it's going to be a GREAT year!