Whole Brain Teaching: Simple Lesson Plan Template

For those of you who have been using some of the Whole Brain Teaching strategies out there, how have they been going this year?

Maybe it's just me, but I feel the bulk of the first trimester is spent doing so much guided practice, setting up routines & procedures, and teaching expectations, it feels good to be in the second trimester and actually getting to the meat and potatoes of teaching & learning :)

I am excited to share this next part that we learned once upon a time at the Whole Brain Conference this summer, but I'm just starting to practice and use regularly now (oops!). To be honest, though, the world of Whole Brain Teaching just seems so vast, I am glad I went nice and slow introducing the many pieces and parts, otherwise I would have run out of steam by now!

One of the ways to keep up momentum and keep interest high is with WBT's "Super Simple Lesson Plan". Chris Biffle explains it beautifully below and it's worth a watch if you have some time:


So many things stick out from this video, as usual!

Some of the most helpful tidbits I took away are:

• Teachers can often be "talk-a-holics" and the longer we talk, the more kids we lose- guilty!
• "Practice makes permanent"- I heard this a few years ago and love it, but love Shannon from technology rocks. seriously's even more!! I think this gets kids thinking about the process more than the product.

Click the poster above to be taken to Shannon's AMAZING wealth of talent :)

At the conference this summer, we practiced this a LOT in small groups and it was so helpful! The thing with Whole Brain Teaching is that it isn't only fast-paced and engaging for kids, it is for you as the teacher, too! Being prepared helps keep the lesson moving forward and keeps the energy high- you see lots and lots of smiles when you use this plan!

Here's the basic setup of the WBT Lesson Plan:

There are five simple steps and they go like this:

1. Start with a question, like "What is a noun?"
2. Answer the question, give the definition
3. Give an example
4. Give another example
5. Have kids give each other examples

Voila!

Before each section, have a Class-Yes and use one of three techniques- Scoreboard (smiley/frown), Mirror or Mirror-Words, or Hands & Eyes (for more clarification of each step, click the term to be taken to its definition). I have listed all three as a possibility, but only circle one and that way you can remember to vary it throughout the lesson delivery.

Then, in two-three sentences, go through the step (see the video for great examples). Give the kids some simple directions of how they will teach this to their partner- this is the "BR" section for "Bridge". A good example would be, "I want you to turn to your partner and tell them what a noun is, using gestures, until I call you back." This step is especially crucial at the beginning. Otherwise, many kids have absolutely no idea what to do when you say "Teach!"-- this way, there are clear expectations after each step (yay!). 

You will then clap and say, "Teach!" and the kids will respond by repeating your clap and saying, "Okay!" They will turn to their partner (I have my kids sit knee-knee) and practice doing what I asked them and using gestures until I call them back with "Class."

**Tip: I assign "Teaching Partners" in class- it's pretty much a Turn-and-Talk buddy, but with a fancier name and when it's minilesson time, the kids know they have to sit next to this person so when I say "Teach!" they know who to turn to immediately :)

While the kids are practicing, I can get up and wander around the meeting area. During this time, I am P/P&L-ing- I am Praising ("Great gestures!") or Prompting ("Bigger gestures, please!") and then Leaving (I don't hang around, I move on after my quick P/P). 

This cycle repeats itself through the five steps and holy cow- you will notice the difference in the focused and meaningful energy of your kids.

**Tip: I highly recommend starting this in a subject like math or grammar, where the gestures, the questions and answers, and the examples will be easier to come up with. To me, it is so much easier to thing "What is multiplication?" or "What is a verb?" and develop a lesson from there.

Build up to the harder, more complex lessons and soon you-- and even better, your kids!-- will be thinking of gestures for everything!

If you want a copy of my own version of the WBT Lesson Plans, they are available for FREE both on TpT and Google Docs. I have saved it as both a PDF and a PowerPoint. The PDF is easy-peasy, but hard to edit. If you are interested in adding in text boxes and such, opening the PowerPoint file will be best.

TpT Files HERE

Google Docs PDF HERE

Google Docs Editable PowerPoint HERE

I will be happy to post some examples that I am using, but there are already a handy amount on Whole Brain Teaching's website in their "Lesson Design & Delivery" FREE e-book. I highly recommend reading that cover to cover and exploring more of their videos on WBT TV.

Thanks so much everyone and have a great weekend! On a fun side note, I am working to add more of my freebies to Google Docs (it seems the WBT Rules on TpT sometimes download all funky) and am working to create more editable PowerPoint files- I'll keep you posted on Facebook as I complete these projects.