Listen & Repeat before Teach--Okay

      Last night at after school tutoring, Ms. Hardy and I ran through a WBT power point (based on the WBT Construction Kit) to practice the 5 classroom rules and some basic concepts like the scoreboard, teach-okay, hands and eyes, and listen and repeat. 
      My day classroom of 10 students know the teach-okay concept and do it well. The after school tutoring group also knows about the teach-okay concept and they are also very good at using it, however at 4 o'clock they have been in school for 7 hours already and now they are in a different classroom with different students and they are naturally more distracted with these combinations. We found, through practice last night, that when we are preparing students with the directions and the concept to do the teach-okay plan with that using a listen and repeat practice to reiterate the directions first and the concept to teach second helped the students to be more successful during the teach-okay practice with their peers.

Teacher says . . .                                                    Students say . . .

Oh, class.                                                                 Oh, yes.

We are going to learn about main idea
and supporting details.
Listen and repeat.                                                     Listen and repeat.

We are going to learn about main idea                       Students repeat "We are going to learn
and supporting details.                                              about main idea and supporting details"

Now turn to your partner and tell him                        Clap. Clap. Okay. Students tell
what we are going to learn today.                              each other we are learning about main
Clap. Clap. Teach.                                                    idea and supporting details. 

Oh, class.                                                                 Oh, yes.

A main idea is the most important concept
in a text or paragraph. 
Listen and repeat.                                                     Listen and repeat. 

A main idea is the most important concept                 Students repeat "a main idea is the most
in a text or paragraph.                                               important concept in a text or paragraph"

Class, now you are going to turn to your                   Clap. Clap. Okay. Students turn to partner
partner and tell him what a main idea is.                     to tell what a main idea is. 
Clap. Clap. Teach.


    Lesson continues to talk about supporting details, how to find the main idea and supporting details, and how to use the supporting details to confirm the main idea choice.

Until next time. . . Be happy, keep learning, and it's all good.  ~Mrs. Jacobs