CHORD - Guidelines to Harmony; Whole Brain Teaching Classroom Guidelines

Submitted by Ashley Porter, Cameron, Missouri

Idea posted September 7, 2012

In my room, I have been using Whole Brain Teaching. My Guidelines to Harmony spell "CHORD." Furthermore, I have a "CHORD" chart where students try to keep 5 letters up all class period. If they do, their class "note" moves forward one measure. At the end of the 8 measures, there is a repeat sign and they receive a reward! I tell them they are my notes, and my notes have to work together to make a "CHORD."

Guidelines to Harmony:

C - Comply with directions quickly.

H - Have a positive attitude.

O - Only try your hardest.

R - Respect time, respect space, respect people, and respect property. (Yes, this covers basically everything.)

D - Do your part. (I did this instead of the "keep your dear teacher happy" because I really wanted it to spell "CHORD" and not "CHORK.")

I also use "Class Yes" and "Teach Okay." All rules have actions, and all my classes actually enjoy doing these, since we made it different and interesting with different voices (which is a standard in our state anyway)!