One of the most beautiful things and something I believe to be true is that whenever a person on earth lays their head down on a pillow to go to sleep, angels applaud. Angie had her first day today (me my second) and I believe that with all of us revving up the year these days, there is a lot of heavenly applause going on.
Here is her question from the day:
Hi Ben,
Just had my first day, and it went pretty well! I’m confused about Circling with Balls. I have two classes of beginners, so I had them do their name tag and activity cards. I actually circled a bit on “She is Allie. He is Brian. Is he Allie? Is he Mrs. Dodd? Is he the president? etc… When it came to the sports balls, I was kind of stumped. I did the statement with “ooohhh!”, and the who plays, and what does Allie play. I knew that I was supposed to stay really simple and limit structures and number of questions so after a couple of rounds I was like….hmm………there was no more to say without going out of bounds. How in the world do you spend a whole class on one kid?
Angie Dodd
Here is my answer:
Asking where builds it into a little scene. Keep adding details. keep verifying with yes/no answers. If it fades go to another question. That’s the first answer.
The second answer is to compare kids and even get them up and acting. Once you do that and start asking questions, and establish where both kids are, you will see energy. But again, if it fades, simply go to another kid.
Remember that the main purposes of CWB is to personalize the classroom and establish the rules. If you withhold a football from the football player, you gain a kind of power over him, and if he wants the football he has to answer your questions. You are really taming the kid. You fake hand him the ball, pulling it back at the last minute.
So try those things:
- ask where.
- let a scene build if the energy is there for that to happen.
- add details.
- keep asking yes/no or other one word answers.
- when it fades go to another kid.
- compare kids.
- get them acting in little extremely simple little scenes.
- fake handing the sports ball to the athletes – those loud kids who want to draw all the attention to themselves – and then drawing it back from their outstretched hands until they answer all your questions puts them in their place. then when you have trained them publicly and you give them the ball, let them have it in every class but whisper to them that if they mess around with it you will take it back.
Start with that.