Great reads part 2

Continuing with the theme of reading professional books that REALLY help you, here is my next suggestion.

*Chris Biffle's Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids: (and the rest of your class, too!) 
*Chris Biffle's Whole Brain Teaching: 122 Amazing Games!: Challenging kids, classroom management, writing, reading, math, Common Core/State tests 

Again like Harry Wong, these books have alot of material for the general classroom,but there are some great strategies for the Music Room. Also there is a website (http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ ) where you can see these strategies spelled out and even videos of teachers using them. My students really enjoyed many of these strategies but as the year went on, I needed to step up my game, add more interest and even challenge the kids a bit more. Stale strategies are boring for everyone including the teacher.

NEWBIE ALERT!! Do not try to implement every strategy at the beginning of the new school year. You will frustrate and overwhelm yourself. Choose 1-2 to try for the whole year. Perhaps you choose the 5 Rules and use them religiously. Or maybe you want to use the Scoreboard or the 3peat. There are MANY great strategies ~ just don't expect yourself to master them all over the summer!