If you're a K-2 teacher, chances are you use some form of a 'home reading record' to help students record and track their reading at home. I've used quite a few different templates throughout my career I've but never really loved any of them.
With a little extra time up my sleeve during the holidays I decided to finally make my own!
What I like about my version is the space for students to record their personal reading goal. This allows for both transparency and consistency between school and home.
What kid wouldn't LOVE creating their own fossil! In my newest pack, students can do just that and more!
Students will start by piecing together their fractured fossil recipe. This is a great higher-order thinking activity where students will need to make sense of the steps and carefully consider its order.
With their recipes complete, students will be ready to make their (faux) fossils! With younger classes a teacher-lead demonstration is recommended. Once the teacher has made the dough, students can create/customise their fossil as desired. Note: the recipe produces enough dough for up to 30 medium-sized fossils.
As a follow up, students can write a creative writing piece with the provided story starter.
Want to grab yourself a copy of the pack? Get it FREE in my TPT store!
No matter what class I'm on or which school I visit, I always come with a range picture books. Not only do I love reading them, I also love using them to spark creativity and inspire learning. Today I'd like to share my top three picture books, and accompanying art and literacy lessons, that I just could not live without!
I hope these books inspire you as much as they have me!
This is a beautiful book about being confident and embracing your uniqueness. In the story, Gerald the Giraffe loves to dance, but thinks his legs are too skinny and his neck too long to join in at the Jungle Dance. With some advice from a wise cricket, Gerald starts dancing to his own unique tune.
After reading this book, the students feel so uplifted and I always enjoy having a discussion about the ways in which the students are unique and how they can be confident and love all of their special qualities.
As a follow up activity, I also love doing this artwork:
For this art lesson, I use the FREE Giraffe Scaffold from Teaching Ideas UK. Then students simply colour, cut and arrange the giraffe doing their chosen dance move, and paste on top of a water colour background.
The artworks look AMAZING once put up! I love how unique all the giraffes and paintings are!
Want a copy of my 'Giraffes CAN Dance Poster'? Here you go!
Haven't got the book? No problem, click on the picture to watch it FREE on Scholastic Interactive!
This is a hilarious book, and one that many students will be familiar with. In the book, poor Duncan just wants to colour in. But when he opens his box of crayons, he only finds letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!
Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown, Blue needs a break from colouring in all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other. The battle lines have been drawn.
After reading the book a great follow up lesson is to get the students to write their own letter, addressed to themselves! Ask the students if they think their crayons are happy with their treatment, or if they're disgruntled from misuse or mistreatment. The kids just love writing from this perspective and some of the most creative pieces I've ever read have come from this task.
To help scaffold their ideas and for some gorgeous writing paper, I use Boy Mama Teacher Mama's FREE resource. You can grab it HERE!
Check out this super cute, if somewhat demanding, letter written by a Year 2 student. The red underlines identify where the student believes they have used persuasive language.
Haven't got the book? Here is a lovely version with origami animations. Note, it's a shortened (abridged version).
If... is a stunning book which offers a surrealistic view of the natural world. The two-page spreads present artful watercolours paired with strange possibilities, such as:
This book is truly magical for all age groups. After reading, students come up with the most amazing and creative and surreal ideas and this allows for a range of possible art lessons.
This is one such artwork completed by a Year 4 student. I think the artworks look best when, like the picture book, the background is one solid colour which juxtaposes the main picture.
This is definitely a book I would recommend purchasing, as I think it's more impactful when you read it aloud at your own pace and stop to discuss all of the wondrous images along the way. However, if you're short on time or don't have the book, here is an electronic version!
So there you have it, my top 3 picture books I could not live without. I hope I have helped inspire some new and creative ways to incorporate beautiful literature into your classrooms!
Like most teachers out there, I just love a good book fair! There's something almost magical about discovering beautiful pre-loved books and grabbing them for a bargain price!
So that you don't miss a single sale, I've compiled a list of all of the major book fairs around NSW and ACT this year.
Who knows, you might see me there! I'll be the one with armfuls and bagfuls of books, a girl can never have too many! ;)
Oh my! I can't believe how long it's been since my last entry, this year has just been chaos! However, now that it's the school holidays, no more excuses, it's time to get writing again!
Since my last post in February (eek!) I've been busy both in the classroom and in store. As always, it's a challenge changing classrooms and schools from week to week, but now that it's the holidays, it's time to restock and reflect.
What I've always loved about the teaching profession (a part from the students) are the loving and kind teachers that I work with everyday. Not only do they keep me sane on those difficult days, they also inspire me with their endless dedication and generosity for the whole school community. For this reason, I want to redouble (more like quadruple) my efforts to write about and share my teaching experiences as a relief teacher, so that I too can give back to the teaching community.
This post will be one of many this month - so get ready! I'm pumped to truly and properly begin this blogging journey, and hope you are too!
What a crazy first few weeks of school! It's been a while since my last post and so much has happened! I had an amazing block on a Stage Three class and now i'm back to my other love, day to day casual work. Now that I've had some time to spare I've been busy making new resources - YAY!
This is my newest product on TpT, it's something I've been using for a while but only just had the time to put up! This resource is great for engaging students and checking reading comprehension.
As a new product it's currently 50% off!
And as always, I have a freebie just for you! Click on the picture below to download this super cute spelling worksheet. Laminate for re-use!
Book fairs are one of my favourite things in the world! I love finding hidden treasures, grabbing a bargain and adding to my ever-growing book collection. I always feel so excited after getting my hands on good quality literature and always become inspired to try new lessons and artworks based on the books. I've been keeping my eye out for upcoming fairs and found quite a few coming up around NSW/ACT/VIC. I can't wait to post pictures of my bargain buys!
Hover over the image to pin it to one of your pintrest boards or save the image to make sure you don't miss any book fairs this year!
With a block lined up for the first few weeks of Term 1, I'm in a similar position to many other teachers and it's had me thinking, what do I do on the first day back? It's a daunting thought "going back", as you want to make the most of the first day, make a good impression and start the year off on a positive note.
It's a general rule of thumb that the first day back should be relaxed but well structured to allow students to feel comfortable in their new learning environment but also get a sense of your learning and behavioural expectations. I've had many first days, being a relief teacher it sometimes feels as though every day is the first day! Armed with years of these experiences I have decided on my top 3 things to do on the first day back:
Although the students sitting in front of you may have met you before, or seen you around the school, these interactions are not always true to who you are as a classroom teacher. That's why it's important to start fresh and introduce yourself properly at the very beginning. When I introduce myself I always talk about my family, show a picture of my gorgeous puppy and talk about my favourite books. Students are often surprised to have a teacher talk so openly about their personal life, but this is so important in building rapport and mutual respect.
At this time I also introduce the classroom, giving a brief tour of the the room and explaining daily procedures. The classroom tour provides a great lead in to discussing classroom expectations, as these are always displayed in the room. From the very start, students need to know the rules and consequences of good and bad behaviour, so including this explanation in your classroom tour allows a non-treatening introduction to your expectations during the 'honeymoon' period of the year. As the term progresses, you'll be glad you established your expectations early on as you can easily refer back to your rules and students have clear boundaries.
Once students are familiar with you and the room it's time to allow students to get to know each other. The reality of our education system and classroom set up is that students spend a lot more time learning with and from their peers than with you, meaning positive student relationships are paramount. In light of this, it's important to provide students with an opportunity to get to know each other in a positive and well-structured environment, as we can't just expect students to get along from the beginning.
Looking for a relationship-building activity? Check out this board game:
Throughout the day, make learning all of your students' names a priority. Also endeavour to have a one-on-one conversation with all of your kids. Building positive relationships must begin on day one, as students will only be responsive to your teaching if they respect you and feel respected by you. My top tip would be to move around the classroom as students are playing their get to know you game and listen to their answers and even join in!
Well there you have it, my top 3 things you have to do on the first day of school. They may seem obvious, but in the chaos of being back at school you can be tempted to rush through these introductory basics. Now that I've thought these steps through I feel a lot better about getting started and the first day back is just that little bit less daunting!
Now to start printing and laminating these resources for the 'before I go back to school rush!' Remember, if you see anything you like, head to my store!
As the holidays draw to an end, I can't help but get the jitters thinking about the new students and the new classrooms I'll be visiting this year! To begin the year I have a 2 week block - YAY - on a year 5/6 class, so being as organised as I always am, I've already begun prepping!
With the school term beginning only a few days after Australia Day, I feel like there is no better time to teach deep and meaningful lessons about Australian history. With this in mind, I've created an interactive WebQuest about Australia Day.
It has taken quite a long time to make this resource, as I created the webpage, sourced all of the information and then created an accompanying question booklet and answer key, BUT it has all been worth it, I'm so excited to get back into the classroom to teach it!
How it works:
To complete their quest for knowledge, students navigate through the past, present and future, learning about the European and Aboriginal history behind Australia Day, exploring modern day traditions and considering the future of Australia Day.
As students progress through their quest, they will view videos and maps, explore early European artwork and navigate websites to answer a range of short and long answer questions, create a historical timeline and complete written tasks.
*Tasks are aligned to Year 6 & 7 History and English ACARA outcomes*
Purchasing this product provides you with exclusive access to the WebQuest website and accompanying WebQuest question booklet and answer key.
For the first week this product will be only $4 - down from $4.50 - so grab it ASAP!
I hope you find this product helpful! Let's bring on the first week back!
With Christmas only one week away it's time to give away some Christmas freebies! Check out this Christmas Themed Friends of 10 Activity Pack - just print and laminate to use again and again.
As a kid I always loved playing BOGGLE, and as a teacher I love it even more, it's educational and fun! I designed this wall display a little while ago and take it with me wherever I go, all the pieces have blue-tack on them so they're ready to display. Kids can do this as a cool down after recess/lunch or as a fast finisher activity.
As the end of Term 4 draws near, the mind can't help but wonder, and perhaps worry, about how to keep students engaged as the summer holidays approach. When the inevitable finally arrives and students get restless, I love doing a reflective activity where students can reminisce about their year and the all progress they have made. When ever I do this 'Year in Review' activity it has an immediate calming effect, as students love sharing their favourite moments from the year, suddenly and often sadly, realising that they will soon change classes and move on.
Although you may not need this yet, the time for such lessons is soon approaching! As always I have a FREE copy for you :)
In order to get called back to a school you have to leave a good impression. A large part of this is having good communication skills, so it's important to provide feedback about the lessons you've taught and student behaviour. In doing this, you not only demonstrate professionalism and communication skills, but that you have a genuine interest in student learning. I made this template a while ago and find it works well for day-to-day casual work, CLICK HERE to download!
One of my greatest passions as a teacher is reading and sharing good quality literature. Nothing excites me more than seeing the wonder in my students' eyes when we discover a beautiful story together. One of my all time favourite books is the picture book 'If...' by Sarah Perry. Although very simple in nature, the images and text are powerful and thought provoking.
After reading this to a Year 2 class we created our own 'If...' artworks. The children were so excited and inspired to create their own after reading the book, they didn't hold back! These are some of my favourites:
As a relief teacher -or any kind of teacher- sometimes you just need five minutes to yourself, to organise the next lesson or just to zone out for a little! More often than not however, the kids need the 5 minute break. Whom ever is in need, I always have something on the IWB ready to go, usually 'Just Dance.'
Simply type in 'Just Dance' on YouTube and you will find tens of dancing videos that are not only set to current tunes but also feature easy to follow dance moves that the kids will happily watch and copy. If 'Just Dance' sounds familiar, it may be because these online videos are actually screen grabs of the popular video game of the same title. For this reason, many of your students will probably be familiar with dances.
Below are some of my favourites. Though there are many other songs out there some may not be suitable for the little ones so watch them first!
