tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17021629973588519752024-02-07T15:34:25.398+11:00Classroom PonderingsClassroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-81289284492455218422020-04-05T11:20:00.000+10:002020-04-05T11:20:57.710+10:005 Tips for At Home LearningAs we move to full time at home learning there are many confused and nervous parents who just don't know how they are going to do it so I am going to give you my top 5 tips for how this can be successful for you as a parent.<br />
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1. Chill Out!<br />
Just chill for a second, teachers and schools are not expecting that you will be replicating a classroom in your home. That is just unrealistic. Hopefully your school has provided you with some guidelines and resources to use, if you are struggling with it find the things that are working and focus on that first. A stressed out parent cannot teach a stressed out child, make sure you are taking some time to relax with your child (or without) through the day.<br />
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2. Unschedule<br />
Some parents and children will need to have a schedule that will keep them on track, some won't, that's ok. Do not expect that you will be schooling your child from 9 am to 3 pm everyday. That is unnecessary and overwhelming for everyone, particularly if you are also working at home. Morning is the best time for learning so if you can fit in learning during that time and the rest of the day is netflix, outside play, reading or just relaxing that's ok. If you have more independent learners who need a schedule set make sure there is flexibility in that for change.<br />
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3. Get Physical<br />
Take regular breaks through the day to move and exercise. This is not a PE lesson, it doesn't have to be structured, get on the trampoline, chase the dog around the yard, play ball games, get out the skipping rope, climb a tree! If you can't get outside create an obstacle course inside, dance, yoga, use weights ( or whatever you have that could double as weights). It is important for brain development that children have physical activity everyday.<br />
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4. Ditch the worksheet<br />
Worksheets do not teach, that's it, the end. The best learning happens when children are active participants and parents this is where you shine! What a great opportunity for you to do some amazing activities with your child. Cooking covers so many curriculum areas, maths, literacy, science, health, history, cultural experiences. It is a great time to connect and have fun. Get the lego out and build some incredible structures, lots of maths and engineering involved. Teach them how to knit, crochet or sew, some really important fine motor skills can be honed with learning these skills.<br />
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5. Game on!<br />
Now is the time to get out the board games. Your child can learn so much from this, counting, problem solving, critical thinking, cause and effect, reading and comprehension. Not only academic abilities but social etiquette, how to take turns, resilience when things don't go their way, following rules. It doesn't matter what games you play they are all beneficial. Maybe your family could develop your own board game to play!<br />
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You may have noticed that none of these tips involve technology. That isn't to say you shouldn't use technology and in my next post I will write about how you can use technology at home in ways that isn't just keeping them busy.<br />
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I hope you have taken at least one little tip away from this post to support you and your children with their learning at home. If you have any questions or need more info just send me a message!<br />
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<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-12675751904334354332020-03-29T11:59:00.001+11:002020-03-29T11:59:42.503+11:00Learning at home with dice and cardsHey Friends,<div>
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I hope home schooling is going well for you and murder has not been committed. It is important to remember to be kind to yourself and to your littles, this is a time when we should be minimising stress not increasing it. Some of the best learning is done through games so today I am going to share ways that you can use dice and cards to build fact fluency and problem solving.</div>
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1. Race to....</div>
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Set a number to reach depending on the level of ability for your child. Take turns to roll the dice (or can be done with one person) and add on to the total until you reach the target number. You can also use this for subtraction, so instead of counting up you start at the target number and count backwards. If your little needs help with counting you could use a number line or items to count with such as dried beans or lentils, rocks, leaves, blocks etc.</div>
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2. Odd and Even</div>
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Choose a number of times you will roll the dice, depending on the ability of your child. Gather a collection of items eg rocks, blocks, m&m's, pretzel sticks, sultanas or anything you have a collection of. One person is odd, one person is even. When the even player rolls an even number they can take 1 token (whatever you have chosen) if they roll odd they don't get anything. Then the other player rolls, if they roll an odd number they take a token. Continue to roll the dice for the amount of rolls you identified in the beginning. To increase the difficulty add more dice so the child has to add, subtract or multiply the numbers before identifying whether the number is odd or even.</div>
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3. Clear the Board</div>
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Create a grid 10 across and 6 down. Write numbers across the top, 1-10 for students who are learning about numbers to 10, students beyond that could be 11- 20 or even greater numbers. Roll 2 dice for numbers to 10, 3 or more dice for numbers beyond. Students add the numbers and if they can make whatever numbers on the board they then place a token on the grid under that number. The next person has a go and places a different token. Continue to play until all the places on the grid are filled and the person with the most tokens on the board is the winner. This can also be played by each player taking it in turns to put tokens on the board then taking it in turns to roll the dice and remove their token if they are under that particular number. This can be done by adding, subtracting or multiplying the dice.</div>
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There are sooooo many card games you can play to practice maths facts and fluency. Any of your traditional card games are great to play, Snap, Uno, Memory etc are fun and involves mathematical thinking.</div>
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1. Greater than Less than </div>
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This card game can be played with 2 or more players and can be adjusted for the ability of your child. First of all remove K, Q, J and joker cards, if you are turning over 2 or more cards also take out the 10, Ace becomes a 1 card.</div>
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Identify if you are going to be playing for who has the largest number or the least number. Players take it in turns in turning over cards and then identifying who has the greatest or least. If you are playing for greatest number whoever has the greatest number collects the other players cards, if you are playing for least, whoever has the least collects the other players cards. This game can be adjusted for ability by choosing how many cards you will turn over, so for numbers to 10 only turn over 1 card, 2 digit numbers, 2 cards and so on. This helps students learn about place value and number sense.</div>
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2. Make to....</div>
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Take our K, Q, J and Joker cards, Ace becomes 1.</div>
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This game works on fact fluency and can be adjusted for the ability of your child.</div>
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Identify what you are going to add to, 10 for beginning students beyond that for more capable learners. Lay the cards face up so they are in an even grid and each card is next to another. Players take it in turns to take away cards that add to 10 or whatever number you have identified. Generally it is only 2 cards but you can adjust this to whatever you want. The cards must physically be next to each other and they can be moved after each turn to fill gaps. This can be differentiated to using subtraction or multiplication as well. </div>
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3. Double up. </div>
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Take out K, Q, J and Joker cards as well as 7 and 9, Ace becomes 1.</div>
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This game focusses on students learning about doubles and is played like Go Fish. </div>
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Each player is dealt 5 cards each player asks for the doubles that make the total of a card in their hand eg if they have a 6 they need to get two 3 cards to make a double group. If the other players say no double they pick up a card and the next player has a turn. </div>
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4. Go Fish Partitioning</div>
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Take out K,Q, J. Ace becomes 1.</div>
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This game is played exactly like double up except you ask for 2 numbers that make up a number in your hand. To increase the difficulty players can ask for 3 or 4 cards to make up a number.</div>
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This is just a few ways you can use games to practice maths at home in a fun and easy way but can be adjusted for the ability of your child. You could even ask your child to create a dice or maths game that they could share with the family. </div>
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I would love to hear from anyone who has had a go at some of these games and let me know how it went. Oh and have fun!</div>
Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13190565001326961520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-41972950256942262172020-03-28T15:20:00.000+11:002020-03-28T15:22:14.899+11:00Learning at home using junk mailAs millions of parents face the reality of home schooling I can feel the anxiety in the air peaking! Never fear Classroom Ponderings is here to help you shoulder the burden. Your school may or may not have provided you with lots to do already but here are some activities that might help you with your kiddos at home just using magazines, newpapers or junk mail.<br />
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1. Use old magazines or junk mail brochures for cutting practice. Use the pictures to create a collage picture, if you have writers they could write a story to go with the picture. If you have littles that need cutting practice draw shapes around the pictures or different kinds of lines that they can cut along.<br />
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2. Use the magazines to do a word hunt for spelling. You can choose a spelling pattern (your school may have already provided you with a list) or words beginning or ending with a certain sound. Find words with 1,2,3,4 or more syllables, find compound words, find rhyming pairs, extend this by asking the children to add more on to the list. If your little is still learning about letters and sounds then start an alphabet wall/chart that can be added to over time as you find pictures and words that start with that letter. Limit it to learning 1 letter over 2 days.<br />
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3. Shopping brochures are great for learning about money and numbers in general! Give your child an amount they can "spend" and have them cut out the item with the price. They will need to work out a total and then how much change. This activity obviously needs to be leveled accordingly and helps with skip counting, if you have toy money around that is great to use, if you don't maybe use some coins to make rubbings and then cut them out. Make paper notes by drawing and colouring them in. (yes I guess technically this could be counterfeit but hey we could also be going into a global financial crisis, we need to prepare ourselves!) If you raid your recycling bin for boxes and other bits and pieces you could set up a shop area with shopping lists (writing), labelling, signs, pricing and of course social distancing rules in place.<br />
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4. Cut out the numbers to use for place value. Make a place value mat with the hundreds/tens/ones columns, you can of course extend this to thousands or beyond if your little is up to that. Kiddos can place numbers in each column and draw MAB to represent them. MAB's are hundreds, tens and ones blocks that represent the value of a number. You could ask them to make a number greater than or less than a particular number and using a blank number line ask them to place it on the number line according to its value. For littles who are just learning about numbers, cutting them out and putting them in order is a great way to start fluent counting, they could then count objects such as rocks or sultanas to represent that number or draw how many it could be.<br />
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5. Give your kiddos one page of the newspaper and tell them they have to make the longest paper chain they can with that one piece. Talk about how they could do it, then measure how long it is against another person. This teaches them about length, comparison, problem solving. Get them to do it more than once so they can see if they change their strategies can they make it longer!<br />
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These are just a few ideas to start with, I will be back with more in the coming days! Wish me luck I will be homeschooling a Grade 10!<br />
<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13190565001326961520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-91488984237186142662019-07-16T14:49:00.001+10:002019-07-16T14:49:12.963+10:00Freeze Frame<div style="text-align: center;">
Hey friends!</div>
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Today I wanted to share a little technique I have been using with my students this year to help them with practicing kindness and respect and managing their emotions.<br />
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I think we have to acknowledge that first and foremost it starts with us. We need to model to our students what we want to see in them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that was the end of it but it isn't. Our little people are just that, people, human beings capable of making mistakes.<br />
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So I talk to my kiddos about imagining that our lives are a bit like a movie, in that it is a series of frames. During the making of a movie there might be a mistake, the wrong thing being said or something falling over. When this happens they have editors that can take that frame out and replace it with one that will correct the mistake. We call this Re-framing and I teach my littles that when we say things that are not kind or we are starting to feel frustrated we might make a mistake but we can edit it so that it will be better.<br />
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An example of this might be a student who may be playing a game in a small group and they accuse another student of 'cheating'. I may go to that student and ask them to reframe what they said to fix their mistake, if they need help with 'editing' their response I might give them an example or sentence starter.<br />
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If I can see a situation that looks like it may be escalating quickly I will say "FREEZE FRAME!" this is a signal to that student/s that they are heading into the red zone (we use zones of regulation) and they need to stop and have a break. They can take a walk, have a drink, go to the cool down zone, jump on the mini tramp or whatever they need to do. After they have cooled down, they can then re-frame the situation and fix their mistake.<br />
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I have had such great success using this technique and I am now hearing my students using the same language with each other. It also helps them to solve their own problems as they calmly ask someone to re-frame what they said. It allows both parties to maintain dignity whilst practicing kindness on both sides.<br />
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What do you think? Would you use this in your classroom?<br />
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<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-66823279446268217032019-06-24T20:30:00.000+10:002019-06-24T20:30:05.470+10:00CuriosityI know it has been a long time since I have posted and I have just been really investing my time into family and my classroom. I have felt uninspired with my teaching and I guess I felt like I had nothing to share, that is really the sad fact of it.<br />
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BUT!<br />
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I have found inspiration again through a <a href="https://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/" target="_blank">Kath Murdoch</a> seminar I have attended this week. You know when you go to a Professional Development and you want to go back to your classroom and start using these strategies straight away. You try but you have to put all these other things in place first and then it all becomes too hard. Not this time!<br />
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Kath Murdoch teaches with an Inquiry Learning approach. She talks about curiosity and questioning, she talks about wonderings and the beauty that our students find in learning.<br />
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It got me really thinking about my teaching practice and how I encourage this in my classroom. I thought I had created an environment that let my students ask questions and explore, but you know what I had only dipped a toe into that pool. I came back to my classroom after 2 days and I looked at it with a critical eye. I looked at my transitional art table, I looked at my library, I looked at my Wonderwall. I knew I could do more.<br />
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I made 2 changes that made a difference on the day, I gave my students more choice with the transitional art. I moved my Wonderwall to the front of the room, I added a photo of each child and made it more visible, I added my own picture and put a wondering there.<br />
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Then I thought about how I was going to frame my lessons for the day. I had scheduled spelling, writing, maths groups among other things. Previously in my spelling I would have sent them to find words with the long i sound. Today I asked them a question, What is making the long i sound? The result was a much broader range of words that we could add to our word wall, they were looking more deeply at the words and where the sound was. They then created categories for their words.<br />
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In writing we have been investigating the bandicoots that live in the bushland near our school. We have been incredibly lucky to take part in Nature Play this year and our kids are loving it. There is a resident bandicoot that comes out to see what all the commotion is when our kids are playing there. So instead of framing our non-fiction writing as a research statement, I framed it as a question.<br />
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What impacts do we have on the environment of bandicoots?</div>
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For those that don't know a bandicoot is a small Australian marsupial.</div>
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The engagement was incredible! The thinking and responses were thoughtful and relevant, I even got some further questions to investigate! We did out First Thinking and at the end of our research which will include observing the bandicoots, we will do Second Thinking.</div>
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Can you already see the amazing learning that has been happening?</div>
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It didn't stop there!</div>
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During maths groups I work with a small group for 10-15 minutes so that I can do some explicit teaching and really get a good sense of each child's understanding. I wanted to teach a specific strategy for addition, but I needed to know what strategies these students already had. So I posed this question;</div>
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How can you turn 2 numbers into 1 number? </div>
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Can you get a different answer each time?</div>
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I'm not going to lie, some of my kids were blank, some of them asked permission to use number line, counters, ten frames all of which I said absolutely! Here was the really interesting thing I found out, without fail they all used addition with differing strategies. With some of my kiddos I used this as an opportunity to clear up some misconceptions or explicitly teach a strategy. One thing that really jumped out at me is that I need to revisit subtraction.</div>
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I am really just at the very beginning of this journey and I am so excited to be able to share it with all of you.<br />
<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-65320620203096604182018-12-22T11:29:00.000+11:002018-12-22T11:29:11.258+11:00Christmas is coming.....WooHoo! We made it! Finally here in Australia I am officially on holidays. I plan on taking this time to rest, relax, recharge and be ready for the new year.<br />
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I am so very happy to tell you that I will be back on class next year with a Grade 1/2 composite and I have so much planned to blog about. After being in an off class role this year it has really shown me how much I love teaching and having that face to face interaction with students, I am meant to be in the classroom.<br />
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This is a short post because well, holidays but I wanted to pop in and wish everyone a Happy, Merry, Cheery holiday however you celebrate. Spend time with your family, your friends and yourself, I can't wait to be back next year with lots of new ideas and resources to share with you!<br />
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Enjoy your time off teachers!Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-31391221473886464582018-11-18T10:51:00.001+11:002018-11-18T10:51:24.229+11:00When a diagnosis becomes the excuse....You've heard it many times in your career as a teacher, "He/She can't help it, they have (insert diagnosis here)!! Usually said in a tone that is strident and or defensive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfaBgxGRHF9zULmIiDF9eFhvrOoTJWUFYNdiZSu4XxukCWBo2N6avjFbfjh491Qzh8Klj6Yd267dwgjLylUUuQtxTZ6Qb8VRSHJ7Zj7OLUMiLExjZWo3xGJsGi0IcpBRJZ4Exp36ZgM4/s1600/warning-2284170_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfaBgxGRHF9zULmIiDF9eFhvrOoTJWUFYNdiZSu4XxukCWBo2N6avjFbfjh491Qzh8Klj6Yd267dwgjLylUUuQtxTZ6Qb8VRSHJ7Zj7OLUMiLExjZWo3xGJsGi0IcpBRJZ4Exp36ZgM4/s640/warning-2284170_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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What do you do next? I asked my FB followers and this is some of the responses.<br />
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Jena says- "Sigh" Yes this is usually the first response isn't it!<br />
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Emma says- "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Collaborate with learning support, the Child Development Advisor, and admin to develop a positive communication strategy that supports the child and protects the teacher from being cornered or attacked by the parent." </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Common sense prevails! A great start is to go to your Learning Support or Behaviour Management team or whatever it is in your school. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get these strategies in writing and to document every conversation you have with parents.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diane says- "I often ask what strategies they use at home that work? That we can transfer to the school setting? Document the behaviour. Also expectations are often different at home than in the school."</span></span><br />
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Great idea Diane, consistency is always key when dealing with behaviours that we see impacting on students academically and socially. If we can work together collaboratively and create a team approach you can only think that outcomes will be more positive for our students.<br />
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Jason says- "Share my lived experience" <br />
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I can totally relate to this! I often feel like our parents of students who are in particular dealing with a new diagnosis feel overwhelmed and isolated. When we can share experiences it makes us feel like we are part of a group and more open to hearing about what has worked for others. Shared information is so empowering!<br />
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When a student gets a diagnosis it really is the first step in creating a plan to support not only the student but parents and teachers as well. Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-78455871676039423122018-09-15T13:06:00.002+10:002018-09-15T13:06:50.146+10:00Put your hand up! Or don't...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZoiCOJ32YiYMa6fsCH8xvEXm6Kj-lX-m-R79U_HEGjXoFVW8OsxjD3XZzAGCN0Xi88M_RaGe_ZIhoKaILDacXaasfFF9TPqgcuRj3FEH6VJt1ftj9oMl-fMJfxBL7gA4TukzW8b5GiE/s1600/hands-220163_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1280" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZoiCOJ32YiYMa6fsCH8xvEXm6Kj-lX-m-R79U_HEGjXoFVW8OsxjD3XZzAGCN0Xi88M_RaGe_ZIhoKaILDacXaasfFF9TPqgcuRj3FEH6VJt1ftj9oMl-fMJfxBL7gA4TukzW8b5GiE/s400/hands-220163_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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How many of us out there use the old hands up to answer or ask questions, take part in discussions and show understanding. This is a practice I no longer employ in my classroom, I hear you asking why already. The next questions are usually what do I do? How do you manage discussions? Is it havoc in your room? <br />
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The answers are no, it is not havoc or chaotic, no people do not speak over each other and the strategies I use ensure that everyone gets a fair go at being responsible for their learning. One of the reasons why I no longer use hands up is to eliminate what I call the hitchhiker learners, you know the ones who sit back and let everyone else answer the questions or carry the discussion with little input. There are NO hitchhikers in my classroom anymore. The other reason I got rid of the hands up is to eliminate the competition of being chosen to speak or those students who wave their hands in your face while sitting on their knees and are seemingly about to burst if they don't get the opportunity to speak<br />
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So here are the things I do in my classroom to encourage everyone to participate and takes away the hands up strategy.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Stick it to them</span><span style="font-size: large;">!</span></span><br />
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I tell them ahead of time who I am going to choose to answer the questions or I use sticks with their names on them and pull them out so that everyone gets a chance to participate. If the student doesn't give the correct answer or needs help to answer the question they can ask a friend to help them. Then student can then come and choose a stick and that person can help them.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">2. Tag you're it!</span><br />
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I love using discussion in my class to explore ideas and concepts. This is usually the time when you would find the same students contributing so to avoid this I use a tag discussion. It works like this, students either sit in a circle or it can also work just sitting on the carpet or at tables. I choose a student to start the discussion or share their thinking, they then tag the person next to them. Students can add to the discussion, agree or disagree with a person who has shared their thinking. If they aren't ready to add to the discussion they can pass the tag on but make sure they know you will be coming back to them. This can be used in so many different ways to explore ideas stemming from questions or something as simple as saying a word that starts with a particular sound. <br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">3.Thumbs up!</span><br />
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This is pretty self explanatory and a quick and easy way to check for understanding. Very quickly I will ask for my students to show a thumbs up or thumbs down if they think they understand a concept. Depending on what we are exploring I might ask a student to explain their understanding.<br />
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So this is 3 easy strategies to use in your classroom to eliminate hands up in your classroom, let me know how you go!Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-69381541723534877152018-06-25T15:19:00.001+10:002018-06-25T15:59:46.882+10:00Fine Motor Activities- Rock it!Hi Friends!<br />
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I wanted to talk a bit about the importance of fine motor in our classroms, we know that it is a vital part of getting our students ready for reading and writing but sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming right?<br />
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This year I am running a Perceptual Motor Program and combining it with some other gross and fine motor activities as well. I have 4 classes that each acess this 4 times a week for around 30 minutes. Early reports back from classroom teachers are saying that it is making a HUGE difference in comparison to when we could only manage twice a week.<br />
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I have made some Fine Motor Activity mats that I have been using with decorative glass stones and my kiddos have loved them! <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Activity-Mats-3879056" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wDHcL3Je5tMTfOFfG6W4jK4qAAFTAhPIsnna3Z08BDL3DfbqPz8hssa2EwnWKF8tNao3-P7iU775QYACzqMASCIkvsAVP02xTjc4ZIDHoILCGxJBTzvNLisfKMyPhXlwQsZZSeAw12Y/s640/Square+covers+fine+motor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know the ones I am talking about? My kiddos love running their fingers through them and say that they are pirates treasure heehee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bRS4GJ488WiYUVxTYRU_eFFTx2TSFI3KlaXHWq3-AEMZz_g__v_T1jMP8EAFmqBF-uRRr92PotriFtP5w-isnUHnQBBkjwj7l5yUq7tZYddGEg6cXAtsDpX3OQAmndeaCyx6n7z57lo/s1600/blue-3089050_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bRS4GJ488WiYUVxTYRU_eFFTx2TSFI3KlaXHWq3-AEMZz_g__v_T1jMP8EAFmqBF-uRRr92PotriFtP5w-isnUHnQBBkjwj7l5yUq7tZYddGEg6cXAtsDpX3OQAmndeaCyx6n7z57lo/s400/blue-3089050_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Students place the stones along dotted lines, pathways and around shapes, don't have any stones? That's ok, use counters, buttons, pom-poms or playdough. When I have used pom poms I get my kiddos to use tweezers or pegs to pick up them up. This pack is about precision and carefully placing the stones so that they touch each other.<br />
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Their all time favourite one is definitely making a bridge for the dinosaurs to cross the river.....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLDA7EEaBpRu5nTxcQaVZA5A00BZvlx_yBtKM_bIvMvoD787n5lEThFIJi1J2zbeE28I6qJ00pp78Xn8HEmdWYoh9l5gtkt-KpLXpOa3DuPUlWSQvupLgZOu9N9-nRuTOnpwSnD5WADY/s1600/Slide11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1040" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLDA7EEaBpRu5nTxcQaVZA5A00BZvlx_yBtKM_bIvMvoD787n5lEThFIJi1J2zbeE28I6qJ00pp78Xn8HEmdWYoh9l5gtkt-KpLXpOa3DuPUlWSQvupLgZOu9N9-nRuTOnpwSnD5WADY/s640/Slide11.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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however the flowers in the garden are a close second.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Activity-Mats-3879056" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAR9Ix9CAAVcMpepUdjizIr30NQfXaPXYcNc0LH3e-vTUapuzchyphenhyphenoa75UGHl14N9gFvgkt6rGZIZHoKpMAk6cwQVEsQNYrkwH-_uP8jw2d2ceq_12ns4ray4G5Zllj1TBVXVigvc1kh2A/s640/flowers+in+the+garden+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have included a mat that students can write how many stones they have put on the flower.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Activity-Mats-3879056" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZa7nd_e7SJBgGUr_fosw7NiHdJp2RXg1qhyphenhyphenG-uQxb_P61qAKYXl9695q7RoZBXQ-TWfL_5cWGV0eUHQZd5eB1Eko8VaT7W2dykcB2ZMX7EjINKvYWNfIaSpw_5-qbplZr16RpYLnszc/s640/flowes+in+the+garden+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Like what you see? Check out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fine-Motor-Activity-Mats-3879056" target="_blank">TpT store </a>and click on preview to see what other mats are included.<br />
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I will be back next week with some more fine motor ideas for your classroom, till then.....<br />
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<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-19581022728644427282018-05-05T16:09:00.000+10:002018-05-05T17:52:11.962+10:00Individual Learning PlansHey Friends!<br />
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This year my role is a Support teacher so it means I am that person who helps you write those dreaded Individual Learning Plans for your students who need a differentiated approach to the curriculum.<br />
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I know a lot of teachers see Learning Plans as extra work and initially they can be but I want to help you see this as a way to make your job easier! I already hear you groaning but trust me this will be painless.<br />
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So lets start with what they are called, I asked some of my followers on my FB page what they call Learning Plans in their school and this was some of the responses<br />
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<li>IEP's Individual Education Plan</li>
<li>PLP's Personalised Learning Plan</li>
<li>ILP's Individual Learning Plan</li>
<li>PLASP Personalised Learning and Support Plan</li>
<li>ICP's Individual Curriculum Plan</li>
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Whatever they are called they all pretty much have the same function. They are there to make sure the information about a particular learner informs the teaching and learning for that student. These learning plans should be created in conjunction with a Support Staff, parents and Classroom Teacher, this way you will get the most relevant information and all stakeholders are aware of what will be happening for that learner in the classroom.</div>
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So what should an effective Learning Plan include?</div>
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<li>Student information including name, age, grade level, teacher</li>
<li>Diagnosis information if relevant </li>
<li>Types of Professional assessments that have been done including psychologist, speech therapist, OT etc</li>
<li>Student strengths and interests</li>
<li>Information about sensory issues, personal assistance needed ie toileting, transition assistance, social management, communication</li>
<li>Strategies and adjustments for the above information</li>
<li>Curriculum outcomes and goals</li>
<li>Personal and Social outcomes and goals</li>
<li>Evidence to show the progression toward achieving the outcomes and goals</li>
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Phew! Seems like a pretty extensive list but believe me when I say this is all relevant and will make your life and the students life easier. When you have this at hand you can easily see what needs differentiation and what doesn't. Let's face it though most student who have a Learning Plan need it to access the curriculum in a way that needs adjustments and the heaviest subject areas are English and Mathematics so most Learning Plans I have seen usually include an English and Maths Outcome.</div>
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Most schools have a preferred template for you to use so if you don't have access to one find out from you admin staff if there is one for school use. If not you can download this free one <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/683x68o0rjx9wcc/Learning%20Plan%20for.docx?dl=0" target="_blank">here</a> or by clicking on the pic below. This is a Word document so it is completely editable for you to add your school logo and anything else you need.</div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/683x68o0rjx9wcc/Learning%20Plan%20for.docx?dl=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIQB4reYinl9yEA04LKzisKkyZwa72lhxuaz2sPkXfTGpuQVEivLpzkBYkNNNx_QeIjbtbuGa059Xb5oSBNHzaVvy7EH05EzHZYS1t1NqDRVQ6B81UAGZyARNXCd6W9hs3pUaQPHZdN0/s640/Learning+Plan.PNG" width="474" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/683x68o0rjx9wcc/Learning%20Plan%20for.docx?dl=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="402" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HJ9OBRlf8LwWlCOL1DSt0SFR1uSe_50-DM62lAWIgTHi9hrQLe0jkSM54894blQufyCXxkQ2jKUnA6UT8Se8bsHXzsYFLDO9OoCkDwCSZJryqcaQ4Tn29sHlcwaj-Nsu8gvK4f0Jm_s/s640/Learning+plan+2.PNG" width="482" /></a></div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-28215291913483200312018-04-29T15:08:00.000+10:002018-04-29T16:39:10.668+10:00Mothers DayWe all agree that Mum's are special people right! I love that we get to share and show our students that the females in our lives who care for and love us should be celebrated. I love asking my kiddos why that person is special to them, they usually always answer with what that person does for them, here are some quotes from my kiddos,<br />
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Why is Mum so special?</div>
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"Because she makes my favourite dinner."</div>
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"She always reads me stories"</div>
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"My mum smells good and hugs me all the time"</div>
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"She can do cartwheels with sparklers in her hands and toes"</div>
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Ok, that last one was about me haha! But seriously it is what makes me special.</div>
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So in honour of the wonderful women in our kiddos lives I have updated my Mothers Day craft pack, you can get yours <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-Craft-662800" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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Here are a couple of examples of the crafts that are included in the pack. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQU3MytpQw7CnsGgzi_z_wO4VQ4LXrNxwCMkcfAivfMK9Pi7tq4VrZ92e7h1oq6aXLMk6FZWq4erNYockaC-0DhxDCtpYqVJmu3uGTEDmkMIUXPVDdnrHLHJ7QzC7XQjDJZRATHfj2uk/s1600/flowers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="476" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQU3MytpQw7CnsGgzi_z_wO4VQ4LXrNxwCMkcfAivfMK9Pi7tq4VrZ92e7h1oq6aXLMk6FZWq4erNYockaC-0DhxDCtpYqVJmu3uGTEDmkMIUXPVDdnrHLHJ7QzC7XQjDJZRATHfj2uk/s640/flowers.png" width="466" /></a></div>
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Which Mum would not love a vase of flowers, you can personalise this with more flowers or special messages on the petals</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyGKeUtu7pIUAoLzumEpKxkjV2VlSnTPLsK-ogwr2GtC_POS9hhnqA7IEsW6Yys_bD1tlvSb6q1JOpKSn263YQkrie9lOnZW09NwEv7oWaSCGK2xPT_5HFu0Tc34H3KBgdcDI-cbW8DU/s1600/puffy+heart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyGKeUtu7pIUAoLzumEpKxkjV2VlSnTPLsK-ogwr2GtC_POS9hhnqA7IEsW6Yys_bD1tlvSb6q1JOpKSn263YQkrie9lOnZW09NwEv7oWaSCGK2xPT_5HFu0Tc34H3KBgdcDI-cbW8DU/s640/puffy+heart.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love this puffy heart decoration, you can easily spray this with some lavender or rose oil to make it smell pretty to hang in the cupboard to make Mum's clothes smell nice.</div>
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These are just a couple of examples of what is in the pack, there are also some writing activities as well as cards to make. I hope your kiddos love making these for someone special in their lives even if they can't do cartwheels with sparklers!</div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-90596307437412517542018-04-22T03:30:00.000+10:002018-04-22T03:30:40.846+10:00Alphabet TracingDo you have some kiddos who are struggling with fine motor or letter and sound recognition? If so this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Tracing-3768387" target="_blank">Alphabet Tracing</a> pack is the resource for you! <br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Tracing-3768387" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1040" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZRrXxieErn3bKTpTyY5Bnc_Jq4It4Q_g8NMzyVsaZLXgZfHtdM1cuzUMMs0RoaBx33FaoEQEc3l0mCenFxKNk9vL-ovp3cK4W8ppYTXVyyhmW36nm0BQYwRQJ2zc1pb3nGFs-wMU89A/s640/Slide1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love using resources in my room that tackle more than one curriculum area, at the moment I am actually more focussed on fine motor with my kiddos but the bonus of letter and sound recognition is great as well.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Tracing-3768387" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqWteIhIuD1pixvvKEayoy_PmQTuzwNTb_UnEh_Ckitc4coS1b08G6ecsu1ko_sYjZ2FRi4wzniTFNPnSs48tR7GxL_W3L3iC_h0e9kvLG9DzQrhXz5eMhJlbqF5lEYhGAwHBtTLRasM/s640/IMAG1573%257E2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Students love tracing the lines of the pictures and then for a bit more practice they can colour in making sure they stay inside the lines. I gave my kiddos a rainbow pencil but I have found that using highlighters or a fat marker to trace inside bubble letters is a much better option than using pencils as students tend to want to colour in the letter rather than trace it. <br />
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These pages are so versatile you could even use them as playdough mats and copy them on to coloured paper just for a bit of pop and interest. <br />
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My kiddos love to make books that they can take home to share with their family, so another great way to use this resources is to copy 2 sheets to a page and make mini alphabet books for take home practice.<br />
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See I told you this resource was going to be one you needed! Just click on either of the pics to get your copy!Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-60874818419177096132018-04-14T17:30:00.000+10:002018-04-14T17:30:13.154+10:00Spring or Autumn?Hi Friends!<br />
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Are you in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere?<br />
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Down Under we are heading into Autumn, the weather is starting to cool slightly and I am definitely seeing signs of leaves turning colour. It feels like it has been a bit late this year and quite frankly I am ok with that, the longer I don't have to wear Winter clothes the better I say!<br />
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I know that there are some crazy people out there who love the thought of getting out the Winter woollies and getting out into the brisk air.....but I am not one of them, if I could follow the sun year round I sure would!<br />
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To get into the mood of Autumn or Spring I am sharing a great freebie with you today!<br />
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Use this 5 senses Poem to get your students thinking about what they see, hear, feel, taste and touch in the different seasons. There is a template for each season and one generic one to use for any topic!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-5-Senses-Poems-for-all-Seasons-1954497" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWYE4zGsx8nUnDBetzwY0A5PqAFcGgEZwYs4b6DxL-G24imG-s7PfIjlJ9Vlf-A8gd9Hz-dgnRnFTEvXTs_rjZPcfzVrXujVsX6ePi5FpG2DdwWQvi7cqIfL4xTml3TIZTYQy4Iyc4Do/s640/Slide1.JPG" width="442" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-5-Senses-Poems-for-all-Seasons-1954497" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbgsZtqMmCbjP-11MBl9AamvK_FWMdJFE9Ihv_IAZKM8mqiGJYy-NSxQulDlaSXdj1-Fr5YGGAjaYjhYmh2BcUqFCWFIl2aTb_xLMifVX7oL-UK6_B_Z13V_c-2ILyxlSNhwH8aTJ4go/s640/Slide3.JPG" width="442" /></a></div>
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Just click on the pics to get your copy!</div>
<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-57883576646032088292018-04-07T15:51:00.000+10:002018-04-07T15:51:26.035+10:00A Cautionary tale for Teachers..or...always use the paper slicerHi Friends! <div>
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I wanted to share a tale of caution with you today and why it is always a better idea to use the paper slicer instead of the scissors.</div>
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The other day my son came home very excited about the great day he had in Science class, this is super I thought because Science is not one of his strong subjects. I asked him what was so great about it and he told me that they had been doing an assessment. I want you to remember that word, assessment.</div>
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The students had been given a matching activity and were told they could work in pairs to match the title to the description and a picture. My son was quite proud of himself in choosing "the smartest kid in the class" as his partner. He matched the first picture with a description, which he said was a complete guess, his partner assured him it was correct so he carefully pushed the two pieces of paper together. As he did this he realised that the teacher had used scissors to cut the papers......so what you might ask.....so he worked out that it wasn't completely straight. Then he worked out that he didn't have to do any actual thinking for this task, he just had to line the pieces back up like a puzzle! </div>
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Those boys were the only ones in the class that got it 100% correct! He got an A for the assessment.....remember this was an assessment....</div>
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I have to tell you I don't know whether I should be proud of him for thinking outside the box, or completely ashamed of him for not doing the learning. I gotta tell you, I am leaning toward the former. He of course, is in awe of himself for seeing something no one else did.</div>
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So what do you take away from this post?</div>
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Always, always use the paper slicer because there will always, always be one kid there who thinks outside the box!</div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-7272209584466960272018-04-02T08:34:00.001+10:002018-04-02T08:34:22.434+10:00Easter Greetings!<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi Friends! Sending you Easter Greetings at this time. </div>
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I am enjoying a few days off with my family at home and really the highlight is not waking up to an alarm which is lucky becasue we just changed over with daylight savings. While my body clock is adjusting I am trying to eat chocolate in moderation (unsuccessfully I might add).<br />
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This year I am in a support role at school and not on class, I have to say I am definitely missing sharing these special days with the kiddos. I hope you made some lovely Easter memories with your class this year.<br />
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For those that are still on Easter break, I hope you are enjoying some time to sleep, eat, read and sharing time with family and friends. <br />
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Happy Easter everyone!</div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-78601007391969902092018-03-24T16:00:00.003+11:002018-03-24T16:00:49.817+11:00Better Than Chocolate!Hey Friends!<br />
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Who doesn't love grabbing a deal, am I right?! A few of my friends and I have gotten together to put on some sweet dollar deals over at TpT. Some people might even have their store on sale!<br />
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How can you jump on this before it finishes? Just head on over and search <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:%23betterthanchocolate" target="_blank">#betterthanchocolate </a> or click on the pic below to find some Easteriffic deals in my store<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Classroom-Ponderings/Search:%23betterthanchocolate" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="960" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyOEaFguIG_negv5XAOqdwxITpv1LTKiW_kv-DJ0BJCyKvyU25ptdhczxUV8zY91lGlsaAdV1JjLqUkdFh2reVEMvBItkyZtGUuF7lNhcgCSG4HtYxT2qreHm5N0_1A0Pp3kDW6ML8WI/s640/29425033_10155220758241479_6972921066238771200_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hoppy shopping!!Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-8649417946373708712018-03-18T17:39:00.001+11:002018-03-18T17:39:35.845+11:00A New Look and a Freebie!Hi Friends!<br />
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I am loving my new look from <a href="http://jumpingjaxdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Jumping Jax Designs</a>! What do you think?! <br />
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With a new look I thought it would be a great time to share a great FREE Easter resource for you to use in your classroom, that little bunny is almost ready to hippety hop in!<br />
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Here is a little freebie for you to use when looking at Chance and Number, the great thing about this resource is that it is a differentiated activity so everyone can be playing the same game but using a board that is suited to their level or ability.<br />
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Just click on the pics to get your FREE download!</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chance-Coin-Toss-Bunny-Hop-Easter-Game-613090" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1hlm__FK9qHdTciUQtNgZNmVoyj-GOpGB6h-1_ROY7zx-qFpER0moKL8v25eGfzMdqc-QO6c8cfGmblzPH0OCWfEvMalE889tzmeiKH7yXyDbaCpYiWBYxHZMrhTgqIyOVReOIwb86M/s400/Slide2.JPG" width="276" /></a></div>
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I hope you have some great activities planned for Easter coming up and I plan on coming back to share some more great resources with you. </div>
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Till then.....</div>
<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-27828831443951033212017-05-25T19:00:00.000+10:002018-02-26T17:51:10.956+11:00Independent Group LearningHey All!<br />
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I am trying to be a better blogger and share lots of great classroom ideas with you! So each week I am going to be focussing on one great thing I have done in my classroom that week.<br />
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This week I want to talk to you about how I use independent group learning in my Prep (Kinder) room. In my classroom we call it rotations or group learning (I have trained myself not to use the word work!)<br />
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Very early on I get my kiddos to practice how to start and stop an activity on my signal and then how to move around to the next activity. When I am doing this I use very easy games and activities that the kiddos can do by themselves while I am free to move around and help them learn the etiquette of group learning. The amount of time you spend doing this is solely dependent on your class or group of kiddos you have. One year we practiced for only one week before they picked it up, another year it took my kiddos three practices. In the beginning we may only be at one activity for 5-10 minutes eventually stretching it out to 20-30 minutes later in the year.<br />
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So what do we do in these initial first weeks of rotations, easy,peasy activities!<br />
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<li>Playdough</li>
<li>Threading</li>
<li>Drawing</li>
<li>Tracing</li>
<li>Cutting</li>
<li>Counting manipulatives</li>
<li>Listening to stories on ipads</li>
<li>Tracing our names</li>
<li>Puzzles</li>
<li>Sorting</li>
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Are you getting the picture? I don't put any games in this first week as I have found that I spend most of the time with that group talking about rules, turn taking etc. What they are learning during this time is a routine and procedure so you want to be available to help them with that.</div>
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When time is up I clap my hands (you can use whatever signal you want, a timer, a shaker, whatever works for you) then I ask them to pack up the activity so it is ready for the next group not ready to put away. I instruct the students to point to where they are going next and each table will have a number so they go to the next number, this is an opportunity for you to correct students on where they are going. When they are quiet and pointing correctly you move them on! I like to give them an instruction related to something we are learning so maybe moving like a certain animal or the beginning sound we are learning about etc.</div>
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When your kiddos have got a better idea on how to move around then you are able to start with them being in one group with you and the other group independent activities. This is when I will start introducing a game with me one week and the next week it goes in as an independent activity, this gives them extra practice with a concept and social skill!</div>
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I love doing rotations and small group learning, it is such a great way to focus on individuals and pinpoint a skill or concept that they may be struggling with. Not only that it is fun, fast and your planning is done for more multiple days. </div>
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My next post will have more of the practicalities on how to group students and how to plan the groups.</div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-25818837980403513312017-05-22T10:53:00.002+10:002018-03-18T20:09:02.493+11:00Mega May Giveaway!I know, I know, it has been a very, very long time since I have posted and well....that's life I guess.<br />
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The good news about this though, is today I am posting a great giveaway for you!<br />
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TEACHERS!!! It’s been a long school year and it’s time for a Gift
Cards for Teachers MEGA Giveaway! We are ready to reward 5
LUCKY teachers by giving away 5 $100 gift cards! You could win a
$100 Gift Card to Target, Amazon, Erin Condren, or Teachers Pay
Teachers! Details for entering our Gift Card Giveaway:<br />
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-30596768639939391232016-11-04T09:35:00.000+11:002018-03-18T20:09:26.406+11:00Twinkl, TwinklHey friends!<br />
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I wanted to share a website with you that I have been using this term. <a href="http://www.twinkl.co.uk/" target="_blank">Twinkl</a> is a great education resource website that has Australian Curriculum aligned resources for you to download and print. You can save your resources to your computer or to your account which means you can access it from any computer as long as you have an internet connection.<br />
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I used some great Jack and the Beanstalk resources in my first couple of weeks back at school to support my Biological Science and integrated it with my literacy block as well as rotations.<br />
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The great thing about using <a href="http://www.twinkl.co.uk/" target="_blank">Twinkl</a> is that all of the resources look similar so that it is a seamless transition from one activity to the next.<br />
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The first thing we used was the narrated story of Jack and the Beanstalk which I had saved in my account, it opened in a new window and to save it on to my computer I just right clicked and saved as an mp4 file. There are options to save the resource as other files such as a PowerPoint which is also very helpful. I used this as my Close Read and we discussed some of the vocabulary from the story and then went on to talk about the characteristics of Jack.<br />
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Some of the other items I used were an oral language picture, plants and fruit/vegetables matching cards, counting to 20 and a Jack and the Beanstalk game.<br />
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Needless to say my kiddos loved all of the activities. It is a great save when you have to quickly get together a lesson or activity on the run as well as a great way to help you plan a unit.<br />
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If you are an Aussie teacher then you are in luck! Twinkl caters for our curriculum!That's right there is a whole section for the Australian curriculum and is organised by year level as well as topic or content. <br />
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You can join as a premium member individually or as a school and there are 3 different levels of access with different price points so a great way to cater to a variety of teacher budgets.<br />
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So if you are a time poor teacher who still wants to have great resources for your students this may be the answer for you.<br />
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*Disclosure: This review is an honest opinion of the author in return for a 6 month membership*<br />
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-18840281003863613502016-10-03T15:15:00.001+11:002018-03-18T20:09:52.802+11:00Roll and Cover GamesHey friends just popping in to let you know about a new resource I have finally finished. This has been on the back burner for a while so with horrible rainy weather I thought this was the perfect time to get it finished. So I give you <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-and-Cover-Gameboards-Editable-2812625" target="_blank">Editable Roll and Cover Gameboards</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-and-Cover-Gameboards-Editable-2812625" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoAvL0UIioawvBSZFADEAvX0gLYr4XXL3y-SplDSIx9c7kQ2Lmtu3JQLc_7AFIWokcuzjx3p8-qpqFJE2iMQIxwdv9JqQtDTsqpXGL1mVatuZ5gDcRnyT88iUu5HwaKTJirnBJw2o6GQ/s640/editable+roll+and+cover.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is my first editable product I have attempted and I am pretty happy with how it has turned out! This file allows you to differentiate these game boards to suit your class and students or even for different groups. You can add numbers, letters or sight words whatever your needs are, it really is endless. You only need to teach your students once how to play this game and then it will become a familiar and easy center for your sttudents.</div>
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All you need to do is open the PowerPoint, choose the slide that has the dice then click on the 'text here' boxes and add whatever it is you want to be on the roll and cover game boards, print, cut and glue the dice together. Next step is to choose what theme or gameboard you would like your students to use. Choose from Summer, Autumn/Fall, Winter, Spring, Easter, Christmas gifts, Balloons, Dinosaurs and Stars. Then just do the same thing for the gameboards as you did for the dice, each theme has 4 gameboards included.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-and-Cover-Gameboards-Editable-2812625" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXphMrkegmeDmiAZfc34oXlETcJ4Bo7xU7fff34glBHaI8ang2oyyUqRjpSHma47su8KBbY3gFyEmAFKO_F_e0Ei-MTTbAnBzNWefUbOS4aEKK4SUX5C9q1KCflxerJlxbWwC6GWB-WoE/s640/stars.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pictured above is the Stars themed gameboard, just click on the 'text here' and add whatever it is that you want the students to practice. You are able to change the font, colour and size to suit your needs.<br />
The great thing about this file is that I will be adding to it as I think of more great themes to add.<br />
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If you want a copy it will be half price sale for 24 hours only. Just click on any of the pics to get your copy now.<br />
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-88999416005423066332016-09-29T15:23:00.000+10:002018-03-18T20:10:22.751+11:00Our indoor gardenTo use the term "I have been a bad blogger" would be an understatement.....I can't even promise to do better, all I can say is that when I can, I will. Big thank you to those who have stuck with me!<br />
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Currently I am on holidays for 2 weeks and I popped in to school today to update our home corner. We have been looking at Biological Science and with the end of term being super busy we didn't get a chance to finish it. So I have decided to keep it going for Term 4 (before we head into Christmas activities....oh yeah we are heading there people) We will be adding in some real plants and talking about what living plants need to stay alive and compare this to our investigations into what animals and humans need to stay alive. I will also be using this area for some measurement activities and literacy ( I need to add in my books about gardens and plants as well as some of our words for our word wall).<br />
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So here are a few pics of what it looks like!<br />
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I moved our seasons tree into the "garden" and I have added a tent which is a time out/sensory escape for one of my students. Inside the tent will be a timer and a flickering tealight to help with calming. The table has paper, straws, pipe cleaners, glue, scissors, drawing and writing utensils as well as a bunch of other craft stuff so the kids can create and add to our garden.</div>
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The glavanised tubs have brown rice, stones and lavender added as well as some plastic flowers for them to start the garden. How cute are those flamingos!!</div>
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Some of the "tools" they might need, gloves, hose, watering can and small garden shovels. There is also a chalkboard for them to write messages about the garden.</div>
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Here is a better look at what is in the tubs.</div>
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I'm really looking forward to the creativity and learning that will happen in our "garden" this term and what better way to celebrate spring!</div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-91209646120369288752016-07-15T12:19:00.001+10:002018-03-18T20:12:09.414+11:00The Real Top 5 Tips for Back to School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well my friends I have spent the last 2 weeks with my butt on my couch and binge watching trashy TV....but now it is time for back to school. I have been reading lots of tips for heading back to school and while I like to be organised and colour co-ordinated with my resources the reality is these are not the things that will help you to master the back to school rush.<br />
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We all know that heading back to school is like training for a marathon, most of the time though the only training you have done is putting on shoes with laces :) Here are 5 easy to follow tips that will get you in fine form to meet and greet your students on the first day of school.<br />
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1. Bladder Training<br />
Set an alarm for recess and lunch breaks and only have your toilet breaks on these alarms. I know, I know this will be hard for you to push through after being able to dance and frolic your way to the toilet any time it pleased you and your bladder....but you really don't want to be doing the toilet dance in front of your students while you desperately think of deserts and dry ice.<br />
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2. Fake it Till you Make it.<br />
Practice your smile in the mirror. You know the one, it conveys interest in what another person is saying to you while you are thinking about 500 other things you have to get done. Sure you want to hear all about the intracacies of the implementation of the new school policy on not having a margarita slushy machine in the staff room but there are other things that are more important....such as how you can implement a school policy on having a margarita slushy machine installed permanently in the staff room.<br />
If Fake it Till you Make it was an embassy I would be the ambassador. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9IeBdIaWNuEO0UbpOsGPuBFwao7McNDf675CODapQ-s5qWMM6OEIbGL4mXuTVxiy9z15-5XV2EsYHHesH1mfkHGLpQxJdAvq9DmHL6VjZIm92YjJesEKGN3IhiThdrbhU3SPh-8yV7U/s1600/girl-102829_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9IeBdIaWNuEO0UbpOsGPuBFwao7McNDf675CODapQ-s5qWMM6OEIbGL4mXuTVxiy9z15-5XV2EsYHHesH1mfkHGLpQxJdAvq9DmHL6VjZIm92YjJesEKGN3IhiThdrbhU3SPh-8yV7U/s320/girl-102829_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. Hot or Cold<br />
This one is important and super easy to train for. Make a coffe, tea or any hot beverage of your choice, now put it in the refrigerator for 7-10 minutes depending on your taste. Now go ahead and drink that "hot" beverage and then spit it back into the cup because you didn't realise it was cold. The next part is optional, you can reheat that beverage in the microwave and then have just one sip, put it down and then come back to it at the end of the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHz5zYomq5Gtvko4PQB3W2OX0jMhYGnLWIxuHbY8hw2iCYVbm_Ylca7Vz5qrgbmnoALKX9y6zL8Y13sia_Bj2pNx7jdhwJ3mBLLljOj2hZXhogeZfMAa29GeEdHGwFdLadp0vWllHSBA/s1600/coffee-1117933_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHz5zYomq5Gtvko4PQB3W2OX0jMhYGnLWIxuHbY8hw2iCYVbm_Ylca7Vz5qrgbmnoALKX9y6zL8Y13sia_Bj2pNx7jdhwJ3mBLLljOj2hZXhogeZfMAa29GeEdHGwFdLadp0vWllHSBA/s320/coffee-1117933_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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4.The Stop/Start<br />
What you need to do here is to start an activity such as folding the laundry, do this for 20 seconds, then walk off and leave it and start another activity such as reading a book, only do this for 20 seconds then put it down, walk away and start something else. I think you are getting the drift here. Make sure you leave all the unfinished activities till the end of the week and then you can have an afternoon of "Finishing Off" time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGGmceBV8NQ-cVJilqAd5N2RE7eesevIzWoKRqiWQrkAfharzfld88EhJo02O1HLXthBBKlG8tj17L2SHBAaZFkQj8ousLDYb9djFKpodsWNSMQmBISZuBd_u44hYjn05uCmn2FWqxIM/s1600/desk-1574669_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGGmceBV8NQ-cVJilqAd5N2RE7eesevIzWoKRqiWQrkAfharzfld88EhJo02O1HLXthBBKlG8tj17L2SHBAaZFkQj8ousLDYb9djFKpodsWNSMQmBISZuBd_u44hYjn05uCmn2FWqxIM/s320/desk-1574669_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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5. Hug Time!<br />
Finally you need to get ready for those hugs because even though we will be facing tying up 24 pairs of wet shoe laces, dry skin from all the hand sanitizer, diplomatically answering emails from "those" parents and avoiding heartburn from the lunch you had 1 minute and 37 seconds to eat, we wouldn't give any of it up. Why? That first day back we know we will be greeted with hugs or we may need to give hugs. This is the most important tip be ready for those smiles or tears and hand out the hugs accordingly :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6e-QxI3o0y0RI_NcW8jADQlVP-OJQ7fSiONwG4BcqhBia0at3O1j_7QUOQUko4tnkW_GxFWRV_KS3i1VL_V502jCB4HsoduAl9o8Fde04TfAHwiPxC93rr8HDIPjxIiVifLiMAsaDk8/s1600/children-573417_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6e-QxI3o0y0RI_NcW8jADQlVP-OJQ7fSiONwG4BcqhBia0at3O1j_7QUOQUko4tnkW_GxFWRV_KS3i1VL_V502jCB4HsoduAl9o8Fde04TfAHwiPxC93rr8HDIPjxIiVifLiMAsaDk8/s320/children-573417_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hope you are able to use some of these tips and have a great first day back at school!<br />
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Disclaimer: This is meant to be a humorous post and in no way do I guarantee that any of these tips will work :)<br />
Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-68417362045220455552016-06-13T10:01:00.001+10:002018-03-18T20:14:35.439+11:00Teaching in the teensHi Ho folks! We are currently enjoying the Queens Birthday long weekend here in Oz. I do think the old girl is just a little selfish having her birthday in our Winter but oh well I guess it is a good excuse to be on the couch with the heater on and some good movies :) thanks old duck!<br />
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But I digress, I really popped in to share our learning in our classroom. The last couple of weeks we have been investigating the teen numbers. We spent lots of time in term 1 looking at numbers to 10 and while I still have some littles that need to continue their explorations, the majority are ready to move onward and upward! Read on to the end to get a FREEBIE!<br />
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My main aim with the teen numbers was finding out if they knew that the one means one ten,so I asked them to explain what they thought the number 1 meant. These are seriously some of the responses I got.<br />
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Student: It means number 1 is first.<br />
Student: It means you can draw love hearts and go to a castle (ummm....what?!!! but sure ok)<br />
Student: It means a big number and a little number (thought I was getting there with this one but he actually pointed to the 1 as being a little number)<br />
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So clearly we had lots of work to do. We first looked at the number sequence to 20 on a hundreds board and they began to notice the patterns of adding ten more but still couldn't verbalise it. Our next step was to make a teen number and then find the matching number on our snakes and ladders game outside. Still some students weren't matching numbers and amounts. Hmmm, definitely needed more hands on investigations.<br />
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My next step was to make number chains, I gave each child ten strips of blue paper and then a number of yellow strips. I asked them to write 1-10 on the strips and then make it into a chain, then they counted on 11, 12, 13 etc until they had used all of their yellow strips. This is where some of them started having their AHA! moment I had a number of them saying all teen numbers have ten and then some more. We put the chains in order and this is when they could really see that all of their teen numbers had 10 in them. We discussed that 10 has a 1 at the beginning and that teen numbers all have a 1 at the beginning, this was their next AHA! moment. This was the beginning of connecting that 1 to 1 ten. Oh I love my job on these days :)<br />
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Our next lesson on teen numbers I gave out the number 10 written on blue card (see the connection?) then a single digit number on yellow card. I asked the students to draw the correct amount on each card but the 10 had to be drawn on the same side as the number 1 (left) and the single digit had to be drawn to the right of the number. Then I asked them to find a partner blue with yellow. Next we put the numbers together so that they look like the pics below<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCLZqP4BIssPTCFc97sHGuKTYUpvkEIU-7xXsU03lpnd-FQyBWVlYe-yPRHshiSId8is0RVKLb4ZQ5Q2WezxtfX2jgAEfWJJUzjz7y9kNgPZDeM4xd6q4hcdvyhCqSnRDtlLPHIbFdlY/s1600/IMG_20160608_113840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCLZqP4BIssPTCFc97sHGuKTYUpvkEIU-7xXsU03lpnd-FQyBWVlYe-yPRHshiSId8is0RVKLb4ZQ5Q2WezxtfX2jgAEfWJJUzjz7y9kNgPZDeM4xd6q4hcdvyhCqSnRDtlLPHIbFdlY/s640/IMG_20160608_113840.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love that this little went ahead and did ten but then realised that whoops!that might be too many </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sV2hihNz5EOqasKAqgZnNFgoco5ZSgkaF1ioIbDJFMdFbr5SRH2LhHx34tUjYufgbgLnGhuqL61-zAniH6Dn878MHepLRBpOtgdskaur3I0ykwmOED6XBLKT7UXuEBKhPG5muHbbnnY/s1600/IMAG0220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sV2hihNz5EOqasKAqgZnNFgoco5ZSgkaF1ioIbDJFMdFbr5SRH2LhHx34tUjYufgbgLnGhuqL61-zAniH6Dn878MHepLRBpOtgdskaur3I0ykwmOED6XBLKT7UXuEBKhPG5muHbbnnY/s640/IMAG0220.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now we are experts in our classroom on teen numbers. I loved the idea of the cards so much I made a quick freebie for you :) just click on the pic below to get your copy.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teen-Numbers-2590697" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwax9YwKhExWVz3COIM5fScygpojUE27xV8CyyEXK_nDPfKOUBxqnx-3yF8wzldr59FTItSFRk4Jc7FdfuGEIiVcFUjcbEy5gJgD989j5O9rflzO2vCEuv-1ncNy55vR2Hgsw5ZGwrIE/s400/Slide1.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teen-Numbers-2590697" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7ZagSqqFudkjfrM2WAW5zlNi1Bk36OifANyi48TbF9lPXDw51vnmceiQXDFVymg_x_QVQBJ7EGW6vm5PdbtXqttk0RAYvg7MLdJSk2EDWmags_GpNk34MU0DxYeD2IY1fxf3naHYif0/s400/Slide2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702162997358851975.post-82018845537504108422016-05-31T09:56:00.004+10:002018-08-07T21:05:32.624+10:00Do you You Tube in the classroom?Hey there friends! How often do you use You Tube in your classroom? Does your school district block You Tube? Do you hate having to skip those annoying ads?<br />
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Well today I am going to share with you a way to download a You Tube video so that you can either save it to your computer or to a usb stick and then play it at school without any worries. <br />
I wish I had known about this before the time I put a You Tube video up about the solar system and one of my darlings pointed out the swear word in the comments. The walk of shame to the Principals office to inform her of my gaff was enough to turn me off You Tube forever, which would have been a real shame because there are so many great videos that support our teaching.<br />
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So let's get to it! This is super easy by the way.<br />
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First find the You Tube video that you want to download. My class loves Storybots and we are looking at days of the week so I chose this vid<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-L0j5boXZhDIBGjVf_pzB3-F1R_4JkttAvIgOuyKG356Jj7Vw25QGGYGQIC-Qj2E2JZYNo4EwNzXjvJ4_ZT-qYy87-7Q0iegtktuefmwChTBNi_Pxugq8-agOLkUktJoPJRYdCpLaB50/s1600/download+youtube.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-L0j5boXZhDIBGjVf_pzB3-F1R_4JkttAvIgOuyKG356Jj7Vw25QGGYGQIC-Qj2E2JZYNo4EwNzXjvJ4_ZT-qYy87-7Q0iegtktuefmwChTBNi_Pxugq8-agOLkUktJoPJRYdCpLaB50/s640/download+youtube.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then add an ss just after the www. and before the youtube bit in the address bar, just like in the pic below</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkFhgKRuhKHkR3lzcu5uK6-fJ8OpvojA1KIk1awZzK-QCtwnsOkbqzY2IjK-oEKuiLq-ViPiQ7NlkSCCI8hrJZahqQN9W3Em7dmr12vmKpw3Jgv7rGLHbUR9wvfK383qPU-QwonGd_Aw/s1600/download+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkFhgKRuhKHkR3lzcu5uK6-fJ8OpvojA1KIk1awZzK-QCtwnsOkbqzY2IjK-oEKuiLq-ViPiQ7NlkSCCI8hrJZahqQN9W3Em7dmr12vmKpw3Jgv7rGLHbUR9wvfK383qPU-QwonGd_Aw/s640/download+2.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When you click enter it will take you to a screen that looks a bit like this. Click on the green download button I always save it as an MP4 at 720p because I have been told that is the best quality. You can save it at a lower quality if you need to save file space. There will be a pop up box that says you can download a program that makes it easy to save videos but I just do it this way and I haven't had any issues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac0fZqCe2T2KRTJkaEId5RkEK1RMtmCY1DygprFeBK_7_lQm42NannMcUos5qz_iu9pP7nUdsMbb24Mt3AX11em3m4a2hr86YHQMBYoisQWYadgw8OebGIS0IU4U2utiasttnC0zMtoU/s1600/download+3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac0fZqCe2T2KRTJkaEId5RkEK1RMtmCY1DygprFeBK_7_lQm42NannMcUos5qz_iu9pP7nUdsMbb24Mt3AX11em3m4a2hr86YHQMBYoisQWYadgw8OebGIS0IU4U2utiasttnC0zMtoU/s640/download+3.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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That is pretty much it, you will see it downloading in the corner of your screen, then just save it to where you need it :) too easy right!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKna3tRHsmv7fl1XJgHuFGeB5uhvBFQqqf7PzMvApa5QkWTdl0OsZYEmuoMQqV9LuEXrv3geyTd70eZfmzPbc3aM_R_UAN_ZMlYUMdzGwW183U8U0QKB0x_X8VGBhnsnaggxncUQ1w_qU/s1600/download+4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKna3tRHsmv7fl1XJgHuFGeB5uhvBFQqqf7PzMvApa5QkWTdl0OsZYEmuoMQqV9LuEXrv3geyTd70eZfmzPbc3aM_R_UAN_ZMlYUMdzGwW183U8U0QKB0x_X8VGBhnsnaggxncUQ1w_qU/s400/download+4.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hope this was helpful and that you will now never suffer the embarrassment of having to explain to your kids and Principal about swear words in the comments.</div>
<br />Classroom Ponderingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10945057688474138280noreply@blogger.com4