WOOOOW. So apparently I lose motivation with blogging REALLY quickly.
I think it's because I find this site quite tricky to manage and navigate.
I have set up a new blog over on wix.... click the link below to head over there!
I want to keep this one around though as it has got some of my first things I did in the blogisphere!
See you over on wix! :)
http://annap225.wix.com/beachykeenjp
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Our Learning
Something my school's partnership is focused on this year is developing 'Powerful Learners'.
What are powerful learners? I hear you ask..well here's what I believe...
Powerful Learning is where children develop the skills they require to succeed at any task. Powerful Learners are independent, resilient, persistent problem solvers who have a go at what life throws their way. They are able to collaborate successfully, and stay on task when distractions appear. They are in control of their learning, and are able to understand how they learn best. They are engaged, and inquisitive.
Woah. So with that in mind, I use a few different teaching techniques to encourage children to develop into powerful learners.
I LOVE when children to engage with each other. Think Pair Shares, Turn and Talk, group work, paired work, table work, buddy time... all examples of how I use collaboration in my classroom.
I also been collaborate with students to see what they want to learn. I did this the other day when talking with them about what they know about number (we've been focusing on base 10) and what else they could learn. They came up with things like: "Do numbers stop?" "I want to learn about the 100s!" "What about the number 0?" It was fantastic and from that I have been incorporating these into my morning maths meetings!
Teaching year 1s is amazing. I love how they absorb everything. Something we sometimes struggle with though is encouraging children to become more independent... not the children but the parents. This year we have had to speak with several parents and explain it is not their job to unpack their child's bag! Due to this, we have introduced "Independence Day", where parents are not allowed in the classroom in the morning. We encourage a 'kiss and drop' their child off at the door (or even better the gate!).
To develop independence in children's learning, I encourage them to 'Ask 3 Before ME' and have been introducing "Strategies" to encourage children to solve their own problems... e.g. One little fella came to me saying he had finished his work. It was no where near finished, there was no colour or labels so I asked him to take his work to another child, show her and ask her what else he could do, I then stopped the whole class and he explained what he did "I asked someone else what I had to do!" This was great - he was asking for feedback from another child before coming to me. I also encourage children who feel like 'experts' at a particular skill to be mini-teachers and help others if they see they are stuck.
Something we have just started is looking at ourselves as learners ... this is something we are developing, the 'language of learning'. As a starting point (and just in time for parent teacher interviews!) I made up a proforma, and asked the kids to think about things they are good at and things they would like to get better at. At the bottom I included what they would like the teachers to do, and what they can do. Because this was the first time they had probably ever been asked these questions some were a bit random, but most kids were pretty honest.
What are powerful learners? I hear you ask..well here's what I believe...
Powerful Learning is where children develop the skills they require to succeed at any task. Powerful Learners are independent, resilient, persistent problem solvers who have a go at what life throws their way. They are able to collaborate successfully, and stay on task when distractions appear. They are in control of their learning, and are able to understand how they learn best. They are engaged, and inquisitive.
Woah. So with that in mind, I use a few different teaching techniques to encourage children to develop into powerful learners.
I LOVE when children to engage with each other. Think Pair Shares, Turn and Talk, group work, paired work, table work, buddy time... all examples of how I use collaboration in my classroom.
I also been collaborate with students to see what they want to learn. I did this the other day when talking with them about what they know about number (we've been focusing on base 10) and what else they could learn. They came up with things like: "Do numbers stop?" "I want to learn about the 100s!" "What about the number 0?" It was fantastic and from that I have been incorporating these into my morning maths meetings!
Teaching year 1s is amazing. I love how they absorb everything. Something we sometimes struggle with though is encouraging children to become more independent... not the children but the parents. This year we have had to speak with several parents and explain it is not their job to unpack their child's bag! Due to this, we have introduced "Independence Day", where parents are not allowed in the classroom in the morning. We encourage a 'kiss and drop' their child off at the door (or even better the gate!).
To develop independence in children's learning, I encourage them to 'Ask 3 Before ME' and have been introducing "Strategies" to encourage children to solve their own problems... e.g. One little fella came to me saying he had finished his work. It was no where near finished, there was no colour or labels so I asked him to take his work to another child, show her and ask her what else he could do, I then stopped the whole class and he explained what he did "I asked someone else what I had to do!" This was great - he was asking for feedback from another child before coming to me. I also encourage children who feel like 'experts' at a particular skill to be mini-teachers and help others if they see they are stuck.
Something we have just started is looking at ourselves as learners ... this is something we are developing, the 'language of learning'. As a starting point (and just in time for parent teacher interviews!) I made up a proforma, and asked the kids to think about things they are good at and things they would like to get better at. At the bottom I included what they would like the teachers to do, and what they can do. Because this was the first time they had probably ever been asked these questions some were a bit random, but most kids were pretty honest.
I love the last one on this one "Using my strategies" This kid just gets it!
I can't wait to do these again in a few weeks and see what they write!
Mini Authors
After completing several running records with my class, I noticed that a lot of the kids were struggling with retelling the story after they had read it.
I thought... I wonder what could be a fun way of encouraging children to retell a story... so...
I read 'Jack and the Beanstalk' to them and explained that they were going to be authors.
They lapped it up! We spoke about how fairy tales and fables were made up a long time ago, and lots of people have retold these stories using their own words. I chopped up some A4 paper into A5, and off they went!
Every single one of our 50 kids was on task, engaged and writing! It took some of them a while to realise they were in control and were asking "Anna...can I write this...?" or "Anna can I draw my picture now?" I told them "You are the authors & illustrators! It is entirely up to you!"
Since they were loving this task (it took them a few lessons to finish the whole book) Sasha decided to make an art lesson into the cover of their books... here is one of my cutie's finished product (oops I think I have photographed one of the pages out of order!):
Super cute!
I thought... I wonder what could be a fun way of encouraging children to retell a story... so...
I read 'Jack and the Beanstalk' to them and explained that they were going to be authors.
They lapped it up! We spoke about how fairy tales and fables were made up a long time ago, and lots of people have retold these stories using their own words. I chopped up some A4 paper into A5, and off they went!
Every single one of our 50 kids was on task, engaged and writing! It took some of them a while to realise they were in control and were asking "Anna...can I write this...?" or "Anna can I draw my picture now?" I told them "You are the authors & illustrators! It is entirely up to you!"
Since they were loving this task (it took them a few lessons to finish the whole book) Sasha decided to make an art lesson into the cover of their books... here is one of my cutie's finished product (oops I think I have photographed one of the pages out of order!):
Monday, 16 March 2015
TPT - First Upload!
Bit excited to announce I have posted my first product on teacherspayteachers!
I have always been inspired by the dedicated teachers who regularly upload their work so I hope I can keep it up!
My school & partnership of schools has been focusing on creating 'Powerful Learners'. I have been busy in my CPAC role making some resources which I believe will support teachers and learners with this.
The first product I have uploaded is a student self assessment chart with the numbers 1-4, and word equivalent posters (novice, apprentice, practitioner & expert).
I have always been inspired by the dedicated teachers who regularly upload their work so I hope I can keep it up!
My school & partnership of schools has been focusing on creating 'Powerful Learners'. I have been busy in my CPAC role making some resources which I believe will support teachers and learners with this.
The first product I have uploaded is a student self assessment chart with the numbers 1-4, and word equivalent posters (novice, apprentice, practitioner & expert).
Head over to my tpt store for this free download :)
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Plants & Growth
The past few weeks have been great! I cannot believe it is the end of week 7!
I have been settling into my new role as CPAC - which has been busy! Had a pupil free day at one of the schools about moderation & the english curriculum - very interesting! We also had our whole partnership staff meeting which was a great chance to meet & network with a variety of teachers from our local schools. I met with all the year 1 teachers, where we shared some ideas and thought about what we could do next time we meet. I think most of us were happy just sharing ideas and learning together. Next term there is a partnership pupil free day - hopefully another good chance to further build these relationships.
This last week at school has been fun! I love going back into the classroom after being out for a week. The kids are so amazing, and it's great to see their growth even after a week! I'm super lucky with the amazing team of teachers I work with in my classroom!!
This term, as part of science, we have been learning about plants and growth.
Science Understanding
Biological Sciences
Science as Human Endeavour
Science Inquiry Skills
That's all I've got today - I plan on taking some photos of our maths we've been doing and posting it. We've just changed our task cards to include more information from the Australian Curriculum so I'll talk about that next time!
I have been settling into my new role as CPAC - which has been busy! Had a pupil free day at one of the schools about moderation & the english curriculum - very interesting! We also had our whole partnership staff meeting which was a great chance to meet & network with a variety of teachers from our local schools. I met with all the year 1 teachers, where we shared some ideas and thought about what we could do next time we meet. I think most of us were happy just sharing ideas and learning together. Next term there is a partnership pupil free day - hopefully another good chance to further build these relationships.
This last week at school has been fun! I love going back into the classroom after being out for a week. The kids are so amazing, and it's great to see their growth even after a week! I'm super lucky with the amazing team of teachers I work with in my classroom!!
This term, as part of science, we have been learning about plants and growth.
Science Understanding
Biological Sciences
- Living things have a variety of external features
- Living things live in different places where their needs are met
Science as Human Endeavour
- Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events
Science Inquiry Skills
- Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events
- Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas, and accessing information sources
This is one of our favourite experiments. We have 3 different plant groups - one on the shelf by the window, one under the sink in a cupboard, and one on the shelf in the classroom. We predict what might happen to each group, then are responsible for a couple of seeds. We then observe and record the changes over a few weeks, and finally summarise the experiment. The kids are loving coming in each morning to see how their plant has changed.
During this plant unit, we also make and label our own plants. We gave the class instructions that they were to make and label a plant, we also looked at some plants online and around the school. It was interesting to see the different ideas - especially those who added rain, suns, etc. Very cute & a good way to show their learning & prior knowledge!
As part of Science / Art, we read Eric Carle's 'The Tiny Seed and the Giant Flower'. This book explains the life cycle of a seed and the changes over the seasons. We designed and made 8 petals, then put them all in a box. Then we were given 8 random different petals to make our flower. They turned out really cute don't you think?
That's all I've got today - I plan on taking some photos of our maths we've been doing and posting it. We've just changed our task cards to include more information from the Australian Curriculum so I'll talk about that next time!
Monday, 16 February 2015
Getting the hang of year 1 again!
The past couple of weeks has been so busy! I have started my new CPAC job, and am enjoying that so far - I had an induction 2 weeks ago and since then have been getting organised to work with staff across a few different schools. I'll update you on that stuff another day - today I have got some of the cute things we've been doing in our class.
Last year we had great success with the 'Jolly Grammar' program, where kids are taught letter spelling patterns and grammar knowledge. We have started this again this year. Each week we introduce a new spelling rule, and brainstorm words that include the week's sound. Here are the first two weeks - sh and ch.
This term we have started the year with recount writing, I have been modelling the process for the children. We started with the introduction last week, where we worked through from the brainstorm stage, to the draft. After the class had written their introduction I got them to buddy up and read each others. Then they had to circle the 'who' 'what' 'where' and 'when' in each others work. This was really cute - I explicitly taught a few of them that were the early finishers - then when a few more finished I asked the group I taught first to go and be teachers to the other children. They were so excited to show off their skills and work alongside their peers as their teacher. :)
For art we did a directed drawing of their faces, then added crayon, paint and water colour to finish them off. They turned out super cute. We usually back our paintings onto large cardboard before we hang it up - just makes it a bit tidier and looks nicer :) I love Sara's "Anna those are freckles!"
The final picture I have is all of our pencil tins. Each afternoon the kids place their pencil tins on the drawers at the back of the classroom so the tables are clear for the cleaners. Every day they line them up in order! I never asked them to, they just do it! Isn't that the sweetest? Funny little bunnies!
Last year we had great success with the 'Jolly Grammar' program, where kids are taught letter spelling patterns and grammar knowledge. We have started this again this year. Each week we introduce a new spelling rule, and brainstorm words that include the week's sound. Here are the first two weeks - sh and ch.
This term we have started the year with recount writing, I have been modelling the process for the children. We started with the introduction last week, where we worked through from the brainstorm stage, to the draft. After the class had written their introduction I got them to buddy up and read each others. Then they had to circle the 'who' 'what' 'where' and 'when' in each others work. This was really cute - I explicitly taught a few of them that were the early finishers - then when a few more finished I asked the group I taught first to go and be teachers to the other children. They were so excited to show off their skills and work alongside their peers as their teacher. :)
For art we did a directed drawing of their faces, then added crayon, paint and water colour to finish them off. They turned out super cute. We usually back our paintings onto large cardboard before we hang it up - just makes it a bit tidier and looks nicer :) I love Sara's "Anna those are freckles!"
Maths this term so far has been data collection and representation. We wrote the letters in our names down, and predicted which we thought would have the most (most of the kids predicted the letter e, the rest chose the letter their name started with). We placed them on an alphabet graph, and as we were gluing them down they were coming up with the cutest things
"Look! E and I have the same!"
"A has 20!... I wonder if it will get any more?"
"P has none!"
"Z only has 1"
It was so cute. Afterwards we talked with our partners and came up with a few observations about the data collected. We worked out that the vowels had lots and talked about why. We also practised our tallying.
The final picture I have is all of our pencil tins. Each afternoon the kids place their pencil tins on the drawers at the back of the classroom so the tables are clear for the cleaners. Every day they line them up in order! I never asked them to, they just do it! Isn't that the sweetest? Funny little bunnies!
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Well the first week of school is over and what a cute little class of 23 year ones I have this year! Check out their feelings on the first day back on Tuesday! Super cute and thrilled that they are mostly happy and excited!
We have started this week with going through daily routines and the school values. Here's a sneaky shot of my classroom. I am in a large open space unit, which holds 6 classes. There are a few walls, but no doors so the classrooms are very open! My classroom ends where the kid's drawers start at the back. Behind is where the JP big books live and the small group readers, as well as a couple of couches and desks for reading and small group work. My desk is right at the back too where the rainbow organiser is.
On the tables, the children share a coloured, numbered pencil pot, and have a Jolly Phonics letter chart held up in an ikea serviette holder (a nifty idea from one of the teachers sharing my class!) The pencil pots are something new this year, it has been extremely helpful as we can call out coloured tables, or odd/even numbers to return to their seats after floor time! Last year the kids had a pencil basket, but I think these are MUCH cuter!
We have also been working on some cute craft literacy and numeracy activities from Deanna Jump's "Names Unit" I've linked below to her TPT page. She has the cutest stuff!
We have started this week with going through daily routines and the school values. Here's a sneaky shot of my classroom. I am in a large open space unit, which holds 6 classes. There are a few walls, but no doors so the classrooms are very open! My classroom ends where the kid's drawers start at the back. Behind is where the JP big books live and the small group readers, as well as a couple of couches and desks for reading and small group work. My desk is right at the back too where the rainbow organiser is.
On the tables, the children share a coloured, numbered pencil pot, and have a Jolly Phonics letter chart held up in an ikea serviette holder (a nifty idea from one of the teachers sharing my class!) The pencil pots are something new this year, it has been extremely helpful as we can call out coloured tables, or odd/even numbers to return to their seats after floor time! Last year the kids had a pencil basket, but I think these are MUCH cuter!
Every day our class does 'expert reading', where we practise building our stamina and strategies. Before we started this we brainstormed what it meant to be an expert reader. I love the ideas the kids came up with for "feels like" (especially the word "EPIC" hehe). I am going to turn this into a poster for our classroom to remind children what this time is about.
I had to modify her activity a little as we didn't have the book she suggested on hand, instead we just wrote our name and something we liked :) They turned out so cute and it has really brightened up the classroom for the start of the year!
We also did her chicka chicka boom boom activity by thinking about our names and how many letters are in them. They turned out pretty cute don't you think!? We also listened to the chicka chicka boom boom song from:
This next week I am starting my Australian Curriculum co-ordinator position, so I'll have to blog about that next!
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