Spelling Postman

Again, trying to collate my program for term 2, but keep getting distracted by the finer things, like lesson fillers, lesson break activities and games.
My latest distraction a spelling game I thought up called 'Spelling Postman.'
This is basically how it works.

The teacher tells the children that the postman is coming.
Have the children turn their chairs around to face their desks, and place heads on desks with their hands placed behind their backs.

Teacher chooses a word from the weeks spelling list and retrieves the letters from some pre-made letter cards, and quietly 'posts' the letters by placing them into the hands of random children. When all the letters are distributed, have the children who have had a letter delivered come to the front of the classroom and figure out between themselves what word it is and stand in a line in front of the class so that the correct word is spelt.
Swap so that a child becomes a 'post person'.

I got this idea from K-3 teacher Resources
Just another example of how we can adapt ideas!

Thumbs up!!!

I am beginning to wonder how teachers ever managed without computers, internet, printers and laminators... imagine the horror of having to use... books! *gasp*

I've been busy collating my term 2 program as well as some other classroom activities. One of them being the reward system. Thumbs up!!!!

It's really very simple and a bit of fun. The children are 'caught being good' in the context of classroom behaviour, showing initiative, kindness to class friends, great effort with work, etc etc. The list is endless. When the children are observed following these traits they receive a 'thumbs up' and after they collect 10 they can trade them in for a prize from the 'thumbs up prize box'

The thumbs up are small visuals I have printed out, coloured, cut and laminated. I've also thought about expanding this individual reward system based on an idea I got from an online teacher resource site K-3 Teacher resources

Sites like this one were an awesome resource to access throughout uni. Any uni students reading this, read up!!! Assignments can be a pain in the butt I know, however I am surprised at how much those skills I have been using for the past 5 years I am implementing now...! Great 'practice' and gives you a great idea of what you would really use. Don't include anything in an assignment you can't visualise yourself actually teaching. Trust me. You will be thankful for the extra effort now :)

Year 4 it is...

Today I went to the school I will be working at. Until today I didn't know what class I was going to be teaching. The issue... there were 2 positions available and both were being taught by casual teachers. Both of them applied for the 'other' position. It was decided that because of this, the other position had to be filled before my placement could be finalised. I found out today... I will be teaching year 4.

I'm relieved for several reasons, now I have direction. I can plan, start to think about who is in the classroom (SIX I.E.P children... this is going to be a challenge). However, today was not a time for celebration.

I'm feeling rather crap right now. I spent the day at the school. The present classroom teacher received the news that she would not be returning next term. Expectedly, she was upset. She explained to the children, and they were upset. It took everything in me not to break down sobbing my heart out... It wasn't until I got to the car that it had to release. I feel awful for this girl who has grown close to the children, and has to move on. I also feel the anguish of the children. I will have to be sensitive to their needs when I start next term.

Just bloody awful. I definitely can't be happy today!

I had a thought though. One of my most treasured possessions is a thank you card I received from a class. It contains all the children's finger prints, created into little 'people' with arms and legs and faces. One of my first activities will be to have the year 4 class complete a thank you card for their term one teacher.

Resources!!!

I am trying my damn hardest to do programming. One problem I still don't know for certain what class I will be teaching. All I know is it's year 3 or year 4. But no class list, and no knowledge of what they have already done makes this task very difficult. Not to mention, I haven't met them yet, I don't know their learning styles, interests etc.

I've been digging up my old resources. I've come across so much stuff I forgot I even had. If you're a Sex and the City fan, and you know about the shoe closet... I not need no shoe closet!!!! Give me a resources closet and I will rule the world (slight exaggeration but I'll be very happy).

Learning can be fun, and if you have the imagination, motivation, energy and means to do so... make some resources to use in the classroom. Think of all the benefits :D

• Including the children's interests.
• Increase motivation to learn.
• Social benefits (board games)
• Significance (utilise relevance, e.g. Aussie context)
• Plus it's just plain fun. I LOVE learning and for me this element helps to convey this love to the children I have taught :)

I'm in the process of making some Maths board games right now. Will post pics when I'm done! For now, an example of some other Maths board games I have made up (Instructions are on the back, in case you were wondering).

Lesson Break Rap!

So I haven't started teaching yet, but I can still share some of my favourite activities completed in practicums/internship.

Research suggests that children gain more from learning if there is some sort of 'break' between lessons, to allow children to gain the concept that the topic has been discussed, now we're moving on to something else. It is also suggested regular participation in movement is beneficial, it gets the blood flowing and all that awesome stuff.

There are many short games you can play... corners, spelling baseball, shoot-out. One of my favourites however is a rap called 'Lesson Break Rap' It's great because it's a bit of fun, the children sing, move, and there is a social element as well.

I typed the text of the rap onto sentence strips (in my case using NSW foundation text) glued them onto A3 paper/ cardboard and laminated them.

Colour coded:
Black = singing
Blue = singing with actions
Red = singing quietly with minimal actions

BEFORE you begin.
*make sure the children's chairs are pushed out, but they are sitting*
*make sure they have chosen a friend's hand to shake*
~It also takes some practice :)

This is the text:

Lesson Break Rap

When your mind needs a break,
And your body too,
Here's a few little things,
That you can do.
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)

Put your hands in the air
And shake 'em to and fro,
Wriggle those shoulders.
And go, man, go!
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)

Stamp your feet on the floor,
Tap a rhythm on the table,
Stand up, turn around -
Twice if you're able.
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)
Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch, Ch ch ch ch ch (rub hands)

Now that you're up
And standing on your feet,
Clap your hands to the rhythm,
Tap your feet to the beat.
Tap right 2 / 3 / 4 /
Tap left 2 / 3 / 4 /
And stretch. / / /

Bring your hands to your head,
To your shoulders to your knees,
Leave 'em there, turn around,
Straighten up please.
Turn to a friend.
And give their hand a shake,
Cause now your body's moving
And your mind has had a break.

Lesson break (clap, clap)
Lesson break (clap, clap)
Oh Yeah!

I got a job!

Friday 6th of March 2009, at around 2.45pm my phone rang. It was a lady from the Dept. of Education and Training office in Sydney. They had rang me the week before to confirm my chosen teaching areas, in particular my choice of the Central Coast. I figured something was going on so I was not altogether surprised by the phone call.

However, what the lady caller had to say in the next 5 minutes completely took me by surprise! We are offering you a permanent teaching position at *insert school name here* would you be interested? Uhhhh, WOULD I?!?! Trying to act cool, calm and collected... like these sorts of opportunities just happen to appear every day... why yes indeed, I would. 'Good girl' she said LOL. Yikes. I wonder what she would have said if I had said 'no thanks, but thanks for asking'...

She provided me with school details and informed me that an acceptance package would be emailed to me and I will need to post it back ASAP.

After I got off the phone, what did I do??? SCREAMED and danced around like a prissy little girl of course :D

I haven't started teaching yet, and in fact I have not even done a single day of casual teaching. Well and truly diving right in there!!!

My first day of teaching, 28th of April 2009.

Who am I?

Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Miss Koolmeister. I realise that is a mouthful for an adult let alone a child, so I let the children call me Miss Kool or Miss K if it's too much. I'm a freshly graduated teacher from the University of Newcastle.

I began my degree in 2004 and I graduate 'officially' on the 17th of April this year.

I currently live in a small seaside suburb of Newcastle Australia, called Dudley. It is gorgeous, the best place I have ever lived, I love it.
I'm a mother of 5 boys, and I love them dearly, so whilst this blog is dedicated to talking about my teaching experiences, it is only natural that I may 'slip up' and talk about my precious children.

Throughout my degree, I loved to utilise technology, and I am told it is one of my strengths as a teacher. So, why stop now??? My thoughts were, to share what it is like for a new graduate during 'her' first year of teaching.

Scary stuff indeed. A challenge... definitely! Let's begin :)