New pack released: Trace and Make high frequency word activities.

It's not my usual stuff!

This one isn't designed specifically around CRTs because of why I made them in the first place.  I was making these up for my daughter at home for a bit of fun learning on top of what she was getting in school. I dropped some off for her class one day because I thought some of my daughters friends might like it too. The teachers loved them, the kids had a great time and they hinted that I'd be welcome to drop more off in the future. Since their classroom uses “Mioow Magic Words” these sheets are compatible with that system though it's certainly not required. I just worked around their lesson planning and this is the result!

Thanks Prue and Rhiannon for your enthusiasm and support!

This one is still a winner as a casual teacher in blocks of work or contracts.  It's hands on and engaging for prep to 2 but knowing where the students are up to can be difficult for daily-hire CRTs so it's not necessarily easy to pull out and make the appropriate sheets.

They're a combination trace over the word and cut and paste activity because I'm a great believer that "hands on" belongs in literacy in a high amount especially at the prep - 2 stage.  Part of our job as teachers is to give them a passion for literacy and hands-on is a good way to go about that so I actively look for ways to worm it in there on a frequent basis.

I'm also a great believer in putting in game or puzzle like elements not only as an aid to engagement but also to enhance problem-solving abilities and cognitive development.  This time it's in the jumbled words cut & paste activity.

This activity pack on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Regards,

Mel.

Resource Challenge log 2: Rough cut video sequence.

Do you remember the Sesame Street videos where they filmed someone doing their job, a group of children in an activity or a family activity and then had the children narrate over the top?  If not,

That's sort of where I want to go with this one (although I have decided to narrate myself rather than one of our kids) so the first decision has been made.  Many of these videos concentrate on sequence so of course it leads right into what I wanted to do with the video once it's done.  The first decision made it was time to start sorting through the video we took and....  Wow...

I never realised what really went into a short documentary/instructional video before.  This cut is very rough and I thought we'd be aiming to "get it right" at this point.  Not so...  My husband asked me the question;  if we get it "perfect" now and I want to add something later, how much more work is it going to be to add it in and get it "perfect" all over again?  Along with that comes the second question; how many times will you have to get it "perfect" before you're done?

So here's the rough cut sequence (low quality).

Even this was more work than I realised.  We had about 3 hours of video and cutting it back to 5-6 minutes, comparing different videos of the same step to see which one was the best and so on, was a lot more intensive that I thought...  I've seen in movies about making movies where they're all talking about 34 takes and 33 of them will end up on the "cutting room floor" but sort of didn't realise exactly what that meant until now.

I also realised after "finishing" this part that there's not actually any video of anyone turning the handle... Oops!  To which my husband replied "yes, that's what story-boarding is for"...  With the lesson soundly learnt, adding in that piece of video has been put onto the "to do" list. 

Being the resource challenge and I'm trying to put as many activities with it as possible it's not just the process of making the juice that I needed to consider.  What else did I have that I could put in that would allow other lessons to stem from it.  As you can see in the video I've included the bursting bottle so I can include some science (water expands as it freezes) as well as composting the left-over apple afterwards (sustainability). 

It's all a little more in-depth than I thought it would be, even with my husband helping to edit the video!  I thought this would be the quickest part and I think I may have been mistaken...

Regards,

Mel.

I've decided to make a log of one of my projects.

As a VIT CRT Network Coordinator we sometimes put on community events for members.  It just helps to make the learning process fun and enjoyable.  This time it's the CRT Resource Challenge which we ran last year too and it was a lot of fun.

If you're at all interested you can find out more about it here.

So last Christmas break (Summer here in Australia) we went to my in-laws and helped them make apple juice.  They do it every year and fill their freezer We videoed it to make a holiday DVD for the kids and I just thought "hey, that would be nice base for my challenge project".

Talking it over with my husband it seems like I'm about to learn an awful lot about exactly how much preparation goes into a resource like this!  At this point I had the thought that it might be a good idea to share my learning experience.  So here we go!

VLog 1:  the basic idea.

Enjoy your day everyone,

Mel.

The Very Itchy Bear - One book Lesson Plan.

My One Book Lesson Plan based on "The Very Itchy Bear" by Nick Bland is now available through Teachers Pay Teachers.

It is a wonderful book about communication, miscommunication, overcoming misunderstandings  and friendship. This lesson uses the book as a launchpad for Literacy, Arts & Crafts learning.

Regards

Mel.

One Book Lesson Plan - The Very Itchy Bear will be here this week!

Hello everyone,

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a new One Book Lesson Plan using "The Very Itchy Bear", written and illustrated by Nick Bland (also available on Fishpond in Australia).

Like most of the One Book Lesson Plans I design, it can be done using only the resources in the classroom (lined writing paper, coloured paper, scissors, glue stick, grey lead pencil, coloured pencils/textas and a small twig from the playground).  For those of you with access to printing/copying I have also included pro-formas for the writing paper and cutouts.







This lesson plan has been especially designed with casual work in mind in order to quickly put something in place when needed.  Ever had one of those days where you turn up to a class and there's no lesson plan or large gaps in it you need to fill?  Here's one of the tools from my own personal "CRT Bag of Tricks". It's designed to be engaging, constructive, provide valuable learning rather than just pull out something to "fill in the time" and to be flexible enough to modify on the fly to varying primary levels.


It's also designed to make sure you leave a lasting impression on the students (the fun casual teacher), the teacher you replace (leaves a solid, individualised and creative result) and school hierarchy (keeps the students on task and working so the classroom is always orderly and busy when anyone peers through the window to check up on you)!  This helps ensure you make your way towards the top of the casual call list helping you obtain more frequent work.

 

It includes:

- An engaging story to string the activities together.
- Writing (drafting, good copy)
- Art (paper construction and Drawing).
- Basic Graphic Communication (design and layout)
- As usual there will be some supporting videos common with other plans of this type as well as it's own for the specifics!.


The next lesson in the pipeline is based on "The Giant's Loo Roll" by Nicholas Anderson.  With a name like that you just KNOW you're going to grab your student's attention ;).

Regards,

Mel.

Today's goings on.

After some hard work over the holidays;

Today I have uploaded a revised edition of "Making yourself a desirable CRT" and also reduced the price.

I’m Mel, the Coordinator for 2 successful CRT Collegial Networks in Victoria, Australia with a total membership of just under 300 casual teachers.  We are groups of regional CRTs, a term which encompasses Relief teachers and Emergency teachers, often grouped under “Substitute Teachers” too, but many states or countries have their own specific terms.  The purpose of these networks is to provide CRT specific Professional Development opportunities as well as to help CRTs get access to information, advice on strategies and resources CRTs need that full-time teachers often just can’t supply.

Part of coordinating these networks is communicating with both schools and CRTs on a regular basis to discuss the various issues involved with the local CRT workforce.  One of the things that this has allowed me to do is examine what it is that makes CRTs valuable to schools and what they look for in building their casual workforce.  This booklet is to assist you to be more than “just be a CRT”, offering advice and inside information on how to turn yourself into a desirable CRT that gets offered work on a more frequent basis than others.

My mother has been a respected school principal for many years, all that time hearing “shop talk” while I was growing up, gives me some valuable insights into that side of the nature of CRT work.  Having been a CRT for many years, presenting CRT aimed Professional Development Opportunities and running a pair of CRT Support networks gives me a really good look at the other of the coin too.

This document is going to discuss some things that you have heard before, for the sake of completeness, but it’s also going to include some other things that aren’t very widely known or thought about too!  

The simple fact is that being a desirable CRT results in more dollars in your pocket and it often seems like there’s not a lot of advice out there about how to go about making yourself as desirable as you can be beyond the basics.  This document has been formulated from years of accumulated knowledge and experience from both myself and members of the 2 collegial networks in order to give you the exact same advice we would give to our closest friends!

The booklet is designed to help you integrate into the profession with advice on how to make sure you leave a positive impact in every school and classroom you walk into. 

The topics covered:

• Who do you want to be as a CRT?
• Basic Work Ethics.
• Starting with the basics.
• Professional Development and Collegial Learning.
• Appropriate collegial opportunities.
• High maintenance areas of learning.
• Specialize in something useful.
• Planning as a CRT.
• Your "CRT Toolkit" or "Bag of Tricks".
• Don't be on the outside looking in.
• Using professional Development.
• Be open to change.
• It's not your classroom.
• Be Proactive.
• Summary;  Being a desirable CRT.
• Victoria specific information (local version ONLY)

Other related topics are also included as "side notes".   All in all there is 15 pages of down-to-earth adivice (not including the cover page and topics list) from about 30 contributing CRTs.

The local version (which is complete and has additional Victoria specific content) is designed to be freely available to ALL Victorian CRTs.  We are currently exploring avenues to make this part of the plan happen.

Outside of Victoria the booklet will be on sale through my personal Teachers Pay Teachers store.  All profits from the sale of the booklet will go right into the Wodonga and Shepparton CRT Support Networks in order to continue providing professional development/learning opportunities for Hume region CRTs.  This not only helps us maintain our registration but also raises the professional profile of CRTs and benefits the 1000's of Victorian students which we teach.

Local feedback;

• This is fantastic! I wish I had something like this when I started being a CRT or returning teacher. It has great advice for all stages of CRT’s too – great to revisit ways of being proactive and improving our skill set. I really like the layout. Well done!
• Seems so simple to read now, but I do wish I had know this several years ago. Great job you guys!!
• Wow, I was expecting a couple of sheets of dot points! This is great thanks!
• Great job. Answered a lot of my questions. Thanks.
• Thankyou so much! All of this helps bucket loads!! :)

Coming up in the not too distant future:

• More "1 book Lesson Plans".
• A 40 resource pack all linked to Pears including Literacy, Maths and more!
• A Developmental play pack for k-1 classrooms.

 Regards,

Mel
40 weeks, 40 classrooms!

Waste not, want not!

I was talking with a principal of a local school the other day.  She had a whinge about how much paper and copied materials are printed and WASTED every day.  She saw me and asked why I was smiling (and I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat!).  Photocopying (especially colour copying) costs schools thousands upon thousands of dollars each term.  I replied that I haven't printed one sheet in the 4 days I have worked for them already this year.

She looked at me funny and asked what I used in the classroom.  It is not uncommon for non-CRTs to think CRTs rely on photocopying and blackline worksheets to teach.

I simply replied "everything but photocopied worksheets", made my goodbyes and headed home with that smile still on my face.  I know I am supporting schools in this hard time of financial struggle but even better?  I know the students that I had in my first four days of teaching were engaged, learning, investigating and best of all, having fun!

One day I might let her in on my secret.  Until then, I hope she comes for a visit in the classroom I am in, the next time I am in her school.

Mel

My resource find today!

Anyone that knows me, knows I love to find a bargain that everyone can afford that can be used in the classroom in a range of different ways.  Household items are my passion, items that students are able to purchase at any supermarket and they are not going to cost the earth for their families. 

Education should be affordable for everyone!!

So how excited was I when I came across these little beauties at the supermarket this morning.



These are just two from a small range of different tissue boxes that kids can learn from.  Yes, tissue boxes!  My eyes lit up again when I saw the price.  $2 each!  So I grabbed a couple.  These two pictured above are my favourite.

Now with my mind racing and ideas coming out my ears, I walked in home to declare my find (and excitement) with my husband.  But I had so much running through my head that I wasn't making any sense.

So here I am, trying to put down all my ideas and activities about my resource find today!

I have found there has been lots of talk online around engaging students, managing behavioural issues, activities or lesson for a CRTs bag of tricks and managing early finishers.  These cleverly designed tissue boxes tick all of these areas fairly well. 

Worksearch tissue box

Engaging Students

As a collaborative activity where students work in small groups, having them looking for all the words on the wordsearch box.  All the words are listed on the side of the box.  If you had a couple of tissue boxes, you could get the whole class involved.

Side of Wordsearch box, sorry a little blurry.

Variations.

Cover the side of the box where the words are listed and see how many words the groups can find.  Can they find a word that another group can't find?  How many longer words can they find?  Draw a table on the board for the students to write their words under the individual headings (3 letter words, 4 letter words).  Write a conclusion around the results.

You can use this activity as an Icebreaker activity, in a literacy rotation and as a team building or EQ (Emotional Intelligence) lesson.

For the Foundation students, have them find a specific letter and circle it.  Similar to an activity I do using the newspaper.  Identifying letter in different fonts is great for their immersion of letter and the understanding that letter sometimes look a little different depending on the font and where the letters are used.

A writing activity.  If a students finds a word, that's great.  Get them to keep it to themselves.  Have them write the word they found on the tissue box into a sentence with a picture.  Then return to the box and look for another word, repeating the cycle.

Managing Behavioural Issues.

I am a big believer in setting up engaging activities and lesson, linked to students lives, interests and where they experience enjoyment.  This activity may not connect to all students but which student doesn't like a wordsearch?  By engaging students in the activity, you won't have to manage the behaviours.

CRT bag of tricks.

How many times have you walked into a classroom and you can't find a tissue?  Problem solved and you make an activity out of the box. 

Even if you flatten the empty box and slip it into your bag, making it nice and easy to get out and use.

Early Finishers

I would have this tissue box on the floor at the front of the room for the early finishers.  As students finish their work and join the group around the tissue box, it is not going to matter that students are joining at different times.  The strategies the students need to come up with will include, how will they incorporate a new students, how are they going to take turns, should they use different colours for different students and well as you can see, the list goes on and on.  Co-operation is the key to this activity. 

The colouring in tissue box

I understand this box will respond to the girls more that the boys, especially in the older classes but still a great little resource that can be used in different ways.

Engaging activity/Managing Behavioural Issues.

As a collaborative activity, students need to work together to colour a section of the box.  This isn't an easy task as the tissue box is so small and only a certain amount of room for hands to work. 

Bringing the students together at the end of the session to talk through the different issues with the activities, feeling individuals felt and displayed and different strategies they used that helped.  A nice little Emotional Intelligence (EQ) activity.

Variation.

Have two tissue boxes (same pattern) but one is 3D still and the other flat and empty.  Compare and contrast how working on the different boxes was, were the strategies the same for both boxes and which one was the easiest to work on?  Venn diagrams are useful in activities like these and are easy to draw on the whiteboard or even have the students draw one in their workbooks or on a piece of paper and then fill in.

CRT bag of tricks.

The same as above.  You can flatten the empty tissue box and slip it into your bag.   

Early Finishers.

Again, like above. 

Variation

You could add different drawing materials for the students to work with.  Then ask the students to review which item was the best to use and why, and the worst item to use and why.  Have the students think about the colours, brightness, tip of the drawing item and how small the drawings are.  Did they have control over how and where they coloured?  Did any of the drawing materials give the colouring any texture?  Did mixing drawing items give a better effect to the colouring.  Lots of different art questions for the students to think about.

As you can see, lots of different ways these two tissue boxes can be used in the classroom.  If you can think of some more, I would love to hear them.  Please post them in the comments section.

Mel