How to ensure I don't spend every waking moment of my life doing schoolprep!

Today's post is about something very close to my heart, and something that I struggle with almost every day: HOW to be a great teacher without sacrificing family time. I'll be honest, it's a fine line between getting it right and getting it horribly wrong. I am no expert... But since cutting down my working week to just two days and job sharing, I've picked up a few tricks and I thought I'd share them with you!

1. Keep marking to a minimum 

It's really important to mark work and some schools can be particularly strict on how often work is marked. But there are ways to get it done without taking tubs of books home every afternoon. First of all, marking work together as a class is a great way for students to be accountable to their own learning as well as cutting down your workload. However, marking as a class isn't alway feasible, and so that's why I created these amazing stamps with Vistaprint. I created a stack of different stamps so that I'm not always writing the same thing over and over. If you wait for a sale, you can get the stamps for a bargain.

2. Use your release time efficiently

I have always wasted my release time by prioritising my work badly. I've spent the time "catching up" rather than getting ahead. I only have one hour of release now, so I have to use my time wisely. Instead of going down to the staff room and potentially getting caught in a conversation with a colleague, I spend my first half hour marking and my second half hour photocopying and borrowing resources ready for the next week. So that when I come in on a Monday morning, I can ease my way back into work.

3. Have split up booklets organised for sick days so that students are still on task

Split Up days happen. It's unfortunately the way life is for teachers nowadays. Because I job share, there's a higher chance that my colleague or I have to take a day off. So we created 'Split Up Booklets' that are stored in an easily found tote tray for those days when one of us can't make it in and the school can't get a casual teacher in time. The booklet contains work that can be completed independently, however, is still keeping the class on task. STEM activities are great ideas for Split Up Booklets. Blank templates for planning and writing as well as spelling activities that cater towards different spelling lists are also great activities. I've put a couple of images below of our current Split Up Booklet below.

4. Use your diary well

This one is pretty self explanatory and links in with my second point. Write important details down and then remember to check your diary. I like to plan out what I need to do before and after school so that I make the most of my time. I also try to do jobs as soon as possible so that I don't forget to do them. Rip it off like a bandaid. 

I created a couple of different planning templates for you to download and use. I like to print them off in advance and bound it ready for the term. Click on the images to download the templates.

5. Keep parents up to date with what's happening regularly so that you don't have to spend your whole lunch break chasing them up

I've mentioned this point in a previous blog post… I highly recommend using ClassDojo! It has an amazing messenger tool where you can directly message parents. It's a great way to keep constant dialogue open between school and home. A quick message here and there is far easier than a long phone call.

6. Look after your own wellbeing… 

Make sure you make an appearance in the staff room. Don't always diet. Have a laugh. Say thank you to others. Ask people about their weekends. A happy workplace is a productive workplace.

7. Give yourself a pat on the back sometimes…

And ask yourself what went well rather than what went wrong.

8. Keep things digital and back up your USB regularly. 

I think every teacher has had a moment where they've had to search for a resource that they've put in a "safe place" and then they couldn't find it when they've needed it. Times have changed... There's no need for hard copies of every worksheet... It's time to get digital! Then you can access documents from home or school. 

My colleague and I have gone digital with our program too. We're using 'One Drive' but there's so many sharing platforms out nowadays. Google Docs is a great tool for working documents and there's lots of programming apps out there too. Check out iDoceo! 

Make sure your USB is organised. Label files and documents appropriately so that you can easily find them when you need them. I can't tell you how many times I've had to recreate a worksheet or PowerPoint presentation because I couldn't find the original one I made. We do not have time to reinvent the wheel let alone recreate things because they're lost! 

And remember to BACK EVERYTHING UP!

9. Have students assess their own work and teach them to be accountable for their own learning.

I've been using these little checklists for a while now. They're great for seeing which students understand and which students could have worked harder.

I also like to get my students to mark their own work where possible. By doing this, you're not only saving your own personal time but you're teaching them to be accountable to their own learning. I think it's important for them to be apart of the process. So mark homework as a class. Mark pre and post tests together. Get them to calculate their score and figure out whether they've improved. 

10. Stop being a Perfectionist!

There's just no time and perfectionism isn't always attainable. Just do your best!!

Taking Off With Numeracy (TOWN) Part I

While I was off on Maternity Leave, my colleagues participated in a number of professional learning sessions around TOWN (Taking Off With Numeracy). Since I have come back, I have had to do some catching up and I thought today I'd share what I've learned and how I'm applying it.

What is TOWN?

Taking Off With Numeracy (TOWN) is a whole-class intervention initiative which focuses on improving numeracy skills of students in the upper primary years identified as not performing at expected stage level. The initiative provides ongoing professional learning over the school year to assist teachers to assess each student’s current numeracy understanding and to monitor student progress against a research-based framework. Beyond this, the program aims to provide explicit guidance in designing whole class teaching programs to further develop each student’s numeracy understanding. Emphasis is given to the teaching sequence related to developing Place Value, as it underpins the four operations and decimals, as well as important concepts in measurement. Focus is also given to the teaching of Multiplication and Division concepts. 

(information taken from http://www.takingoffwithnumeracy.com.au) 

How and when does TOWN occur?

In my class, TOWN activities occur three times a week. Students participate in the same activity across the week, developing their ability and improving their skills. Each of the three sessions go for 10 minutes. We are currently focussing on place value.

I have a visual prompt on the board as the TOWN activities are differentiated, so you may have three or more variations happening at the one time. Materials are organised into tubs so that they're easily accessed.

What resources are needed?

Most of the resources needed can be found in the DENS books. Other resources include playing cards, dice, unifix cubes, counters, MAB Blocks and other maths equipment found around the classroom. Students will also need a book to put their working out in, a mini whiteboard and whiteboard marker. However one of the things that I love about TOWNS is that it is pretty adaptable. 

I am currently building up a bank of activities and I will share these with you in the near future. So make sure you check back here!

Aboriginal-Inspired Artworks

Artwork One: Nature Installation Artworks

I taught this lesson a couple of years ago now, but it has left an imprint on my memory. It was such a fun unit to teach and the students LOVED IT.

We actually started off by studying Andy Goldsworthy the installation artist, while studying Aboriginal culture and history. Goldsworthy's artworks are stunning. He uses only things found in nature to create his artworks and then he films/photographs them as "nature itself" destroys the artwork. 

Students were encouraged to explain their own message through a nature installation. This could be easily adapted so that students are explaining a Dreamtime story or a moral. Students are given a certain amount of time and can only use things found laying around the playground. They could not pull anything off trees or destroy bushes and plants.

Like Goldsworthy, we photographed the artworks being destroyed by nature over time.

Artwork Two: Vivid Opera House Design

This is another fun art lesson and is very appropriate as Vivid Lights are currently on in Sydney's CBD.

For those who haven't heard of Vivid, it's a light show in Sydney that projects images on some of our iconic buildings and structures. It's absolutely beautiful. Every year, the Opera House gets covered in lights and there's usually an Aboriginal design in amongst other designs.

For this lesson, I merged the Vivid lights show with NAIDOC week. Students were encouraged to paint an Aboriginal design onto an Opera House template. We then cut it out and glued it onto a piece of paper that was coloured in oil pastels and then painted over in black paint. Students then etched fireworks into the background.

I can't take credit for this lesson idea... It actually came from my Brother and Sister-in-Law but I can highly recommend it. It's such an easy lesson that looks very impressive in the end.

Artwork Three: Bark Paintings

I actually organised this lesson for Years 3-6 to complete when celebrating NAIDOC week at my school.

Students were given brown paper which they ripped around the edges to give a bark-effect. Students then chose a Darug Totem (Aboriginal Countries have different totems which are special to them) and sketched it out on the brown paper. Using a cu-tip, students dot painted their animal and the surrounding. They were also given oil pastels to draw designs on their animals.

The final results are impressive.

For more Aboriginal-Inspired artworks, games and activities... Check out my Pinterest Board: http://pin.it/KUjMPe-

Artwork Four: Aboriginal-inspired Stencil Handprints

I have been teaching this lesson to the whole of Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4) in our CAPA rotations time. It's been such a great lesson! I started by informing students about WHY Aboriginal people use stencil handprints and we looked at a variety of artworks that include stencil handprints. We then discussed different totems, symbols and traditions of the Darug people (we had an excursion only weeks before to Muru Mittigar which was perfect). Students already had knowledge about this, so they felt like experts. And then we got straight into making and creating.

I bought some spray bottles from a $2 Store in the 'Hair' section. I mixed paint with water so that we had a watery mixture and that's what students sprayed over their hand template.

A very quick and easy lesson that produces an effective piece of art.

I'm so happy that they're hung up and ready for NAIDOC week 2016.

Well I hope you found these ideas helpful and/or inspiring. I'd love to hear about any of your ATSI CAPA lessons and/or teaching ideas. Feel free to comment below or email me at rach.sellen@gmail.com

Eight tips to survive the transition back to work from maternity leave!

Recently I returned to teaching part-time after having a year off teaching. I had my bub a couple of weeks after starting maternity leave and I remember having so many mixed feelings about having time off. I was excited about what was to come, but I was also sad to be leaving students and colleagues. For me, I went on maternity leave at the end of Term 1, so I had a Year 6 class which I had to leave behind. I was so devastated as I really liked the class as a whole and I had built a strong rapport with them in that short term.

However, I didn't have the same mix of feelings when I returned to work after maternity leave. I just felt guilty. I felt guilty that I was going to be spending my day looking after 28 children, while my child was at home with his grandparents. It didn't seem right. Why was I looking after everyone else's children and not my own? 

Fortunately for me, I only had to go back two days a week and I knew he was being looked after by family. Although it was still hard.

But that wasn't the only thing I had to deal with. Teaching is always changing, always improving and evolving. In the short amount of time that I had off, so much had changed. Colleagues had moved on to new schools. There were new members of staff in their place. A new syllabus had also been introduced. And I just felt out of the loop, having not been trained in the program's we were now offering. I was no longer up to date with current research and felt as if my brain had turned to mush. I couldn't remember terms and acronyms I once used.

Needless to say, I cried all of the way home after my first day back.

But there is good news! I'm now getting close to the end of my first term back, and I'm happy to report the knowledge has slowly crept back. I feel like I'm in a better routine with juggling being a mum and working (although I still have really tough days). I also feel a little better about my son having quality time with his grandparents. I still miss him, but I don't cry the whole way to work anymore!

I thought today I'd compile a list of tips and tricks to help the transition back to work become a little easier. Now I have to say before I start, that I am no expert. I fail at these regularly... But they're just things I wish I was told before returning to work!

1. In the weeks before returning, schedule a meeting with your direct supervisor to catch up on what's been happening around the school. Take lots of notes- your memory isn't as good as it once was! 

2. Get a copy of the School Plan, to read up on what they're currently prioritising. Take note of any new programs or acronyms you're not familiar with.

3. Get a copy of the school calendar- my school actually emails it out to staff! Find out what is coming up, particularly things that involve your class/students.

4. Make a plan for home. Think about when you will do housework and maybe divide up the tasks. Plan out meals and organise getting your shopping delivered (it usually only costs around $5 for delivery). You may not always stick to this schedule, but it will bring a little more sanity to your home. Oh and remember... Keep your plans doable!

5. Try to get to work earlier so that you can do your planning and photocopying then. That way you can leave at a more decent time in the afternoon. I try to keep my afternoons sacred as my little one has dinner at 5:30pm. This doesn't give me a lot of time to muck around in the afternoon.

This is a picture of our desk at the end of my working week. Just trying to be organised and having everything photocopied and prepped in advance!

6. Work smart. That means that you need to mark as you go. That means revamping pre-existing programs and not reinventing the wheel (leave that for later on when your kids are a little older). That means grabbing your coffee and going. Yes it's nice to talk to colleagues and catch up... But don't spend all of your time chatting.

7. Remember that it's ok to say you don't understand and that you need help.  I was completely caught out on my first day back... And I just had no idea what was going on. I had to just pull the "I've just had a baby and returned to work" card. I was so nervous about admitting I had no clue about what everyone was talking about... But the moment I said it everyone became a little more understanding and tried to explain rather than assume. I was actually surprised at how many other women knew exactly how I felt, and mentioned how hard it was returning to work from Mat Leave.

8. Remember to have quality family time and time with your partner. The downside of teaching is that it can become all-consuming. I think jobs that require you to give up a bit of your heart, can easily consume a lot of your own personal time! Figure out where to draw the line. Where to cut off from work. For each person this can be different... But for me I decided that I only wanted to do half an hour of work each night once my son went to sleep. That doesn't sound like much, but I wanted to also spend time with my husband. So what I also do (because half an hour isn't nearly enough) is that I also work while my son sleeps on one of my days off. I try to have one "at-home day" and on that day is when I work while he's napping. Outside of that I have to draw the line and remind myself that I only work two days a week... I don't work full-time!

While teaching is an awesome job, it can become really taxing. Take each day as it comes and remember that you are only human. A sleep-deprived human who is a full-time mum first and a part-time teacher second!

Do you have any other tips and tricks for surviving the transition back to work?  Comment below.

Simple ideas to make my job easier!

I am a massive fan of VISTA Print. Particularly when they're having a huge sale. Two years ago I decided to make some business cards which simply said 'A note from Mrs Sellen'. Simple idea right? Well I have used them almost every day of the past two years. On these cards I can send home simple reminders about notes that are due in to school, and I can also send home little notes to parents about how well their child has been doing in class. The kids love them. The parents love them. And they're so simple.

I originally got this idea off PINTEREST (where all good ideas come from) and I've modified it slightly to better suit my classroom.

Here is the original idea (click on the image to head straight to Pinterest):

Here is what my modified version looks like:

If you are lucky enough to get a really great deal from VISTA Print, you might get 250 of these for free. This time round I paid $9.99 for them. As I mentioned before, they've lasted me two years so it is definitely worth the investment.

This year as I'm going on Maternity Leave I decided to make a bunch of labels (in the same design) to stick to the things that belong to me that I will most probably leave behind. Teaching can be quite expensive and I don't really want to buy a lot of these resources again. So for $9.99 I bought 140 labels with my name on it, so that I can mark my belongings (I will be taking a lot of things home too). 

Here's what my labels look like:

It should take about 7 days for them to arrive as I just got standard shipping… but I can't wait! I want this transition into Maternity Leave to be as smooth as possible!

WOW where did the year go?

It seems to be that time of year again where I find myself freaking out about the year ahead and my list of "things to do" keeps growing. 

It has been almost a year since my last post. As you can imagine, the year fills up and you find yourself drowning in various commitments. 2014 was a HUGE year for me. I had a great time teaching Year 5 and I also had a great year personally. I found out in September that I will be expecting a bundle of joy in May 2015 and so my priorities around work and life have shifted dramatically.

I will be going back to work for 2015, however, this time I will only be working for one term. Over the next couple of weeks I will share how I've set up my classroom spending the least amount of money as possible and how I will hand-over my class to someone I haven't even met yet. I want to be kind to this next teacher, but I also don't want to do their whole job for them. It will be a balancing act. BUT I already have a plan and *fingers crossed* it works :)

Like any year it's important to start the year off with a diary. For me, this choice was far harder than usual as I will only be working for one term. I needed a diary that would suit me in my professional and personal life. So this year I decided to go with a kikki.K A4 Weekly Leather Diary. It's a weekly diary (which I love) and it has plenty of space to write down notes and anecdotal comments from the teaching day. There is also a significant amount of space for the weekends (the most important days of the week) and it has monthly planners. Click on the image of the diary to be redirected for the kikki.K website. If you buy from the store, they also throw in a free pen. I LOVE BARGAINS! 

That's it for now… I will be back shortly with MORE amazing Back to School ideas! 

Visual Art

Over the past year, I have been instagramming some of my classroom ideas. I particularly love art so I thought I'd share some of the artworks I have taught to Stage 3. Sometimes it's hard to come up with the ideas... so hopefully this provides you with some inspiration!

Self-Portraits

My class created this artwork this year. It was an artwork that I got them to work on during the first week of school. Firstly they sketched out their portrait, then they transferred their ideas onto canvas and painted. The hardest part was mixing skin colour but as you can see below, they got the hang of it!

Operation Art - Tree

Last year my class created an artwork for the Operation Art competition. For those who don't know about this competition, students can enter an artwork into the competition and if their artwork is chosen, it is displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW. The competition supports Westmead Children's Hospital.

To create this artwork, students sketched a tree onto watercolour paper. Students then painted the background with watercolours. Once the painting was dry, students then painted the tree black and used a permanent marker to neaten up the edges.

One of my students' artwork was chosen to be shown at the Art Gallery.

Vincent Van Gogh

Last year, students in my class were studying Vincent Van Gogh. We then created this fabulous artwork using oil pastels and watered-down paint on art paper. The art lesson was very simple and very effective. Every student was proud of what they had achieved.

ANZAC/ Remembrance Day Cinquains 

In the lead up to ANZAC Day, students wrote cinquains about war. Cinquains are beautiful, short poems. They're simple to write and are very effective. We then published our poems onto a background of poppies. Students then stuck a poppy onto the front, made out of red paper. They made an absolutely stunning display.

Rainforest Animals

Last year we were studying the Rainforest for a HSIE unit. Students created this artwork by researching animals that live in the rainforest. They then printed off their favourite pictures, which were no bigger than a standard photograph (actually most were smaller). Students then sketched out their animal on black paper and once they were happy with it, they coloured it in using chalk pastels. 

Operation Art - Sunset

This was the Operation Art competition artwork that I made in 2012. This year I also had a students' artwork from my class chosen to be shown at the Art Gallery.

To make this artwork we used watercolour paints on watercolour paper. It's a very simple art lesson with a brilliant result.

Operation Art - Australian Landscape

This is yet another Operation Art competition submission. This was from 2011. We were reading 'Home to Mother' (the children's version of Rabbit Proof Fence) and tried to replicate the rabbit proof fence. For this artwork we used chalk pastels and chalk pastel pencils on pastel paper. It's a bit of a costly artwork but it is so beautiful!

This was the first year that I had my class work on an artwork for the Operation Art competition. In 2011 not only did I have a students' artwork shown at the Art Gallery of NSW, we were both invited to the launch and her artwork then went on tour with the other 20 odd artworks around NSW. I was very, very proud!

Gustav Klimt

We were studying Gustav Klimt and so we made our own interpretation of the Tree of Knowledge. Don't they look fantastic? We sketched out the trees on black paper, and then painted the tree using gold paint. Students then touched up their tree and added simple designs using metallic gel pens. It was a little bit fiddly when painting, but students quickly got the hang of it.

I've since taught this artwork again and again.

Back to school BLISS!

The first week of school has come and gone. The students in my class have begun to settle in and routines are being set. 

I began the year with a letter writing activity (which I highly recommend!!). I wrote a letter to the students in my class, introducing myself and telling them about my holidays. I placed each letter into an envelope and had it waiting on their desks for them. Next to the letter was a piece of paper and an envelope. We read through the letter that I wrote together, and then students had to write a letter back to me. Some of them were beautiful. It was a great way to get to know my students more whilst also assess their writing.

The chair pockets have been an absolute hit! The students in my class love them and they've already been put to good use.

It's always important to have a stash of paper towel, tissues and soap handy. I have been storing away all of the bits and pieces that students bring in so that it lasts!

2014... the year of organisation and being reasonably stress-free!

I hope you had an excellent start back to the new year. Would love to know how it all went and what great ideas you came up with. Feel free to share below in the comment section.

Some of my 2014 Classroom Set-Up Ideas

Here are some of my Classroom Set-Up Ideas for 2014!

Back Corner:

1. Street Sign

My husband and I made this for an 'Out of this World' youth camp at Luntanda, Mt Victoria. I fell in love with it and I just had to bring it to school. The street sign points to places such as: Hogwarts, The Enchanted Forest, Middle Earth, Hundred Acre Wood, etc.

2. Cupboard

My cupboard is still a work in progress. I have SIX tote trays for students work books. I have another tray that I will use to collect work to be marked. The draws to the left contain coloured paper, scrap paper and bits and pieces.

Literacy Station/ Stationery Station:

1. Literacy Station

I bought these tubs last year for about $20 and they've paid for themselves (check out my Literacy Groups post for more details). I have a tub for each one of my Literacy Groups and a couple of spares... I've already begun to think of things to fill them with.

2. Stationery Station

On the top of the tubs, I have the 'Stationery Station'. I have found some cute containers that house rules, pens, pencils and scissors. I also have a large eraser that students can borrow and a sharpener.

The idea of this station is that everything is like a Boomerang... meaning that it comes straight back. I find that I usually have to replace the stationery every term (sometimes more often). However, it is nice to know there is NO EXCUSE for not doing work in my class!

On My Desk:

1. How I store my stickers

I don't know what made me thing of this... but I've had this for about a year now and it has been really helpful. 

I picked up a travel wallet from Typo for a couple of bucks and I use the wallet to store my stickers. Travel wallets usually come with dividers, so I use the dividers to sort my stickers... I sort them by way of size. I also put a pen and post-it notes in the wallet so that I have everything I need to mark books.

2. Magnetic Tape

Seriously, this stuff is amazing! It's just like a roll of sticky tape, except the tape is magnetic. This means you can tear off a strip and place on the back of a laminated card, then you can magnetically stick it to a whiteboard. Genius!!

I make sure I have some in my draw AT ALL TIMES. 

I pick my magnetic tape up from OfficeWorks and it's usually around $5. This is a must have!

I hope you have found these ideas to be useful! Remember you can always find PLENTY of ideas on Pinterest. Why not follow me?

http://www.pinterest.com/rasellen/

HOW TO MAKE Chair Pockets

I have always wanted to make these but have never had the chance... more like didn't know how to make them! However, they were super easy to make. I have included the dimensions and step by step instructions below.

Instructions:

1. Measure the dimensions of your chair (width, length and depth of pocket) - my measurements were 100cm x 50cm (the pocket was 28cm deep and the sleeve over the chair was also 28cm deep... the rest of the length was made up of seam allowances and the section that joins the pocket to the sleeve)
2. Choose your material - possibly the hardest step. I bought my material from Spotlight during a special. I got all of my material for $60... which I think it a bargain.
3. Measure twice, cut once - measure out your pattern and then cut it out.
4. Pin the hem and sew (refer to image below)
5. Pin the pocket and sleeve (refer to image below)
6. Sew down the sides of the material (which is in thirds)
7. Turn the sleeve in the right way (pocket will already be turned in the right way)
8. Hang over chair!

I'm not an expert at sewing... actually I'm not very good at all. Yet I was able to make the Chair Pockets... In fact once I got into a routine, it was only taking me about 15 minutes to make each one.

$60 and a day of sewing... well worth it I think!

More Back to School ideas to come!

Blogs to Watch!

I've compiled a list of blogs/ websites that I think are worth following. 

Some people have some AMAZING ideas out there... so rather than reinventing the wheel each time, check out some of these brilliant teachers and their great ideas...

In no particular order:

1. Omnipotent Particle Theory - One of my favs! Cory McDonald has put together some amazing FREEBIES around 'Habits of Mind'. He also has some great ideas with how to further use Class Dojo in the classroom.
2. Science Notebooking - SO MANY amazing ideas! I could spend hours just flicking through all of the posts and getting inspiration!
3. That's So Second Grade - I'm not a Year 2 teacher, however, Ashley Pennell is one organised teacher. I have gotten so many great ideas from her blog... but let me just say one thing... I have no idea how she does it!
4. The Autism Helper. - We all have students from time-to-time who have particular needs. This blog is jam-packed with amazing teaching ideas, in particular, ideas that will benefit students with disabilities. You MUST check this one out!
5. Pink and Green Mama - This is actually a blog written by a stay at home mother. She is a trained art teacher and she has tonnes of amazing ideas. Absolutely brilliant.
6. The School Supply Addict - A great all-round blog. However, the blog has amazing themes and ideas for how to set up your classroom. Here is the direct link for classroom set ups: http://www.theschoolsupplyaddict.com/room-setup.html
7. Teacher Bits and Bobs - Another great all-rounder blog. This one also has great FREEBIES!
8. A Teacher's Treasure - A great blog with brilliant ideas and lots of FREEBIES. I particularly like her back-to-school posts. I will be using some of her ideas, particularly the 'Welcome Back Goodie Bag'.
9. The Nest Effect - I have been referring to this blog for a couple of years now. Tiffany has heaps of great ideas, especially around motivation and rewards. Since browsing her blog, I now have a slight addiction to Vista Print. Tiffany prints business cards and uses them as little motivations for students to aim for. Absolutely brilliant. Here's a direct link to motivations and rewards: http://www.thenesteffect.com/2012/03/motivation-rewards-in-my-classroom.html

And while you're checking out these great blogs... why not look around mine? 

OR check out my Pinterest boards: http://www.pinterest.com/rasellen/

I hope these blogs have been helpful!