Lesson Study: Fractions

Today I thought I'd share about Lesson Studies. I had my first experience with a Lesson Study only recently. My colleagues and I decided to create a lesson around Fractions, in particular plotting fractions on a number line. We decided upon this topic as our data showed that our students needed more work in this area.

What is Lesson Study? A small team of teachers working together in a systematic cycle of planning, teaching, observing, refining and reviewing specific lessons in order to examine their practice and improve their impact on student learning.

This information and more can be found HERE.

We followed the process of Collaborative Planning > Teaching & Observing > Refining > Teaching & Observing > Reviewing

The process was quite interesting, however, we thought collectively that it would have been nice to complete this process over several days so we had more time to refine in-between (due to time constraints and funding we had to complete this whole process in a day).

We began by meeting prior to our Lesson Study and creating a lesson plan. We worked collaboratively and shared ideas. We then met again to fine tune the program prior to teaching. Jobs were split up so that the workload was relatively fair. One teacher created the Notebook file, another created the differentiated worksheets and the third created an extension activity.

You can download a copy of the program HERE.

On the Lesson Study day, our team split into pairs. Person One taught the lesson to their class while Person Two observed and took notes. Person Two then went away and thought of ways to refine the lesson before teaching it later in the day.

Here are some photos from my lesson:

Setting up the lesson before hand.

Three levels of differentiated worksheets (for independent activity).

If you are interested in downloading a copy of the worksheets, you can download a copy of the LOW, MIDDLE and HIGH worksheets by clicking on the hyperlinked words.

I really enjoyed collaboratively planning the lesson with my colleagues. I never would have thought of linking the jug/container of liquid with a number line. However, the use of the tape down the side of the container provided a great visual for students when it was pulled off and stuck to the board to the side (pictured above). Kudos to my colleague Kim, for that fantastic idea!

Anyway… I would love to hear about your experiences with Lesson Studies. 

Did you like them? Were they helpful? What lessons did you teach?

Comment below!

Programming for Spelling while incorporating the THRASS program

A couple of years ago now, I was formally trained in THRASS. I remember coming home absolutely exhausted but inspired about what I had learned. I began incorporating what I learned into my own teaching, but it has taken time. My colleague and I had to think of a way to inspire the teachers back at home and think of ways to incorporate our knowledge across Years 3-6.

We ended up creating a program that contained eight spelling lists that looked at one phoneme a week. The idea was, that teachers could pick a list that best fit their class/ group of students. It was flexible enough, that the program could work around their own teaching practices. I guess it achieved what we set out for it to do.

However, my colleague and I feel that we need to update our programs. So for this blog post I thought I'd share some of the PROS and CONS to our current program and share where we want to go with it all next.

As I mentioned, our Years 3-6 program has eight differentiated lists to cater to the varying spelling abilities. Each week we look at a different THRASS phoneme. We study a consonant, followed by a vowel, and then repeat. Our program looks like this:

You can download a copy of our program HERE.

Now here are some of the PROS:

• All of the hard work was done. Teachers didn't have to think about spelling lists and themes. It was already done for them.
• Across the year, students are exposed to all 44 speech sounds (phonemes).
• The program is simple and easy to use. So even if a teacher hasn't participated in formal training, they should be able to effectively use the program.

And now here are some of the CONS:

• Phonological strategies is only one small part of the content that needs to be covered in "Spelling". Students need to also look at word origins, base words, suffixes and prefixes, etc.
• While the program provided teachers with a spelling list, it didn't effectively provide teachers with a template of HOW to teach spelling.
• The program did not include any word work activities and strategies.
• My colleague and I did not have a proper opportunity to explain the program to all staff before it was implemented.
• Not enough teachers at my school had been formally trained in THRASS.
• We are working with a limited amount of THRASS resources as our school is building up their collection.
• The THRASS program itself, is a whole-school program. However, we were only teaching students from Years 3-6 (this was originally decided upon due to lack of resources).

So we decided to do some research and figure out ways to IMPROVE our current Spelling program. That was when I stumbled across Normanton State School's whole-school Spelling Program. My mind was blown at the amount of work the teachers over there had invested into such an impressive document. YOU HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT! You can download a copy of it HERE.

The Normanton State School Spelling Program (NSSSP) explicitly explains HOW spelling should be taught. It also provides teachers with already created spelling lists as well as word work activities. The NSSSP document also includes spelling assessments for each grade and a comprehensive marking guide. The program extends from Kindergarten (or Prep) right through to Year 10. And finally it also covers most elements (if not all) of word knowledge across their spelling lists. What more could I ask for?

I feel like this program has inspired me to update our current program so that it is of a similar standard.

So… Where to now???

The plan is to meet with teachers in the Spelling Committee at my school, and share the Normanton State School Spelling Program. Hopefully my colleagues will be just as excited as I am! In the meantime, as holidays are fast approaching, I will endeavour to create as many word work activities as I possibly can. I want to begin improving my Spelling Lessons as of DAY ONE of TERM THREE.

Over the coming weeks I will share some of the independent and small group activities that I am working on as well as some FREEBIES. So be sure to check back!

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.

10 ATSI Online Resources!

I love being able to incorporate the ATSI perspective into most areas of my teaching. Now there are HEAPS of resources out there… the problem is sometimes trying to find them!

While on Maternity Leave, I dedicated a fair amount of time to finding these resources and creating a database of them. I had to search far and wide for some gems which were hidden in the abyss that is the internet.

With NAIDOC week fast-approaching I thought that tonight I'd share TEN of these amazing resources and websites with you, that are perfect for the Primary Classroom.

Image taken of one of my students artworks (2014).

1. YULUNGA- This is a PDF that you can download/print and it is filled with games and activities from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from around the country. This is an excellent resource for PD/H/PE and for those moments when you need to fill-in some time.

2. Dust Echoes- This is a favourite of mine. Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law.

3. Global Words- The fifteen units of work in Global Words have been produced by World Vision Australia and the Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA) to integrate the teaching and learning of English with global citizenship education.

4. Move It Mob Style-  Move it Mob Style is a 20 episode x 30 minute dance-based fitness program for television broadcast and online. Showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hip hop and popular music, Move it Mob Style is all about good beats: using dance to stay healthy. Another great resource for PD/H/PE.

5. Deadly Vibe- Our vision is to support all Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people in reaching their full potential by providing positive imagery, identifiable role models and quality information to improve community and quality of life. Deadly Vibe is Australia’s only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, sport, entertainment, health and education magazine. This is a great resource for Literacy Groups.

6. Be Deadly Online-  Deadly Online is an animation and poster campaign about big issues online, like bullying, reputation and respect for others. Developed with deadly Indigenous writers and voice actors, all Australians can enjoy these short, fun animations and learn about how we want to behave together online.

7. Dreaming Stories Online- A collection of Dreamtime stories in video format, and useful information for students.

8. Gummingurru- There are a variety of resources and units of work on this website, available to the general public. These learning activities are seen by the Gummingurru Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) as an important reconciliation activity to be shared by Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal people.

9. Darug Country- The blog is designed to promote Learning from Aboriginal Country in Sydney. This site provides you with videos, lessons for the IWB, texts, and ideas for teaching about Darug on Darug Country. This resource is brilliant… make sure you check it out!

10. Education Dreaming (Crackerjack)- Education Dreaming is a non-Profit, For Purpose, Social Enterprise set up to share and educate to the world (using positive and innovative methodologies) and revive for our own people, the incredible and precious ancient culture and knowledge of this country’s Ancient Australians.

And there you have it… 

Ten AMAZING websites/resources that you should definitely check out RIGHT NOW!

EDIT: I have created a database with these and other websites/resources that I've found. You can download it for FREE right HERE. 

Please note that this is a work in progress. If you find any other ATSI websites/ resources please feel free to comment below and I'll add them in :)