The Element - Sir Ken Robinson

Recently, I have found myself attempting to complete a number of books that have found themselves neglected whilst the daily grind of teaching has taken their place. I have found The Element - Sir Ken Robinson to be a fantastic read! 

Taking The PYP Forward (Simon Davidson & Steven Carber)

While working in Germany I had the opportunity to get my hands on a copy of this amazing book. Thankfully I was able to have it shipped to NZ in time for the holidays =) I totally recommend it as a 'must read' for any PYP educator.

My particular favourite is the chapter titled 'ICT in the PYP ' written by Greg Curtis & Jason Cone. As ICT is a particular focus for mine, I found this chapter incredibly insightful and reaffirmed the need for teachers to grow and develop in this area.

Sexuality Road - Discovering Me (PD Meeting)

Activity 3 
- Heads down then thumbs up for yes and down for no

Diamond Dilemma Cards

Suggestions:
- Leave a few cards blank so that they can fill in their own words
- Work in single sex groups

Lesson 6 - Relationships
Main aim - talk about discrimination that they may experience
Find a safe space in the classroom
- Leave out the quiz!

Lesson 9:

- Do not teach Sam and Jessie's night in or Jordan's story

Note:
- Dear Mrs Q - Feel free to leave any out if you feel comfortable
- Send home brief outline prior to every lesson

Writing Workshop - Gail Loane

Teachers can get bogged down with OTJs.
First thing: able to identify levels, and able to see progress.
What response do I get from my writing? Why this response? If nothing happens for the writer, nothing will happen for the reader.

Need to be beyond basic.

Time on surface features vs deeper features? It depends on what is their greatest need.

"I'm sad" -> How would I know? What were you feeling/thinking? Could you add that?

Is a "good level 2" for a 6year old the same as a "good level 2" for a 12year old?

One Minute's Silence
Many action verbs. Very descriptive. Very engaging for students.

What deep learning do we want to get out of this? What writing would they use? What do I want to teach about writing? Imagery. Activating nouns. Strong verbs. Specific nouns.

Poem about Gallipoli

In one minute's silence
- 2 perspectives
- activated nouns / powerful verbs
- hyphen to join 2 adjectives before a noun (slouch-hatted)
- phrases (back of beyond)
- mad scrambling?? Hmmm

YouTube Audio Library

https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music

I consistently find myself struggling to find audio to add to my presentations. I have always been reluctant to download songs and use them (copyright etc.) however YouTube has proven to be a saving grace! YouTube Audio Library is a collection of tunes and sound effects which can be used as background for videos or presentations. Most importantly, it is child friendly and you can search by genre, mood, instrument, and duration. To download, just click on the arrow pointing down. 

Te Reo Vocab Placemat

Activities For The Communicative Classroom