'Twas the week before Christmas break….5 teacher tips and treats to see you through! Xx

Worn out? Check! 

 'Comfy' clothes for school? Check! 

Desk a mess? Check! 

'To-do' list a mile long? Check! 

Glitter in unmentionable places? Check! 

In need of a spa day? Check! 

This can only mean 1 thing……it must be the week before Christmas break! 

Teacher-wellness at this time of year is very important so, in order to help you to take a moment for yourself and get into the festive spirit too I've complied a little list of teacher tips and treats...

Monday
School- have all cards, calendars and decorations made ready to be sent home at the end of the day to avoid that last minute panic!
Home- indulge in a minced pie whilst taking 5 minutes to enjoy the twinkling christmas lights on your tree.
Treat- Scholastic Voucher Codes and Discounts for December
Click here


Tuesday
School- double check all assessments are done and get that data handed in (if you haven't already) so you're not sat on Thursday night still compiling it!
Home- take a hot bubble bath to some festive tunes!
Treat- Paperchase- Treat Me


Wednesday
School- colouring in is therapeutic- let the kids doodle away to some festive tunes while you make sure you've got any paper work ready for those who need it and you've got the photocopying done for the first day back in January- I know this seems early but you'll thank me later!
Home- get in the festive mood with a Christmas film and a few chocolates!
Treat- Bodyshop- Voucher Cloud deals for December click here


Thursday
School- take down the festive displays and get the boards backed ready for the first week- there's nothing worse than realising you still have all of your festive stuff up when you just want to go home on the last day!
Home- Prep a tasty meal to have when you get in from work tomorrow- you deserve a feet up end to the Autumn term!
Treat- Dorothy Perkins- Voucher Cloud deals for December click here


Friday
School- let the kids watch a DVD and take some time to file any paper work, tidy your desk and do some general housekeeping- you will not be wanting to do this once the bell has gone- trust me!
Home- Glass of wine? Hot chocolate? You decide- it's officially the holidays!!!!!! Celebrate!
Treat- Photobox- Hot UK Deals codes for December click here


And to help you stop getting snowed under and keep your Christmas cheer I've made a little checklist for you to use-

Have a wonderful last week of school- let's make it a stress-free one!

Global Glitter Tribe November Link-up

By now you should know that I am a loud and proud member of the Global Glitter Tribe! If you don't know what we are all about then click here to visit our fantastic blog full of ideas and inspiration for teaching 'Global Thinking' and developing your children in 'Global Citizens'. 

This month's link-up has made me stop and think which I love! It is so easy to get swept up in the fuss and stress that this time of year brings so taking a moment out to reflect is a delicious treat-

Grateful

I live several hours away from all of my family which is something I hate! I have to embrace the fact that I live in a beautiful place, have an amazing husband and friends and a job I love but I would move home in a flash just to be close to my family who are truly my best friends too! 

Any chance I get to go home and visit I jump at- I feel grounded and totally myself when I am with them. These are the people who helped to shape me into the person I am today and I couldn't love them more. 

My totally BFF and big cousin Ali is extremely talented. Not only is she a great artist and crafts person but she is also a fantastic business woman too. Along with 2 of her friends she puts on an annual festive fair which celebrates and supports local, independent businesses. I had the privilege of attending and supporting her this past weekend- 

Local

As a school we made a conscious decision to structure our curriculum so that children spend time embracing and developing their understanding of their local area before spiralling their learning out to our country and then the wider world. During every spiral of learning the other 2 elements are brought in and applied for example during this term we have found out about where food comes from so visited a local farm and harvested and tasted locally produced food but then also explored the journey of food and where in the world our food comes from as well as looking at Fair Trade.

We work on a 2 year rolling program but here is an overview of how our spiral will look this year-

Autumn Term- Food (local produce and global)

Homes (our local area and castles around the country)

Spring Term- London (the geography and history of our capital city)

Baking- (national favourites and food from around the world)

Summer Term- Africa (culture and wildlife of another countries compared to ours)

Sea Life (Whales around the world)

Organisation 

This is not a new idea and by no means an original of mine but I love my Table Tubs-

To find out more, visit my previous blog post here.

Broad Perspectives 

As a school we are committed to developing our children into citizens who are able to make positive contributions to society. We call ourselves a team and the children in my classroom are not only part of our school team but our classroom team also. 

I encourage my children to recognise that they are all responsible for their choices and how they affect others in our team. We win points for our table teams and prizes are awarded weekly and we also win 'Rainbow Drops' for good class teamwork and rewards are usually earned half termly which results into a whole class celebration. 

Our aim is that our school community and the way our children behave within it mirrors their behaviours in the wider community and that their contributions to both are positive ones. 

Artists

I love teaching art and last half term we did one of my favourite projects ever! 

We look at how food is represented in art and the concept of still life. 

We then look at and discuss the work of Giuseppe Acrimboldo and then recreate it using food (the food has already been used for tasting and will be used for creating prints too) 

Let's Chat

I am one of the co-hosts of the Global Edventures Blab Show and I would love to hear your ideas for future topics so please feel free to comment below with suggestions- after all #2getherwearebetter

To link-up with Global Glitter Tribe yourself then visit us here and download your own graphic

All Things Bulletin Boards: The UK Way!

Yay! It's time to link-up with Angie and Ashley! 

I absolutely adore these 2 lovely ladies! Their friendship and journey has truly inspired me- if you haven't caught one of their periscopes yet then I strongly suggest you do! They have take the whole #2getherwearebetter thing to a totally new level let me tell you! 

So….this month we are coming together to talk about one of my most favourite subjects 'bulletin boards' or 'displays' as we would call them in the UK. Now, I know in the UK there are some guidelines regarding workload which suggest that teachers shouldn't do displays but if you're anything like me then displays are THEE main reasons you became a teacher in the first place!!! 

Just kidding…….no seriously! 

So….the bread and butter of a board is the backing and boarder. 

Both are equally important for pulling your classroom theme together and drawing attention to learning opportunities.

The serious stuff- laying a good foundation!
Most board resources here in the UK are a whole school resource so we don't often have a
big say in the colours and patterns available.
Our paper is stored in a central store and it goes very quickly! We mainly have sheets of display paper which is fine with me as they are easier to put up on your own. 

I get anxious if paper isn't straight, I hate when people cut strips to fit rather than arranging the paper correctly, I hate too many staples and I can't stand when people use too many sheets!! Most boards in my classroom take a combination of 2 or 3 landscape pieces on the top and 4 or 5 portrait pieces at the bottom NO MORE, NO LESS!!! This gives the crispest look to the board without waste or cutting pieces- a minimal overlap of about 2cm is more than enough!!!
Rolls of backing paper? I HATE THEM! They are so hard to put up solo and I always, always get a 'sag'- you know what I mean?

See…I'm a serious board backer!!! I think it comes from years of covering boards in my mother's classrooms. She was trained in the 1960's when they actually gave trainee teachers lessons in this stuff and I suppose it's just stuck!

Framing the master piece- Boarders
Again the boarders tend to be a whole school resource here in the UK and in our school, layering the nice ones up isn't really an option as we don't have loads available and have to be mindful of other teachers and their needs.

I love to use corrugated boarders as they handle easily and seem more hardwearing but they don't often come in fancy designs. I love boarders which add something to the display as well as framing it. I've often made a boarder up of the children's artwork for example we collaged cardboard penguins and used them on our Polar Regions display as the boarder. Once I cut long strips of card and got the children to choose shades of green and splat the card with it to frame a display on frogs. 

The 2 types of boards in my room and lots of other UK classrooms

O.K. so… not every board can be cute some just need to be practical. 

We have the more time consuming and appealing 'Display Boards' and the quick and easy 'Working Walls' in our room. Both are absolutely worth while and valuable. 

Here's the difference…

Display Boards- These are used to display the children's work or information which will be up for a while.They should be engaging and encourage the viewer to look closely. We want the children to feel a sense of pride in their work and environment so putting time and effort into the way we display it should reflect this.

Working Walls- These are the boards the children refer to constantly for their learning. They are not just a background wall paper but should be changed and adjusted to reflect the children's learning and the unit/ topic that week/ term. They don't have to be cute as they are meant to be used not just looked at. That doesn't mean to say that pride shouldn't be taken in them but that they should be user friendly. 

 

                                         
Some of my favourite things!
If you have read any of my previous TGIF posts then you will know that I love to use photo frames and wall paper in my classroom. School can be a daunting place for the children and parents alike so I think using 'home' items around the room brings a sense of the familiar and helps them to relax.

This is one of my all-time favourite displays to share information with parents-

Parents even bring me old rolls of wall paper into class now too! Such an easy way to connect!

I love making the backing of a board a little bit different- I know using fabric is big in the US but not so much here in the UK although I have been known to use some burlap to back a board before!

I love how splatting paint on the paper before backing the board can look-

Sure the kids look cute in their spacesuits but its the paper I'm interested in! Using white splats on black made our space display pop and this year I'm using some of Glitter Meets Glue's sparkly clip art on a colourfully splatted lilac backing paper to make my 'We're a Colourful Class' welcome board stand out!

This simple 'Finger Gym' board used for tracking grip development is simply a strip of brown paper- I'm yet to put the lettering on the burlap- oops!

Wrapping paper makes a great backing provided it doesn't distract from the display content. 

I also don't like to keep my displays to just the boards- I don't have many so I branch out wherever possible!

Washing lines and vertical blinds are brilliant places to peg work for display.

My overall goal with bulletin/display boards is to present either work or information in a creative and interesting way but I believe you have to strike a balance. If the backing or boarder is too fussy then the content of the display can become lost. Our little ones find it hard enough to focus and concentrate at the best of times!

The background and boarder should simply frame and present the work not distract from it.
All jazz and no pizzaz makes a very sad board indeed!

TGIF popcorn spelling

Teachers Get Inspired Friday

Hi there my lovelies- how has your week been? 

It's been a while since I shared a TGIFspin with you as I have been loving Doodlebugs 5 for Friday link-ups lately- have you linked up this week? 

So let's talk popcorn- I love it! It's soft yet crunchy, salty yet sweet, nice yet not too naughty and nowadays you can purchase cute retro tubs for less than a £1 (under a $1) just to add a little somethin', somethin' to the experience. I have 2 such tubs in my cupboard and spotted some more in the local cheap shop. I have been desperate to use them in class but wasn't sure how to. 

 I had a little nosey on TpT and pinterest (as you do when you're a teacher, in bed, half asleep with the never ending list on repeat in your mind!) and I saw some lovely spelling activities using a popcorn theme. Now, my kiddie-winks are quite motivated when it comes to practising and learning their spelling but I know as well as the next teacher that you have to keep it fresh if you want to keep it that way.

Over on TpT I found a cute freebie spelling practise sheet here at Samblanet's Smarties and High Frequency words on popcorn pieces here at Mrs D's Corner. I know these were freebies but I still left feedback- they are amazing resources which these sellers have very kindly made free and, although I won't earn any TpT credits for it, as a seller myself I know how much I love feedback, even on my freebies! 

To top off my new activity pack I found some mega cute sunglasses in Primark- I bought 2 pairs for the little ones to wear as they test each other on their spellings. 

The finished Centre looks like this-

The kiddies take it in turns to pull a word from their tub, read it to their partner and their partner writes the word before they mark it together. This way they are practising reading sight words as well as spelling them. Plus they have an opportunity to work co-operatively with a friend. 

This has been THE most popular Centre this week! 
Who would have funked it- spelling tests, a popular activity! 

How do you jazz up your spelling/ word work? 

Until next time… 

Rolling with the Chaos! A week with chicks...

Does your day often differ to the one you had planned? 

Another class using the hall scuppers your plans for an amazingly outstanding Numeracy lesson? 

A child being sick all over your carpet mean you have to wave goodbye to your classroom for the best part of the morning? 

The photocopier breaking down means you can't use that scoot activity you had planned?

I don't know why I'm asking these questions because I know the answer is
'HELL YEAH!!!!' 

Let's face it… thinking on your feet is a crucial part of the job and no 2 days are the same. 

It's part of the stress charm of teaching and how we respond to these surprise events can often make a huge difference to a child's enjoyment of learning that day.

Thanks to Keep Calm-o-matic

Well this week we had one massive change to our plans occur…..10 eggs arrived! 

'Oooooo exciting!' I hear you squeal and indeed it has been but they were due to arrive in May!!! 

IN MAY! 

When I would deliver impeccably planned lessons with egg'tastic resources and cross- curricular learning the likes of such the world has never seen before! 

This was not to be….our lovely eggs arrived right in the middle of our theme on Fairytales… perfect! 

THIS WAS NOT ON THE PLAN!

The thing is… it has been perfect! 

I learnt a long time ago to roll with the punches and embrace the chaos! 

So whilst the children were in assembly I quickly printed an 'Egg Diary'

(lets face it, they were never going to concentrate on my planned activities with 

such an eggciting arrival in class!) 

We spent time discussing what was going to happen over the next few days.

 I carefully and sensitively explained that most likely not all of our 10 eggs would hatch… unplanned lesson numero uno- coping with loss. True enough not all of our eggs did hatch and one of our chicks was unwell and passed away. My 6 and 7 year olds amazed me- they took the news in such a mature manner because we had taken the time to discuss what could happen, the reasons for it and the   emotions they might experience. This was such a poignant lesson for my class as, even at such a young age, several of them have already had to deal with such experiences on a much larger scale. This was a subject we would probably only have discussed through a text (such as The King of Tiny Things) but here we were all living through the experience together thanks to the unplanned arrival of the eggs. 

As the week has gone on the children have eagerly taken responsibility for monitoring the living conditions of the chicks, cleaning their bowls and measuring out their food and they have learnt the importance of taking care of animals….unplanned lesson number 2!

For some of my children, especially those who are on the Autistic Spectrum, the change to our routine has been a challenge but they have risen to it. They have understood that at some points, the needs of the chicks outweigh the needs of the children and they have happily stood by and watched as new chicks have hatched or poorly chicks have been looked after. Lesson 3 has been a huge learning curve for my littlies- putting others needs before your own!!! 

One of the most magical parts of having the eggs in class has been getting to watch the chicks hatch first-hand! It has been such an amazing thing for the children to see and my heart has melted each and every time! 

The look of awe, pride and compassion on their little faces has blown me away- having the chicks in class has most certainly taught my children that life is an amazing thing and nature is truly magical… unplanned lesson number 4 in the bag!

Our observation skills have been on overload this week- sitting watching the chicks has not only been therapeutic (believe me… I've pulled up a chair several times!) but has also prompted our inquiry skills. Every day there is something new to take notice of and the children have enjoyed making up their own investigations to gather even more information on the chicks.

A favourite has been 'What is their favourite colour?' I have no idea if the chicks see in colour but my children can say with confidence that they like white!! How do they know? Well they tested them of course!! They cut pieces of different coloured paper and then moved them up and down in front of the Brooder window, the only piece of paper they followed was the white one!! I'm not sure about the scientific reliability of their results but heyho… they devised it, carried it out and made a conclusion… an unplanned science lesson in action! 

This week the chicks are finally big enough to be handled and it has amazed me to see just how brave some of my more hesitant little friends have become. I have watched with pride as a few of my 'lively' little ones have learnt to be quiet and calm around the chicks so as not to scare them and all of them have totally understood the importance of our 'kind hands' classroom rule! Now to see if they can apply unplanned lesson number 6 in their everyday lives…hum!

It has been amazing to have the chicks in class this past week- even if their arrival was unexpected and we will miss them so much when they make the move to a friend of the school's farm on Friday.

There are a million more lessons we have learnt over the past week too- all of them unplanned- such as how many days a chicks hatching cycle is, the importance of washing our hands after handling them, the fact that before they are even 7 days old they begin to grow feathers and (disgustingly) that their poo sticks to their bottom and that's just part of chick life! 

My essential Guided Reading tool kit

Everyone has there own unique way of organising their supplies but here is a sneak peak into mine-

Each GR group has its own basket- you can get these peg baskets from most cheep shops but I picked mine up from Poundland. Each one contains a whiteboard, pen and cloth, weekly text and plan, follow-on materials and the children's GR journals.

 

I teach GR on the carpet with the children so this is a fantastic way for me to just grab what I need and go.

Besides the basics (and the children) there are a few items I think are staples of a good Guided Reading tool kit which I believe no teacher should be without-

Post it notes

Highlighters

Mini-whiteboards and pens

However, there are a few items I have come to love and 

now consider new classics of the Guided Reading tool kit-

Sparkly gel pens

Question dice

Question Cards

Witch Fingers and partner pointers

RR role cards 

Recordable postcard or strip

'I'm invisible' Light

How have these become must haves? 

Well I think the sparkly gel pens are self explanatory- my kiddies are always eager to note down their ideas if they get to use these.

Question dice

Cheep and cheerful they are a quick fire way to get the children thinking about a 

narrative text and can be a handy way to prompt paired discussion.

Assessment Focus key questions- ever struggle to think of a question perfect for digging out responses which match a particular AF? These cards are ideal for the planning process, on the spot blanks and for Teaching Assistants. I'm also building them into my Reciprocal Reading sessions and encouraging the children to use them.

 (Click here to find out more about Reciprocal Reading)

'Wiches fingers and partner pointers are a must have for my lower ability groups and really keep the children focused on the text and encourages them to really slow down and read each word carefully. I've also just purchased some of the little rings with eyes on them which I've seen all over IG- very excited!

RR role cards- with my more able groups I like to throw in the odd Reciprocal Reading session and these cards are the perfect reminder of how each explicit comprehension skill works in the world of RR. 

Recordable postcards or strips- I can ask the children to record 1 idea or key fact each and use it the in the following session to refresh our memories- this is particularly useful with my lower ability readers who often struggle to retain information within one session never 

mind between sessions- plus there is no writing needed.

FINALLY- my light! I used to struggle with children from groups who were working independently constantly interrupting me during GR and sometimes even the hand (you know the one I mean!) just didn't cut it. Well over the past year I have used my light and the children know that when it is lit, unless someone is hurt, then I am invisible and they must seek out the help of a friend, TA or simply wait until the light is switched off- it has worked a treat!

So…. you've seen my baskets, you've peeked inside my tool kit…it must be obvious that, yes, I am a GR geek!! 

I love finding new tricks and tips to try out so why not comment and share yours with me? 

If I give them ago and love them then I'll tag you in a future TGIF post. 

TGIF photo frames

Well TGIF indeed!!! This week has dragggggged or is it just me!!! The huge and very beautiful full moon has sent us all a bit loopy this week and for those of you who think it's a load of tosh…. come and teach my littlies during a full moon and you will soon change your mind!

Anywhooo…. thanks for all of your support with the post last week. I thought I would continue down the whole shabby chic/ home from home theme and share with you how I use photo frames within my classroom.

I picked up these 2 little frames for 50p but wasn't sure how I was going to use them at first. I decided that my Guided Reading shelf was lacking something and they totally fitted the bill. 

Why not try using a frame to label an area?

If you read last weeks TGIF post (click here if you missed it) then you may have spotted some cute frames up on my parent's notice board. Until I revamped my board the other week all of my important dates and Learning Letters were just written on laminated paper or pinned up as they were. I find my new method of displaying them both totes cute and more hard waring. 

Other than displaying pics of the kids in frames around the classroom, the other main way I use frames is to display quotes and saying. 

I love my class and want the space we all work in to be comfortable and familiar to them. I totally believe that my words may be the kindest and most encouraging some of the children in my class hear from day to day and I want to build our classroom into a community of friendly faces where we can all be ourselves. 

All of the frames I have in class are plastic moulded with clear perspex- no glass and not breakable. They also cost a maximum of £1 each so won't break the bank! 

Why not pay Home Bargains or Poundland a visit and snag yourself a frame?!

Also, FYI, you can download these editable chalkboard messages from my TPT store- they are a forever freebie and my most downloaded item :) 

Feel like linking up? 

Just copy the graphic bellow into you post and head back here to link up by clicking the button and following the steps.

Table Tubs- an organisational goldmine!

I don't know about you but one of the things I struggle most with is instilling a sense of pride and responsibility in my 6 year olds- I want them to look after equipment and tidy up after themselves but I don't want to have to spend hours waiting for them to stop fussing.

This year I think I've cracked it!

One of the first things I posted as I started my IG teacher journey was this picture of some £1 peg baskets I purchased in the Summer holidays-

I have used them for my Guided Reading groups for a while and if you look carefully around my classroom then you will spot them being used to organise resources left, right and centre but the greatest use I've found for them is as table tubs.

I have 5 'tables' in my classroom and each has a tub!







Inside each tub there are 3 buckets or beakers-

The large bucket is used as a table bin where any cutting out or general table rubbish can be put. The smaller, numbered bucket contains a pencil sharpener and is our sharpening bin.

The beaker is used as a pencil pot and also contains the tables rubber.

Each child keeps their 'good-fit' library book in their tables tub and it also contains support materials such as VCOP mats and number squares.

If I ever want to clear the tables quickly then the children just place everything inside the basket and it can easily be lifted to another place with minimum fuss.

One of the greatest things about the tubs are the mini bins- they cut down on children getting up and down and only have to be emptied at the end of the day (one of our class jobs).

At the start of the school year I put washi tape on the top of my pencils- a different design for each table- and I'm yet to give out any new pencils- a first for sure! I explained to the children that they must ensure the correct number of pencils with their tape on are inside their table tub at the start and end of the day and that it is their job to do this not mine- it has worked a treat!

I got the lovely table number labels as a freebie on TPT
from Teresa Lewis  and I cut out smaller ones to put on the class whiteboard. Each table can earn points for having everything organised, being polite and being the first to be tidy or ready- the team with the most points on a Friday gets a lucky dip from the prize bag. Each week The Desk Fairy visits a desk and the children get very excited and quite competitive to see if it will be them!

I've laid down explicit instructions for how to use glue sticks in class this year too (last years class went through our box of 40 by Christmas!) and we are just about to get our second lot out- I only put 5 out at a time!

I know this is a different group of children but I honestly don't think that is the reason my resources are lasting longer and the children are tidier- I think it's because I've changed!

I've not only told the children what I expect of them as in previous years but now I've given them the tools to achieve it and the positive affirmation to strive for.

I love my table tubs and can't believe I've never used something like them before- gone are the days of a simple pencil pot!

If you use a similar system or try out any of these ideas then please let me know how it works for you.