Getting Organised

so much paper, so many books!
Classroom organisation
Teacher Vision
A to Z
Pro-Teacher
Busy Teachers Cafe

Young Readers

RTR sight words
Families learning together
Phonics A-Z -lots of teaching suggestions as well as resources and games

NZ teacher blogs...

Interface lists quite a few NZ teachers blogs.
the reception class - like this as a way of communicating the class programme

Teachers Blogging

This term break I'm planning to explore some classroom blogs, interested in all the different purposes teachers and their students use these for and what makes a 'fantastic' classroom blog...but for now I've found a few ways of making 'decorating' blogs from various scrapbooking sites...interested in whether there are non-scrapbook blog template sites other than the ones found in blogger, typepad or wordpress.

Hot Bliggity Blog

Shabby Blogs

Cutest Blog on the Block

Board Games

I'm thinking about these after a discussion on developing speech skills....cubes with pictures on and questions about each 'face' that can be asked about the picture (best if the pictures relate to an interest of the learner) that lands face up - with the makaton symbols/pictures also on the question cards.

Games can be such an interesting way of drawing learners in, of encouraging communication, developing number concepts and reading skills, using social skills with turn taking, understanding fairness and winning and loosing. If the students can make their own games there are more learning opportunities in planning, designing, crafting, understanding materials, creating the rules - writing, and even ideas around 'marketing' their game.
All Fun

Love to Know

My Lot

Additional Needs

do2learn - variety of resources and information
special needs kids - information mainly
5 minutes for special needs - short blog write ups

boardmaker
teaching learners with multiple needs

writing

On Wednesday I participated in professional development day (with Queenstown School). Murray Gadd was leading us, he has been involved in 'crafting' the writing part of the New Zealand Curriculum and in writing the Yr 5-8 book on effective literacy practice.

It was a very inspiring day, and I agreed with those who commented that we easily forget how hard it is to 'just write' like we ask our children to do...sometimes without prompt or inspiration! As a group of teachers we selected a picture and went away to write 3 sentences about it - a factual, stating the facts one, an imagery or poetic one and a speech bubble one...then we got together with others who had chosen the same picture and put our sentences together to make one piece of writing and then illustrate it. This task worked us through much of the English component with writing, reading and visual presentation as well as considering and applying different forms or ways of writing. Some of them will be on display for the students to see the teachers as writers too.

It was good to consider the use of the word 'crafting' rather than drafting...or even rough copy as it adds more value to the daily writings. Twenty minutes a day of writing was recommended...actual writing, not mat time talking about writing!

Was looking into some creativity stuff and found some further ideas...

• like a 'prompt' where you are to look at the prompt and write for 10 minutes on that prompt!

• using photographs to inspire writing...even cutting them up to develop student ideas about the setting and context