6,7 and a few 8 Year olds take their parents ‘ON A TOUR OF MY LEARNING’

This week we had Student-Led-Tours. The parents have a booklet which contains the following:

‘Let me take you on a tour of my learning…

  • I will start by telling you about our Essential Agreement

Units of Inquiry:

  • Share my learning

Language:

I will:

  • Show you different tools I use to help me spell words.
  • Share strategies I use to help me understand what I am reading.
  • Share a piece of narrative writing and talk about the features and structure.

Mathematics:

I will:

Show you what I have been learning about number. This is what I am learning now and these are some of the tools I can use.

Explain how shapes describe my world. This is what I am learning about shape.

It’s wonderful to hear the mature way these young children explain their learning and show their workbooks etc. to their parents. My role was to observe. Total control of the tour is given to the students.

Activities were left for children to demonstrate their learning with their parents and for the parents to ‘have a go’ as well. When planning we wanted the parents to experience a comprehension task. We chose Goldilocks and the Three Bears as our text because most parents would be familiar with the story.

The parents with their children had two questions to answer. The children enjoyed this activity.

How might the story have been different if Goldilocks had visited the three fish?

Do you think Goldilocks was good or bad? Why do you think so?

Here are some of the answers to the above questions:

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Cheers Nina

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Mother’s Day Cards- 6,7 & a few 8 year old children write beautiful messages and draw their mothers… Making a special activity relevant to a learning need!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s lovely for the children to make something for their mother but equally this activity is an extra planned into a busy week. My aim is to plan these special activities relevantly in my program to meet the learning needs of my students. The children wanted to make a card so they became illustrators. They needed to write something special for mum to put in their card and a sentence to put on their gift. This became an authentic writing task for my students. I’ve included pictures of their little gift and beautiful cards.

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Above: A special crayon with a special message for mum.

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Cheers Nina

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Leadership: Creating a Self Portrait…

Leadership

Last week I attended  a PD focused on applying and interviewing for leadership positions in Victoria, Australia. The presenter, Helen Rix is an education consultant and facilitator. I’d like to thank Helen for an excellent day. Helen challenged my thinking, ensured I reflected and recognised my past, a school’s past, my present, my future and a school’s future. If you’re not sure what this means please leave a comment.

The following questions were asked. How would you answer?

Creating a self portrait

What are my strongest attributes as a teacher?

What contribution will I make as a leader?

What will my leadership look like?

What have you done, thought and planned that points to your capacity for leadership?

Why are you teaching?

Why are you applying for a leadership position?

What are the beliefs you hold about your profession that sustain you when you are under pressure?

(Helen Rix)

Cheers Nina

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Simon Sinek: Start With Why & Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion- Need a little inspiration?

There are many videos we can watch discussing leadership and/or education which leads to confusion at times. I always watch or read with great interest anything  recommended by Angela Stockman and Edna Sackson. Edna has recommended TEDxPugetSound – Simon Sinek – 9/17/09 Start With Why. How Great Leaders Inspire Action with Angela recommending Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion. If you have the time I also recommend you view these presentations. Inspiring…

Cheers Nina

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ANZAC DAY 2013 – Visualizing: An Important Comprehension Strategy (6,7&8 Year Olds)

Creating pictures in your head is part of reading enjoyment and an important comprehension skill. Planning opportunities for children to make mental images will deepen their comprehension. Practice is crucial for visualising to become an automatic process.

Text: The Red Poppy by David Hill

9781869439989

The children completed a visualization activity based on The Red Poppy by David Hill as part of our ANZAC focus. They were asked to visualize part of the story, draw it and write a description. A poppy was made earlier and attached.

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Sheet publisher- Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Text: In Flanders Feilds by Norman Jorgenson and Brian Harrison-Leaver

The children have  been learning about the structure of a narrative in preparation for writing their own.

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Sheet Publisher- Cara Carroll 2012

Cheers Nina

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Perspective… A great example!

58509_595299410482948_1723706010_nPerspective

The understanding that knowledge is not constructed only from the perspective of a particular discipline, individual or group.

Rationale:

This idea was selected because of the compelling need to develop in our students the disposition towards rejecting simplistic, biased interpretations, towards seeking and considering the points of view of others and towards developing defensible interpretations.

IB – Making the PYP Happen 2000

(Photo – The Freethinkers Club)

Cheers Nina

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Wicked Conversations that drive Alignment and Innovation – Steve Vamos

Lots to think about…

Cheers Nina

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