Back to work...

It's back to work time again and I hope that everyone has had a great break. If you are working this week, you may want to work through some old NAPLAN tests with your kids... you can find old tests here. I also fixed my link from last week (my bad)... here it is again. And on that note I'm taking my tired little "I can't believe I'm back at work already" self off to bed for an early night!

Links

Yes it's holidays- and yes, we are lucky not to spend our holidays planning and preparing for next term as classroom teachers do. But sometimes a moment of preparation can be very helpful- and with that in mind I give you this little something to get your teeth into before we go back to school.

As with most of the things I share here- this is neither my discovery (thanks Kim) nor my invention (Jenny Ether is a genius). Need to guide a class through writing a poem? It's here- along with all the scaffolding you could ever need for twelve other text types. There are examples, templates and hints- all available at the click of a mouse. And for those of us without internet access at school- you can download the templates into microsoft word and save them for later use.

Thanks again Kim for your great link- and if anyone else has some helpful links to share please let me know so I can publish them here for us all to use. Remember- it's not just internet links that are useful to us, I find that it's the links between people that really count.

**note- link now fixed- make sure you take a look at http://www.writingfun.com/ - it really is a great site.

Holidays!

Yes, it's holidays. No, we don't get paid. Well we can't have it all- but we can make the most of what we do have. Really- it's what we do as Supply Teachers- make the most of what we have and be sure to smile while doing so!

Take a moment to join the Union Shopper to take advantage of a range of discounts to make your hard-earned money go a little further this holiday. This holiday break I'm working on some exciting PD opportunities for us all... more news to come soon.

Wednesday Indulgence

Take a moment to remember just how lucky we are as Supply Teachers. Why? Well we literally have a moment to take. Look in any classroom and you'll find a regular class teacher hard at work. It's that time of year again, where regular class teachers are all wrapped up in parent-teacher interviews, marking, moderating and all of that hard work that we manage to avoid. Leaving before 3.30 is an indulgence. Not getting to school until 8.15 is even more of an indulgence. Taking a moment... well that's just unheard of at the end of term. And having the time to play with something like this.... well that's just something that no classroom teacher has the time to indulge in right now. So make the most of it and time the time to puzzle a supply day away. Get an early finisher to put the weekly spelling words into a crossword and print a copy. Grab a roll and do a find-a-word with names. Enjoy.

Wednesday Night Dinner - With All The Trimmings

At our PD Planning Session we decided we want it all- from teeny-tiny badges to massive smartboards... I'm going to try to cover it all at our next workshop (date yet to be confirmed). Currently I have had requests to make sure we cover:

• literacy games
• numeracy games
• PE games that don't need much space or equipment
• calming games (to focus children after breaks)
• quick resources
• activities for early finishers
• tips for dealing with Special Ed kids
• epipen info
• smartboard resources (and learning place access)

If you have any requests for areas for us to cover, or if you have an area of expertise that you feel would be of benefit for us to learn about... please, please email me. Our next workshop will certainly have all the trimmings!

Real DIY PD

Following a very successful (and delicious) planning session we have the theme for the next workshop...

We really are going to make our own PD. Our next workshop is a "bring your favorite lesson" occasion, where everyone attending gets a 20-minute(ish) slot to present (a summary of) their favorite fall-back lesson or lessons. This is the time to learn a dozen or so fail-proof lessons... and make them your own. We're talking those lessons that use few or no resources that can be adapted across a number of year levels and can cover a range of KLAs.

We'll take some time to examine and build on each lesson, play the games, and create variations and improvements. I'll be asking for an overview of what everyone would like to present before the workshop... and I'll distribute a copy of this overview at the workshop to make everyone's note-taking life just that little bit easier.

We really hope to see you there,

the more of us, the more lessons to share.

And yes, I do love Dr Seuss.

Details to come- but I just couldn't resist posting early!

Wednesday Nibbles...

Don't forget to RSVP for the High Tea this Sunday...

It's that time of the week again, and after our workshop on the weekend there are a few things to post.

Firstly - the magical whiteboard erasers that aren't actually whiteboard erasers... I've yet to try them myself- but next time I'm at the supermarket I will be picking up a pack of them.

Secondly, the instructions for the Pirate Game. While they don't make for great reading- they are fun to act out and play. I have played this with everyone from preps to year 7 children and they all seem to love it...

PS- To those lucky people who were at the workshop last weekend... check your inbox late tonight for new copies of your certificates with 5.5 hours of PD on them... your discussions were so valuable I was hesitant to cut them short... meaning we ran over and can record 5.5 hours of PD for the workshop

Drum-roll please... I give you... The Pirate Game (which I didn't think of myself but play almost daily)

With the younger grades I often begin with a story… the actions are in the table below.

We are on a pirate ship. When the pirate captain comes along I’ll say “Captain’s coming” and we will all salute. Show me your best salute…