Ok so the fear of starting the Biodiversity flag has settled. I am very lucky to be working with another teacher so the workload is shared. We begun by having a look at the application form and some sample Action Plans. This was very helpful and we agreed to alsomake a timeline. This means that we can easily see what is happening each week rather than just having a general plan. Action plan: So trying to plan in the beginning was very daunting. the main issue we had was that we were trying to plan too much in a short space of time. We realised that the theme Biodiversity is so huge that it would be best for all year groups to have a focus. So we divided the topics and sent out a note to all teachers : : "Our main topics for this year are birds, bees, animal habitats, plants, butterflies & insects. We have divided these topics between the classes but feel free to cover extra topics if you wish. Each class has been paired with another, so it is up to you if you would like to work together. There is a Biodiversity folder in the Shared folder which contains a selection of resources matching the different topics. Rm 3 & 4: Butterflies and Sunflowers Rm 2 & 5: Animal habitats e.g hedgehogs, frogs Rm 1 & 7: Birds & Bees Rm 8: Birds & Insects" This meant that the teachers could choose to join with another class if they wish and share ideas and lessons. We found that sending out a note explain everything we had planned for the rest of the year and letting others see how manageable it was really helped. We wasted no time and we got stuck right in. Bird feeders: The 4th & 6th class worked together to create a selection of bird feeders. They worked in groups and were given all items they needed along with instructions of how to make the bird feeder. They then brought the bird feeders out to the garden and decided where to hang them. We will be checking the feeders to see which ones have been eaten. Innocent sow and grow: We also signed up for the Innocent Sow and Grow. We have taken part in this for the past four years and the children really enjoy it. We received our free pots, soil and seeds in the post. We then did some planting with the Green Schools team. Each class is then responsible for looking after their peas and cress. Every few weeks we gather the team together with their plants and give out prizes. the first competition was for the largest cress leaves and this weeks is for the tallest pea plant. It gives a great sense of excitement and all of the boys are trying out different ideas to help their peas grow. Last weeks prize was these cool plant ties! OWLS: We arranged a visit from Mouse and Hedgehog from OWLS, a children's nature charity. Each class went out for 20-30 minute slots and created parts of the Insect Hotel. To say that it was amazing is a total understatement. Mouse and Hedgehog were so enthusiastic and the children hung off their every word. Some classes were allowed to use drills while others were taught how to use a saw. It was amazing to see the children's reactions when the hotel was complete. Each day since they have been checking to see if any insects have moved in! We have a lovely piece of wood that we are hoping to paint to say 'Rainbow Hotel'. We think the insects are getting some serious 5 star luxury in their new accommodation. Check out their website to see all of the wonderful things they have to offer! .owls.ie_ So as you can see we are having great fun working on our Biodiversity flag! I hope to post another blog about it next week so hopefully people might get some new ideas!
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So a few weeks back I was contacted by Prim-Ed and asked to review their new range of books, Reading Comprehension and Word Reading. I am always looking for new resources to use so of course I said yes! I used the books with a selection of age groups from 2nd- 6th class in both Resource and mainstream class setting.
I also tried out Time Matters and Maths Assessment. I find that children need a lot of help when it comes to the topic of time and this book has some very useful resources. Some of them I didn't find as user friendly as others but I could say that about most books. I did find the Maths Assessment books very useful, especially for a Resource setting. It is divided up into each strand and strand unit. I wouldn't use it for each strand but I would use it to check the children's understanding at the end of a certain topic. Some of the boys asked if they could check their understanding of Decimals and Percentages so we completed the worksheets relating to this. It gave them a great sense of ownership over their learning and allowed them to see what they needed to focus on. Finally I would just like to end with mentioning the Comprehension boxes. I had mentioned this before on my Facebook page. I use these daily with children in a resource setting and find them very useful. They allow the children to work on them independently.
If anyone has used any of these books I would be interested to hear what you think! |
AuthorI have been teaching for several years and hope to share some of my ideas and experiences with you. Archives
March 2020
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