The Man on the Moon

I know it's cliche, but the time really has flown by. It feels like only last week I moved to Hertfordshire to embark on my PGCE journey, and now it's mid-December, with only one week left of school before our 2 week Christmas break! 

Thankfully, I still absolutely adore my placement school, and consider myself to be one of the lucky ones that doesn't have a bad thing to say about the school, my mentor, the class, or the staff. In fact, I'd quite like it if time slowed down so that I could spend more time there instead of having to leave in February!

Last week, I had my first lesson observation. I'd only taken the whole class one time before that - a very impromptu moment when my mentor got called out of the classroom with nobody else to cover her! 

The lesson I chose to be observed on was English, where we did a Big Write lesson. I based my idea on the John Lewis Christmas advert, and had the children write a letter to the Man on the Moon.  

I began by showing them the video, and pausing it on the man's face, asking them to tell me how they think he is feeling. "Upset, sad, lonely" were some of the frequent answers. They suggested that he would be happier if he had a friend on the moon, or even if he went back down to Earth. 

I created a model letter for the class to look at, and asked them to point out some of the key components of a letter, such as the address, "to" or "dear", "from", and a paragraph layout. Once they were comfortable with the idea of writing, I set them off to write their own letters, providing my LA's with a template that they could use.

I was so impressed with how well they got on - they all produced some really lovely, touching letters, inviting the man to come and celebrate Christmas with them. 

My mentor had really positive feedback for me, too, with only a few improvements, such as my transitions from the carpet to the tables, and my plenary. But overall, as a first lesson planned and delivered by myself, I couldn't be happier with how it went! 

This whole school experience has cemented the fact that I've chosen the right career path, and I just can't wait to have a class of my own! 

One Week Down

It's the Sunday after my first week of my block placement, and I'm so happy to say that I absolutely adore this school! 

My last post was a little down in the dumps, but I'm fine, really. I've got a focus for my assignment now, and I think all I really needed was to just get me into school to remind me of why I'm doing all of this! 

The last school I was at wasn't particularly welcoming, so I was a little wary that this might be the same, but my mentor, headteacher, staff, and the children are all so incredibly lovely, it already feels like I'm a part of the school! 

I've been involved in a lot of group work in this first week - I've never taught an entire class before, so this is a good way of easing myself in - particularly focusing on Maths and English. They started column addition this week, and it was interesting to see the different ways that I would have taught it compared to how my mentor did. We spoke about it afterwards and decided that both methods were completely fine, so if a child didn't understand her way of doing it, we could try my way. This proved to work quite well in the remaining lessons for the week! 

My class have swimming lessons every week, and also visit the local care home fortnightly, which was so lovely to see! The children read stories to the residents, and you could see just how much the residents enjoyed the company of a child, if only for half an hour. This gave me an idea for an English lesson involving the new John Lewis advert, The Man on the Moon. The children could acknowledge how the man would be feeling lonely, and then link it to the residents that they have read to. They could then write a letter in the form of a Christmas card to a resident, and give them to them in the last week of term. I've already discussed this with my tutor, and with a little work, she thinks it has the potential for a great lesson that the children - and residents! - would really enjoy!

It looks as if this week I'll be easing myself into teaching by doing some starter activities, which I'm nervously excited for, so watch this space! 

A Block In The Road

Starting this course, everyone said I would hit a block at some point. This week is the one. 

Over the last week or so, we've been bombarded with information about our assignments. We have a written assignment due in April, and a 15 minute presentation in February. The essay doesn't scare me so much, as I've spent the last 3 years writing essays for my undergrad course, but the presentation petrifies me. 

We need to come up with a topic surrounding either English, Maths or Science, and come up with 15 minutes worth of talk around it. I knew I wanted to do Maths, as it's the subject I was least looking forward to teaching, but the one I'm most enjoying now I've started the course. I've been searching a ton of different sources to find inspiration for my topic, but nothing has stuck out whatsoever. I know that February is a long way away, but is it really? This course is so full on, that while we're on placement (in just one and a half weeks time!), we'll be observing, planning, teaching, assessing and doing directed tasks. Throw research, reading and planning for a presentation into the mix, and you've got yourself a recipe for stress. 

If I could at least have a question in mind before I start my placement, that would put me in the best position I could be right now. 

I think the pressure of assignments has just put me in the wrong frame of mind this week. In our Maths session this week, I just couldn't get a grip on the concept. We were doing fractions, and for the first time on this course, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. One of the questions was "Is 3÷4 the same as 3/4?"

The rest of the class had worked it out, and were discussing how they worked it out, and even once they had moved onto the next question, I was still trying to figure it out for myself. No matter how much I looked at the question, I just couldn't do it. 

It took me 10 minutes before I realised that if you divided 1 by 4, you got 1/4, so multiplied by 3, the answer was 3/4. 

I've never felt so trumped by one question before, and it really put a downer on how great I'd felt about Maths since starting the course. 

I know this is just a block in the road, and that it'll pass pretty quickly, but right now I just want to get out onto placement - a change f scenery and a reminder of why I'm doing this is exactly what I need right now! May my rollercoaster be heading upslope soon!

Owl Pellets and Mouse Skeletons

This week's Science lesson was about classification and identification. We began by discussing how this concept could be used from Early Years to Year 6. We were given a tray with different items in it, and we discussed how the different age groups would classify the items into different groups.

For Early Years, it would be as simple as soft and hard items, whereas in Year 6, it could be transparent and opaque.

We then moved on to a late KS2 activity. We read part of White Owl, Barn Owl, and discussed what and how much an owl would eat. Much to my initial disgust, we were then provided with an owl pellet in pairs (an owl's regurgitated food - the sludge-like substance is the fur and feathers it could not digest!) to dissect and pick out the bones it had eaten. 

Once I got past the initial gross-ness of it, I found myself really getting into it, and was fascinated when we discovered skulls! The picture above is from 2 pellets, and we found 5 skulls!

Our task was then to identify what animals it had eaten. We were given a sheet to identify each bone to the correct animal, and even managed to put together the skeleton of a mouse!

This is something that a Year 5/6 class would find extremely exciting, and would benefit their learning by identifying each bone of the animal! I will definitely be keeping hold of this idea and embracing it when i have my own Year 5/6 class! 

Algebra Doesn't Have To Be Scary!

Algebra in secondary school, for me, was surprisingly something I quite liked! The letters didn't scare me, and it was something that I just got. I think I was one of the only people in my tutor group that didn't partake in the intake of breath when the word algebra was mentioned. 

In simple terms, algebra is pattern spotting. Now that doesn't sound so scary, does it?

We were shown a brilliant example of how algebra can be used simply in a Year 2 class, with the use of link cubes. We created a dog out of the cubes, and noted how many cubes made up each body part. We then made another dog, adding an extra cube to each leg and torso, and one more dog, again, adding an extra cube to the legs and torso.

We then created a table, noting the differences between each dog, then extended the sequence. The children would notice that there was a pattern between the dog number, and the amount of cubes that made up the torso and legs - the number of the dog was the same as the number of cubes. 

We would then be able to ask the children to estimate the amount of cubes that made up each body part for dog number 99, etc. 

I absolutely loved this concept of introducing algebra, and we could introduce the formal algebra (x, y, etc.) in Year 6, where we could ask them to work out how many cubes Dog n would have.

To introduce how different patterns can be interpreted, in pairs, we created and extended our own patterns. I placed down 4 different coloured cubes, expecting my partner to extend the pattern with the same coloured cubes in the same order. However, she extended it in her own way, by using the same colours of the pattern, but using everyday objects of the same colours. 

This threw me off a little as I wasn't expecting it, but I loved the concept of patterns being interpreted and worked out in different ways. 

This is such a great way to introduce children to the idea of algebra, without jumping straight into the unknown and throwing in letters from the offset. 

Phonics Week

For our second week-long placement, I was placed in a Reception class to focus on Phonics teaching. I was a little wary, as I'd never considered teaching in Early Years before, but I found the whole experience really positive, and really enjoyed the week!

Each morning, there were 7 activities laid out. The children were put into 7 groups, and each group would rotate every day to do a new activity. These activities were related to phonics and spelling, numeracy, fine motor skills etc. 

The children responded really well to these activities, and remained focused until the teacher rang the wind chimes, signalling carpet time. 

Independent Learning was a new experience for me. From an outside glance, it seemed like it was simply play, but the teacher and TA's were constantly assisting the children with their own learning. For example, if a child was drawing a picture, we would ask what shapes they were using, could they label their pictures etc. If they were looking at a book in the reading area, we would ask them to blend phonemes together.

After Independent Learning, it was Teacher-Led Learning, where the theme for the week was the teddy bear's picnic we would be having at the end of the week. Again, each group rotated activities every day. These activities included writing an invitation for their teddy bears, creating party hats, and writing lists of what they would need for the party. Giving the children a focus of excitement (the teddy bear's picnic), really engaged them in the activities and encouraged their learning.

I read a number of stories to the class during the week at Snack Time, which was a really fun experience for me. It was lovely to see all of the children so engaged in the story and really listening to the words. 

After Snack Time, it was Phonics. Every couple of days, a new phoneme would be introduced. Repetition played a huge part in the childrens' learning' they would repeat the phonemes five times each, before moving on to the next letter. Once they had learnt the new phoneme, it would be added to the outside of the board as a constant reminder. The teacher would encourage their curiosity by asking questions such as, "what do you notice about 'c', 'k' and 'ck'?"

After the Phonic overview, the children would recite their "secret words" - I shouldn't even be mentioning this! They were high frequency words in a box that the children would recite as "word detectives". They responded brilliantly to this, as they were put in role, rather than just reciting words on a board.

Throughout the week, I was able to teach the lower ability phonics group. I found it really difficult for my first session, as the children found it hard to concentrate with the other children reciting phonics on the carpet. However, in my second session, I used a game method to engage them, and got a brilliant response. I drew a race track on some paper, and separated the track into squares, with a phoneme on each square. The children were given a racing car each and a dice, and had to navigate themselves around the board, only being able to move on if they could sound out the phoneme. Making the learning relevant to the children is key in engaging their learning. 

I was also able to see the levels of differentiation in the class. For example, there was a boy who found it extremely difficult to focus on each activity. The teacher placed a velcro board in the corner of the room with a visual timetable for the day. He was then able to take off each lesson as they ended so that he could focus on them one at a time. There was also a girl with behavioural problems, who also struggled to concentrate for long periods of time. At carpet time, the teacher gave her a sand timer, so that the child could focus on concentrating. Once the timer ran out, she was allowed to pick up a book and read to me so that she wasn't creating distractions for the other children.

I really loved my time in the class, and had such a helpful, friendly teacher, who encouraged me to do as much or as little as I wanted to. 

Observing Over Time

This week's Science lessons was all about observations over time, and how we can use experiments to engage the children in Science. For one of our directed tasks, we had to create a pitfall trap to catch mini-beasts. We used a clean yoghurt pot, and punched 3 small holes in the bottom to drain rainwater, then added a couple of vegetable leaves to attract the mini-beasts. 

We made a hole in the ground and placed the pot at ground level to make it easy for the mini-beasts to access it. 

We covered the pot with a piece of cardboard, and placed some stones around the outside to stop larger creatures from accessing the pot. 

When we returned to it the next day, we found a small slug and a couple of small insects inside. As the bugs were so small, they didn't show up very well in the pictures. 

If I was doing this experiment with a class, I would use multiple pots, and changing the variables. For example, we could place them in different spots, or use different foods in each pot.

In our Science workshop, we created tabletop displays in groups. Our group focused on mould growth, and used bread as an example of this. At home, we placed slices of bread in the house, changing the variables; we used clean hands to touch one slice, dirty hands to touch another etc. 

If this were in a classroom, we would allow the children to make predictions as to which slice would have the fastest/slowest growth mould. We presented this planning sheet, where the children could add their own variables, and move them around to make their predictions. 

We printed out pictures of each slice, so the children would be able to move the pictures around according to which day they thought each slice belonged to. They could then change the variables on the "slices" below the pictures to display their findings.

To encourage their curiosity, we created a question sheet, where there were multiple questions that the children could answer on a post-it note. We made sure that the questions were worded in a way that meant there were no right or wrong answers. 

I am very happy with how are display ended up, and it as given me plenty of ideas for my own classroom.

Special School Placement

I didn't know what to expect before my special school placement, but honestly, I couldn't have had a better experience. The head teacher was so friendly and inviting, and the entire school was so welcoming to us all. 

I was placed in a through school with children with moderate learning difficulties, and my class was a group of 12 truly lovely 12-14 year olds. The class was laid out with one big table in the centre of the room, where the children, teacher and TA sat together, creating more of a community feel than rows of seats. There were a few comfy seats on the other side of the room, facing away from the main table to act as an escape for children who needed a break, and a table in the far corner for one of the boys who hated to work in groups. 

This term's topic was castles, so a lot of their learning revolved around that particular theme. For their literacy lessons during the week, the children first had to think of a well known story, and describe the beginning, middle and end of it, to create a timeline of events. I worked with a girl with Down's Syndrome, as she described to me the story of Frozen. It was strange to be working with children who were of secondary school age, who could not read or write properly, but they were so keen to learn, I adapted pretty quickly. Once they had set out the three parts of a known story, they had to come up with their own. So to start with, they drew their own castle and labelled it, to act as their setting. They then drew and described four characters before writing their own beginning, middle and end. This was a lot easier for them to focus on than writing the whole story, as it segmented the process into more manageable chunks, and it was really interesting to see the stories they came out with. 

In numeracy, the children were learning about the value of money. As the head teacher explained at the start of the week, they put a lot of emphasis on real life experiences so that the children find it easier to live independently in the future. This was put into practice in numeracy. We used plastic coins so that the children had a visual representation to follow. We started simply by reciting the number bonds of ten, and then asking "how many 1ps are in a 5p/10p/20p coin" etc. Some of the children responded better than others, but the teacher and TA were fantastic in supporting the lower attainers. We then gave the children a plastic wallet each with a mixture of coins adding to the value of 20p. This was their bank balance. We explained that they can earn money to add to their balance by doing "jobs" around the classroom, such as tidying up and cooperating with each other well. We then turned the classroom into a tuck shop, allowing the children to buy items such as fruit, crisps and chocolate with their money. Every item was worth a different amount, and it was up to them whether they wanted to spend or save their money. The tuck shop ran every day in the week I was there. This is the perfect example of using every day experiences to show the children how to spend and save money. 

I found that the lessons were a lot more "hands on" than I've seen previously. For example, they have a gardening lesson once a week, where they grow their own vegetables. Those same vegetables are then used to make food in their cooking lessons! The children responded brilliantly to this, as they got to see the process of their vegetables growing, and then cook and eat them afterwards. In Science, they cut open their vegetables to observe the seeds, which aligned with their lesson about reproduction.

I absolutely loved my special school experience, and has completely opened my mind to the possibility of working in a special school. 

Addition & Subtraction

Another week of Maths seminars is another week my mind's been blown open with ways of how I wish I was taught how to learn when I was in school. 

This week was all about addition and subtraction, something I thought I was pretty comfortable with. I didn't realise that there were two types of addition; aggregation and augmentation. Although the children wouldn't be aware of the two methods, it's helpful for a teacher to know the difference. If a child is struggling, it may be that one method will be easier for them to understand than the other. 

Aggregation is when there are two sets that come together - altogether would be the keyword.

Augmentation is when you start with something, and make it bigger - the keyword here would be more.

Other key phrases we were taught is partitioning and compensating. 

Partitioning is the splitting and recombining of numbers,

eg. 24 = 20 + 4

Compensating is when you add too much/little, then adjust it.

eg. 36 + 38

36 + 30 (-2)

As I didn't have much previous school experience, and the experience I did have was with older children, I was introduced to different resources we could use so the children could visualise the calculations. 

Multilink cubes are great for younger children in the enactive stage, as they can physically move around, add to or take away the individual cubes. 

Numicon is also great for those still in the enactive stage, as no only allows them to visualise the holes, but it also allows them to link a number to a colour. 

I had never seen Dienes blocks before, but they are an amazing resource to use to discuss place value. The children can visually see that ten 1s blocks are the same as one 10s block, and ten 10s blocks are equal to one 100s block. 

I particularly liked arrow cards, as this is a visual representation of partitioning. In this example, the children can see that 823 is the same as 800 + 20 + 3, and in turn, can see that 803 - 20 = 803 etc. 

One of the important messages was that we need to teach children that addition and subtraction are inverse processes. If they know one calculation, they also know the inverse. By introducing this link from the beginning, it makes it less scary to the children when it comes up later on. 

Another method to teach them is buy 1 get 3 free. For example, if you know 6 + 4 = 10, you also know 10 - 6 = 4, 10 - 4 = 6 and 4 + 6 = 10. 

When it comes to subtraction, the methods are similar, with partitioning and compensating being the inverse to the addition methods ie. partitioning is when you start with a number and split it into parts, and compensating is when you change a number and adjust it. 

Two new methods we were introduced to are reduction and difference. 

Reduction... if I have 10 cubes and I take away 4, how many do I have left?

Difference... what is the difference between 10 and 4?

It's interesting that these processes come as second nature to us as adults, but we may have struggled to grasp this concept as children. As teachers, it is our job to find which methods work best for each individual child. 

Story Boxes

We were introduced to the idea of Story Boxes in our English seminar, and it's a concept that I will definitely be using in my own classroom. 

Each group was given their own box, each with its own theme. Ours was The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The box contained three different versions of the book, aimed at children with different reading abilities, three toy goat figures, a troll doll, and a bridge.

Story boxes are a great way for the children to reenact the stories that they have been reading, and allows them to use their imaginations to alter the original story to make it their own.

For older children, story boxes can be used as a way to peak their imaginations, and use props as a way to create their own story. 

Our box contained a toy dragon and a phoenix, some old jewellery and trinkets, a postcard of an ancient sword, a fabric bag and a bottle. 

With these items, we created a story where the phoenix used a sleeping potion on the evil dragon in order to claim back the gold that was stolen from him. 

The simplest and most random selections of things can be used to fill the boxes, yet it is amazing what stories will be able to be told from them. I will definitely be using this in the classroom.

Journey Sticks

As one of our directed tasks, we were asked to visit the woods to create a journey stick which could be used in a range of cross-curricular subjects. A journey stick can be used as a visual representation of the childrens' journey, each item on the stick allowing them to retrace their steps. 

We gave our journey a focus of fairies, searching for places in the woods where fairies could be living. 

We found quite a lot of litter on the ground, which we could use to explain to our class the dangers of littering to the environment. 

We also found some rabbit holes. 

And some woodland mushrooms. 

This was our final journey stick, allowing us to retrace our journey through the woods.

We could use the journey sticks as a base for a range of lessons: 

English - Relate it to a story based in the woods, ie. Where the Wild Things Are etc., use it for creative writing; writing a letter explaining their journey, write from a fairy's perspective, write a story based in the woods...

Science - Learn more about plant life/ woodland creatures. 

Art - Take items back to the classroom and create art based around this, such as still life, printing, collage etc. 

Geography - Create a map of the journey, and investigate areas in their own town. This could be used as a way of creating a tourist guide, inviting people into their area. 

History - The children could use their stick to create a visual timeline, attaching items that remind them of a certain time period.

I loved the concept of creating journey sticks, and making it relevant to the childrens' lives. It's a great way to get a change of scenery without losing focus of the learning.