Monday, 20 April 2015

World War One Unit of Work

Check out some of these activities we completed as part of a unit of work on World War One.

Project Work: Children worked in groups on a topic or question of interest associated with WWI.  Some children had some very interesting contributions from grandparents or memorabilia from great grandparents involvement in the War.

These were presented as posters or scrapbooks.
Here are some photos from the groups working on their project.
Some groups also incorporated drama or freeze frames.







Each group reviewed all the presentations and wrote down an interesting fact from each one.  
I will post the project/review sheet I used in my next post! 
This is a great way to ensure the class remain on task during the project work and presentations. 


Artwork: 

As part of our art work the children created poppies using pastels and chalks.  
This was our display: 




Literacy

There is some fantastic world war one poetry which generates some interesting discussion and debates.  

Two of the most interesting we studied were: The Call by Jessie Pope 
and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen.  
The first explores recruitment for the army and the false hopes and dreams which were portrayed to lure young men to the ranks. 
The second explores the harsh reality of war. 
It's a wonderful activity to explore and compare the tone, imagery and message of both. 


The Call by Jessie Pope (1914)

Who's for the trench—
 Are you, my laddie?
 Who'll follow French—
 Will you, my laddie?
 Who's fretting to begin,
 Who's going out to win?
 And who wants to save his skin—
 Do you, my laddie?

Who's for the khaki suit—
 Are you, my laddie?
 Who longs to charge and shoot—
 Do you, my laddie?
 Who's keen on getting fit,
 Who means to show his grit,
 And who'd rather wait a bit—
 Would you, my laddie?


Who'll earn the Empire's thanks—
 Will you, my laddie?
 Who'll swell the victor's ranks—
 Will you, my laddie?
 When that procession comes,
 Banners and rolling drums—
 Who'll stand and bite his thumbs—
 Will you, my laddie?


“Dulce et Decorum est”


Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep.  Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod.  All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! GAS!  Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, -
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie:  Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.                                              
~ Wilfred Owen



Radio Advertisement/Oral Language

Write a speech recruiting members to the World War Cause. 
Alternatively create a recruitment poster. 


If you've any more ideas you could add, please feel free to comment below. 

Yvonne




Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Percentages Teaching Activities & Strategies


January has been one hectic month in school and with my Masters, so apologies for the lack of blogging!

In this post I would like to share some fun activities which will help the children understand percentages.  For me, the children's ability to easily see the links between fractions, decimals and percentages is hugely important.

Here I have compiled some activities I used to help the children become comfortable with conversion between fractions, decimals and percentages.

Brainstorming
With every new topic I work on in maths, we always begin with a brainstorm!
The children simply jot down ANY ideas or thoughts which come to mind when a certain word is mentioned.  I welcome ALL contributions, sometimes asking the children to elaborate on their connection a little further if at first it is a little vague.  I jot all ideas on the board and the class are encouraged to keep building on what has already been found.  This leads to great conversation and activation of prior knowledge! It sometimes amazes me what the children already know!


Fractions, Percentages & Decimals Number Line
Here the children work in pairs.  I gave them a decimal and challenged them represent the decimal in as many ways as possible.  This could also include pictorial representations, words, numbers, etc.

After children completed this activity we hung them on a number line and ordered them from the smallest to the largest.



Percentage Dominos
This is brilliant!  A great game to get the children on the floor and get them matching fractions, decimals and percentages.  The exact one I used seems to have been removed - it had visual images of fractions which needed to be matched with percentages.  However, while this isn't link isn't the same, its another great game along similar lines.

http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/sites/default/files/Activities/FractionDecimalPercentDominosCM.pdf



Online Shopping!
What child in sixth class doesn't like shopping!
We pretended that there was an online sale in River Island with a 30% discount (http://www.riverisland.com).  The children were then allowed €80 to purchase as many items on sale as they could to create an outfit! (Jack Wills is another popular website with the boys especially - http://www.jackwills.com)
If you don't have access to an iPad or laptop, take a screen shot of some of the clothes and photocopy it.  This works equally well!
There are a number of questions here which could be asked for further extension work :
- How much was the original outfit?
- How much money did you save?
- How much money had you left over?

Children can go further with this creating a word document showing all their outfit and purchases for €80.  A definite winner and excellent opportunity for maths vocabulary!



Who said working with percentages had to be tedious? Percentages are all around us, therefore its important to make the children aware of just how relevant in our day to day lives they really are.
For example, after any tests which we now do, I ask the children to calculate their percentage mark.

The class really enjoyed this activity and almost forgot that it was maths.
There are so many simple things we can do as teachers to promote a love of maths often right in front of us!

If you have any more ideas for fun or practical ideas for teaching percentages, I would be delighted to   add them to this list!

Yvonne :)





Wednesday, 11 February 2015

3D Cubist Foil Art


I swear this is a display that has gotten so many compliments!
If you're looking for a show stopper... this is it AND it's so easy!

All you need are cardboard boxes (thick ones - not the cereal box card as this is too thin).  I used the wrapping I got from book depository orders.  This was the ideal thickness.  Alternatively you could use foam sheets from an art and craft shop.

Prior to beginning the lesson I had a "looking and responding" session examining some Cubist art pieces, particularly those by Picasso.  We focussed on the three dimensional nature of the art and the use of strong bold lines.   We discussed reactions to the art, what the children liked and disliked.
This was also a good way to help kick start the children's thinking about what they would like to create for their piece of art.

The children began with a rectangular piece of base cardboard.
They then start cutting out pieces of card and sticking them down to their base to 'build up' their picture, creating a 3D effect.
The more the picture is 'built up', the greater the effect.

After completing the picture, cover the whole thing with PVA glue.  Cover with a piece of tin foil, shiny side up.

To add a rustic effect add some black paint in places and rub it in using some wire scrubs (the ones you use for the sink work great!)

Ta-da!
Some fabulous artwork for all to admire! :)


Let me know how you get on!

Yvonne



Friday, 2 January 2015

Inventors Investigation & Young Inventors Competition

Last month to coincide with the Young Inventors Competition, I decided to explore inventors and inventions as part of a unit of work in science.

First,  we brainstormed and discussed as many inventors and inventions we could think of.

I then cut up the names of some famous inventors and placed them into a hat.  The children then chose an inventors name from the hat and carried out an investigation.  I gave this worksheet to each child as a guide to help them: Inventor Investigation

The children then used the iPads to complete the investigation and created a Comic Life Strip for their chosen inventor.  The children then shared their information and their comic strip with their partners.  We then carried out a group discussion on some of the most interesting facts we found out.

We then discussed and ranked the importance of the following inventions in everyday life:

  • Steve Jobs - Apple
  • Thomas Edison - The Lightbulb
  • Stephanie Kwolek - Bullet Proof Vest
  • Alexander Graham Bell - The Telephone
  • Sir Tim Berners Lee - The Internet
  • Grace Murray Hopper - Coding
  • Louis Pasteur - Vaccines & Pasteurisation
  • Nikola Tesla - Using Electricity Safely
It turned out to be an interesting debate!

Finally the children were challenged to design and create a blueprint for their own inventions.  This was a lovely activity to finish up the unit.
I encouraged the children to think of a problem and try and come up with an imaginative solution to solve it.
Here are some examples of what the children created.   We're looking forward to seeing whether we have any success in the competition!



Maybe we have an inventor of the future in 6th Class! :)



Yvonne

Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Communication in the Classroom

Smartling, a company that translates websites, are currently running a 'Communication in the Classroom' project on Pinterest.  This really got me thinking about what communication strategies I use in the classroom with my students and what works best.  After much thought, I narrowed it down to these three:
  • Discussion, Questioning & Echoing
  • Simple & Explicit Instructions
  • A variety of teaching methodologies

Questioning
Personally, one of the most important and simple communication techniques I use with my students is questioning.  The importance of a good questioning strategy cannot be overemphasized, particularly when engaging in discussion with the class.  Not only can questioning be differentiated to cater for a variety of needs in the classroom, but also it can determine what direction a discussion can take.  

Bloom’s taxonomy of questioning will forever be a core teacher tool.  I have one of these stuck to my table which helps prompt me when engaging in debate or discussion with my class.   I think its an essential for any teacher! 



Blooms Taxonomy for the iPad 
In keeping with 21st century learning and the ever evolving nature of Technology.   I came across this recently, a Bloom’s taxonomy for the iPad!
Here are a selection of apps that challenge the children with different levels of higher order thinking.  (I am a HUGE fan of Comic Life as you've probably seen from past posts and tweets.  The children can bring any topic to life with this fun and creative app.)



Echoing  
After asking a question, checking for understanding is sometimes just as important.  Sometimes asking the children to repeat your question can ensure they know exactly what is expected of them. 

Communicating with EAL students 
When working with children for whom English is a second language keeping instruction short and simple is key.  Depending on the difficulty of the task or activity, you may need to be more explicit.  Things we often take for granted, need to be precisely explained. 
The use of body language, tone of voice and intonation can help make understanding easier for EAL (English as an additional Language) students.

Multiple Intelligences
Gardners Multiple Theory of Intelligences would argue that each of us possess a particular area of intelligence which can influence how we learn and what we are interested in.   There are nine types of intelligences according to Gardner. 


In order to meet variety of learning styles in the classroom, I try to vary my methods of teaching with the children.  Here are a variety of the strategies I use in the classroom:
  • Visuals, Pictures, Photographs & Powerpoints
  • Videos
  •  Groupwork & Pairwork
  • Active Learning (E.g. trails, games, concrete materials)
  • Drama
  • Art
  • Project work
  • Written assignments (diaries, anchor charts, responses, reflections etc)

Some activities will suit particular children better than others, but by varying methodologies I can only hope to cater for the variety of intelligences in the classroom.  

I'm sure I have missed some, so feel free to comment or suggest some ways you communicate with your class. Have you any tried and tested systems or approaches? 

Yvonne

Sunday, 14 December 2014

Division of Fractions lesson using the Show Me App

At present I am trying to incorporate some aspects of an Inquiry Based Learning approach into my teaching, particularly within maths.

I gave this a go with teaching division of fractions recently.

Instead of teaching the concept of dividing fractions in a traditional chalk and talk approach, I armed the children with iPads and placed a problem on the board instead.

"Sean had 3 pepperoni pizzas. He cut them into quarters.   How many friends would he be able to give a piece of pizza to?"


The children were then challenged to work in pairs to solve the problem using the 'Show Me' App.

This is a brilliant app for use in maths class.  The children created slides to show how exactly they solved the problem.  I encouraged them to draw pictures and use as many notes and labels as they could.
The app then allows them to record their voiceover as they flick through their slides.   I was so impressed by the level of understanding by many of the children.






To complete the task I asked the children to try and write an equation for the problem.  Many of them did this without any support!
Finally we discussed the equation and what it meant.  We then completed some more problems.  Definitely a more interesting and active means of learning about division of fractions!

Yvonne






Friday, 12 December 2014

Polar Bear Christmas Art


We created these cosy polar bears just before Christmas using chalk pastels and black sugar paper.

I think they're the only ones enjoying the chilly spell at the moment!