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Australian Federation is essential knowledge for everyone!

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Why you shouldn’t scrimp on teaching this important topic.

I’ve mentioned before that Aussie Star was born from my determination to make teaching Australia’s Federation more engaging and hands-on for students and an easier topic to teach. I didn’t want to dread teaching it anymore and I didn’t want students to switch off in my lessons because the process wasn’t exciting or there weren’t any battles that grabbed their attention. The further I dug into the topic the more passionate I became about it and its role in the curriculum for Year 6. 


In 2020 understanding Australia’s Federation became even more important as we saw for the first time in over a century, the division between the States as more than just geography. We saw State Governments apply lockdowns and border closures to protect their citizens and economies from the impact of Covid-19. As a result, we saw the autonomy and independence of the States that was so fiercely protected in the establishment of Federation. While working as a nation to beat Covid-19 the State Government clearly demonstrated their commitment to their citizens first and foremost. This wasn’t without some controversy of course but it was clear that the Premiers were working with the Federal Government, but their State was their priority.

Like everyone I often chatted with people about what was happening and the latest restrictions or easing of. Often I was surprised to hear comments like “Why doesn’t the PM just tell the states they should lock down?” or on the 
flip-side “They can’t keep the State border closed. They’ve got no right because the PM is in charge, not the Premiers, so he should just tell them to open.” I couldn’t help but wonder if these people hadn’t been taught the basics of Australia’s Federation at school. I certainly didn’t, in fact I don’t remember learning anything about Australia’s government until I studied Legal Studies in Year 12 and I’m ashamed to say I don’t remember much of it. Having a sound understanding of Federation and how our system of Government was established would help people to have a better understanding of the decision making, responsibilities and relationship between the State and Federal Governments. I’m sure they’d still be frustrated and there will always be hot debate between states but the basic knowledge would help to generate informed debate.

Thankfully, we’re now teaching all students (those learning the Australian Curriculum) the fundamentals of Australia’s Federation and the origins of our System of Government. Sure we have to work hard to make it fun and interesting but it’s well worth the effort to know that we’re developing a generation who have a greater understanding of the processes, reasons and justification for Australia’s system of Government and the relationship between the Federal, State and Local Governments.

Have you found any teachable moments related to Federation or Australia’s system of Government from the Covid-19 crisis? Let us know in the comments? If you’re looking for resources to help liven up your Federation unit scroll down to checkout a selection of our Federation activities. On your way past sign up for V.I.T Membership to gain access to our FREE resource library which includes this gorgeous Federation Agamograph.

Wishing you a settled and successful 2021! 

Happy Teaching!
Amy

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How a curriculum topic checklist can ease your workload.

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Get on top of planning with a Curriculum Topic List

Don’t be bamboozled by an overcrowded curriculum!
A curriculum topic list can help you make sense of everything you need to cover.

We’ve all heard that the curriculum is over-crowded. There’s so much to cover that it can be easy for topics to slip through the cracks. Or it can be difficult to know where to start with your planning or to find the opportunities for integration. A curriculum topic list can help with this. When I was in the classroom, I always wished there was a quick, easy to read list I could look at to reference and check off what I had done. I love a good list!

Curriculum topic lists are perfect for this they give you a quick breakdown of subjects and the content that needs to be covered. They can be used in several ways.

  • To help with your planning. You can check them off as you plan.
  • To help find or prepare resources. A quick reference list can give you the keywords you need to do an online search on TPT or Pinterest. Ready made resources are a huge timesaver!
  • To understand what students have covered in previous years to help you gauge their level of prior knowledge and understanding. 
  • To help your teaching team know what’s in the curriculum for your grade. Sometimes there can be some confusion/double up on content which is frustrating for both teachers and students. A topic checklist is a great way to ensure all grades know what they’re responsible for teaching.
  • To give parents an idea of the knowledge and skills their children will be/have been covering at school. I think they’d be quite surprised to see just how much they’ve covered!
  • To find opportunities for integration. Because there’s so much to cover integrating subjects is a fantastic way to consolidate the content and, as they say, kill two birds with one stone. This is a very efficient way of planning and teaching and can also lead to a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.

To get you started we’ve got a curriculum topic list that covers HASS, Science and Maths for Grades 5 and 6 that you download from our Free Resource Library. We’d recommend printing it out on A3 paper and putting it on your wall for quick reference. To access our Free Resource Library, join our V.I.T membership and we’ll email it straight to you.

If you can think of any other ways to use these lists we’d love to hear them. Feel free to comment below or send us an email. 


We look forward to hearing from you.

Take Care
Amy

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Let someone else take care of your planning and prep this year. No I’m not kidding!

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When I was teaching full-time, we had a cleaner. Her name is Angela and I miss her every day. Every. Single. Day. I seriously loved every second Friday when I would come home to a beautiful clean house and my weekend was (mostly) free. It was money well spent and definitely made me a nicer person to live with. Sure, we paid for her expertise, but it was worth every single penny to have several big jobs taken off my to-do list each fortnight.
Since then more serviced-based businesses have started and I’m all for them, particularly if you have kids and your time is shared between after school homework, weekend sport and play dates or birthday parties. We’ve recently been ordering the Hello Fresh boxes, and these have been amazing. It’s great food and yes you have to cook but you don’t have to think about what you’re going to cook. It’s all there ready, portioned out with a step by step recipe card to walk you through the process. Hubby particularly liked this aspect because he’s not one to ‘wing-it’ in the kitchen. You can also get meals delivered already done like Lite ‘n’ Easy and YouFoodz. There are services available for everything these days and there’s no shame in taking advantage of them. (BTW I’m not affiliated with any of these companies)

You don’t have to do everything the hard way. Hooray!
So why wouldn’t you do the same with aspects of your planning and prep for school? You have so much on your plate at work that reducing the number of tasks you have to do is necessary, nay essential. There’s no shame in this. We can sometimes be martyrs to our profession but when you’re burnt out and overwhelmed what good is that?
If you need further convincing, I’ve put together 5 great reasons to get help with your planning and prep by purchasing done-for-you resources:
You’ll know what you’re teaching and how you’re going to teach it. Done-for-you resources make your planning and prep so fast. You can purchase plans and lesson activities that are ready to print and teach, that are age appropriate and curriculum aligned. So easy.
You’ll know you’ve got the curriculum covered. By purchasing resources that are curriculum aligned you can be confident that you’ve got the curriculum covered and you’ll be able to demonstrate this to your school leaders and parents.

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Your lessons will be truly engaging. Aussie Star was created out of frustration and need. I needed fun, interesting and hands-on activities to teach topics that were often very boring. I didn’t want another boring worksheet and I know you don’t either. Teacher-authors have the time to make awesome resources because they know you don’t, why not take advantage of this?
You’ll be able to deal with everything else better. Seriously if you’re not stressing about what you’re teaching you’ll be able to cope better with those daily curveballs and demands. There are so many extra tasks you’re required to do every day it’s ridiculous and it can feel like teaching is secondary which should never be the case. Done-for-you planning and lessons will free you up so that you’ll be able catch (or dodge) those curveballs.

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You’ll be less stressed. Just like hiring a cleaner or ordering food delivery, using done-for-you resources will cut out one more (big) task from your busy life and free you up for more enjoyable things.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and bogged down in your planning and prep I encourage you to check out our store. Our mission statement says ‘making life easier for upper primary teachers’ and every resource is designed with that mission in mind. We want to ease your workload.

One way to stay up to date with our resources is to join our VIT email list. You’ll receive regular free products that are relevant to your teaching and have access to our exclusive sale events and give-aways. Right now, if you sign up you’ll receive our newsletter template that is perfect to keep your parents and care givers up-to-date on what’s happening in the classroom, events, photos and student work. It can be used in PowerPoint so you can use your own fonts and insert photos. Click here to subscribe.

Let us know if you need any help with finding resources or have any requests for resources you need to make your life easier. We’re just an email away at amy@aussiestarresources.com.au. We look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Teaching
Amy

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Sure your classroom looks great – but how’s your planning looking?

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Curriculum Planning –More important than classroom decoration.


Sure your classroom looks great but how’s your planning going?

Now, don’t get me wrong I love a gorgeous classroom as much as the next teacher. But when I scroll through Instagram or Pinterest I can’t help but wonder if, when it comes to classrooms, beauty is only ‘skin’ deep?

Ok I’m not saying you shouldn’t give your classroom an Insta-worthy makeover if you want to. Having a beautiful classroom can make you, and your students, feel excited for the year ahead. I know there’s pressure to make your room look great. I’ve felt the shame that my classroom is not as beautiful as the other teachers. I’ve also sat up until all hours laminating and cutting labels, displays and motifs. Ugh. What I’m saying is your curriculum planning and prep for teaching and learning should be your first priority. Having the perfect cactus motif on the hessian covered pinboard, above your funky park bench, sitting on a mat of artificial grass, is not creating the ideal learning environment if you’re not ready for the learning to start. So here are my top 3 must-dos before you start decorating your classroom.

1. Curriculum Planning

You know I’m all about planning. Even if you’ve been teaching for 20+ years you should have clear, written, plans for the year ahead. And I’m not talking about the yearly curriculum overview that your school has on the server. I’m talking about curriculum planning that is specific. Genuine planning documents will demonstrate the following:
a. How you will bring the curriculum to life in your classroom
b. How you will ensure you’re covering the whole curriculum across the year and then term
c. How you will assess each achievement standard and the criteria for each assessment

I could go on but for now I’ll leave it at that. Planning is a huge topic that I’ll break down later.

2. Resources

If your curriculum planning is in place you won’t need to do the morning scramble to organise resources for lessons. Of course, there will be times when you forget things or a lesson changes at the last minute. But if you’ve located and organised resources clearly you shouldn’t have to do this as often. As a result, your stress levels will go down because you’re ready to deal with any issues. Being super organised will help you be more flexible and deal with the curve balls that get thrown at you each day. How you organise your resources is up to you but here are some suggestions to get you started:

a. Curriculum folders on your computer.
Create a filing system on your computer that breaks down each component of your planning. This doesn’t need to be a big task. By creating a master folder you can simply copy and rename it for each subject and topic.

b. Google Drive
I love that Google Drive is accessible from anywhere you have internet connection. If you’ve already saved your planning on your hard drive that’s not a problem. You can also upload your curriculum files straight from your computer. It’s so easy! Google Drive will maintain the same filing system of folders and sub folders.

Still don’t have the time? No problem! We’ve created a master folder system and cheat sheet for you. It comes with step by step instructions to set up your own curriculum filing system on your PC and Google Drive. Subscribe to our email list to receive it straight to your inbox.

3. Administration

This is all the nuts and bolts stuff of running your classroom. Having these tasks organised and ready to go early means you’ll be ready to start the year off right. Some of these can be created, laminated and used for years. Sure, you might have seen them for years, but they’ll be new to your students each year.

  • Weekly timetable
  • Book covers
  • Back to school newsletters
  • Tray labels
  • Birthday charts
  • Your desk and drawers
  • Stationery – for you and your students
  • Resource cupboards or storage
  • Art supplies

So, before you go looking for the perfect Llama motif ask yourself if you’re ready to teach for the year ahead. Is your curriculum planning in place? It may not be as fun, but it will reduce your workload and help you cope with the unexpected.

If you’re keen to set up your own curriculum planning filing system, we have created a master file for you already. Sign up to our VIT membership and we’ll email it to you straight away. When you sign up, you’ll also receive our regular email. These emails often include freebies designed especially for upper primary teachers.

All the best for the year ahead!

Happy Teaching

Amy

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What are your professional goals for the new school year?

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Before you help your students make big plans for the year ahead take some time to focus on your own goals.

We often start the new year by setting goals and resolutions, don’t we?

Eat Better
Exercise More
Make more effort to catch up with friends.
Stop using the ‘floordrobe’ and hang your clothes every day.

Once we get started it can be hard to stop!

But how often do you set professional goals for the year?

Now don’t groan and roll your eyes at me young lady! I’m not talking about goals like getting your attendance in on time or getting to work half an hour early. I’m talking about your professional life, your ambition to improve your teaching, to stay inspired, and to feel confident in your skills and abilities as an educator.
Have you given these any thought? Probably not. And that’s ok because these things are easy to forget when we get into the rush of back to school time when planning and prep are your priority. I get it. So, let’s look at this now before we get on the crazy train. 

Why setting professional goals is important

“If it’s not challenging you, it’s not changing you.” Rachel Hollis

Every day in teaching is different, that’s for sure, so why does every day feel like Groundhog Day? Why does it feel like you’re just going through the motions and when you get to the end of the week, term or year, you know you’ll just do it all again the same next year?

I’ll tell you – because it is! You know what needs to be done and you go to work, and you do it. Isn’t that what working is?

Well, yes and no.

Of course, you’ll have routine actions and behaviours, and the routine can be comforting, but without new challenges you’re always going to be heading in the same direction taking the same journey over again every year.
Setting new challenges, or goals, can add new ‘scenery’ and attractions to your journey, you can stop off and take in the view from new vantage points.

What do Professional Goals look like?

Setting goals for your professional life is a little different to making new year’s resolutions for yourself.

Scholastic.com created a list of goals for teachers in 2020. This list has lots of great ideas on it but the one I’m really interested in is Improve Your Skills. Yes, the others are all professional goals too but they’re more focused on your students rather than you and your professional needs. Teachers are life-long learners but while we plan a curriculum for our students, we often forget to do our own.

Ask yourself the following questions to help narrow down your professional goals for 2021:

What areas of teaching do I need to improve on?
This could be new skills, new technology, or improving your knowledge in a subject area. While PD in the subjects we love is more appealing, if we’re really going to kick some career goals we also need to work on our weaknesses.

Which one of these areas really truly inspires me?
Choose the one that stands out the most to you. Which one lights your fire? You’ll be more likely to stick at it if you’re genuinely interested.

How will this improve, inspire, re-ignite my teaching?
Make sure it’s something that will really impact your professional life. There’s no point doing further training unless it’s useful.

Once you’ve determined what your professional goals are for the year it’s time to make a plan that you can stick to. How often do we teach our class to set SMART goals? I’m not going to ask you to do that because I don’t think an acronym is needed here. What I am going to do is just list 6 key points to take into consideration when planning your professional goals for 2021

Growth – Do your goals lead to professional growth?
Relevance – Are your goals relevant to teaching and learning?
Aspirations – Are your goals pushing you professionally and do they set an high achievement standard for your teaching?
Career Focus – Are your goals centred on your teaching career?
Improvement – Will achieving your goals genuinely improve your teaching?
Excellence – Do your goals inspire professional excellence?

Woops I’ve accidentally created an acronym with my daughter’s name!
Setting professional goals for yourself is just as important as setting personal ones. To make it easier we’ve created a goal planning worksheet that’s available for download here. It’s nothing too onerous just a few prompts to get you started.
Whatever your goals for 2021 we wish you all the best for the year ahead and hope it’s one of success, both professionally and personally.

Happy Teaching
Amy

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