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TPT Feedback – More Than Just Points

aussiestarresourcesau · Nov 28, 2018 · 4 Comments

Picture this scenario. You’ve had a great day teaching. The kids are happy. You’ve covered everything on your plan. Your behaviour management is textbook perfect. The kids are working so you go and check your emails. Suddenly you’re plunged in to a pit of despair and anxiety. There’s a message from the front office asking you to call a parent. No explanation, no ‘heads-up’ about what they’d like to speak about. Your heart stops.You break out in a cold sweat. A million possibilities run through your head.

“What’s wrong?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Did something happen that I don’t know about?”
“Is he being bullied?”
“Did I remind the kids to put sunscreen on?”

Well, I can tell you that TPT sellers experience a very similar situation. Nothing stops a Teacher-Author in their tracks like feedback from Teachers Pay Teachers. They feel same sense of panic. The same surge of (usually) unreasonable dialogue rushing through your head.

“Please let it be great or at least polite.”
“I hope they haven’t found a mistake my editor missed"
“Are they unhappy?”
"I’m not cut out for this.”
“My resources aren’t as awesome as I know they are.”

And on it goes.

I’ve had a few of these lately so felt the need to write on behalf of my fellow Teacher-Authors with one simple message. Please be reasonable.

Despite our initial fear we actually LOVE to get feedback. It inspires us, fuels our passion, builds our confidence and can make our day. I’d say 95% of the time feedback is a positive experience with high-fives and happy dances. 3% of the time we get feedback pointing out issues or suggested improvements. While these don’t fill us with joy they are constructive and helpful. They provide us an opportunity to improve our resources and serve teachers better.

The remaining 2% is another story. This feedback can fit in to 3 categories:

Cassie Credit Collector

Example: “Excellent Resource!” 2 Star Rating.

Umm.. Excuse me? This makes no sense! An excellent resource can’t be worthy of 2 stars from a possible 4. Sure, you’ve got your TPT credit for the next sale. But you’ve also broken a Teacher-Author’s heart and lowered their rating on TPT which affects their business.

While you’re getting those credit points please leave thoughtful feedback. You wouldn’t give your students half marks without an explanation. Please don’t do it to a Teacher-Author.

Disappointed Debbie

Example: “I expected more.” 1- 2.5 Star Rating.

The best TPT sellers are very thorough. On each product page you will find a detailed description, thumbnail images and a preview. Some spiffy sellers even provide video previews. Teacher-Authors go to great lengths to help you make an informed purchasing decision. They want to ensure you know exactly what you're getting.

Did you expect more? Did you check out the resource thoroughly to be sure it was what you wanted? If you did, and it was misleading, then leave feedback explaining what you thought you were getting. Leave details - It might inspire the seller to update the resource.

“Caveat Emptor” is the assumption that the buyer takes responsibility for checking the quality of a product and its suitability for their needs. Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what you’re getting on TPT. You look at the thumbnails and read the description but you’re still buying blind. If this is the case I get it if you’re disappointed in what you’ve received. I suggest that in the future you don’t make these risky decisions. Instead expand your search and look for a product that shows you exactly what you’re getting.

It’s out there I promise!

Lazy Lucy

Example: “This was helpful but I still had to teach the concept.” Rating 2.5 Stars.

This one makes me cringe and breaks my heart a little. Yeah you will need to teach the concept because, well, you’re the teacher! No resource can take the place of explicit teaching and nor should it! Resources should complement and enrich your teaching. They will not do the teaching for you.

Geeze Teacher-Authors are a sensitive bunch!

Nope! We're people.

Teacher-Authors know they will get negative feedback at times. Even the TPT superstars have negative reviews. Bill Gates said "We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." All I ask is that you provide valid, thoughtful and genuine feedback.

Your voice does matter and teacher-authors want to know what you think. But keep in mind the real-life person on the other side of the internet. The Teacher-Author who has probably worked a full day in the classroom like you. Or is at home with her new baby trying to supplement the household income with her business. The teacher-Author who can't face another year of IEPs and behaviour plans and needs a break. Leave feedback that is constructive and detailed. Leave feedback that will inspire the development of quality resources. Leave feedback that is purposeful and we'll all reap the benefits.

An Entire Year of Homework for Upper Primary? Yes Please!

aussiestarresourcesau · Oct 2, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Organising homework doesn’t have to be a burden. Honest!

There’s nothing better than ticking items off your to do list in your preparations for next term or the year ahead. You’ve completed term plans, assessment rubrics, IEPs and parent information flyers. You’re ready to go. Except that you haven’t organised your homework program. That’s OK, you can just photocopy some worksheets on Monday mornings… right?

It sounds like a good plan, but the truth is homework can feel like a burden, first you need to find something that’s relevant and meaningful and ideally curriculum aligned. It also needs to be easy to mark and track. It also needs to be engaging and age appropriate. Homework is a great way for students to practise new skills and consolidate their understanding of what’s being done in the classroom. Finally, the content shouldn’t be new to the students and it also shouldn’t take too much of their time or require too much input from parents.

Australian curriculum aligned homework for upper primary

So what’s the solution?

Because our number one goal is to ease your workload we’ve created our homework flip books that are aligned to the Australian Curriculum and designed to provide meaningful homework that will build on what they’re learning in the classroom.

Here’s what you’ll find in our homework flip books:

HASS reading passages and comprehension activities.
Mental computation practice to help build speed and fluency with all kinds of mental arithmetic.
Mathematics – each week focuses on a single skill or topic
Spelling Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check table featuring vocabulary from the HASS reading passage.
Grammar and Vocab practice activities aligned with the Australian Curriculum for each year group
A fun activity including mazes, short writing tasks, color by number and design tasks.

Each flip book can be easily assembled by the students after the first couple of weeks they’ll be pros at it and issuing your homework will be a breeze.

So that you can feel confident that you’ve got the curriculum covered we’ve included a table with each set outlining the topics, skills and content descriptors covered each week.

Each set features nine flip books with a bundle of 36 for the year. There’s always at least one week of each term that you don’t issue homework (it was usually week 1 for me) so thought nine per term was a good number.

Year 5 Australian curriculum homework flip books

To reduce your workload even further we’ve included answer keys for each week and these can be easily printed to make a handy booklet or displayed on screen. You could even display pages on the IWB so students can mark sections themselves.

We’re very proud of our homework flip books and their ability to reduce the workload of teachers without compromising their dedication to providing age appropriate, meaningful and curriculum aligned content for their students. Want to know more and download a preview? You can check them out in our store here.

Happy teaching

Amy

3 Tips For Completing Your AITSL Teaching Standards Portfolio

aussiestarresourcesau · Jun 30, 2018 · Leave a Comment

What’s your Super Power? Mine would have to be procrastination. Yes, the force is strong in this one. I can find a million other things to do before completing tasks that need to be done. This blog post is the perfect example. Here I am on a Sunday morning, there’s washing that needs to be hung out, school uniforms that need ironing, dishes that need to be done and a four year old somewhere in the house still in his PJs. BUT because they are not very appealing tasks I’ve decided that writing a blog post is FAR more important so here I am. Could the blog post have waited? Probably but that’s the power of procrastination, it clouds your judgement, why fight it?

AITSL-Teaching-Standards-Portfolio-Blog-Pin-1

Are you procrastinating when it comes to your AITSL Teaching Standards Portfolio? I bet you are, everyone does! When it comes up in the staff room you can hear the groans for a 1km radius as teachers bemoan the AITSL Portfolio. Collating your teaching experience into one folder is HARD, reminding yourself to record details, take pictures and enter them in to your portfolio is easy to push down the list of priorities. Unfortunately, this usually means that we end up putting something together in a rush when a deadline such as a review is hanging over our heads. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you stay on top of your portfolio, update it regularly and ease your workload in the process.

Hold a Portfolio Party!

You won’t be the only staff member who is dragging their feet on your portfolio. Set aside time each month (or fortnight if you can manage) to come together with your colleagues to collate your evidence. You could meet at a local café, order in coffee and nibbles or bring afternoon tea to share. This kind of collaboration will allow you to bounce ideas off each other, gain clarification on the Standards and share stories and inspiration. It will also help set up a regular time for you to work on your portfolio.

Take photos and videos

I really wish I had done more of this in the classroom and organised it better. If your school permits it, use your phone to quickly snap examples of student work and activities, classroom displays and your planning. Save these in a separate album called Portfolio or AITSL so you know where they are for your Portfolio Party. If you are unable to use your phone keep a small digital camera on your desk charged and ready to whip out during a lesson or when you’re marking to take pics. Save these to a specific folder so you know where they are when you’re collating your evidence. If you have older students you could even ask them to remind you take photos – they love to have their work photographed and reminding the teacher to do something is an added bonus.

If you’re looking for an online portfolio that’s quick and easy to use check out our AITSL Teacher Standards Portfolio.

So that’s three ideas to help get you started. Oooh! One more! Factor your portfolio in to your planning, so that when you’re writing your plans you identify those lesson and activities that will meet a Standard and make a note of it in your planning to help you remember to document the lesson and add evidence to your portfolio.

I could add more but I think three (plus a bonus) is a good number to get you started and I’m sure you’ve already thought of some more while reading this post.

Good luck with your portfolio! I’d love to know if you have a Portfolio Part at your school or if you have helpful ideas and tips for collating your portfolio. Feel free to comment below.

Happy teaching

Amy

3 Essential Resources for Casual Relief Teachers

aussiestarresourcesau · Jun 24, 2018 · Leave a Comment

3 Essential Resources for Relief Teachers

Previously I picked the brain of Nikki Tester from Oceanview Resources to find out the best ways to get started relief teaching and some hints and tips to manage behaviour and tricky situations. Now we're ready to get set up with a relief teaching kit that will ensure we're armed and ready to take on a day of teaching at short notice.

What’s in your CRT kit? What are the top 5 items in your kit and why are they so essential?

I look like I am running away from home when I go relief teaching lol I have a craft bag on wheels which I find easy to manage. I have spare pencils, paper etc, and try to be as self sufficient as is realistic in this regard. I have 4 thumb drives- one for kinder, stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3. Stickers (I am not a bit fan of reward boxes-I think the expense is not worth the result to be honest), award cards, notes for the teacher (I have pre-prepared ones in a folder)

This YouTube video I made recently may be helpful.

three-essential-relief-teaching-resources

I like to plan my units of work (if nothing is left) around a theme, and picture books. Eg if I am looking at the Ocean for stage 1, I have a collection of great books eg Whale And A Snail, One Is A Snail Ten Is A Crab, Tiddler The Story Telling Fish, and I link all of my daily or weekly activities around that theme. It really is easy to do. In a SMART Notebook presentation I have all the links to great websites on the theme hyperlinked so that I just need to click and go. Any worksheets I have that relate are kept in a folder to go with those books so at any time I have up to a month if need be.

My thumb drives are great, and keeping them organised is vitally important too. I have backups of everything on my Dropbox account just in case!. There's nothing worse than losing all of that hard work

My personal care items are also included in my kit.

water
Panadol
food
tea
tissues
sunscreen
hat
whistle
anything that I may need but the school is unable to provide.

I keep my thumb drives and my whistle on my lanyard.

Do you have any funny or poignant stories about relief teaching?

Hundreds of them!!! But one of the funniest (although not funny at the time) was when I planned an excursion to the beach…….but didn’t check the tide chart. Unfortunately it was a king tide and there was very little beach when we arrived. To make things worse there was a wave surge and we sat and watched as about 4 back packs got taken out to sea!! Luckily the bus driver was a legend and dived into action and rescued them all!!!! Note to self…..always check the tide chart!!!.

Promo time – tell us about your resources for Relief Teachers!

I have created 3 major teacher reference books for teachers as well as a wide range of resources that are aimed at supporting teachers to create units of work with minimum effort and maximum results

casual-relief-teaching-survival-kit-image

My Survival Kit for Casual Relief Teachers is over 100 pages of links to websites across all subject areas as well as a range of activities that you can implement easily as I have endeavoured to include as many no prep ideas as I can- the images are all hyperlinked to some of the most amazing websites for teachers, which again I have chosen non-subscription wherever possible

ultimate-substitute-teacher-resource-kit

My Substitute Teacher Bundle - Planner Binder and Ultimate Sub Pack has been my biggest passion project/ resource taking over 6 months of constant work to compile and publish. It includes over 300 pages of printable master sheets you can use in the classroom for a variety of reasons from feedback, planning, number games and a whole host of ideas. I have also collaborated with some fantastic resource makers to compile this resource and they have generously allowed some free resources to be included in the kit. The remaining 270 pages are website links across ALL aspects of teaching from report writing, resume writing, finding resources and all subject areas. I have included everything I thought that an elementary/primary teacher might need as a basis for building a relief teaching kit.

Relief-teaching-resources-ideas-information

Have you bookmarked, pinned and saved hundreds of links?
Do you promise that one day you will sort them out?

This fabulous Relief Teacher Website Reference Guide may be the answer to your organisational dreams. It is designed to be an easy to use, interactive resource. It has been sorted into categories with links to provide answers and help for frequently asked questions posed in posts on Facebook and other social group forums.
400 hyper-linked web pages and PDFs! This small investment will save you hours of your precious planning time and money. By investigating the comprehensive list of websites and links to free resources you can inexpensively build on your vital pool of resources. It is estimated teachers spend $2000 annually on resources. Let this book help to keep some of this money in your pocket

I'd like to thank Nikki for sharing her wisdom with me and providing invaluable help to relief teachers to make it a little less daunting and a whole lot easier. You can follow Nikki's TPT store by clicking here and you can click here to follow her on Pinterest where she has even more helpful ideas.

Happy Teaching

Amy

Geography: Helping your students understand the Gallipoli Landing

aussiestarresourcesau · Apr 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Improve your students' understanding of the landing at Anzac Cove by exploring the geography of Gallipoli

While Anzac Day is not explicitly mentioned in the Australian Curriculum there is a place for it in our HASS lessons and the opportunity for it to be integrated with other subjects. In this series of posts we will explore the teaching points, curriculum links and learning opportunities that can come from commemorating Anzac Day with your upper primary students.

We are now within a mile of the shore and the din has increased . . . the whole side of the mountains seems to be sending forth tongues of flame and the bullets fairly rain upon us . . . the water is churned up from rifle fire, machine-guns, Maxims, shrapnel and common shells . . . seven of the boys in our boat are killed and God knows how many in the others.
Anonymous soldier, the 3rd Brigade

World War One is a topic that requires a large amount to time to teach thoroughly and is most suited to older students. I can remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque in Year 11 History and finding it very confronting. This doesn’t mean that Anzac Day and the horror of the landing at Gallipoli shouldn’t be taught – it just requires a softer touch. It is easier, therefore, to focus on the “nuts and bolts” of Gallipoli – dates, statistics and the history of the event rather than the brutality faced by the ANZAC soldiers. Here are some points that are worth speaking to your students about so that they not only understand the date, the dawn service and the traditions attached to Anzac Day but also the reason and the consequences of the landing at Gallipoli.

Understanding-the-impact-of-geography-on-gallipoli

Why Gallipoli?

The battle for Gallipoli was all about Geography! Turkey had control of the Dardanelles strait, the narrow entry into the Black Sea which prevented supplies to and from Russia. Army leaders believed that if the Allies could take Istanbul (then called Constantinople) then Turkey would surrender. By gaining control of Turkey it would open access to the Black Sea via the Mediterranean Sea through the Dardanelles Strait.

Unfortunately, previous attempts to take the Dardanelles by the British and French had failed and so another plan of attack was needed. It was decided that the Australian and New Zealand troops would participate in an invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula. The theory was that the Allied troops would land simultaneously on all sides of the Gallipoli peninsula and then move inland securing more ground. This would be achieved by sending 4000 soldiers in two waves. They were to travel in boats that would land on the beach in the darkness, at what is now called Anzac Cove, and secure the beach and high ground so that more soldiers could be sent to move inland.

You can see in the image below the kind of terrain the troops needed to tackle to achieve their goal. I wonder if they had any idea what it was really like before they got there?

Image Credit: National Archives of Australia

Class discussion and teaching points

Upper primary students have the advantage that they can participate in class discussion and consider multiple views and opinions. Improving this skill is a requirement of the Australian Curriculum.

Ask students to consider several ‘What If’ scenarios to generate discussion and deeper thinking about the Gallipoli campaign, its impact on the war effort, its impact on the Australian character and culture and its significance to Australians now.

gallipoli-upper-primary-teaching-resources

Image Credit: National Archives of Australia

What if the Allies hadn't tried to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula?
What if they had checked the terrain and location before sending troops to land on the beach?
What if the Allies had succeeded in the Gallipoli Campaign?

What if the ANZAC Troops hadn't been part of the Gallipoli campaign?
What if Russia and the Allies had attacked from the Black Sea?
What if the Allies had been able to use more covert tactics?

Study the geography of the Gallipoli landing. Mapping skills are an important concept within the Geography curriculum and studying the location of the Gallipoli Peninsular and its location in relation to other countries and access points will help build their understanding of the Gallipoli campaign and its purpose.

It is also important that students consider the terrain of Gallipoli, particularly for the ANZACs, and how they were placed at a terrifying disadvantage landing on the beach at Anzac cove faced with cliffs that hid Turkish soldiers firing down on them. There are many photographs available on the National Archives of Australia Virtual Reading Room website (Vrroom). The Australian War Memorial website is another great source of quotes, images and stories.