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Planning your expedition into Australian Explorers

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Expedition Planning Party
What a great way to spark enthusiasm and set off on your voyage in to your new unit. Before launching in to your new topic spend time with your students exploring the new topic, what it is about, why it is part of their learning journey and establishing what they already know. There are several ways to do this and we’ve created a solution for your but first let’s consider the possibilities.

Brainstorming
Generate discussion and thought by holding a class brainstorming session. You could follow the KWL method by sorting their responses in to what they already know (K), what they want to know (W) and how will they know they’ve learnt it, or at the end of the unit return to the chart and record what they’ve learnt (L)

Quiz time

A quick quiz can be an easy way to check for prior knowledge. This can be helpful if you have new students who may have already covered this topic at their old school. This could be an individual task or conducted as part of your class discussion. The Australia Curriculum flows nicely for students to progress to this topic after Year 4 but it shouldn’t be assumed that all students have followed this path as some States and schools have their own version of the National Curriculum.

Classroom display

Involve your students in setting up your Australian Explorers classroom display to help generate discussion, prompt them to remember prior knowledge and introduce them to the new topic. This could be as simple as sorting a set of Explorer posters in to chronological order creating a timeline.

'What If’ Scenarios and discussion prompts
These 16 prompts are a great way to generate discussion and debate amongst your students. Look out though, it could become one of those lessons that you just have to roll with once they get going! (these are sometimes the best lessons) Children can find it difficult to think beyond the here and now but these scenarios are sure to get them to consider what life might be like if Captain Cook hadn’t claimed Australia for Britain, if the British settlers hadn’t had guns and if only the east coast of Australia was settled as British territory. This activity also includes a recording sheet for students to record their thoughts for one scenario which could be completed with a partner to help them consider all the possibilities.

What is an Explorer?

This cute and easy to execute flip book is a great place to start to help your students consider what it takes to be an explorer, the character and physical traits required and the skills they would need. Your students will also be able to imagine their own adventures and discuss where they would like to explore!

Tracking Australia’s Explorers

Australia is a vast continent and by mapping their expeditions students can grasp they enormity of their achievements. This activity requires students to track the routes taken by eight of Australia’s explorers and discuss the possible reasons for their expeditions and the dangers they faced.

Navigating My Own Exploration
This is flip book is an alternative to a boring KWL chart and provides a record of individual student learning and progress from the start of the unit to the end. Asking students to record their own understanding and reflect on what they’ve learnt is a great way to help them take responsibility and ownership of their learning.

Explorer Topic Specific Spelling Lists

These lists are the perfect complement to your Australian Explorer teaching unit. These Look, Say, Cover Write, Check lists allow for daily practise and are designed to cater for three levels of ability. They are ideal for homework or as part of your daily routine.

Starting a new unit of work is an exciting time but it can also be a lot of work. Hopefully your students will remember the topic of Australian Explorers as fondly as I do! I also hope that these ideas and resources make it a lot easier and Don’t get bogged down in the preparation when the fun and joy of your job is in teaching and participating in lesson with your students.

Happy exploring!

Click here to receive your FREE Australian Explorers Intro Pack.

Expedition Planning PartyWhat a great way to spark enthusiasm and set off on your voyage in to your new unit. Before launching in to your new topic spend time with your students exploring the new topic, what it is about, why it is part of their learning journey and establishing what they already know. There are several ways to do this and we’ve created a solution for your but first let’s consider the possibilities.

Brainstorming Generate discussion and thought by holding a class brainstorming session. You could follow the KWL method by sorting their responses in to what they already know (K), what they want to know (W) and how will they know they’ve learnt it, or at the end of the unit return to the chart and record what they’ve learnt (L)

Quiz time
A quick quiz can be an easy way to check for prior knowledge. This can be helpful if you have new students who may have already covered this topic at their old school. This could be an individual task or conducted as part of your class discussion. The Australia Curriculum flows nicely for students to progress to this topic after Year 4 but it shouldn’t be assumed that all students have followed this path as some States and schools have their own version of the National Curriculum.
Classroom display
Involve your students in setting up your Australian Explorers classroom display to help generate discussion, prompt them to remember prior knowledge and introduce them to the new topic. This could be as simple as sorting a set of Explorer posters in to chronological order creating a timeline.

Aussie Star Resources has created the Australian Explorers Introduction Pack which is a quick and simple way to navigate your students to the topic of Australian Explorers – and best of all it’s FREE so you won’t have to dip in to your own slush fund or contact your ships Paymaster! In this pack you’ll find 5 great tasks to inspire and engage your students without having to spend your own time creating quizzes and resources – it’s all here ready for you. ‘What If’ Scenarios and discussion promptsThese 16 prompts are a great way to generate discussion and debate amongst your students. Look out though, it could become one of those lessons that you just have to roll with once they get going! (these are sometimes the best lessons) Children can find it difficult to think beyond the here and now but these scenarios are sure to get them to consider what life might be like if Captain Cook hadn’t claimed Australia for Britain, if the British settlers hadn’t had guns and if only the east coast of Australia was settled as British territory. This activity also includes a recording sheet for students to record their thoughts for one scenario which could be completed with a partner to help them consider all the possibilities.

What is an Explorer?
This cute and easy to execute flip book is a great place to start to help your students consider what it takes to be an explorer, the character and physical traits required and the skills they would need. Your students will also be able to imagine their own adventures and discuss where they would like to explore!

Tracking Australia’s Explorers

Navigating My Own ExplorationThis is flip book is an alternative to a boring KWL chart and provides a record of individual student learning and progress from the start of the unit to the end. Asking students to record their own understanding and reflect on what they’ve learnt is a great way to help them take responsibility and ownership of their learning.

Explorer Topic Specific Spelling Lists

5 Alternatives To Tests – Putting Assessment to the Test

aussiestarresourcesau · Apr 16, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Testing testing 123...just not all the time!

Now don’t get me wrong, tests definitely have their place in the classroom. They can be a very effective way of checking your students' ability to recall information with very little effort. They’re also easy to mark and report on. There’s nothing like cold hard data to help you write your reports. But they are not the best assessment solution for every subject. They are also limited in their ability to give you insight beyond a student’s ability to recall information. For example, during a test a student may be able to recall the Federation occurred in 1901 but it’s also important to check their understanding of why Federation happened, the significant events that led to it and the contribution of important figures such as Henry Parkes. Each student will explain their understanding of this important event in their own way and a test may not be a meaningful and authentic way to check their understanding.

So what are the alternatives to tests? Let’s look at 5 alternatives to tests that you might like to try in your classroom.

Multimedia presentations

This is a great opportunity to incorporate technology in to your lessons. Your students might like to make a news segment about a special event, or perhaps a mini documentary about their Earth Science topic or a mathematical concept. Maybe they can reenact a chemical reaction using stop motion or generate a PowerPoint presentation or slide show of their latest book report. The possibilities are endless.

5 Alternatives to Tests for valid assessment

Dioramas

Dioramas are a great way for students who love creating and crafting to show their understanding. I’m always amazed at how creative students (and often their parents) can be when creating dioramas. I’ve seen them made from LEGO, air dry clay, plasticine, wood and cardboard. While the construction and presentation of dioramas is important it’s equally important that students demonstrate their understanding of the learning outcome. This can be done with a written or oral component. A great idea is to have parents and other classes come through your diorama ‘gallery’ and ask the students to explain their diorama. Providing prompt questions can help or even preparing other classes with questions might help the process.

Teach the concept

Turn the tables on your students by asking them to teach you, their parents or their peers about a concept, topic or skill. They will need to carefully plan their lesson and write a detailed lesson plan including an objective and anticipated outcome- this should be directly linked to the curriculum outcomes. Students should also check for understanding and reflect and evaluate their lesson after to consider how they could have modified or improved their lesson to teach it better.

Write an instruction manual

This works in beautifully with procedure writing but can be linked to subjects such as maths, science and even PE. Rather than teaching the concept and having to speak in front of their peers (for some students this is a terrifying concept) students can write a detailed instruction manual with graphics and diagrams to help convey their knowledge and understanding. This could be completed on the computer or written by hand. Photographs could also be used to help present the steps. It can be helpful to provide examples of different types of instruction manuals to inspire students. To test their manuals students can swap their manuals and follow the steps to see how effective they are. Constructive feedback from peers could be written as part of the assessment task.

Design a board game

I have used this in maths as part of our unit on probability. Students love the opportunity to be creative and design the ultimate board game. Like all activities it does require guidance and scaffolding to ensure the learning objectives are not lost amongst the cardboard, straws, spinners and hot glue guns. A process journal can help with this so that students log their planning and progress throughout the construction to ensure they are on task and on track to reach their objective. It’s important to provide focused time for writing in a process journal - don’t rush it and provide helpful prompts to get them writing as it takes practice to master writing a process journal. When they’re all done it can be great fun to have a lesson for students to play each other’s games and provide constructive feedback.

Hopefully you’ve been inspired to try a few different assessment strategies. There are many more so follow our Pinterest profile to keep an eye on ideas we find inspiring. We have an entire board dedicated to meaningful assessment ideas which you can follow by clicking here. If you're looking for assessment tasks and activities with a difference check out our Australian Explorer Assessment Planner and our Earth Sciences Expo Assessment Planner.

Happy teaching

Amy

Testing testing 123...just not all the time!

Now don’t get me wrong, tests definitely have their place in the classroom. They can be a very effective way of checking your students’ ability to recall information with very little effort. They’re also easy to mark and report on. There’s nothing like cold hard data to help you write your reports. But they are not the best assessment solution for every subject. They are also limited in their ability to give you insight beyond a student’s ability to recall information. For example, during a test a student may be able to recall the Federation occurred in 1901 but it’s also important to check their understanding of why Federation happened, the significant events that led to it and the contribution of important figures such as Henry Parkes. Each student will explain their understanding of this important event in their own way and a test may not be a meaningful and authentic way to check their understanding.

So what are the alternatives to tests? Let’s look at 5 alternatives to tests that you might like to try in your classroom.

Multimedia presentations

Dioramas

Teach the concept

Write an instruction manual

Design a board game

I have used this in maths as part of our unit on probability. Students love the opportunity to be creative and design the ultimate board game. Like all activities it does require guidance and scaffolding to ensure the learning objectives are not lost amongst the cardboard, straws, spinners and hot glue guns. A process journal can help with this so that students log their planning and progress throughout the construction to ensure they are on task and on track to reach their objective. It’s important to provide focused time for writing in a process journal – don’t rush it and provide helpful prompts to get them writing as it takes practice to master writing a process journal. When they’re all done it can be great fun to have a lesson for students to play each other’s games and provide constructive feedback.

Hopefully you’ve been inspired to try a few different assessment strategies. There are many more so follow our Pinterest profile to keep an eye on ideas we find inspiring. We have an entire board dedicated to meaningful assessment ideas which you can follow by clicking here. If you’re looking for assessment tasks and activities with a difference check out our Australian Explorer Assessment Planner and our Earth Sciences Expo Assessment Planner.

Happy teaching

Amy

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.

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

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

So what’s the solution?

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.

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

Hold a Portfolio Party!

Take photos and videos

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

Expert tips to make life easier as a Casual Relief Teacher

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 25, 2018 · 1 Comment

As a Casual Relief Teacher you have to be ready for anything! Your phone could ring at 6am and you're suddenly venturing in to the unknown - that's OK - it's the life of a CRT. The trick is to manage the uncertainty of relief work by being super organised and having some great behaviour management ideas and resources up your sleeve...well, in your kit actually. In this post we continue our interview with Nikki Tester of Oceanview Resources about Casual Relief Teaching and how to make it work for you.

Casual Relief Teacher time and behaviour management

Being a Casual Relief Teacher can be a bit daunting when you first start, what are your top 3 tips for making it less stressful?

It certainly can be daunting so my top 3 tips would be

1. Be organised and flexible…..My car boot is my office, and if there are any last minute changes, I can easily grab any resources I may need. When you are booked, if possible ask if you will have access to a computer and an IWB. If the answer is no then you will have to take in resources that require no internet or IWB - they can be very tough days!!! It is worth asking if you are able to take in your own device (but it would need to have the software downloaded on it and ready to connect)

Casual Relief Teacher time and behaviour management tips

2. Establish those routines and agreements from the word go!! Be consistent, calm and fair. You must be able to follow through with any punishments or rewards, and be like a swan…..calm and in control on the surface even though under the water your feet are paddling madly to keep you afloat!!! Fairness is a universal currency with students….give them no opportunities to argue with you. Distance yourself from any conflict as it can escalate very quickly if you engage with a student on that level.

3. Make sure that you have all the food and water that you need to get you through the day. Staying hydrated is so vitally important as headaches can creep in towards the end of the day if you have not eaten or drunk enough water throughout the day.

Behaviour management is a huge part of CRT, especially if you haven’t taught in the school or class before, can you share with us some ideas and strategies for behaviour management as a Casual Relief Teacher? Do you have any stories or examples?

Never be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help….get the executive on side, if you need to have support for any reason (and behaviour management is usually the biggest one) then you need to be able to follow through confidently with the school management plan, and not feel like you have ‘failed’ by not being able to deal with a situation.

If you visit the schools website you may find a copy of their code of conduct or behaviour management plan which is always helpful.
Look for the casual folder in the classroom you are working in (hopefully there is one) It will have behaviour management plans, medication needs etc, and if the school doesn’t have these, then politely suggest that they implement them as a strategy to support relief teachers.
Stick with the classrooms reward system if you can….many schools use ClassDojo, so it is in your best interest to visit that site and familiarise yourself with how it works.
I highly recommend all teachers visit Bob Brandis website for behaviour management…..he has all bases covered, some wonderful tips, resources and his podcasts are really helpful. He is incredibly user friendly and I love his sense of humour!!! https://www.reliefteaching.com/

Coming up next:

Nikki gives us her top tips for creating the ultimate resource kit and some helpful links to resources that will make your life as a Casual Relief Teacher a whole lot easier. .

You can find Nikki's great range of resources for CRTs at her website www.oceanviewlearningcentre.com and on Teachers Pay Teachers

As a Casual Relief Teacher you have to be ready for anything! Your phone could ring at 6am and you're suddenly venturing in to the unknown - that's OK - it's the life of a CRT. The trick is to manage the uncertainty of relief work by being super organised and having some great behaviour management ideas and resources up your sleeve...well, in your kit actually. In this post we continue our interview with Nikki Tester of Oceanview Resources about Casual Relief Teaching and how to make it work for you.

Being a Casual Relief Teacher can be a bit daunting when you first start, what are your top 3 tips for making it less stressful?

It certainly can be daunting so my top 3 tips would be

1. Be organised and flexible…..My car boot is my office, and if there are any last minute changes, I can easily grab any resources I may need. When you are booked, if possible ask if you will have access to a computer and an IWB. If the answer is no then you will have to take in resources that require no internet or IWB – they can be very tough days!!! It is worth asking if you are able to take in your own device (but it would need to have the software downloaded on it and ready to connect)

Behaviour management is a huge part of CRT, especially if you haven’t taught in the school or class before, can you share with us some ideas and strategies for behaviour management as a Casual Relief Teacher? Do you have any stories or examples?

Never be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help….get the executive on side, if you need to have support for any reason (and behaviour management is usually the biggest one) then you need to be able to follow through confidently with the school management plan, and not feel like you have ‘failed’ by not being able to deal with a situation.
If you visit the schools website you may find a copy of their code of conduct or behaviour management plan which is always helpful.
Look for the casual folder in the classroom you are working in (hopefully there is one) It will have behaviour management plans, medication needs etc, and if the school doesn’t have these, then politely suggest that they implement them as a strategy to support relief teachers.
Stick with the classrooms reward system if you can….many schools use ClassDojo, so it is in your best interest to visit that site and familiarise yourself with how it works.
I highly recommend all teachers visit Bob Brandis website for behaviour management…..he has all bases covered, some wonderful tips, resources and his podcasts are really helpful. He is incredibly user friendly and I love his sense of humour!!! https://www.reliefteaching.com/

Coming up next:

Nikki gives us her top tips for creating the ultimate resource kit and some helpful links to resources that will make your life as a Casual Relief Teacher a whole lot easier. .

You can find Nikki’s great range of resources for CRTs at her website www.oceanviewlearningcentre.com and on Teachers Pay Teachers