Socratic seminars are my newest interest/fascination/obsession – sometimes it’s hard to tell these three apart. I’m curious to see if there is some kind of magic formula to making this structured discussion a success. Admittedly, my initial sample size is small… Ok, it’s just my class. But the goal is to observe other classes and find the common elements that work, and those that need … Continue reading Socratic Seminars
As a year 7 teacher this year I get to juggle multiple curriculum hats. I love it, except for the fact that I suck at geography. Let’s rephrase that, it’s an area with ample opportunities for development… (que my growth mindset!) One thing I am good at is throwing myself into new challenges, especially when it’s student driven. So a few months ago my year 7’s … Continue reading Finders Keepers!
Last year our school set out to create a flexible learning space in the hopes of accommodating students lines of desire and facilitate their creativity. This is the end result. Best classroom ever! Whilst the colour and cubes are fantastic, what I really love about this room is the fact that everything is writeable; the walls, the tables, THE LOT. This is a fantastic resource … Continue reading Welcome to our class. Please, pull up a… cube?
Another of my favourite creative writing prompts. The idea was posted on the ETA Facebook page last year and after hunting down a class set of keys (BIG thank you to our school GA!) this has become one of my most loved creative tasks. http://squishynotslick.tumblr.com/post/22121050121/keys?utm_content=buffer1ddfc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer Meet the keys! Each key has a cryptic message to inspire a story. I’ve been using these to build sensory writing; describing … Continue reading The lost key.
Allow me to introduce my AMAZING Year 11’s. They have absolutly nailed the art of editing both their own and each others work. In just two lessons. (Proud? Yes I am. We all know self critique is a challenging skill) From first draft to last, the difference is phenominal. I love it. They are learning to ask questions, identify language that adds little to their work and … Continue reading 50 word stories so good they must be shared…
Note: Not my idea, but one I’ve really enjoyed putting into action and had to share. A gem from my Head Teacher – Hi Fi! 🙂 Here’s how it works. Students bring in 6 artefacts that reveal something about themselves. We bag these up (as covertly as possible), attaching a number to each bag. Once all the bags are in (this took about 3 days) it’s … Continue reading Detective day!
Around this time last year the stars aligned and all my classes were doing creative writing at the same time. So naturally, I decided to turn the classroom into a crime scene. Whilst this was an awesome lesson, it wasn’t until afterwards that I realised how potentially inappropriate this could have been. Thankfully it was all fine. The kids LOVED it. We used the scene … Continue reading Crime Scene
I adore my Year 12 Studies kids. They are the most amazingly creative and eccentric group of people. What I hate, is the label that seems to be attached to our subject. 12mths ago when we came together I tore through the first lesson (with what in hindsight could be described at manic enthusiasm) determined to break the stereotype of ‘bludge‘, ‘film studies‘ that plagued … Continue reading English Studies… It’s a bludge, right?
I’m a newbie to the world of Year 7. Two weeks in and I’m hooked. Little kids rock. They have this amazingly positive vibe radiating off them every lesson. I’m determined not to kill it. Gotta say, the pressure to not be dull is a little daunting! Don’t be dull, don’t be dull! Ok, got it. Phew. So here is idea 1. Inspired by Bianca Hewes … Continue reading Tiny Historians
Shelley and Johnny 