Term 4 Week 5 Year 6 Data Story and Math Vocab Article

Year 6 Data Story

Completed! Analysis of Reading, Writing and Math data for Year 6.  I think the oracy programme has been a definite way forward in math as the students have become more willing and able to talk about math concepts and exploration using math language. 

This will be what I start the year with next year.  This is a good article to share with my team next year so we all start with building vocab through oracy.  I think my math programme has been very successful this year:

• I have integrated with art and writing and found this a sucessful approach.
• BODMAS heped the students considerably to understand that once you have a system to work out a math problem or equation, its really not as hard as it initially looks.
• Demystifying Math - what can we positively do to help us understand math - how does it all go together??
• Building oracy - its just not enough to get the correct answer - showing your working out and explaining how you reached the answer is just as important as the answer. 

Math Vocab article

Term 4 Week 6

Term 4 Week 5 World Peace Song Group

 I am part of the World Peace Group. We are a growing group of teachers from across the world who are looking at global peace and friendship among people, starting with our children. We now have 101 members to the closed group.  I first joined 3 years ago and recorded the World Peace Song where my students voices were added to the voices of children from schools in other countries across the world.

Here is the link to my 2015 blog and the peace doves we completed at the start of the project.

Arataki Blog 2015

The Peace Song in Maori (looped)

This week I again looked at the idea of peace and what peace means with my class. There ideas are very general, not specific as none of them have ever been in a situation where they do not have peace. We have read about refugees, and about the work of the United Nations.  But they are children who are starting to see there is more to the world than the part they live safely in.

We looked at Guy Fawkes and what happened at this event, and then at Parihaka as a peaceful protest.  The students are writing persuasively as to what they think about firework in New Zealand - should we celebrate the event or not?

Thinking recorded on a padlet -

Peace Wall

We are Brothers and Sisters

The music for the World Peace Song is being re recorded. I am hoping it will be available before the end of the year so I can record with my present class singing.  Adding their voices to those of children from across the world.

Term 4 Week 4 Files on Google

I find the amount of content that comes through my Google drive to be huge and I am constantly trying to find docs shared with me - and find ones I have created myself as I cant remember what I called it!   I definitley need a new system. Over the sumemr break, I am going to clean up the google drive and really get it sorted! I came across this information that may help me to at least filter for this year until I can sort and find a better organisation that will work for me. 

There are various ways you can filter the files inside the search panel of Google Drive, each with their own advantages. For example:

• Type – this is the most common choice at the top, it allows you to choose whether you are searching for a text document, presentation, spreadsheet, form, image, folder plus a number of other less common options.
• Date modified – handy if someone sent you something last week!
• Item name – this searches only in the file names, rather than inside the body of the files themselves. Because it is quite specific, you may need to alter how you phrase your search.
• Has the words – this is a broader search that looks inside the contents of the files themselves. You might like to alter how you phrase your searches using this.
• Owner – if someone shared a document with you but you can’t recall what it is called.
• Shared with
• Located in – this searches inside specific areas (ie. folders) inside your Drive, or inside Team Drives.
• Follow up – this is an interesting search because it looks for items that have a specific follow up inside them. 

Term 4 Week 3 COL In School position

I have applied for the In School COL position. It closed on the 1st November and my application was in on time.  I am not clear about the direction of the COL other than what I heard with everyone else at the launch afternoon meeting at Westlake Boys, however am interested in the direction with key competencies as it is what I have been developing in the SENCO Role for the past 3 years.

In School Application

If I am successful in being appointed to the position, I will leave the SENCO role which I have been doing now for the past 8 years. New direction and challenge if I a successful!

Term 4 Week 2 CAMP!

CAMP!

This year the organisation was different from previous 4 years.  And I think it is a model that worked better - except coming home of the Thursday and having Friday at school!

Programme:
3 days and 2 night.
8 rotations with 2 on the first day, 4 on the second day and 2 on the final day. This meant that there was very little down time and the students were fully engaged with rotations rather than teacher fill in activities. The camp concert still went ahead, spread over 2 nights, glow worms and burma trail was the same.  We did not do the movie night - this was no loss though as it did require a lot of setting up and taking extra equipment with us.

Cost was approx the same as we had one less night and therefore less meals. Cleaning was done by contract cleaners and this was also a far better arrangement than having parents do the clean on the last day. It was $300.00 for the camp clean - money well spent.

We have booked the same time for the camp next year - 17th to 19th October - this will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Week One of Term 4, leading again into Labour Weekend.

Rotations
The water based activites were unfortunately cancelled and team building activities put in instead. This was due to the flooding that occured earlier in the year and the waterfall and river area were not safe enough for the 2 water based activities. This did mean that there was a diminance of climbing tyoe activites which was okay for those students who could challenge themselves with height and climbing, however some students who were less confident were restricted in full participation.

As a team we reflected on the camp and thought the organisation that we had in place worked welland will be a good model to take into next year.

Term 4 Week 1 Further Feedback from Students

Student voice is vital in the assessemnt and reflection process. Following on from the cross country training which was somewhat different this year compared to past years, (see previous post)  I asked the students to reflect on what we had done and to give me suggestions for next year. This is a link to what they said. 

Cross Country Reflection Room 22

I will use these ideas to take into cross country training next year.   Empowering students in the learning process gives them ownership which I see as a vtal component iof teaching and learning.