7 Easy Easter Egg Ideas For Your Classroom #Kmarthack

Kmart has these super cute plastic Easter Eggs in tubes (I found them in green/blue and pink) so be sure to grab them quickly before they pack up their Easter goodies!

I was thinking of some fun ways to use these in the classroom and brainstormed several ideas I thought I'd share with you PLUS give you a lovely Easter freebie you can use with them!

1. CVC Words/Sight words

Download this CVC Short A Freebie (only available on my blog), print and cut the CVC word sorts and place one into each egg. Students open the egg and sort the CVC word into the correct spelling using the image as a guide. You can differentiate this by removing the image and/or removing the vowel. 

2. Word Families

I wrote directly on the egg with a permanent marker and you will need to snip these egg attachments on the side with scissors so the egg can spin around. Students can record their answers in their work book or see how many words they can make with the eggs and try swapping tops and bottoms of the egg shell around to see if any other word families can be made. 

3. Opposites

This activity will work best if you split the tops and bottoms of the egg shells up so that they can't just match the colour but have to read the word. Write opposite words on each top and bottom of the egg shell and let students match them up. Run a timer and make it a fun competitive game in class!

4. Matching upper case with lower case

Write upper and lower case letters on tops and bottoms.. mix it up a bit by changing colours to match and also don't always write the upper case letter on the top egg shell.. challenge your students a bit. Great fun activity to do with a timer as well!

5. Contractions

Write the words in full on each top and bottom of the egg shell and then get students to write the contraction of a piece of paper and place it inside the egg shell and close it up. Get another student or work in teams to check the answers by hatching the eggs.

6. Rich vocabulary

Extend your students' vocabulary by writing an 'everyday' word on the front of the egg and getting students to write on pieces of paper, as many different synonyms for that word and them place inside. You could pass the eggs around the room and get students to place their answer inside without looking at the other answers. Then do a check and count at the end. Repetitive answers don't count for points but you could award 2 points for each answer that is a great synonym for that particular word. Great to use with any 'said is dead' activities!

7. Geographic Features

Yes. I actually came up with a HASS game for these eggs can you believe it! Features of the classroom - write as many as you can (as with the game above) and place inside the egg. Same with features of the beach and you could use library, playground, supermarket etc.. this gets students used to the term 'features' and the concept of describing places. You could mix things up and place the wrong features in the wrong eggs.. then get students to open and discuss or find the correct egg (good timer activity for the whole class where they run about looking for the correct egg to place the correct term into). 

Using Dramatic Role Play To Teach Numeracy and Literacy Skills

Dramatic Role Play is a fun way for students to fill an afternoon. After all the heavy teaching of the first two sessions is over, I would let my students race into our home corner and 'play' for the afternoon. Only problem is, play needs to be 'learning through play'.. ssssh don't tell the students that though! I thought I'd share how I set up my home corner so that students can keep working through their curriculum required knowledge and understandings, whilst letting off steam and playing which is, let's face it, the best way to learn! 

SET UP

There as so many pins on Pinterest with some absolutely beautiful dramatic role play set ups that you can really go to town with this (I always compare working in Early Years to wedding preparations...there really is no limit to how much you can spend!). However, if you're not fortunate enough to have a husband who happens to be a builder, who can whip up a supermarket set up with working sink etc..  then you'll need to improvise with tables, chairs and shelves. 

If students are truly to own this learning area they need to be part of the set up process. I usually set up the key components such as tables, chairs and bookshelves etc..  and sometimes I'll place some toys in or around the area to demonstrate how those areas can be used (e.g. food on shelves, play money in the tray) and then let the students do the decorating. Sure - it won't look as nice but the students will have OWNERSHIP which I feel is more important. 

Here are some labels I use (available in my store) which you can print, laminate and then let students place around the learning area.

Next, I get clever about working smarter not harder (Prep teacher's motto!). 

I assign tasks within the learning area based on areas the students need to work on. Remember this is the perfect opportunity to differentiate that learning and do one-on-one observations with students, to see if they are demonstrating that skill. Once they are 'playing' I sit at the back of the room and watch particular students and do my tick and flick checklist of curriculum learning objectives to be met. You can also record this method in your student data differentiation discussions with your line manager, as it is directly meeting the students learning needs. Examples below come directly from ACARA Foundation Year. 

NUMERACY

Role Play: Cashier

Learning Objective: Understanding that each object must be counted only once, that the arrangement of objects does not affect how many there are, and that the last number counted answers the 'how many' question. 

Example: The cashier will be required to count one-to-one correlation with items on the table (or conveyor belt depending on how fancy your learning area is). 

Learning Objective: Identifying the number words in sequence, backwards and forwards, and reasoning with the number sequences, establishing the language on which subsequent counting experiences can be built.

Example: The cashier will need to add the amount required and express that to the customer. They will also be required to establish how much change to give them. However, subtraction is difficult for students at this age so what you're looking for is that use of numbers used in a sentence. Do they understand how to sequence the numbers (forwards) when adding the total etc?

Role Play: Customers

Learning Objective: Developing fluency with forwards and backwards counting in meaningful contexts, including stories and rhymes.

Example: The meaningful context here is real-world scenarios of shopping and using money. Do they have enough money? How much do they need to buy things?

Learning Objective: Understanding and using terms such as 'first' and 'second' to indicate ordinal position in a sequence.

Example: Encourage students to make a shopping list using first, second and third terms. Then observe students collecting items from the shop in the correct order. Do they understand what these terms mean? You can also set up your shop with the terms as signage such as 'First: take a basket. Second: select your groceries. Third: take your groceries to the cash register and so on'. 

LITERACY

Role Play: Cashier

Learning Objective: Learning that language varies according to the relationship between people (such as shopkeepers and customers).

Example: How do students talk to each other when role playing? Do they take on the correct tone of customer and shop keeper? Have they seen this in action and if so do they understand why we take a polite and formal tone with customers?

Role Play: Customers

Learning Objective: Learning to ask relevant questions and to express requests and opinions in ways that suits different contexts.

Example: Do they know how to ask for something that is not in the shop? Can they demonstrate how to form a sentence correctly in order to get the correct response? Can they use 'how' and 'why' appropriately to get what they want from the shop keeper?

Learning Objective: Understanding that texts can take many forms, can be very short or quite long. 

Example: Making shopping lists is a great activity that students can do to make strong connections to real-world learning experiences. I find it useful to create vocabulary cards, laminate and bind them with a ring tab so that students can copy the spelling down (having pictures with the words helps as well). 

In addition, I let students create brochures for their supermarket. This addresses both numeracy and literacy skills through the creation, writing and pricing of goods in the brochure. Templates for brochures can be found in my store here or you can you make some up with plain paper and let students get really creative!

Humanities and Social Studies (HASS)

HASS elements can be easily interwoven into your ACARA checklist of observations once you have let your students explore their supermarket set up, such as:

• what are the features of places (supermarkets have trolleys, cash registers etc..)?
• why do places have those features?
• where are features placed (e.g. why is the checkout at the front of the store and not the back)?

You can even get students to practice their map makings skills by mapping the learning corner and listing/labelling the features held inside!

The opportunities for integrated learning with dramatic play are endless. You can find all the resources needed to set up your own classroom supermarket here including play money, shelf labels, shopping lists, brochure templates and shop signs. Hunt around in charity shops for baskets and toy food and you'll be amazed at what you'll find!

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Free Easter Paper Chick Template

Easter has so many meanings for different people. For some it's a religious time of year and a day of commemoration and for others it's a time for some quality family time, chocolate eggs and a long weekend. 

Classrooms are a microcosm of society and, as such, if your class is anything like mine, it contains children from different faiths and cultural backgrounds. I don't like a seasonal celebration to slip by without discussing it, especially in the early years classroom where social studies discussions all year revolve around celebrations and commemorations. As such, I introduce the concept of Easter and how different people in the community either commemorate or celebrate this special time in an inclusive way by using recognisable symbols of chicks, eggs and rabbits in my materials. 

Easter is a great time for craft and this month I'm giving away a Free Easter Paper Chick Template (just click the link and download). He is super easy to make, but I recommend you use card stock rather than paper as he will be firmer this way and less prone to falling over!

Other Easter activities I like to include are Easter decorations with either this fantastic exploration of warm and cool colours (these look very impressive as a classroom wall display and are great for grades 2 - 6). 

Younger grades always love a simple colouring activity and these Easter colouring sheets make a super fun and easy afternoon activity. Once decorated, cut them out and create a classroom wall display!

I love squeezing a seasonal theme into a regular classroom activity and at Easter I pull out these Easter Sight Word Bingo Cards. They are even editable! So with my levelled literacy rotations, I can create custom bingo cards that will help students address their learning needs with each play of the game.

Maths Problem Solving is also a fun way to squeeze in some real-world problems into problem solving tasks. Students really relate to everyday problems and solving them can be fun with these part part, whole and number line activities which you can find in the Easter Pack along with some other useful classroom Easter activities.

Don't forget to grab your free Easter download above and have a great Easter!

10 Tips for when you're too sick to teach!

Mid-term and the teaching workload is full on. We are heading towards testing time (in more ways than one!) and I have a LOT of work to do. What I really don't need is to get sick. Of course. I get sick! I'm off work for several weeks and can do NOTHING about it. What can I do? Who can I turn to?

As I'm too sick to write a new blog post this fortnight I thought I'd ask my teaching buddies what THEY do when they are sick and still have so much work to do. Here are their recommendations...

TIP NUMBER 1 - GET ORGANISED BEFORE YOU GET SICK

Jennifer from Teaching Products Online suggests...

At the beginning of the school year, create a folder for relief teachers. Include class timetables, routines, general overview of your lesson structure, important information about students, yard duty roster, who to contact if things go wrong, where to find equipment/resources and some general activities that will get them through the day.

TIP NUMBER 2 - TRUST YOUR RELIEF TEACHER

Melina from Galarious Goods suggests...

Once you've done all you can do for your class/s, try to let it go. Worrying about what's happening at school won't help you get better. Relief teachers walk into schools without planning, more than you'd think - they've got tricks up their sleeve for that. Trust them, trust your students, and concentrate on getting well as fast as you can, so you can be back in the classroom, strong and ready to teach again.

p.s. have plans in place for students who struggle when you're away. Have a buddy class with a trusted teacher who can help them calm if required. Older students may have classmates who can help them walk through some calming steps.

TIP NUMBER 3 - TAKE THE TIME TO REST

Tess from Big World Teaching suggests...

When you are sick, you are sick! Take the time to rest away from school so you can be the best possible teacher for your class when you return! We all feel guilty when we take sick days, however looking after ourselves makes us better teachers!

TIP NUMBER 4 -  DON'T GO BACK EARLY BECAUSE YOU FEEL GUILTY!

Elaine from Thinking Challenges suggests...

Give yourself permission to concentrate on getting better and not go back to work early because you feel guilty. Once you DO go back, resolve not to spend time making any resources that you only use once because it's a waste of energy. I am a fervent believer in teacher time savers to keep you sane.

TIP NUMBER 5 - IF YOU'RE SICK... GO HOME!

Karen from Karen-Langdon suggests...

Do not let your sickness get so bad before you take time off. I have spent far too many days teaching when I should have been at home, and I know too many other teachers are the same - teaching with a bad cough, barely any voice, or being so run down, but we 'push through'. I have come to believe that we really and truly should use a sick day for those days to get better before it gets worse. It really is better for our students, and us, in the long run!

TIP NUMBER 6 - A LIST OF STUDENTS' NAMES WITH PHOTOS CAN HELP

Amy from Aussie Star Resources suggests...

Include a class list with photographs of each student alongside their name. As a relief teacher I find this really helpful! I always get a couple of students who try to 'swap'!

TIP NUMBER 7 - GIVE STUDENTS THE PERSONAL TOUCH WHILE YOU'RE GONE

Kim from Stress-Free Teaching suggests...

Sometimes it's beyond your control. We were at a point in math that was tricky. I decided to create slides for my lessons and recorded myself explaining it. I even mentioned some of their names while I was doing it. They loved it!

TIP NUMBER 8 - LET OTHERS HELP!

Shanon from OCD in Elementary suggests...

You're down, nothing you can do about it - so focus on getting better so that you can go back to work. Worrying about the students and the work load will not get you better any faster. Let it go, and let others do what they want to do to help - friends and family are feeling pretty helpless watching a loved one go through tough times - so let them help with the things you can't do! It makes them feel useful.

TIP NUMBER 9 - USE TECHNOLOGY TO HELP YOU

Janice from Cook Family Resources suggests...

Launch work on Google Classroom! Record videos in advance, setup an auto grade assignment for instant feedback. Be the teacher with content you recorded in advance. There are many fun projects that are rich in content that can stand alone in the middle of what you are currently working on and still be much more than busy work. With Google Classroom I could even check in and leave comments or feedback when I was feeling up to it but not have the pressure of needing to deliver live instruction at certain times.

TIP NUMBER 10 - THE TEACHING COMMUNITY ALWAYS HAS YOUR BACK!

This tip comes from me TechTeacherPto3!

I was literally too unwell to write this fortnight's blog post and so asked my teaching buddies for some help and look at all the fantastic suggestions I got! There were MORE but I just ran out of room! Thank you to every teacher who gave me ideas and, let's face it, wrote my blog post for me this fortnight! The moral of the story is... the teaching community is always there to help a fellow teacher in trouble so use them (secret: teachers love being asked for 'help' and seriously.. trying to stop them giving advice is pretty hard!) so let them help. You won't regret it. Teachers rock!

Thank you to everybody that contributed suggestions for this blog post. If you have a suggestion that we have overlooked, please leave it in the comments box below.

I'm on the mend.. I promise.. and next fortnight (positive thoughts) it will be business as usual.

Fun ideas for using Kmart Rainbow Post It Notes in your classroom!

Have you seen those super cute rainbow post it notes available in Kmart (Australia) at the moment? 

I just love using them in my classroom as visual aids.. here are some ways you can use them too!

MATHS: number facts, friends of ten and fractions!

ENGLISH: graphic organisers for story themes, note taking or shades of meaning!

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY (HASS): Interactive notebook ideas for recording complex information and definitions!

If you can think of some more ideas for using these cute post it notes then leave them in the comments below!