Four fail-safe ways to make HASS more exciting in the classroom

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) has a bit of a bad reputation. I LOVE teaching History and Geography, it can be so much fun and a great way to discuss important events both political and socially. Every so often I hear a teacher saying 'Oh HASS is so dry!' and I can't argue with that sometimes! The Australian Curriculum (ACARA) does move students into some super dry areas of Australian history (Federation anybody?) and having taught HASS to all grades, I know it can get boring to teach but it doesn't have to be. 

Here are my four fail-safe ways to make HASS more interesting and dare I say it - exciting?

1. LEARN TO LOVE IT

Do not start a lesson with 'I know it's boring but... ' or 'now we have do some 'real' work' comments. The moment you give your students ANY indication that what they are about to do is boring or dull - STOP! Your students will focus on this and HASS then becomes boring and dull to them as well. Get excited about HASS! It's fun and your students will love it!

2. USE REAL WORLD EVENTS TO CONNECT WITH STUDENTS

HASS aims to move students from the known to the unknown through Prep to Year 6 but don't let this concept stop you applying the same principles to your HASS lessons. 

You MUST start with what students know and can do.

In Geography Preps - Year 3 use the spaces around the school for different things (playground, tuck shop, classroom etc.. ) so always build your concepts around their known world. Take students to these places and get them posing questions such as "Why is the sandpit there? Why not in the eating area? Why are rubbish bins in the eating area? How does that help us to take care of places?"

History is also the perfect way to connect students with real-world events, in Prep students are asked to explore their family tree and through Prep - Year 3 students are asked to examine cultural events that take place. Whenever a special day is celebrated or commemorated (make sure they understand the difference), you need to bring that special event into your classroom and discuss it. Keep these topics relevant for them by posing questions such as 'How do we commemorate it? Is it a commemoration or a celebration?'

3. CREATE REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS THAT NEED SOLVING

When I taught Year 6 History, I placed students at group tables and gave them state names. One group would be Queensland, another would be NSW and so on. When discussing Federation I would begin to split or merge groups depending on our discussion of the lead-up to Federation and how the states merged or separated. When discussing the Gold Rush I sent the students from Queensland to Victoria to all sit at the same table to cries of "We can't all fit! There's no room!" from the students. This real-life problem would pose a jumping point for our discussions about population and the strain on resources.

You must keep the topics relevant for young students. Help them to connect to geographic and historic situations with hands-on activities and relevant tasks. Once you have students engaged, then real learning can take place. 

4. GET CREATIVE

Reading historical texts or examining maps can be dull - so get creative! Use puzzles, word searches, flip books (great for note taking), songs, colouring pages, photographs, QR codes, websites and wall displays to delve deeper into HASS. Students love a hands on activity and you can often time this perfectly to get students to demonstrate what they have learnt. 

I love HASS and I'm not ashamed to admit it! HASS is often where the real learning about the world begins. 

How to teach Year 1 Geography to align with the Australian Curriculum

Some states in Australia use slight variations between the Australia Curriculum (ACARA) and their own state curriculum but all Australian teachers should be aligning their work to ACARA and the national standards.

Geography has undergone many changes in the last few years and is now part of the overarching subject of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) which most Australian teachers are now familiar with.

This blog post is specifically about the Year 1 Geography pack that I developed (Tech Teacher Pto3) which is my second best seller with over a 170 pieces of positive feedback. It was overdue for a tune-up.

I like to keep my products as tightly aligned to ACARA so possible so that you, the teacher, have minimal work to do. These units of work cover everything that is required for HASS so you just have to pull out the particular pieces you'd like to use with your class and plan your lesson around the resources, confident in the knowledge that you're meeting the national standards.

So without further-a-do I'd like to take you through the newly updated pack and highlight any changes I have made (if you have already purchased this product, you can just download the updated version for free via your purchases page on TpT).

INDEX

The index at the start of the pack outlines each of the Year 1 Geography Knowledge and Understandings and their alignment with each resource, poster or slide. This should be your starting point with your planning. Print out the index and highlight the resources you think your class will enjoy (you know your students best so differentiate for their needs). All the materials in the pack are in sequential order, to take you right through the unit.

VOCABULARY CARDS

The vocabulary cards come with a student-friendly definition and a matching image. Print, laminate and cut and they will last you for years. You can use these one of two ways; place them all on a word wall and discuss as necessary or put one up each week and make this part of your vocabulary lesson (STRIVE or which ever vocabulary system you use in your school). Each word is key for understanding the core concepts of Year 1 Geography.

WORKSHEETS

There are lots of worksheets in this pack and each has the alignment clearly marked on the top. I use these alignments to start my lesson with my We Are Learning Today (WALT) and my This Is Because (TIB). The alignment on each resource makes it easy for students to quickly identify 'why am I learning this?'.

WHAT'S NEW?

Nearly all the worksheets have been improved with clearer, more student friendly fonts. Most have new clip art which is far more descriptive and there are several new worksheets that have been added to help build students' conceptual understanding of the topics covered such as;

• What is a constructed, managed or natural place? Reading text with definitions. 
• What are the features of places? Reading text
• How are places used? Modelled example for students
• Identifying which resources can be recycled Reading text x 2
• Waterways definitions colouring pages x 8

NEW STUDENT WORKBOOK

I have included a separate PDF in this pack of just the worksheets with a HASS Geography cover page, so you can print the entire set out for students to work through in your Geography lessons should you wish. 

QR CODES

The QR codes have proved very popular but I know not all teachers have access to iPads to scan the codes so they can use the photographic images in the poster/slide pack that is included to help prompt students with their responses. Looking at a real photograph, where possible, is always a better alternative than clip art for young students - so lots have been included in this pack!

MAP MAKING

One of my favourite parts of teaching geography is map-making! It's so much fun and students love some hands-on activities. I have removed the original map-making activity of a town and replaced it with a new map students can create and put on display of a playground. I have also included a writing sheet for students to discuss the features they have added and why.

WHAT'S NEW?

• Design your own playground - cut and paste activity with matching writing sheet

INDIGENOUS CONNECTIONS

The QR Code and video activity of Tiddalick the frog is always fun for students to explore a connection to Aboriginal dreaming and creation stories. 

WHAT'S NEW?

In the last update the Noongar Seasons Calendar was updated to reflect a preferred spelling of two of the seasons (remember there are some regional variations on these spellings).

WEATHER

New clip art has been added to the weather comparison worksheets and don't forget to use the links to the websites covered in the teacher notes to take students through this activity.

NEW PUZZLES!

You asked and I listened! More hands-on activities for Geography...so I have now added in some lovely puzzle pieces for waterways. Print, laminate, cut and bag and they will last you for a long time. Before you undertake a study of your local waterways, use these puzzle pieces with students. Here are a few ways I have used these in the past:

• Give each student a random puzzle piece and then tell them to find the other two matching pieces without speaking (this keeps the noise down but also forces students to use miming actions and other non-verbal skills to find their partners). When they have found their matching puzzle pieces, sit down. Students love this activity and it really is a great warm up to a lesson. 
• Give students the whole set of puzzle pieces in small groups and get them to sort them out. They will need to discuss why they believe each piece fits with the title (as any of them can) in order to be correct. This will force them to use their vocabulary and oral language skills). 

POSTERS AND SLIDES

All of the posters and photographic slides are in one file now and new fonts and clip art make them look fantastic!

WHAT'S NEW?

• Features colour poster
• Each photographic slide has a matching colour poster (use whichever option you prefer in your room)
• Materials photographic posters x 12

I hope you enjoy the new updates. Please let me know of any other activities you'd love to see in this pack as I'm always keen to keep you prepared for your geography lessons!

You can find the Year 1 Geography pack here (updates are free!).

How to get the most from your parent teacher relationship

There as been so much talk in the press lately about teachers being disrespected at school by helicopter parents and now even lawnmower parents (yes that's a thing now apparently).  When I told my teaching buddy about 'lawnmower parents' she replied '...are we the lawn in that scenario?'. That pretty much sums up how teachers feel about our relationship with parents. It can be tricky at best. 

In the past, teachers were some of the most highly educated in the community and were therefore treated with respect. When teachers contacted parents about behaviour issues, late or missing homework or poor academic performance, parents would turn to their children to ask them to explain what went wrong. 

Today, when teachers contact parents they are often (not always) met with the denial ("It wasn't him!"), lack of insight ("He always does his homework!") or flat out accusations ("My child isn't doing well because they don't like you!"). If you reflect on the parents you have to have regular contact with, you know these can be difficult conversations because teachers are just not believed or trusted in general today. 

Right now, many teachers are enjoying their long deserved holiday break. When they return, many will face a gauntlet of angry and accusatory parents wanting answers to why their child didn't get an A on the last report card. 

So what to do.

You can't control these type of parents. Many have often decided early on that their child's teacher is the problem and nothing you can say or do will change that.

However, what you can do is reflect on the parents that DO make a difference. 

As I was mulling the inevitable upcoming parent teacher meetings when school returns, my mind wandered to those OTHER parents. The ones we don't talk about as much to the public press. 

I have a lovely student, let's call him John, who is a funny character. He arranges and rearranges his desk every day. Comes early to sit in the room for some quiet time. Stands with me on playground duty to chat every day. John is a sweetie but his parents are even lovelier. I've had many chats with both his parents who are very careful to keep John in his place. In fact I often make excuses for him "He was a little distracted I think.." and his parents tell him to "focus properly!". They set high standards for him, are open to discussion and we have a little laugh from time to time. They respect the work I do with their child and want him to succeed on his own terms.

Last year I had a student who struggled to get organised and write clearly. His mother would say "What can I do to help him at home?" and guess what.. she actually did a wonderful job. It made my job so much easier! She stood over him to make him re-do his homework over and over till it was perfect. She was busy and couldn't always find the time but her efforts were huge and TOGETHER we made a difference. 

There are lots of my student's parents who I have regular discussions with and over the years I still see those parents around the school and smile. We were a team, working together to help their child. 

The success or failure of the child is only as good as the team can be. 

So parents, before you march down to your child's school to confront their teacher over some perceived slight, do them the courtesy of the benefit of the doubt and ask yourself 'What am I doing to help my child?' If their teacher tells you they missed homework, ask yourself 'How can I help my child get more organised?' If they receive a D on their English grade, ask yourself 'How can I help him to do better?" Work with, not against your child's teacher and you may find a shared respect developing.

Teachers, try not to let confrontational parents distract you from what teaching is about and don't forget those unsung heroes. Those parents working hard behind the scenes, striving to help their child so that together you can make a difference.

How Organising Your Teacher Desk Can Increase Your Productivity!

It's Monday morning and I need drop my photocopying into the office but I need to use the 'official' little note on it so the admin member knows what I want (no a Post-It note is not good enough any more I have to actually fill in a tiny form!). Where are they? Okay, found them. Now where are my paperclips? ugh! Oh awards need to go in today... where are my stickers? 

Is this you?

Teachers. We have so much STUFF on our desk. SO. MUCH. STUFF. When the bell goes and students pour into the classroom, in comes more stuff... forms, letters, notes, money for school trips.. more and more STUFF! 

I feel like 60% of my job is administrative these days.

There are many benefits to having some organisation with your teaching supplies. It adds one less stress to your day for starters. Being able to 'find' something quickly can create a smooth start to your morning. Some people can survive without this level or organisation but I love any tool that helps me get and STAY organised. 

My teacher desk looks like a war zone most days and I'm forever looking for things!

So yesterday I got organised. I took the time, while on school holidays, to get myself organised once and for all!

I've seen teachers in America use these super cute organisers but couldn't seem to find them anywhere in Australia. 

However, my trip to Bunnings let me discover this. Hello baby! Not as big as the American versions but still perfect for what I need. I've left the price and code there if you want to take it to your local Bunnings to look for one. 

Just one point regarding the size inside the boxes. I've created a little video here so you can see how things fit inside but pens and pencils will not fit. Highlighters and glue sticks do fit but these boxes are for those really tiny fiddly things like pins, tacks, blue-tack and other things that tend to disappear amongst paperwork. 

Next I created some labels that are the perfect size to fit inside. You can download the labels here in 5 different font types (I went for black but you might be one of those 'colourful' teachers).

Once printed I laminated and cut the labels to give them some longevity.

I used these little gems from Kmart to place a dab of glue inside (about $3). You place the adhesive dot on the inside of the box and then attach the label. What makes these so great is you can pull them off easily and replace them any time. So when I was setting up my box I changed my mind several times about which label I wanted to use and they came away easily with no mess and could be reused over and over. So handy!

Once finished it was deeply satisfying to place all my desk materials into the drawers and the visual labels make finding items again so easy!

You may not want to use these exact labels, so inside the pack I've placed an editable version with the labels at the correct size. 

I'd love to see your finished organisers! Please Instagram them with the hashtag #TechTeacherPto3 - I can't wait to see which version of the labels you use!

Now there is no excuse for lack of productivity! Yikes!