5 Currant Buns.

Last year, I decided to create packs of literacy, numeracy and social studies worksheets created around rhymes being completed in the classroom. We used this video on YouTube to learn the rhyme and then worked through the activities contained therein. As I teach in a multi-grade classroom, there are worksheets of varying difficulty to use with the different level abilities. The pack contains a detailed description of the strand unit and objectives covered for each worksheet, based upon the Irish primary school curriculum. These objectives are:

Page	Subject	Strand Unit	Objective
	English	Reading: developing concepts of language and print	Listen to, enjoy and respond to stories, nursery rhymes, poems and songs Develop a sense of rhythm and rhyme
14, 15, 16, 17		Reading: developing reading skills and strategies	Engage in shared reading activities Learn to isolate the part of a word or a syllable which allows it to rhyme with another word or syllable
3, 4, 5, 13, 18		Writing: developing competence, confidence and the ability to write independently	Copy letters and words informally as part of class activities
		Oral language: developing emotional and imaginative life through oral language	Listen to, learn and retell a rich variety of stories, rhymes and songs
19		Writing: developing emotional and imaginative life through writing	Hear a rich variety of stories, rhymes and songs and draw and write about them
6, 7	Maths	Matching	Match equivalent and non-equivalent sets using one-to-one correspondence
8, 9, 20		Counting	Count the number of objects in a set, 1-10
11		Extending pattern	Identify, copy and extend patterns in colour, shape and size using a range of objects, e.g. cubes or threading beads continue the pattern, what comes next?
10, 21		Numeration	Read, write and order numerals, 1 -5 Read, write and order numerals, 5 - 10
24, 25		Comparing	compare sets without counting more than and less than.
22		Analysis of number – combining	combine sets of objects, totals to 10
23		Analysis of number – partitioning	use the symbols + and = to construct word sentences involving addition
13, 18	Geography	People at work	Discuss the work of people in the home, at school, in the local community, in towns or countryside nearby and in wider environments
12			Identify materials used to make familiar items

Some sample images from the pack:

 

 

A sampler of the worksheets can be found here. 

The complete pack can be purchased in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here. 

Full and Empty

Recently I completed capacity with the children in my class. As an introduction to the activity, I created a Smartboard file to use with the children to distinguish between full and empty containers.

As I have a child with special needs in my class, I created a file folder game for use with this child, to help distinguish between full and empty.

I laminated the sheets and store them in a folder in the room.

A last exercise was the creation of a worksheet, where the children have to colour the pictures to indicate if they are full or empty. This file is available here.

I created another worksheet which practised full, half full and empty.

The entire pack may be purchased in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here. 

Indonesia.

I went on holidays to Indonesia this year and I have decided to do a unit with the children about Indonesia, as I brought home lots of batiks, puppets and masks, which can be used in the classroom.

This is a work in progress. Tomorrow, we are going to learn where Indonesia is located and the colours of their flag. Click here if you would like to get the flag file. 

What time is it?

I have just spent the morning creating resources to use with my class next week.

I have created a smartboard file to help the children to think about the different things they do at different times. This is part of my unit on time, and it will be used to help the children to read time on the hour. Here are some sample pages from the file.

I have also added a page, where the children have to match a clock to the correct written time and some links to online games. 

As a writing exercise, I have created a mini-book, to allow the children to draw the activity they do at a particular time and to write a sentence about their picture. A sampler can be found here. 

In Ireland, we teach the children analogue time first, so these activities are in analogue time. 

Sight Word Readers.

While there are many commercially produced reading schemes available, I don't like to use them as I believe that they move the children too quickly through the sight words. For this reason, I have created my own reading scheme for use with the children.

I re-organised the words so that the flashcards could be used to make simple sentences before the children even get near a book. Then they are given a simple book to read based on each sight word. I also created some simple tracing sheets and worksheets based on the words.

             

Vertical, Horizontal and Diagonal Lines.

We learnt about vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines in school. The children took it in turns to take photos of different lines in the classroom. I combined them into a photo story. While we watched the photo story  the children called out the name of the type of line in each image. A very noisy class, but the children loved it.

The Journey of St Patrick.

During the month of March, I did a unit about transportation with the children. It also happened to be the month when St Patrick's Day, our national holiday, occurs. 

I thought it would be a good idea for the children to think about how St Patrick travelled around Ireland in the 5th century A.D. , so this file was devised to help the children look at old and new methods of transport and to think about how St Patrick would have travelled from place to place.

 

(image from http://thepulpiteer.com/?p=1097)

                                 Click here to purchase this file on www.teacherspayteachers.com

Longer than and shorter than.

I always look for new ways to help the children get the concept of longer than and shorter than.

This year, I divided the children into groups of 3. Each group was given a short ruler and a digital camera. They were asked to take photos of either something which was longer than the ruler or shorter than the ruler. I then combined the photos into a photo story, to watch with the children.

We also completed the same task using a metre stick. I have not uploaded those videos here as they contain images of the children in my class and I have not received permission from their parents to do this.

Easter Egg People.

So, I had not thought about an Easter art idea. I had a look in the art cupboard and I found some paper plates and polystyrene eggs. Ding, let's make egg people and their nests.

The children were provided with

• polystyrene eggs
• feather
• paper plates
• tissue paper
• Easter confetti (obtained from the local euro shop)
• sequins

They were asked to create an egg man and to make a home for him. I think the finished products are great and here are just a few examples. The children were aged 4 - 6 years.