How I Plan a Unit

This week I am on the mission of completing another HASS unit so I thought I would take you on my journey of how I create a complete unit.

The first step I take is looking at the curriculum. Usually I divide the curriculum for each subject/area into 4 groups so I have a unit for each term. I use my curriculum checklists and cut up the aspects.
(Find my Curriculum Checklists for F-6 in my store).

Once I am happy with the groupings I choose one that either I am most motivated about or the one that makes sense to be first. Maybe it runs into other aspects or involves prior knowledge or is just an easier topic to cover in first term. I take the aspects and write them down in a brainstorm and from their add points from the elaborations (available on the Australian Curriculum website).

As ideas for lessons and the flow of the planner start coming I start adding numbers to represent the ten lessons I plan around. Sometimes this means that I start a new brainstorm to allow enough room for the planning. There is usually a bit of crossing out and arrows drawn from one side of the page till the other until all the tweaking is done and I am happy to move on. I find ideas come to me fairly naturally but you might like to look around the internet and Pinterest for ideas and activities on how to teach different concepts.

I then start working in my planning document. I add the title, year level, summary and copy in the aspects. The next thing I tackle is the lesson focus. I write down the main the students are doing or learning in each lesson. Sometimes by defining the focus I realise I need to move things around again or that a particular activity I wanted to do doesn't really work for the unit then i'll go back to the brainstorm until I am happy again. I always work with a template from a similar unit I have done so all the formatting is done and I can keep them consistent. I highlight anything still remaining from the template planner yellow so I don't miss anything. I often will refer to a list of verbs for objects such as this one during this process.

Then I go through an start writing in what ideas I already have for each lesson. If I already know exactly what is going to happen in the lesson I will plan it out fully including filling in the resources and assessment column although the wording may not be as clear or succinct as I would like.
If I don't know exactly how the lesson will play out or need to research items in greater detail before I plan them I will just write dot points.

As the lessons start to come together I will refer to the teaching and learning strategies I have at the top of the planner to ensure I am using a wide range. If I am stuck for how to deliver a lesson I will also look at the strategies to spark ideas. 

I then write up the resources I need to source or create and begin to make them. I prefer to use PowerPoint to design my resources because of how easy it is to move images and text boxes. Sometimes while I am creating the resources I will have better ideas or something I though would work didn't and I will go back to my planner and tweak.

So that's my design process. I hope you have gotten some ideas to help with your own planning.

I have heaps of resources in my store that are great additions to units or let me do all the hard work for you and download one of my complete units instead.
HASS Resources | HASS units | English Resources| English Units| Health Units| Science Units

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How to Make Time for Everything

I regularly get asked how do I have time for everything- I work full time as a classroom teacher, have two toddlers and run the MrsAmy123 business. 

The truth?

I don't!

In everything we do in life there will never be enough time to do everything! There is always more we could or should do. When we learn to accept the fact we can not do it all we can become much more at peace. Learn to forgive yourself if you don't get EVERYTHING done!

Some days it gets me down that I didn't do this or that and sometimes it keeps me awake at night. Its only human!

So now that we are all probably feeling a bit down with that notion lets move on to how I better manage the time I do have.

The first thing is to have priorities!

 What ranks highest on your list? Where does everything else factor in?

For me, my family is the most important thing in my life and they will always come first. But as a teacher I have responsibilities and set hours. So what I decided was while I am at work I get as much as I can done and arrive and leave within half an hour of my students. When I am home and my kids are awake my time is dedicated to them first. When they are asleep the time is mine for me (and sometimes my husband ;-) ) and I usually choose to work on my business because that's my hobby, that's what I enjoy doing. So every now and again I will do school work at home but it is not the norm and other than the first two weeks back each year it doesn't happen more than 1-2 times a week.

Next is getting systems in place to help with everything! For me that's routines.

Planner:
I was really excited to start using a planner this year to help me manage everything. I decided to take the plunge and get an Erin Condren. They are not cheap, but they are aesthetically pleasing and the style really works for the way my head thinks- three sections for each day which match up perfectly with my top three priorities- family, school and my business. Having a planner keeps me on track and motivated to be productive. Nothing is worse then forgetting about something and having to rush it at the last minute or wasting your time trying to think about what you need to do.

Click here for 10% off your first Erin Condren purchase (Affiliate link)

School:
 I get up at 6 and get myself and my family ready for the day and then (after a 25 minute drive) arrive at 8 am in the morning (mainly to guarantee good parking otherwise I would probably get there later). The students are allowed in at 8:30 and official teaching time begins at 8:40. Unless I have duty I force myself to go to the staff room at recess to debrief and build relationships with the staff. Unless I have duty, I take a working lunch. I eat as I prepare whatever I need to to. During my DOTT sessions (duties other than teaching) I make sure to maximise my time. You can read more on that by clicking here. 

Home Time:
As soon as my girls are in bed around 7pm I start working on my business until I feel ready for bed.
My husband and I like having a tidy home so we found a cleaning routine that worked best for us. After our tea he takes our girls for their bath/shower while I clean for 10-20 minutes. Each night I have something different to do on a fortnightly cycle. You can never have a completely tidy house with two toddlers but this routine keeps things live-able. I usually have time to squeeze in a shower and a quick 15 minute workout before I start work on my business.

Weekends:
I work during my youngest daughters nap time on the weekend and usually manage to squeeze some other time in for the business but the majority of the weekend is spent with my family.

Don't stretch yourself to thin!
Don't be the teacher that is constantly running around in a panic stricken state with a to do list longer then the Titanic. We all know a teacher like this (or maybe that's you)! They don't have their priorities in order as we spoke about before, but they are also usually stretching themselves way to thin! Don't take on more responsibilities if you're struggling with the ones you have.
We were once asked to start two new programs in our class at the start of the year with a fairly large learning curve. I implemented one in the most basic way I could and focused all my attention of making the other one big and great. After I was satisfied with how that one was running and my knowledge of it I went on to conquer the other one. To try implement them to both at the same time was unmanageable and they would have been half- hearted and probably fallen into a heap.
With two young children at home I am also not jumping on board any extra projects at school. When my girls are older then I will devote more time to school and get back into those extra thing.

Make time for yourself:
Looking after yourself is fundamental to being a good teacher for the long hall. Get sleep! Have fun! Spend time on something you LOVE! When we are happy, well rested and enjoying life we are more productive!


My last tip is to work around your strengths and weaknesses.
My teaching strength is in planning. I love making up fun, engaging units that involve collaboration. If planning isn't your strong suit then let me help you out to give you more time to be the excellent teacher you are!
Shop my store full of ready to use units by clicking here.

I have heaps of other ideas to help your maxmise your time at school that I will share in future blogs. Don't forget to check out my blog article on maximising your planning time.
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Teaching Vocabulary

Want some ideas for implementing a vocabulary program? Read on (and stay tuned till the end for a FREEBIE!) 

During a PD sessions I attended once, a leading teaching spoke about teaching vocabulary and how she felt it had been the main reason her school had had an increase in their schools NAPLAN results (Australia's standardized testing) and had made a dramatic difference in both their reading and writing. 

Our principal then tasked us with trying this in our classrooms.....I tried it her way....then started tweaking it as I didn't find the time she spent on it (30 minutes to an hour every day!) worth the results I was getting in my classroom.

Through trial and error this is the way I would now teach vocabulary to year 3's and above. 

I decreased the amount of words I was expecting my students to learn to only 24 a week. Practice each day only takes about 15 minutes. The activities also integrate other reading and writing skills as much as possible to maximize the effectiveness of the time spent.

Monday:

•Teacher reads through list and students echo back.

•Teacher reads list again while students rate each word (Ratings Poster) in the square box before each word.

•Teacher reads through the list and defines each word calling on students to assist for some words.

•Students read through the list with the teacher as quickly as possible.

Tuesday:

•Teacher holds up flash cards one at a time and students read each word. Occasionally define a word.

•Students complete activity.

•Students make a bracelet for one of the words they ranked a ‘2’ in previous days activity and must use that word as many times as possible that day.

(An example of an activity- definition match)

Wednesday:

•Teacher holds up flash cards one at a time and students read each word. Occasionally define a word.

•Students complete activity sheet.

•Early finishers can time each other to see how quickly they can read through the list.

(An example of a worksheet- simple but aids in their understanding)

Thursday:

•Teacher holds up flash cards one at a time and students read each word. Go over the definitions of some of the words.

•Students play selected games from the suggested games.

Friday:

•Students write for ten minutes seeing how many times they can use the words from the list. The amount of words used correctly can be recorded for assessment purposes. Weaker writers could do this task verbally.

Extras:

•It is recommended when reading through the words that you do so in a tone or manner that helps depict the meaning of the word. This makes it more memorable and students will be more likely to remember them.

•Every time students do a writing task, challenge them to use the words in their work. Each time they use a word correctly place a tick in the star on their word list sheet. Give certificates or rewards for certain amounts used or a whole sheet.

•Have students complete the focus word sheet for 3 words they have ranked a ‘3’ or ‘4’. 

I am currently teaching year 1's and had no plan of doing vocabulary with them....but then I changed my mind. I try and do a word of the day whenever we get a spare 5 minutes during out morning block.

During a 30 minute afternoon session we go through one of the lists, saying and defining the words. We swap lists every two weeks and our word of the day is selected from this list. The first list we did was words that all meant happy and we have moved on now to weather words which fits in with our HASS and Health unit.

Here are a few games you can play with vocabulary words:

Celebrity Heads: Have students randomly select a word from the list and attach it to a paper band around their head. Students can ask yes and no questions to try and work out their word. Questions should focus on meaning more than the spelling of their word. Make it more challenging by not allowing them to use the list of words for reference.  Play with 5 students selected in front of the class or have all students wandering around.

Memory: Give pairs of students two copies of 10-15 of the words. Lay them all face down spread out on the ground. Students take turns turning two of them over at a time. If they get two matching words they get another turn. The students with the most matching words win.

Quick!: Individually, in pairs or as a group have students write as many of the words that they can remember of the list as possible. The students/s with the most correct words win. Ensure time is given to identify the words they missed.

Charades: Students act out a word and the rest of the class/group/partner must guess it.

Pictionary: Students try and draw a word and the rest of the class/group/partner must guess it.

Taboo: Students given verbal hints to a word and their partner/group/class must try and guess it.

Word Cline: Sort the words from the two extremes e.g. from the biggest word for biggest to the smallest word for smallest.

Categories: Sort the words into different categories such as negative/postive or parts of speech (verbs, adverbs, nouns, adjectives, other).

Here is a FREE Vocabulary pack if you would like to try this approach for two weeks:

FREE Animal Features and Habitats Vocabulary Pack

I have a years worth of vocabulary packs for a range of topics in my stores or you can get them for a great discount in this Year Long Vocabulary Bundle!

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Giveaway! Sale! Freebies! Oh My!

I just wanted to let you know that me and a range of other sellers have gotten together for a Back to School Bonanza!

Starting today check out tptdownunder.com for a $50 gift card giveaway AND download a bunch of great freebies while you are there!

There will be daily deals on TPT when you search 'TPTdownunder' in the search bar of the TPT website including 50% off some of my resources! WOW!

But wait! That's not all! My store is also on sale for 20% off everything! Save on all your back to school needs!

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Australian Curriculum Text Type Units

  PERSUASIVE|NARRATIVE|POETRY|PROCEDURE|REPORT  

My text type units are being used by hundreds of teachers around Australia! Now you can buy a bundle of 5 different units for the price of 4! These bundles are available for each year level.

 Read on to find out more about what you can except from my units!

Year 1 and 2 Text Type Unit Bundle

Year 3 and 4 Text Type Unit Bundle

Year 5 and 6 Text Type Unit Bundle

Each year level has their own specific planner so that it is perfectly aligned to the Australian Curriculum Aspects relevant to each year level. Lessons consists of 4-6 steps so they are quick to wrap your head around. Teachers should tease out each step as much or as little as needed for their students.

To keep the units engaging I have used cooperative strategies where possible so its not just all writing all the time. 

The units follow the gradual release of responsibility as students take on more of the components of writing text types as the unit progresses.

Just about all the necessary resources for each unit are included. That includes posters and prompts that be used year round.

I don't include a worksheet for every lesson as I like to do lots of hands on activities where possible.

Each unit has an assessment at the end of each lesson and two major assessments using rubrics to mark writing samples.

So save yourself HOURS of planning and grab them now!

Year 1 and 2 Text Type Unit Bundle

Year 3 and 4 Text Type Bundle

Year 5 and 6 Text Type Unit Bundle

Also check out my store for more Australian Curriculum Units in HASS and Science. Also available are Maths Assessment for the Australian Curriculum.

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Who Are You Buying Resources From?

When you buy resources from sites like TPT, do you spend much time looking at WHO you are buying resources from? 

• Are they qualified? Have they got experience or a degree in the area they are selling resources for? Just because they sell on TeacherspayTEACHERS, does not mean they ARE teachers. I'm not saying they have to be a teacher- you can get great resources from EA'S (teacher's assistance) and Speech pathologist just to name a few- but check to make sure you a buying from someone knowledgeable in the area of your resource.
• Have they graduated yet? Student teachers often have fresh and unique ideas and can be more knowledgeable on current theory but depending on the resources you are buying, experience and the resource having been classroom tested may be an important factor.
• Are they still in the classroom? Retired teachers and people who have moved on to other experiences may have more time to create but are the resources still current? Do they still work in today's classroom? Are they aligned with current curriculum?
• What country are they from? Check to see if they use the same version of English as you or include your version in their products if that is going to be an issue. Product descriptions are a great sign of what the language will be like within the product. If they speak English as a second language is their grammar up to scratch?
• Does the resource belong to that person? Some steal other peoples resources and post them as their own! 

Before buying resources from a store have a look at who you are buying it off of through 'about me' tabs, clicking on social media links and exploring their store. Ensure you can trust the products you purchase.

So who am I?

In my personal life I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful and clever daughters (ages 2 and 1) and 2 very fluffy dogs (Golden Retriever and a Japanese Spitz).

                

"I was born to be a teacher. It is my passion! If we had a choice to work or not I would still want to be a teacher! "

I completed my teaching degree in 2009 in a special internship program where I got to work along side a teacher in a classroom for the whole year! It was an incredible experience, one I am very grateful for. I feel I learnt more than most teachers would on their own in their first three year! I graduated with a highly outstanding for my ATP (final teaching practicum).

I then did a one year country stint in a small rural town. It was a nice little town and I wish I had done more in my time there but it was a fantastic setting for my first classroom of my own.

At the end of that year I knew I wanted to head back to my home town, the third largest city in Western Australia. I didn't think I had much of chance of getting a job as they were in short supply and high demand at the time. I tried to get use to the idea of relief teaching but was worried I would get bored without the planning, relationships and creative outlets. I decided if I wasn't successful I would do a psychology degree while relief teaching. I can still remember the phone conversation word for word when I got a job! It was a huge achievement! No one could wipe the smile from my face! But I also couldn't get rid of the idea of learning more about psychology so I committed to doing a certificate in psychology (basically the first year of a Psychology degree) while teaching.

Since then I have been at the same school. First in year 1, then year 3 for two years, a split 2/3, maternity leave for a year and this year is still technically confidential. I love staying at the same school and getting to know families and seeing children grow. While year 3 is my absolute favourite year I like moving grades to keep things interesting and fresh.

I love bright colours in my classroom and having display that serve practical purposes not just look pretty.
My lesson feature a variety of learning strategies including cooperative learning strategies, thinking tools and recording templates. I love hands on activities and most of my lessons do not have a designated worksheet.
I set my expectations for students high and make lessons that cater for a wide range of abilities.
I create just about everything myself for my classroom. Creating resources and designing units is more like a hobby for my than work.
My top three strengths in teaching are lesson planning, facilitating lessons (teaching) and relationships with students. My biggest weaknesses in teaching are parent relationships, physical education and patience!

"Let me spend time doing what I love to give you more time to do what you love!"

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