Plannning a plan

This is going to be a boring post so if you want to read something abit more interesting oh I don't know lets say something about me and 3 others watching semi clad men fighting over 'earth and water' and what happens when u run up a down escalator then proceed to this blog: http://www.justatemporarymeasure.blogspot.com/

For here there shall be nothing more but a plan of what lessons we are planning to teach during the excellence and enjoyment week:

Music:

1a, 1b: 'We're going on a bear hunt'
3a: Listen to animal sounds. Can they be identified. (Starter activity)

PSHE:

2a: Debate about whether or not zoo's should be allowed. Courtroom style or snowballing. (Link with drama role playing in a courtroom?)

PE:

6a: Dance: Observing ways in which animals move, moving in this way. Make this in to a dance.

Art:

I'm getting bored of this, will edit at another time. Meeting with school tomorrow at 2.45pm

Inclusion

My next big assignment is on 'inclusion'. Think I might enjoy this one alot more then the last one. I've started it early to after much reluctance I resisted the temptation of loitering around in the sunshine with my fair lady and headed for the library...all the way in Didsbury!

I've decided to look into how I would include EAL children and children with behavioral problems, boys in particular, into my lessons. As I can relate these issues directly to my placement and they are both issues I am genuinely interested in.

For background research for the behavioral problems I started reading a book called 'What about the boys - Issues of masculinity in schools' (Wayne Martino and Bob Meyenn) the chapter I read was on 'Cussing matches' which are 1 on 1 challenges where each boy takes it in turn to insult the others 'momma' the first one to make the other crumble in to tears or lash out is the winner. Alot of this is normally done during playtime and dinnertime but sometimes it can spill over into the classroom.

According to the book its a way for boys to show their heterosexual masculinity and is normally shown by the more boisterous boys who are normally a part of a group. This was the case in my class however after one incident of it spilling over in my class they never tried the cussing matches.

There were afew boys who weren't a part of the group this was because they had been left out because of language barriers or learning needs (boys can be just as nasty as girls) so when during a spare few minutes before playtime the children were telling me what they had been up to one of the boys who is just learning english put up his hand. Me thinking it was a good chance to include him in the conversation got the rest of class to quieted down as he spoke:

Shyboy: Miss I have joke
Me: Go on then (beaming to myself at his confidence in speaking in front of the class)
Shyboy: Yo mamma's so fat I eat my corn fleks in her belly button

It's magic........don't you know?!

I had a really emotional post going through my head Thursday night.I was stressed out about an assignment and almost cried but by Friday I had handed it in and nandos made me forget how crap it was!

Now I've just remembered it and it's starting to annoy the hell out of me. Apparently only our assignment grades go towards the degree classification. How friggin stupid is that??!! How can an assignment show how well you teach it?!

What annoys me the most is that I know I can teach better then I can write assignments...

I just had a tee hee session and now all the pent up anger which I was going to regurgitate here has magically vanished......I want to buy them all broAches ;-)

5 weird things...

I got 'tagged' by hema (http://hemasphere.blogspot.com/) to list 5 weird things. Although if we were to play 'tag' for real as in the world that exists beyond the computer screen i doubt she would ever catch me.

So 5 weird things hmmm:

1. Im double jointed in my fingers and can bend them in ways that shouldn't be possible. No I will NOT show you. Trust me its weird.
2. I HAVE to to carry around those small tubs of vasaline. I don't function without it and if god forbid I forget it I end up buying another one. For the last week or so I've been picking up a bag realising its not big enough to hold my stuff and using this other big one.The same bag everyday. Every time i do this i seem to transfer vasline tubs in to the big bag. Today I had 6 tubs of the stuff in it! hmmmm wonder if I can sell them on on ebay...
3. I 'collect' bags. (Donations are always appreciated to this worthy cause)
   
4. I've screamed at least once through every film I've watched.
   
5. I have conversations in my head. No this doesn't mean I talk to myself, I simply replay past funny moments and they are as vivid in my head as when they happened. This does from time to time lead to me laughing when I REALLY shouldn't but hey it keeps me entertained and smiling.

Hmmmm re-reading that it sounds like I fit in to the 'freak' category well and truly. I tag EVERYBODY reading this. (email me when u do it)

Trip Trap!!

Apprantly the teacher liked my idea and there's a good chance we will be going to the zoo.
That's the trip bit.

Now for the trap bit....there's a chance we might see snakes.....

The last placement

Only have one more placement left to do for this year. All based on creativity! It's just a week towards the end of June. It's also the most complicated one, not your box standard go in teach, let's see if and how well you survive.
This one has to be done in a group of 5. We have 2 day visits before the actual placement and then we're in for a week. No core subjects are taught...its all just foundation subjects.Oh and whilst we're there we have to organise a trip which is enjoyable and produces excellent work afterwards.
Our school has a budget...so we've been told. After the meeting today with the school I'm not so sure. We had to submit ideas for the trip and creative ideas we had for lessons. I chose 'Chester Zoo' Spent the PE lecture coming up with creative lessons. Which included:

• D&T linked with Art: Make a patchwork quilt in the shape of Elmer the elephant. Each child contributes on their patch they draw/paint/scribble their fave animal.
• Art: Before the trip do drawings of animals they think they will see. Evaluate their drawing to actual animals. Include some observational drawings.
• Music: 1 of the LO's for this is to analyse sounds. A software I've used before includes animal noises. Involve puppets in some way and waa la! Pure excellence and enjoyment - for me anyway.
• PSHE: Debate weather or not animals should be kept in a zoo. Do this in a countdown style awarding points for good views etc.

As you can see they all very lame. My other idea, the cheap and simple one was Manchester museum. We can pick any one of the areas there and that's enough to go on.

Also just for this placement we have to do a presentation, an assignment and then plan every damn lesson as a group!! Someone please get me one of these:

Picture perfect

Stress levels are high, deadlines are around the corner, life changing decisions need to be made and I'm back to wasting time. Bad habits die hard.
Spent about half hour or so going through pictures from college days to the present day. Reminiscing days gone by.

Only ones I can put up are the ones taken from my nursery placement. Looking at these reminded me I have to decide by the end of this year weather or not I want to teach children aged 3-7 or 5-11. The only reason I don't want to do 5-11 is because that will rule out ever working in a nursery. This wouldn't have been such a hard decision had I not had such a brilliant time during the nursery placement.



Role Play Area:
Does what it says on the display. This was the area where the children let there imaginations run wild. Whilst I was there it was a baby clinic. All I did was play the Doctor part. I checked the dolls and told the children about feeding, changing, bath time. Everything a 4 year old 'parent' would need to know.
Incidentally there were some 'awwwww that is so cute!!' moments.





The Home Area:
It tasted This was the place in which, for the first time in my entire life not one not two but 3 cuties made me a full english breakfast. It tasted plasticy.

Was amazing they really got in to the role and we had quite afew 'Itsh in the oven, itsh burn all over!' moments. Again the cuteness factor here hit the roof.


The Quiet Room:
Was quite from time to time. We had singing time, milk time, circle time, birthday time and story time in here. I loved every minute of it. Apart from the first day!






Sand and Water Area:
Only place where the children could get in trouble. A number of 'accidents' the best being a doll drowning and the water mysteriously turning to mud at the same time as the sand disappeared. We never did find the culprit...they all had sand in their pockets and had been in the baby clinic that day. Babies really know how to cover their backs!



These pictures always remind me of innocence, laughter and freedom. What I wouldn't do to be four again....*BIG SIGH*

Hot Fuzz

Once again should be managing my time better but having sat through a 3hour lecture and gone over some group work I think I deserve a break!

So here in pictures is what I did yesterday it has nothing to do with teaching but hey it's a good way to waste some time and LOOK like i'm working hard.

We went to the sushi bar in selfridges...

I ordered this. I also used the chopsticks...

for the 1st bite but the had to use the above...

It seems I have non of this so called aquired taste, simply because I didn't want to taste this:

or this:

or this:

I did try this sponge cake with rasberry sauce and some of the chocolate fudge tho

But the best bit about it was...

Oh and we watched Hot Fuzz - very funny and gory!

The end!

So many things so little time....:-(

Currently I'm supposed to be doing an assignment on speaking and listening but just remembered a line I read in a book...'You should never start something you don't intend on finishing'. With this in mind I've decided to leave the assignment for now (haven’t started it yet) and finish of the post I started afew days ago. Last Tuesday to be precise.

First day back at uni, well first day of lectures I was in uni yesterday. All through the lecture my mind kept going back to school and I kept thinking things such as 'ooo it'll be playtime now' and 'It's close to dinner wonder if **** has been exited from the class yet.' Then during a lecture (and practical) on teaching dance in PE I kept giggling to myself as I remembered some of the funny things the kids had done. Thought I'd write them down to cherish for as long as this blog lives. So in no particular order here goes:

• There's a kid in a different class he's only been in the country a few months and is just learning English, he so unbelievably cute! He's recently learnt the word 'broccoli' and that’s all he ever says any question you ask him from doing the register to a times table question all he will say is broccoli. I ask him questions just to see him grin at me and say 'broccoli' then nod as if he's given me some really wise words of wisdom to ponder over.

• Whilst reading 'Charlotte's Web' to the class I said the word 'pig' the majority of the class put their hands over their ears and went 'tauba tuaba'. I tried explaining it wasn't a bad word but they weren’t having any of it and kept telling me to say P-I-G instead. Just for the fun of it I read a line and said P-I-G instead of pig and then got the giggles. The kids really couldn't understand why such a serious issue was making me giggle so much.

• We had a further education visitor in. She was there to talk to the kids about uni I have no idea as to why seeing as half of them didn't know what uni was. For one of the tasks the kids had to make a dream weaver and write about what the dreams were. A long winded activity to ask 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' Anyway the kids get on with it and we have a few doctors, some nurses, a vet, a mosque teacher and then 'Miss I want to work in McDonalds' I looked at her thinking she hadn't understood the task. 'This is for when you grow up, what do you want to do then?' Pauses for awhile and then in a serious tone if I don't work in McDonalds I want to work in WHS'

• A boy in my class used to always dance even when he had to sit on the carpet. Whenever I told him off he would look up at me and in an american accent say 'My baaaaad!' Every time he did it I had to try so hard not laugh.

It's all good in the hood

I've decided I’m not a very good blogger, simply because I don't blog enough! Everyday of this week something has happened which I want to keep some sort of keepsake but by the time I get home, finish planning, chatting on msn etc I'm too tired.

Anywaaay to redeem myself I’m going to write up what has been happening....

Tuesday something of Feb:

its a few days before world book day and ALL the staff from teachers to cleaners have to dress up as a book character. Thursday will also be the day I get my final observation the decider of weather or not I pass and how well I pass.

For once I decide to do something abit early instead of leaving it till the last minute. I decide to get my costume sorted. Went by the 'Abracadabra' (costume shop) yesterday but it had been closed so I decide to ring them up today.

Abracadabra man: Haaaaaylo abracadabra here how can I help?

Me: Hi was wondering if I could reserve a red riding hood costume? I went by yesterday but you were closed

AM: Yes, we're closed Sundays, Mondays. Is it for book day? We have a few left but they're going fast so I won't be able to reserve anything.

Me: Erm that’s ok I guess, I finish at about 4. Will you still be open around that time?

AM: Yeah we're open till 5. I'll try and keep one aside for you but can't promise anything.

Me: That's fine. (Hang up)

Day goes on teach a few lessons. Do some acting with a puppet (a story to blog about at a different time) pretty soon it's time to go Abracadabra. I explain to Dad where I need to go, he parks up outside I go in.

Me: Hi, I rang earlier asking for a red riding hood costume.

AM: (Looks at me abit funny) so you did love. We have one left.
(Manages to locate it beneath a pile of fake hair and wands)

AM: Might be a bit short...

He then pulls out a red mini dress with a huge slit on the side with those cheap looking criss cross things, the tiniest cape and fishnet stockings. My jaw drops, I stare from him to the costume

AM: It comes with a basket too

Dad walks in

Dad: You forgot your purse in the car.......Is that the cape it looks abit short?

Me: No Dad that’s the dress lets go.

I've never been so embarrassed in my life!! Why the hell would anyone think that something from a fairytale should be converted in to an outfit fit for a porn star!!

Thankfully I was able to get some red material from an asain shop and my sister-in-laws mum made me a gorgeous cape out of it. By Thursday it was all good in the hood...

The kids who dressed up looked so good and pictures are gorgeous...ones of the children anyway!