Thanks for the fun!

Please congratulate your child on behalf of myself for our successful trip to Canberra this week. We really 'weathered' some difficult conditions and I witnessed so many examples of responsible behaviour and team work from our students. Furthermore, we truly wowed museum staff all over Canberra with our excellent knowledge of Government. Well done class, you made me proud!

I was also very touched to receive my lovely class gift in appreciation of my attendance at camp. I must say it's the first time I have received something like that at this school, it was truly and gratefully appreciated. I hope it's the beginning of a tradition at our school for all the teachers who give their time to go away, it's a wonderful reflection of how thoughtful my class members and families are this year ;).

(Not from my classroom!)

Today I found this website featuring student classwork and it's quite humorous. If you are up for some light entertainment it's definitely worth a visit.

Not everyone is perfect.

I also located this funny post about teacher appreciation at one of my favourite websites, passiveaggressivenotes.com.


Happy long weekend to you, I hope you have something lovely planned!

Financial Literacy for Children

The future of children's financial literacy was examined as part of the PBS newshour 'Making Sen$e' segment with Paul Solman yesterday.

Stanford University reports in recent findings:
- Self control by age three has accurately predicted children's 'future prosperity';
- Self control is certainly more important than socio-economic status in terms of long term success.

Some provocative points are made and it's a fun short program to watch!
Who wouldn't want to help their child save and develop the necessary character traits for a successful future?

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Canberra Links

In week 7 we will be having our Canberra trip! All of Year 5 & Year 6 will be attending this camp.

Here are some links should you like to see what your child will be up to!

DAY ONE

The Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial combines a shrine, a world-class museum, and an extensive archive. The Memorial's purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war. Its mission is to assist Australians to remember, interpret and understand the Australian experience of war and its enduring impact on Australian society.
You can visit the education page here.


Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is Australia's premier sports training institute, internationally acknowledged as a world's best practice model for high performance athlete development.


National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia explores the land, nation and people of Australia. The Museum celebrates Australian social history in a unique way by revealing the stories of ordinary and extraordinary Australians, promoting the exploration of knowledge and ideas and providing a dynamic forum for discussion and reflection.
You can visit their Kids page here.

DAY TWO

AEC Electoral Education Centre
Conveniently located in the heart of the Canberra parliamentary triangle, the National Electoral Education Centre (NEEC) is a fun and interactive way to learn about Australia's electoral system.
During a visit to the NEEC participants will have an opportunity to:
•Enjoy a spectacular multi-media presentation on the history of democracy and elections in Australia in a purpose-built theatrette
•Enhance their knowledge of the electoral process through hands-on activities in our Discovery Zone
•Vote in an election and experience first-hand the electoral process and allocation of preferences.


Museum of Australian Democracy
The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House helps people to understand Australia’s social and political history by interpreting the past and present and exploring the future. We achieve this by:
- bringing alive the importance of Parliament in the lives of Australians;
- interpreting, conserving and presenting the building and our collections;
- providing entertaining and educational public programs; and
- providing a range of other services that enhance the visitor experience.


Parliament House
The Parliamentary Education Office is located here.

DAY THREE

Questacon
The National Science and Technology Centre located in Canberra, Australia presents free games, quizzes and activities to explain science to children and teenagers.


National Gallery of Australia
The education page is located here.



We will be staying at The Eaglehawk Holiday Park.

Arrival back at School: Approximately 6:30pm Wednesday (Avoca Street bus stop.)

See you then!

Parent Bookshelf

In the last School Holidays I was finally overcome with curiousity, so I bought and read 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' by Amy Chua.

If you would like to borrow it and read it for yourself just let me know and I am happy to lend it to you, I can send it home with your child.

I wont tell you what I really think of it, but I certainly think it's worth a read!

As quoted on Amazon.com:

Chua imparts the secret behind the stereotypical Asian child's phenomenal success: the Chinese mother. Chua promotes what has traditionally worked very well in raising children: strict, Old World, uncompromising values--and the parents don't have to be Chinese. What they are, however, are different from what she sees as indulgent and permissive Western parents: stressing academic performance above all, never accepting a mediocre grade, insisting on drilling and practice, and instilling respect for authority. Chua and her Jewish husband (both are professors at Yale Law) raised two girls, and her account of their formative years achieving amazing success in school and music performance proves both a model and a cautionary tale.

Government Homework Project

Our Government Homework Project is due this Friday 3rd of June.

The homework posters have started rolling in, so I thought I'd place a few of them here for parents to see!

'A Day in Barack Obama's World - American Government in a Nutshell'

National Sorry Day

Today we had a class visit where we discussed the Stolen Generation and the importance of 'Sorry Day' to Australians.

You can visit the National Sorry Day website here.


The original 'I have a dream' speech.

Learning Difficulties?

I will have been Teaching for 9 years this October, and I am yet to meet two children with the same needs.

In this time I have taught in privileged schools and also those with great need. I have taught at High School, Primary School, University and adults at ESL College.

Throughout this time I have realised that it may seem difficult for parents to approach the class Teacher should they have questions relating to their child and any perceived difficulty with learning. I think because it's hard to describe the problem and use current language, the research is constantly updating and different countries use different terminology - this can become very confusing, especially with the internet.

I am currently reading a fantastic book called 'The Brain That Changes Itself' by Norman Doidge and it mentions a wonderful school located in Toronto, Canada called 'The Arrowsmith School.'

They have created an excellent 'Description of 19 Learning Dysfunctions' which may assist you should the question of learning difficulty arise.

Of course if you believe your child has a learning difficulty it's best discussed with your family's GP as well as the class Teacher. Most Public Primary Schools in NSW have a 'Learning Support Team' and you can always ask your school for contact details or information on their policy and procedure.

Key to any response to learning difficulties is coordinated communication, and I encourage parents to persevere with their enquiries; sharing any information they gain with their child's school.

Compass Activities

This week in Maths we have been focusing on Pie Charts.

Many students have enjoyed learning to use a compass, and every single student in my class would benefit from some more practice!

For many students, the first thing to do is to buy a quality geometry set! *wink*

Here are some fun printable activities from Art4Maths suitable for a rainy day or may fill time on a spare weekend.

Compass Activity 1

Compass Activity 2

Compass Activity 3

Here is a fun and basic 'designs with circles' website.

Perhaps your child would like to construct an old fashioned looking compass? A compass rose is the elaborate round design on a map that indicates directions. The directions are a little more complicated, they are located here.

If your child shows a more comprehensive interest, this fantastic printable pdf booklet from the Met Museum in New York is both beautiful to read, and the activities at the end are more challenging.

Sydney Story Factory

This morning I read an article in the SMH about a new initiative called the Sydney Story Factory.

The aim of The Story Factory is exciting - to launch a creative writing centre which inspires kids to tell their stories. It will officially launch at The Sydney Writers' Festival this weekend and a centre is planned to open in Redfern later this year.

You can visit their blog here, and read more about it in the SMH.

This week is Sydney Writers' Festival and there are so many activities to participate in. My husband Mark and I will be in the audience of the 'Q&A Sydney Writers Festival Special' on Monday evening. I believe we will be sitting behind the panel, so if you are a viewer of ABC's 'Q&A' be sure to look out for us - Mark is the tall one (probably with his hand up to ask a question!)

If your child has a keen interest in creative writing (and I know there are a few in the class!) it would be worthwhile to keep your eye on this project.

If you have skills and interest in writing yourself the centre is also looking for volunteers.

A happy weekend to you!

Working Together

With lots of recent testing taking place in our classroom (NAPLAN, Maths Olympiad, Class Assessment across numerous subjects for half yearly reports, Selective Schools for Year 6) and yet more to come (ICAS) I have focusing lately upon group work and collaborative learning. This is so my class may experience a range of different learning experiences and feel more comfortable and familiar with the class as a whole.

In my classroom these group activities have mainly taken on the form of class debating, short class drama tasks, bounceback lessons and our assembly performance.

I'm so happy to report that Term 2 is the time of year where my class members really begin to grow more familiar and confident with each other.
When we sit in a circle with so many beaming, open faces ready to share I really feel like the extra effort in structuring and delivering a groupwork lesson has paid off. In a group learning task I find students are largely more motivated, ready to learn and willing to share with one another, the Teacher, and the school community.

Collaborative learning activities have been very successful for most students in our class - however, as with every task, there are always a handful of students who face frustration and difficulty when they are asked to work in a group.
This article on 'Teaching Kids to Get Along With Each Other' may assist you if your child faces these difficulties. I admit I am not a parent, but this article may offer some extra support or refresh your ideas.

Please find an article written by The University of Illinois at Chicago here that would be very helpful reading for any parent wondering about the benefits of collaborative learning.

Not all parents are convinced of the benefits of group learning - however I would like to advocate that is an essential part of the 'mix' of your child's learning at school and beyond. Besides, how many of us work in jobs where we are not required to collaborate or share at some stage?