What Can I Do With My Abacus?

Previously, I successfully asked for some help in making use of the counting stick(s) I have in my classroom. I now make much better use of them. In addition, the crowdsourced document is still there for others to use too. Now, another thing I have in my classroom is my large abacus. I use it a fair amount, but am sure I can use it more and better...

So, if you want ideas for how to use an abacus, or can offer some help, take a look at this document. Thanks in advance!

The Grid Challenge

Saw a Tweet earlier this week:

Absolutely unbelievable scenes as Sarah in Year 6 takes this down in 8 and a half minutes pic.twitter.com/wk2Z8cCXl8

— Ashley Booth (@MrBoothY6) February 13, 2017

Wow. Didn't the child do well. And, we really liked the look of the task, so we set about making some of our own. Our class have really enjoyed trying to solve them since. We made an Excel document for creating them and extended it over the four operations. 

At the time of writing, we've used multiplication and addition grids with our class. Not sure how useful the subtraction and division versions will be, but they're there if needed.

Find the resources here. Hope it's useful.

Hand Facts

Got a fact you want your class to remember? Try Hand Facts...

By the entrance to your classroom, place a hand and each week, below it, place a fact (we've used it for maths, but there could be one for English too, or the fact could change between subjects). 

As the children enter and leave the room, they place their hand on the fact and say it. This repetition helps them to remember the fact. Fact.

Visualiser and Mistake Annotations

Today, I had some of yesterday's maths work that I wanted to show the class. So, I decided to use the iPad stand, an iPad device with the camera app on and AirServer. This allowed me to show the child's work on the classroom projection, where all the children could see it. In addition, I laid a piece of OHT paper over the work so I could annotate it as I spoke about the work. As you know, we love OHT here at PI Towers! Go to your school office; they'll have loads of the stuff in a dusty corner and will be happy for you to take it away! Child's work, visualiser, projector and transparent paper. Was very effective. 

Here's what the children could see.

What I Wish My Teacher Knew About Me

Over half way through the year, and now working as a job share (with each other incidentally), we decided to ask the children to write down something they wanted us to know. We've gotten to know them quite well, some more than others, but there's always more to find out. 

Some wrote down things we already knew, others wrote about school or home, and some were really surprising:

- a boy whose parents have separated;

- a child who had recently overcome a fear;

- someone who had taken up a new sport;

- a girl who pointed out she'd like us to stop getting her name wrong.

So, if you get 5 minutes, ask your class, "What would you like your teacher to know about you?" 

It'd make a really good transition day activity, first day of term task or, as we did just ad hoc...