I am the Head Teacher Of Maria International School Of Bucharest in Romania. I am also very keen at developing different TES teaching resources to discover what works well for different classes. I am constantly looking for new and exciting different ways of presenting and teaching different primary topics, especially maths topics.
I am the Head Teacher Of Maria International School Of Bucharest in Romania. I am also very keen at developing different TES teaching resources to discover what works well for different classes. I am constantly looking for new and exciting different ways of presenting and teaching different primary topics, especially maths topics.
A key to a child's happiness is to appreciate what they already have in their lives? This is a simple 1 week course which can be used time and again. The children draw and write about what they are thankful for. By thinking of their happiest times, their brains relive those happy moments. Try it! It is a lot of fun!
I collected together a wide range of different picture frames, perfect for any Christmas related project. The students could add their work to it or you could make your usual work look a lot more festive!
I have created a conversation lesson on how to achieve your goals. They could be printed out and placed on the wall. They could also be used in a single lesson prior to or during SATs or GCSE revision to help students achieve their fullest potential.
Each slide has an idea, a linked picture and a discussion point for the class.
Teachers need some fun to. This is my adult colouring book for teachers. You could print it out for your class to quietly colour during tests (when they have completed them to calm and relax them), or during long staff meetings - nothing is more relaxing and constructive than a little light colouring.
This is to encourage staff to have a little time every day to think and reflect and not work. This is my attempt at improving the good life balance of staff.
All these images were in the public domain. In the majority of the cases however, it took both a long time to find, then even longer to use editing software to sharpen and improve the images.
I would love to know what people think of them.
I would like to introduce a brand new concept in thinking. Thinking Scarves.
For a long time I was a huge fan of thinking hats... until a teacher one day wrote to me and said she did not like Thinking Hats as the Black Hat was very negative and could help to reinforce negative stereotypes about the colour black. In contrast, "White" was seen as a straight down the line, honest hat. The facts, pure and simple, without and falsification or misinterpretation.
I then thought I am a teacher. Why not simply reinvent the whole system - forget about hats - scarves are the answer. With scarves, you can share them between friends, creating a closer bond between the thinkers. Make a thinking system which works perfectly in a primary school environment.
Green - What is positive - makes you feel good?
Red - What is negative? What makes you feeling angry or upset?
Purple - what are your general feelings towards a character? Like purple, feelings can be hard to define.
Gold - Make 'n' Shake - Follow your dreams and all the streets will be paved in gold.
Blue : Facts - Facts, like the sea and sky can appear endless.
Guide: No scarves, just a handy bag to carry all the scarves in and organise them into some sort of order.
I would love other people's opinions on this concept.
I have found a way of making Maths revision a lot more fun. I have combined the official question papers and the official marking schemes into a single document. This means you can ask a question, the students show their answers on mini whiteboards and then as a class, you look at the official answers and look at what the students would have scored. As this is a whole class teaching activity, students can work in pairs or small teams and discuss their ideas and strategies together. This really reduces the level of stress as children are able to build on each others skills.
This teaching resource could be used in the classroom or at home. This teaching resource is a lot of fun and will make a difference to your students attitudes to maths. Keep Maths Fun!
Tell me what you think of this teaching resource in the comments box below!
I wanted to make Year 6 SATs revision more fun. I have combined each of the 2015 Past SATs papers for maths questions and the marking scheme into a single document. This means that a teacher can now show a single question and get the students to find the answer before moving onto the next question.
This makes revision a lot less stressful. I have removed the time limits and of course students can now work in pairs or small teams to discuss their different strategies and answers. It also helps to make the lessons faster paced and snappier as the children start to gain confidence in their abilities to solve maths problems.
This resource could be used in the classroom or at home to prepare for the UK Year 6 SATs exams. Students should try all the tests to gain the deepest knowledge of this subject.
Please leave me a comment below about this teaching resource.
In 2016, there will be a new Maths test format. I have taken the sample 2016 Maths SATs tests and combined the original question and answer papers into single documents. This means you can ask a single question to the class, wait for a response on their mini white boards and then check their answers against the official marking scheme.
Check out my new video on how to make this lesson extra successful.
The great thing about this is it really reduces the amount of stress in the classroom as the students are able to work on their own, in pairs or small teams to work out the answer. They can then discuss their different strategies at resolving each of the questions..
This is a nice set of teaching resources to keep a lesson well paced and snappy.
Please leave your comments about it below.
Teaching grammar should be fun, fast paced and enjoyable. I have taken the 2014 SATS past papers and I have combined the test paper and the official marking schemes into single PowerPoint presentations. This means you can now ask a question, get the students to show you the answer, and then show the original answer and check their understanding. I know my class really enjoys this teaching method.
I like the students to see the questions and answers next to each other. It makes learning a lot more effective. You ask a question and then check the answers as a class. I have combined the 2015 test papers and the marking schemes into single documents. This means after every question, comes the official answer and explanation. This makes a lot more sense. It keeps the lessons fast paced and snappy.
The students should look at both sets of papers to get the most out of the test.
Please leave me a comment below about what you think of them.
I love to revise grammar. I don't like needing to constantly refer between the answers and the questions to get the most out of each lesson. I decided the simplest thing was to simply combine the question paper and the marking schemes into a single document. The idea is simple - you ask a question - the children then show their answers and then you check the answers as a class against the official marking scheme answers.
This helps to keep revision fun and the lessons snappy.
Let me know what you think of them!
When I am revising the SPAG (KS2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests), I want to have all the questions and all the answers in one place. This means I can ask the class a question and then after they have shown me their responses on their mini-whiteboards, I can immediately show them the answers and the acceptable alternatives. As I could not find this anywhere, I thought it would be easier to simply make it myself. So here it is! This particular set of resources comes from the 2014 test. I have also done this for the 2015 test and the 2016 tests.
This resource could be used in school or it could be used at home. It could be used with a whole class or in pairs, one asks the question, the other answers the question and then they swap roles.
It contains both Levels 3 to 5 and a second presentation for level 6. All children should try all the tests to either consolidate their learning or to extend their learning.
When I am teaching and revising grammar, the big thing I hate it needing to only check all my answers at the end. I like to be able to give a question. Get the students to show their answers on mini white boards and immediately check their answers and discuss why the answer is correct.
I have taken the 2015 SPAG short answer test papers and marking schemes and combined them into a single PowerPoint. There are two different levels of questions, those for Levels 3 - 5 and the more advanced level 6. It is worth going through all of them to both check the advanced groups basic understanding and the other group to inspire them to greater things!
Please leave me a comment on how you found them.
I have taken the 2016 Sample KS1 SPAG paper 2, and combined the questions and the marking scheme into one document. The idea is you show the question, the children then show their answers on a whiteboard and then you show the answers and discuss the questions and why it is the right answer.
This sample test indicates how the national curriculum will be assessed from 2016. Further information is available on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/sta.
I have used a very colourful template to make sure the children are engaged with their learning.
I have created a PowerPoint presentation combining Paper 1 and the mark scheme so you can ask a question, and immediately see the answer and the explanation. This is great for a wide range of different circumstances. If the students have completed the test this lets the teacher review the paper question by question. It also a great what of revising grammar at the whole class level. Each student shows the answer on whiteboard and then immediately check their answers.
A variety of questions has been included in this sample test to demonstrate the formats and
curriculum content that pupils may encounter in a live test. A commentary is provided in the
mark scheme that accompanies each question.
This sample test mark scheme is provided to give teachers an indication of how the tests will
be marked. The mark schemes for the sample tests have been subject to a shorter process
than the full, rigorous development process that is used for live mark schemes.
The sample test and mark schemes have been reviewed by teachers and other expert reviewers.
Sample materials which combine the test papers and mark scheme to help teachers prepare for the 2016 tests. The idea being a student can answer one question and then together the class checks the answers. The original test papers can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-key-stage-2-mathematics-sample-test-materials-mark-schemes-and-test-administration-instructions. This is a great way of reviewing the maths tests as a whole class either as a way of revising after doing the sample tests or simple working through each question as a class.
I have developed an idea. Did you know that during your registration period every day, you could be actively making your whole class happier? This could be done in the morning, the afternoon or even better at the end of each day before they go home.
All they do is complete this 21 page daily journal on things which make them happy. I have used it and I can say it does make a big difference to how you approach life.
Getting ready for the summer Phonics test? Here are two Phonics revision tests from previous years.
I have converted 4 documents into a simple to use PowerPoint.
It starts off with practice words. These include both real and made up words. These help students to revise how to say the words and to prepare them for the test.
This is followed by the practice test. There are 2 levels, a simple level and a trickier level, In each case there are real and made-up words.
This is followed by recommendations on how to say each word. This is followed by the marking sheet.
These PowerPoints are fun, colourful and an easy way to practice the words either with a whole class or one by one with the students. It is also an excellent way for parents to practice with their children at home.
Make phonics testing fun... try this set of PowerPoints today!
I love to work through SATs papers are part of my revision program. These two PowerPoints are designed for whole class interaction. All the students need are some whiteboards. Each question is immediately followed by its answer.
This has lots of motivational and organisational benefits. The first is the students get immediate feedback on their ideas and misconceptions, without needing to wait until the end of a test. It also means different students can explain each of their solving strategies to the class and help everyone become more effective learners.
As the answers are straight after the questions, it is possible to simply use these PowerPoints for 5 minutes a day and still get the full benefit as all the questions are immediately solved. This is also a nice way of tutoring students at home. The tutor can then focus on the areas the students to need to work harder in.
These tests are set to change every 5 seconds, letting you test either individual children or a whole class at once. You might like to also look at my matching mini origami books which go with this series (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/mini-book-x2-to-x12-multiplication-times-table-tests-4-per-table-11198350) which are designed to make learning time tables more fun.
There are 4 tests per times table, so the children do not know what test you will give them. They are written in PowerPoint so you can easily edit them or change the speed of the tests.