2021 finally coming to an end!

 We made it - and survived!  Well, I think we did anyway?  

It has been a tough year in SO many ways - and I'd like to thank everyone who has been there and helped to make it all work.  I truly appreciate the support. 

Time for you all to spend the next few weeks relaxing and getting ready for whatever 2022 brings us.  (To be honest, I think that maybe we need to view the Terms and Conditions before we accept it!)  

Remember to take the time to READ!  It is relaxing AND research shows that it lowers the blood pressure.  Besides - the Dinosaurs didn't read, and look what happened to them!  Why take the chance?? 

For those of you moving on from here, I wish you all the best wherever you go and for those of you staying on, I'll see you all back here next year to do it all again.  

Merry Christmas and the best of everything to you all!  

More Edutopia Weblinks

Check out the weblinks below - they are from the Edutopia website (which is American based - but may have something you could use). 

Not being a teacher, I am just guessing as to what may be helpful - so I'm hoping that this may be of some use - otherwise check out the Edutopia site for yourself. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/framework-boosting-high-school-students-math-confidence

https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-math-games-you-can-use-class-today

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-simple-outdoor-science-lessons-inspire-students

https://www.edutopia.org/article/engaging-students-community-based-projects

Referencing and Bibliography Websites

This is probably running a bit late in the school year - but it will be there for next year.  The first site is actually a game to teach skills needed - and the other two will help put together bibliographies for assignments - which is a skill that is needed for anyone with aspirations of going to Uni at some point. These sites will help cut a couple of corners and also cover a variety of referencing methods. 

https://refquest.westernsydney.edu.au/

https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/how-do-i-cite-electronic-sources

https://www.citethisforme.com/

International Day of People with Disability

 Tomorrow, Friday 3rd December, is the International Day of People with Disability.  Check out the link below for more information.  

International Day of People with Disability (idpwd.com.au)

Two weeks to go to the end of the school year ... but who's counting?? 

ABC and Education

I came across these links while chasing something else.  I'm sharing them with you in the hopes that they may be of some use.  The source checker one is actually a game (like Factitious) which might get the kids on board for checking out some 'fake news' material.  Who knows? 

There are also a couple of weblinks regarding mini lessons and secondary programs. 

https://www.abc.net.au/education/media-literacy/

https://games.abc.net.au/res/media-literacy/source-checker/index.html

https://www.abc.net.au/tveducation/programs/mini-lessons/13417954

https://www.abc.net.au/tveducation/programs/secondary/

Anyway, take a few moments and have a look.  They may be of some use to you and give you some ideas. 

QR codes again

Well, it has been a while since I extolled the amazing uses of QR Codes - but I came across this site the other day (as you do!) which allows you to input a series of questions and the system will generate QR Codes that can be used in a type of scavenger style hunt.

I have made one up to try out for Girl Guides - so we'll see how that goes.  It can literally be used for anything as far as I can see - any subject, any style of questions or quizzes.  Even for reflection questions in class. 

I am a huge fan of QR Codes, as you will see if you go back through some of my posts.  I have used them for Library Orientation activities, in teaching classification in Science to year 7s and often used them in Wide games and activities in Guides.  

I have also put together a review quiz on Multiplication tables for Ms. Squires, used them in a Library Display for Picture Book Month and in a class about advertising methods. 

Anyway, enough of my soapbox!  

Check out this website and let me know what you think.  (Oh, and the QR Code I have added has a message in it!  😀) 

 https://www.classtools.net/QR/

World Science Day for Peace and Development

Today is World Science Day for Peace and Development - which always happens on the 10th November each year. 

Check out the couple of links below. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Science_Day_for_Peace_and_Development

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldscienceday

Game about Fake News

Something that may be of use in your class - 

Factitious is a game that is designed to help students practice identifying real and fake news stories. The 2020 version of the game features stories about COVID-19.

To play Factitious simply go to the site and select start. You'll then see an article appear on the screen. Read through the article, click the source listed at the bottom, and then select either the green check mark or red X to indicate whether or not you think the article is a real news story. After you make your selection you'll get instant feedback and an explanation of how you can tell if the article was a real or fake news story.

Points are awarded in Factitious based on accuracy, speed, and whether or not you viewed the source link before making a guess at the legitimacy of the story. The 2020 version of Factitious contains three rounds with five stories in each round.

http://factitious-pandemic.augamestudio.com/#/

I have posted this one before - but it appears that this is the updated link.  

Happy World Teachers Day

 

Carry on being AWESOME!!  

A thought to ponder..

Here's an image that may give us all something to think about .. we forget that there are always eyes upon us seeing how we behave in life - and that will then become their rationale for behaviour! 

Global Media & Information Literacy Week

According to the Australian School Library Association - this week is 'Global Media & Information Literacy' week, which will be running from 24th October to 31st October.  I have included a link below with ideas on how to celebrate this week.  

As well - the 8th to 12th November, will be 'Scams Awareness Week' which runs each year with input from the ACCC.  There is also a link for this one for further information.  

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/globalmilweek/2021/howtocelebrate

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-scamwatch/scams-awareness-week

 As scams are big business - and big trouble for a lot of people, these links could be handy to share. 

End of Term 3

Here we are - end of term 3.  That has come around quickly.  

Wishing everyone a relaxing and enjoyable break - lots of recharging so you will be all ready to come back and dive into term 4!  

See you then - and carry on being your awesome selves!!

Digital Citizenship Week - Lessons & Ideas

Digital Citizenship Week is coming up in October - and although this is primarily an idea from US - a lot of the ideas and lessons can be aligned with our classes here in Australia.  

In today's world, ruled by Social Media - these are probably good skills for our young ones to have.

Below are a couple of weblinks - two from the US, and one from NSW Education with some hints, tips and ideas.  

https://nearpod.com/blog/digital-citizenship-week-free-lessons

https://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week

More Edutopia Weblinks

See below for some more weblinks from Edutopia - that hopefully may be of some interest to you. These cover areas such as: Science, Math, reading and writing - and also STEM. Who knows, these may just give you some crazy ideas to run in the classroom that will TOTALLY get the students on board!! Miracles happen ... 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/fun-survivor-themed-classroom-activity-promotes-science-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-can-we-survive-mars

https://www.edutopia.org/article/quick-and-inexpensive-design-challenges

https://www.edutopia.org/article/connecting-math-and-science-reading-and-writing

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-origami-improves-students-skills-ainissa-ramirez

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-is-essential-to-learning-youki-terada

Read A New Book Month so Let's Celebrate!

 What a wonderful way to welcome spring in – September is also known as Read A New Book Month! To celebrate, all you need to do is pick up that book you’ve been meaning to start and finish it by the end of the month.

But for added fun we challenge you to pick up a book outside of your favourite genre. Are you a romance reader? Maybe have a look at some contemporary fiction suggestions. Or maybe biographies are more your cup of tea? Try out a fictional read instead and let your imagination run wild on the adventure.

Check out the Harper Collins Blog for September 2021 - 

https://www.harpercollins.com.au/blog/2021/09/

Enjoy some down time - reading is good for the soul and the blood pressure!

National Threatened Species Day

Today is National Threatened Species Day - and there are a couple of web links below to check out if you are interested.  

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/national-threatened-species-day

https://www.wwf.org.au/news/news/2020/37-million-animals-already-lost-due-to-lack-of-independent-cop-on-the-beat#gs.a85cu8

Carry on being your awesome selves!  

Teacher Magazine Articles on Digital Literacy

Below are a few articles from Teacher magazine on students and Digital Literacy - not just the reading and writing but the understanding and the knowing.  

It makes for some interesting reading - and I would bet my bottom dollar that a lot of adults would be in the same boat as well with very minimal deep reading skills. 

 It seems that, although we do our best to encourage students to read for pleasure, we rarely do the same for adults - and adults need to develop the same deep reading skills for all of the same reasons .. and, as is often said 'what you don't use, you lose!'

Although - to be fair .. just having someone READ, whatever they are reading - is seen as a win in today's world!  But then, if the skills are not being developed - can it really be a win? 

Take a few moments to check out the offerings below and hopefully there will be something to catch your interest. 

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/developing-literacy-skills-in-a-digital-world

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/critical-thinking-tools-the-crap-test

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/the-research-files-episode-25-why-young-people-are-easily-fooled-by-fake-news

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/developing-a-nation-of-innovative-thinkers

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/a-stem-program-to-develop-digital-literacy

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/adults-engaging-in-reading-for-pleasure

Conservation Days in September

September is going to be a busy month for conservation minded people.  Take a peek at the list below....

Days on the Conservation Calendar for September 2021

Sept - National Biodiversity Month
1 Sept - International Primate Day

4th Sept - International Vulture Day
5 Sept - International Day of Charity
7 Sept - National Threatened Species Day
12 Sept - National Bilby Day
18 Sept - International Red Panda Day
22 Sept - World Rhino Day
24 Sept - Save the Koala Day
26 Sept - World Rivers Day

Wattle Day

 Happy Wattle Day to you all .. please check the link below for all the info on this special day as per my post last year.  

The Special Ed class visited yesterday - and we talked about Australian Symbols and State Emblems.  Then they made some 3D Wattle pictures with pompoms that they could use for a display in their classroom.  It was great fun!  

http://barklycollegelibraries.blogspot.com/search/label/Wattle

Make it an awesome day!! 

Cool Class - Dragons & Bats

This week the Special Education class have been visiting again, and this time we have had a program about flying 'things' - along with the stories to go with it all.  

 We read the book 'Where have all the Dragons gone?' and then made flying paper dragons.  We then tested their capabilities up and down the Library area, and Ms Frolich and Ms Squires had a Dragon Duel to see who could pull off the coolest acrobatics.  We decided it had to be a draw, although it was pretty close... Ms Frolich had hers somersaulting, and spiralling down. 

Here's the link for the Flying Dragon template with grateful thanks to Create in the Chaos website.  The kids loved it. 

https://www.createinthechaos.com/printable-flying-craft-dragon-paper-airplane/

 Then today – we read ‘Stella Luna’ – a story about a tiny baby fruit bat who lost her mum after an owl attack – and was taken care of by a bird mum, until she was reunited with her mother again.   

Afterwards - as today is also the International Day of the Bat (or Night of the Bat?) - we made Bat Finger Puppets and also Bat Rockets - which with a big puff of air could fly!  

Library Displays Term 3

Well, after a lengthy run of no posts for various reasons, let's try to get this back up and running. 

We are into Week 4, Term 3, and with grateful thanks to a couple of teachers, we have some displays up in the Library. 

Octopus

Ms Squires Science class has put up one on Biomes, with 3D Dioramas attached to the wall!  Pretty impressive - the octopus makes me feel like he could reach out and grab me if I'm not careful.   

Solar System Poster

There is also a display on the Solar System - again by Ms Squires and her Science Class.  This includes a couple of posters by Felisha and Meshack about the planets they were researching.  Well done guys - they look great!

 

Ms Juliet has taken over a window for a regular display about her Special Education class and their Library activities.  So far, they have learnt about books and how to handle them and made personalised corner bookmarks.  They have also had a session on the Olympics, and then made an Olympic Torch and had a Torch Run around the Library.  

See below for a few more photos .... 

Poster about Mercury by Felisha

Poster about Mars by Meshack

End of Semester

Okay - you have had 9 weeks with no posts from me - but I can't let the Semester end without SOMETHING!  

So .. enjoy the break and we'll do this all over again next term/semester.  

Carry on being your awesome selves.  

Edutopia & End of Term

I'm baack ... right when you thought that you may have seen the last of me.  It's all good though, as it's almost the end of term, so probably just this blog post before we get a short break.

There are a couple of links below that could be of some interest for you and your classes, or at least resources that you may be able to adapt for your use.  Maybe even 'stuff' that could generate an 'ah-ha' moment?  

I'm not a teacher, so most of my offerings are a guess - but fingers crossed there is something here that may be of some use for you all. 

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-libraries-makerspaces-coexist-josh-weisgrau

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-design-right-sized-challenges-suzie-boss

https://www.edutopia.org/article/two-ways-bring-games-your-classroom

Edutopia Articles that may be of interest

 Below are a few weblinks from the Edutopia website, that could be of some use for you all - and if you check the site out, you may find lots more for your interest.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategy-exploring-student-creativity-collaboratively

https://www.edutopia.org/article/school-wide-focus-choice-reading

https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-new-focused-attention-practices

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-find-games-classroom-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/game-based-learning-middle-school-math

https://www.edutopia.org/article/does-our-natural-affinity-games-have-place-classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/article/coding-across-curriculum

I hope that you get something from these articles - and the home site for Edutopia is:

https://www.edutopia.org/

Enjoy the upcoming weekend - and carry on being your awesome selves! 

Harmony Week

Harmony Week = 15th March to 21st March

Harmony Day is 21st March

https://www.harmony.gov.au/

Harmony Week is about coming together to celebrate the cultural diversity in your area and spread the message of ‘everyone belongs’.

Local organisations and community leaders are at the heart of Harmony Week. Your support means people all over the country can celebrate Harmony. They can come together and share, learn and appreciate the diversity that is Australia.  

Bringing communities together through sport, food, music and entertainment plays an important role in promoting our cultural diversity. It creates an opportunity to think, talk about and recognise how our differences and our similarities make Australia a great place to live.  

Celebrating Harmony Week can take any form you wish – big or small – from hosting morning teas to large community festivals.

Science Week 2021

14-22nd August 2021

Science Week 2021

The school theme for National Science Week 2021 will be Food: Different by Design. It will honor the United Nations International Year of Fruits and Vegetables and the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.

Food: Different by Design will cover a broad range of areas in food production and sustainable agriculture, enabling students to explore topics such as biosecurity, food technology and laboratory-developed foods. Scientific development will be at the core to the theme, with other hands-on projects for students to explore.

School grants

Applications for school grants of up to $500 are now open. The grants are designed to support teachers and schools deliver engaging STEM events and activities in National Science Week. They are intended to be a contribution to the running of an activity or event in a school, and not be the sole means of support.

Applications close on 2 April. Grant rules and the application form are available from the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

The school grant round is conducted by ASTA and the grant pool of more than $100 000 is provided by the Australian Government.

TV4ED system

I have sent through an update of all staff to TV4ED (AKA Functional Solutions) so you should be getting a welcome email with information re logging on and using the system - hopefully very soon.  For those of you new to the school, this is a video streaming system we subscribe to - that allows you to login and stream whatever documentary or film that you need for your class.  Whatever you download will be under your name and stored on your 'bookshelf'.  

However, I can still download requests and put it onto our system for you if this is easier ... and sometimes this is the better option, as depending on the Internet and the day, it can hiccup and stagger all over the place.  Most of the time, the items I have downloaded and stored on our network don't really seem to have this problem.  

Just let me know what you are looking for, and if it is there, I can often get it down in a few hours and have it ready to go.  Anything that has been screened on TV is usually available to access - unless it is something brand new being screened - that takes at least a couple of days.  All adverts are cut out as well, which is a bonus. 

New Graphic Novels and others

Having had a few requests from students about some more and updated graphic novels, we now have some new ones on display .. or at least what hasn't gone out already.  They are mainly Marvel/Superhero type ones - Wonder Woman, Wolverine and so on.  Plus there is a DragonWing one, which is about the Dragonnet Prophecy and the RainWings disappearing from the forest without even the smallest trace. 

We are also currently processing a few new Fiction books as well - a puzzle type adventure that looks quite intriguing, titled 'The Inheritance Games', that will be catalogued under Mystery. 

As well, there is the 'Darkest Minds' trilogy, all about mysterious powers and government control, and runaway kids who are out to save the world while trying to keep themselves alive somehow. This series has a movie connection being released this year .. or maybe it has already been released? (*)   As I don't watch movies, I'm not sure about this.  These will be catalogued into the Science Fiction genre area.

These should be available for borrowing in the next week. A reminder to all that if there is anything you would really like to read, please see me.  I can organise an Inter-Library-Loan,depending on the location of the item -  or try to find a way to add it to our Library collection.

* Edit:  The movie 'Darkest Minds was released 3rd August 2018.  There is a sequel planned which will probably be released late 2021 or 2022.

Some 'Days' to celebrate

March 3rd is World Maths Day, is a chance to put your skills to the test, practice math skills and to get involved in a worldwide event that celebrates the history of maths.  This is a competition run through Mathletics. 

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-maths-day/

March 20th is World Story Telling Day, where you can celebrate the art of oral storytelling.  It's also a day for people around the globe to listen to, and tell stories in as many different languages as possible.  Most of us go through the day engaging in oral storytelling without even realising that we are doing so.  Have you made up a bedtime story for your child?  Told a friend about your most embarrassing moment? or retold a childhood memory with a sibling?  These are all oral storytelling examples. 

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-storytelling-day-march-20/

World Poetry Day is 21st March.  This is a day to encourage people to read, write, teach and publish poetry, and to recognise the amazing cultural contribution poetry makes to the human society.  Poetry is another form of story telling, and has been used for centuries to pass along knowledge, history and information.  The ancient Bards travelled around the countries, taking their stories, in verse format, to share.

https://observances.global/world-poetry-day/

(Oh, and February 14th is Library Lovers Day - just saying!)   😉

Welcome to 2021

Welcome back to everyone - and an extra big welcome to all of our new staff - looking forward to getting to know you all ... and don't listen to anything that the other staff tell you about me!  It is all exaggeration and untruths, I swear!! 

Hope you all had a wonderful break - lots of relaxing, and lots of reading happening.  2021 .. here we go again and hopefully it will be a better year than 2020! 

For the new staff - and a reminder as well for our previous staff - below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. 
Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We are reasonably good at pulling rabbits out of hats and challenges are always interesting ...well, depending on the day, anyway.  

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.  
• Resources: Books, Magazines, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Headphone sets (a few) Chess sets, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptop trolleys that are available to be booked for classes.  The B3/B4 laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.  (Maybe not so much with downloading stuff - just trust me on this) 
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, Ipads, Corro 'stuff'...

Students have a 3 week borrowing period while staff have a month. Students can borrow 2 items, while staff are pretty much unlimited in capacity to borrow.  For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

I am always looking for ideas or ways to use this blog with teachers and students - so if you have any ideas and suggestions, please come see me.