Tuesday 23 August 2016

Setting Up Spelling City For the First Time

This video will assist you in setting up your Spelling City activities. Things explored include:
  • adding students
  • creating groups
  • adding lists
  • types of activities
  • tracking student progress
Once again, I apologise for the sound quality.



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Spelling City Overview

I have a short video that outlines a program that I have found useful in my class for assisting students with spelling. Spelling City is a program that enables teachers to personalise spelling lists for students as well as group students and track their progress. This program is available on a few platforms including PC, Mac, iphone, iPad and andriod. My next post will have more details in how to set up students and create groups.

My apologies for the sound quality. This is the first time that I have filmed a screen recording and I will need to purchase a more suitable microphone!



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Saturday 13 August 2016

The Gift of Giving

In term two the weather becomes colder and I like to teach the children a new craft, one that has always been popular - French Knitting. I have two types of looms, handmade and store bought. I find out out if any of the children have any experience so that they can help me train up a few children at a time. It's a bit rocky at first but after a few days, the ball get rolling and the wool gets moving! The longest part is casting the children on as they are all eager to start knitting and make something.



The reason why French knitting is so popular is that it is portable, repetitive and simple once you get the hang of it. You can have conversations and it is very relaxing. The children can also make their own looms and knit at home. While the children were knitting one morning I overheard some of their conversations:

"I want to make a necklace....."
"I want to make a new headband...."

It got me thinking...could we make something for someone else for a change? Could we use our new skills to create for someone in need?

I raised this question with the children and they agreed. We would combine our French Knitting to make a blanket and give it to a someone who needed it...give it to the night patrol and allow them to hand it over to someone who is homeless. This act of kindness reinforces our College values and at the time supported the acts of kindness/justice our campus was promoting at the time. This activitiy also implements PYP action.

We quickly worked out some dimensions for our rug and decided that one metre lengths would be required. Using masking tape, we created a square metre on the floor of the classroom to define the finished size of the rug. Once the children started to knit, they could measure their knitting alongside the mock rug before having their work cast off. Once a few children completed their knitting, we measured again to calculate how many strands we would need and how many each child would need to make. We had a plan and now we just had to knit away!


To finish of the blanket, I crocheted some granny squares and crocheted a border around the outside.







We certainly hope that the blanket brings comfort to someone. It took a long time make, but it was certainly worth it.

Below are the links for my French Knitting Tutorials


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