In My Schoolroom…. Maths and Targeted Early Numeracy

Each term I try to target an area of education, this term I am focusing more on numbers.  I have preschool and year 1 so my activities are targeted at early years at the moment but could be adapted. When I am having a saturation of maths I tend to spend 2 minutes ever 45 to 60 minutes to quickly do one quick question.  Any moment between activities and at the end of the day finish with a website.  Some weeks this is less possible but I try.  

If I am not having a saturated focus on this then I tend to spend 10 minutes per day.

PINTEREST is a great place to get ideas... there is a load more which I have used but these are this weeks favourites.

RESOURCE: Wild Australia Number Cards

Number recognition

We have these great Number cards which have numeral, word and pictures.  Although it is not a ten frames I find it great for number recognition and an opportunity to put in order Numbers 1-20.  I love that it is the NSW font. 

Before and After

I use these card for before and after which I find for teen numbers is crucial to practice.

Dominoes

The back of these cards have pictures and numbers to play dominoes.  We don’t play this a lot as it takes time but if we finish the weeks work early or have some days in the schoolroom with no programmed work. 

Making Numbers

Using these I then get the child to make the number on a ten frame.

RESOURCE: We Know Tens Frames

These are great for number recognition of words.  I love flashing these or dropping them in a pile and we all work together to sort. 

I often hold them up and cover the number and ask  the child to read the word… they can use the ten frame to count. 

Will often hold one up and ask how many blank spaces or how many dots. 

RESOURCE: ONLINE websites

 
I am not a great fan of looking at the computer screen a lot in the primary years of schooling but it is a necessary evil for many reasons.  I usually give the students just 10-15 minutes on one of these maths sites and would have 10-15minutes on a literacy based site such as reading eggs or RAZ kids.

Through experience I have discovered if you can get the kids doing one of these once each day on top of normal work they will have far more confidence.  At the start it is often a good thing to look through the activities and choose the one carefully according to knowledge.  If they get more than half wrong then they weren’t ready.

I also use them as a reward which is a great idea.  Also great practice for multi-age classrooms as it can give you time with other children and give them an opportunity to practice skills that sometimes get missed.

Mathletics

Such a brilliant site and I quite often choose activities based on our units of work or somethink that needs practise.  I encourage the fact that mistakes means you are learning. 

TEN Frame
http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3565

This has quite a few different types of games and my year one student loves it as a reward.  We sometimes use the game questions with our own physical ten frame. Great way for the student to mix it up.

Count Me In Too
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/countmein/children_butterfly_ten_frame.html

Great NSW Curriculum website with handy games to do with many areas of maths.  I have used it with all ages but probably something I use as a change from Mathletics.  

Guest Blog: Miss Kathryn's Response

In response to Lee-Anne's script, I've done up a little one of my own- hope you find it interesting.

Miss Kathryn

  In response to your `day in the life of…' Lee-Anne, very amusing and I can totally sympathize with you!!

Day in the Life of Govie at Monkira
Monkira is halfway between Windorah and Bedourie-Sth West Qld

7.30am- Alarm goes off and I contemplate getting straight out of bed…
hmmm, I'll lie here for just a minute or two until my mind unfuzz's

7.55am- Over to the kitchen for brekky and check the emails before
work (no computer or phone in my schoolroom-but staff computer in
the kitchen which is next door). If I chose to get up at 5.50am-6am
(?????WHY!!!!) I could have brekky cooked for me by the station
cook, but that's ok, I treasure my sleep second to hardly anything,
so I'll put up with making my own brekky!

8.30am- Ty (7yo, Grade 2) wanders over (anytime between 8.30am and
9am actually! depending on his mood and how much he has convinced
his Mum and Dad that he doesn't want to go to school!) We start
Language and Math's set lessons until …..

9.30am- Over to the main house to get on the phone for `on air'
lesson with the teacher (this is every morning 9.30am for half hour,
7-8 kids in the class) I have been at Monkira for over a year and
the phone has NEVER been in the schoolroom, oh! But there is TALK of
it getting put in….sometime!! But never fear, it makes for a bit
of `out of schoolroom' time which can be nice.

10.00am- Lesson over, Ty tries to wheedle some play time, sometimes
he gets it if I need to discuss things with his Mum. Also, 9.30am is
usually the rest of the station having smoko, so Ty has his smoko
after his lesson at 10am approx.

10.30- Back into the schoolroom after talking with the Mum and Ty's
elongated smoko break if he's smart enough about it- he's a clever
one!! Back into the Language and Math's set papers, reading,
spelling tests until……..

12.30-Lunch- my favourite time! All the staff are usually in for
lunch unless out mustering or fencing, so we all have a chat/gossip
and at the moment Ty is learning to skip, soooooo, its all on
skipping competition between the head stockman and Ty….IN THE
KITCHEN!!!! All good fun.

1.30pm- Back into the schoolroom, more Language and Math's sets,
skipping practice (!), reading, paining, whatever it is that the
current unit is asking for.

4.00pm- Schools out! Ty is stoked, depending on his behaviour during
the day (or past days) he may earn a surprise from the prize box.

4.15pm- Check emails, study for uni (Teaching Degree), ride
horse….can vary immensely!

7.00pm- Dinner time in the kitchen, Cookie can cook from 7 to 20
people at any one meal time depending on what's going on and who's
around. We all watch Home and Away and comment on all the drama!!
Wash dishes, Ty tries Head stockman on for another skipping
competition

7.30pm- Last time email check for the day, chat to the folks on the
phone if it's Monday…

8.00pm- retire to my quarters (separate to the rest of the staff)
and study, read, go to sleep!!

By Kathryn
Govie
Monkira
2006/2007

Guest Blog : Sophie's Day

Welcome to our guest blog series of insights from governesses and nannies on stations sharing some of their outback station world.  

This story was written as part of a tongue in cheek series for the SA governess groups magazine the Govo Grapevine in 2003.  

*** GUEST BLOG  ***

SOPHIE'S DAY

This is just a quick insight on my day to day life. Some days are a little different that others but this is pretty much it for a weekday Hope it gives you a bit more info as to what goes on. I tutor a yr 6 boy 2 year 4 boys and a yr 2 girl.

5:00am Alarm goes off... wish I didn't have to get up yet......moon is still up.

5:15am Get up and turn music on and head for the shower maybe even a quick dip in the pool

5:30am I'm awake now... put on the washing on and a quick tidy up of my house

6:00am Turn the computer on and check emails while cooking a bit of breakfast, wash dishes

6:45am find all on air requirements for the day

7am hang washing out, water plants

7:15am head over to the main house say good morning and help out a bit with the kids brekki

7:25am round the kids up and head back over to my house to the school room.

7:30am School begins... we all try to get out our things and settle down for the morning.

8:30am Jesse's on air lesson

9:00am Riley's on air lesson

9:30am Macey's on air lesson (our phone is pretty choked in the morning)

10:00am Smoko at last... its been a while since brekki. Head over to the main house and russtle up some smoko for everyone.

10:30am back to school continue with our work. Calem's German lesson

11:00am Jesse's reading lesson

11:45am Calem's on air lesson

1:00pm Lunch time. Head over to the main house to make the kids and me some lunch.

1:30pm kids head outside to play, I clean up from lunch and go out and watch the kids playing

2:00pm School time again. Getting the last of everything done for the day. Macey's reading lesson also.

3:30pm time to pack the papers and books away and take out a reader for quite reading time for half an hour.

4:00pm school's out! quickly give the school room a sweep and a wipe down.

4:15pm head over to the main house to make some afternoon smoko for me and the kids.

4:30pm head outside to watch the kids play, or have a swim with them in the pool or take them for a drive on the property or a ride on
the horses.

5:30pm kids come in and just play in the yard or watch a bit of T.V, I make a start on dinner.

6:00pm kids do their jobs for the day. ( feed the chooks, cat and dog etc.)

6:15pm kids come in and have a bath and do their homework before dinner.

7:00pm my bosses usually get home about this time.

7:30pm Get kids up at the table and serve up the dinner.

8:00pm everybody is finished eating. Send kids off to clean their teeth and get ready for bed. Clean up mess from dinner stack the
dish washer.

8:15pm say goodnight to the kids and my bosses and head over tom my house. Work is finished for the day!

8:30pm turn on the T.V and watch something while I go through and correct the kids work from the day.

9:30 quickly check emails and might call family or friends from home.

10:00pm have a shower and head to bed!

Guest Blog : Allira's Day

Welcome to our guest blog series of insights from governesses and nannies on stations sharing some of their outback station world.  

This story was written as part of a tongue in cheek series for the SA governess groups magazine the Govo Grapevine in 2003.  

*** GUEST BLOG  ***

Allira's Day

2002

When I was a govo my day was a bit different

6:45 wake up, have shower

7 head over to the house for breakfast and coffee with family and other staff

7:30 back in school room organise stuff for the day

8:30 kids start sport

9 school day starts

both my kids had Centra lessons with their class teachers and Spanish teacher.

10:30 smoko

11 back inside

1pm lunch

2 back in

we usually had art twice a week which I always did in the afternoon.

I finished at 3:30,

cleaned the school room, did my own cleaning and washing, checked emails, cleaned up after the pet sheep. my kids mum was always there so I didn't have to watch them after school unless she was away or busy.

all govo positions are different, some bosses expect you to be with the kids all day and others just while school is on, hope that helps