WEBVTT 00:00:00.050 --> 00:00:06.020 If I had to ask you which part of teaching you most dislike, whether 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:10.879 it's in a classroom or at home, I can probably guess it's the planning 00:00:10.879 --> 00:00:13.250 side of creating lesson plans, right? 00:00:13.250 --> 00:00:14.240 It's the admin. 00:00:14.689 --> 00:00:19.460 The reason being that A, it just takes so long and I don't know about you, 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:22.729 but I always felt that I'd rather spend my time doing something else. 00:00:23.610 --> 00:00:28.470 When I first started teaching way back in the eighties and the good 00:00:28.470 --> 00:00:33.450 old days, I don't have any memory of spending hours and hours of planning. 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:38.310 I was a high school teacher back then, and so all my teaching was just based on 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:43.830 literature and grammar, but the teaching in elementary and in early childhood. 00:00:44.180 --> 00:00:47.210 It's just so different right now. 00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:52.850 I had to teach English and math and science and history and geography 00:00:52.850 --> 00:00:57.800 and health and design and technology, and in my case, religion too. 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:06.890 And as every teacher knows, to fit all that in is just about impossible. 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.990 And thinking back, I clearly remember being at uni and talking about this. 00:01:12.410 --> 00:01:16.010 The whole morning session was on how you integrate across the 00:01:16.010 --> 00:01:21.289 curriculum and why this was a good idea, and it totally makes sense. 00:01:22.070 --> 00:01:23.510 But then here's the issue. 00:01:24.229 --> 00:01:29.240 You tootle off and you go on your practicum and you have to fit in with 00:01:29.240 --> 00:01:31.130 the way the class teacher runs the show. 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:37.010 And so you forget about all that, and then you get to your own classroom and the 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:39.410 workload hits you like a freight train. 00:01:40.595 --> 00:01:45.575 And you forget everything you've learned because now all you're trying to do is 00:01:45.575 --> 00:01:47.645 just prevent yourself from drowning. 00:01:48.545 --> 00:01:53.765 And I remember the day when I just thought to myself, surely 00:01:53.795 --> 00:01:55.955 there must be an easier way. 00:01:56.585 --> 00:02:00.935 And on top of that, I noticed, of course we all know this, that young 00:02:00.935 --> 00:02:02.854 children can't sit still for very long. 00:02:02.854 --> 00:02:04.265 And I thought to myself, well. 00:02:05.225 --> 00:02:09.035 Isn't it smarter just to teach in a way that fits in with 00:02:09.035 --> 00:02:10.865 children's natural tendencies? 00:02:11.495 --> 00:02:14.705 And of course, I then took a little bit of time, a little half a day or 00:02:14.705 --> 00:02:16.955 so just to really watch and observe. 00:02:17.555 --> 00:02:21.815 And of course, you don't need to be a genius to figure this out, but it's 00:02:21.815 --> 00:02:26.495 what we all know, what all the experts tell us, but somehow we get into a 00:02:26.495 --> 00:02:30.455 classroom and we forget all about it because we're so under the pump. 00:02:31.205 --> 00:02:35.255 And that is that children just want to play. 00:02:35.855 --> 00:02:40.415 They want to socialize and they wanna be with their friends and. 00:02:40.790 --> 00:02:44.090 They love a story, story time. 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:49.670 When you start reading to them, you notice, you can see them physically moving 00:02:49.670 --> 00:02:54.259 in closer their eyes on the pages of the book, and they're actively listening. 00:02:54.590 --> 00:02:57.439 And for me, this was a light bulb moment. 00:02:57.920 --> 00:03:02.780 If I could create lessons using a picture book as a catalyst for all the learning 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:06.379 we did, that could change everything. 00:03:07.270 --> 00:03:12.280 So usually what I've experienced is that you read a random picture book, you 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:16.960 might do an art piece on it, and maybe something to do with comprehension. 00:03:17.260 --> 00:03:20.890 Like you ask children to retell the story, to identify the beginning, 00:03:20.890 --> 00:03:25.989 middle, and end of the story or something about the character and that's it. 00:03:26.230 --> 00:03:27.520 And we move on, right? 00:03:28.605 --> 00:03:29.105 But now. 00:03:29.825 --> 00:03:34.475 I started becoming more discerning with the books I was choosing, 00:03:35.165 --> 00:03:39.905 looking for books that would actually help me meet curriculum outcomes, 00:03:40.415 --> 00:03:46.625 creating learning experiences around children being hands on. 00:03:47.570 --> 00:03:52.010 Acting out the story or using puppets or creating art pieces or sculptures 00:03:52.010 --> 00:03:57.500 and connecting the story to either, and here's the rub to either science 00:03:57.590 --> 00:04:02.000 or history or geography so that children could see the connections 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.010 across different learning areas. 00:04:04.430 --> 00:04:09.650 Because let's face it, how many times do we teach something and then children 00:04:09.650 --> 00:04:11.989 can't apply it outside of the lesson? 00:04:12.470 --> 00:04:15.980 It happens all the time, and I remember. 00:04:16.640 --> 00:04:18.740 We were learning about movement. 00:04:18.799 --> 00:04:22.700 This is back in the day a few years ago in pre-primary how things 00:04:23.059 --> 00:04:27.230 move, and that's kindergarten for you if you're my American friend. 00:04:27.380 --> 00:04:31.280 And because I learned about floor books and talking tabs from the Great 00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:37.520 Claire Warden, I had my talking tub and it had photographs and artifacts 00:04:37.520 --> 00:04:39.650 and objects all around movement. 00:04:40.189 --> 00:04:43.670 And that also happened in there to have a picture of a fish. 00:04:44.510 --> 00:04:47.420 And you're probably gonna think, Hey, but hang on a minute. 00:04:47.539 --> 00:04:52.159 And that there was one photograph that sparked an entire project on 00:04:52.159 --> 00:04:54.140 how different sea creatures move. 00:04:54.140 --> 00:04:56.750 And now of course I still did the experiments with ramps 00:04:57.050 --> 00:04:58.280 with different surfaces. 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:03.170 But the whole theme of movement took on a life of its own Children 00:05:03.170 --> 00:05:06.440 started wondering, well, why do dolphins and Whales have different 00:05:06.440 --> 00:05:08.600 tails to sharks and other fish? 00:05:09.020 --> 00:05:11.330 They started making models of tails. 00:05:11.700 --> 00:05:16.110 And you know, with little push pins and thinking about why these animals' 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:20.850 tails were different, and that got me reading the picture books like Mr. 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:25.549 Seahorse by Eric Carl, and Sharing a Shell like by Julia Donaldson, and A 00:05:25.549 --> 00:05:28.039 House for Hermit Crab, also by Eric Carl. 00:05:28.819 --> 00:05:32.569 And then someone in the class brought in their hermit crab pets, which we 00:05:32.569 --> 00:05:35.179 all got to observe for a few weeks. 00:05:35.650 --> 00:05:39.730 And I remember doing some really cool wire sculptures and still having 00:05:39.730 --> 00:05:44.620 children retell the story, still doing comprehension activities and math 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:46.870 activities where we were measuring fish. 00:05:47.409 --> 00:05:50.710 Um, someone I can't remember, someone was a fish monger and brought 00:05:50.710 --> 00:05:52.240 in a fish and we measured them. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:54.130 We stepped out the size of whales. 00:05:54.370 --> 00:05:59.260 And since we were now immersed in fish and movement, it meant that I 00:05:59.260 --> 00:06:04.090 could set up even a water station with experiments in sinking and floating. 00:06:04.510 --> 00:06:08.289 Which then led to discovering that the more air there is in something, the less 00:06:08.289 --> 00:06:10.330 dense it was, the better it floated. 00:06:11.125 --> 00:06:16.885 And so by finding books that linked to curriculum areas, I was able to allow 00:06:16.885 --> 00:06:23.455 the children to lead the learning going along with their interests, but unbeknown 00:06:23.455 --> 00:06:28.405 to them steered by me because I know what I had to cover in the curriculum. 00:06:28.825 --> 00:06:32.005 But they got really involved in doing the learning. 00:06:32.365 --> 00:06:35.725 It really was an incredible experience. 00:06:36.230 --> 00:06:40.820 It brought such joy to the children, but what it did for me was to 00:06:40.820 --> 00:06:46.130 truly bring joy to my heart because teaching was what it was meant to be. 00:06:46.610 --> 00:06:52.950 It was age appropriate, it was hands-on, it was playful, and I could tick off 00:06:52.970 --> 00:07:00.020 so many areas of the curriculum just by doing one simple reading of a story. 00:07:00.685 --> 00:07:06.025 And here's the thing, I know that for many, and this could be you, this 00:07:06.025 --> 00:07:10.795 can be challenging, especially if you're not that experienced, and with 00:07:10.795 --> 00:07:12.565 everything you already have to do, 00:07:12.715 --> 00:07:15.505 it might feel overwhelming to get started. 00:07:16.165 --> 00:07:20.305 So what I've done is I've created a comprehensive lesson plan for 00:07:20.365 --> 00:07:22.525 you around the picture book. 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.260 The Tiger who came to Tea by Judith Kerr. 00:07:26.289 --> 00:07:27.309 It's a classic. 00:07:27.849 --> 00:07:30.309 It's been road tested by a friend of mine. 00:07:30.669 --> 00:07:34.900 It ticks off English, math, biological sciences, humanities, 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:38.260 geography, art Design plus 00:07:38.260 --> 00:07:41.819 it includes those all important inquiry and wonder questions for 00:07:41.819 --> 00:07:46.530 deeper learning and extension activities with metacognition prompts 00:07:46.890 --> 00:07:50.970 and graphic organizers to help give students some structure around their 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:55.500 inquiry project into tigers as well as an animal of their own choosing. 00:07:56.189 --> 00:08:00.510 It includes planning for having a tea party with math activities 00:08:00.539 --> 00:08:05.220 all around, planning a tea party, and even setting up a tea party. 00:08:06.280 --> 00:08:11.230 I've really included all the playful learning that would make it fun for 00:08:11.230 --> 00:08:15.400 children to learn about afternoon tea in different cultures, and of 00:08:15.400 --> 00:08:20.439 course, tigers and other animals, which all children just love. 00:08:21.400 --> 00:08:25.855 It is also differentiated and suitable from K to two. 00:08:26.185 --> 00:08:30.294 All you have to do is pick out the parts that are applicable to your learners. 00:08:30.565 --> 00:08:33.025 And now this is not a free resource. 00:08:33.025 --> 00:08:37.375 It's totally affordable because I wanted to make sure that it's accessible to 00:08:37.435 --> 00:08:42.835 every single one of you, and to help you ease your burden, your time burden. 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:48.390 It's going to save you hours and hours of planning time, giving you back your life 00:08:48.450 --> 00:08:53.490 to spend with your loved ones instead of scrambling for lesson plan ideas. 00:08:54.060 --> 00:08:59.190 It's also the type of lesson plan that can easily be included into your 00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:01.470 literacy and your math rotations. 00:09:01.780 --> 00:09:06.625 I've included a guide for you so that you can just plug them into your 00:09:06.625 --> 00:09:11.864 rotations because you have a math and a literacy activity to do over five days. 00:09:11.894 --> 00:09:15.974 And of course there's an inquiry component that's linked to English 00:09:16.244 --> 00:09:20.264 that will take you a whole term to complete if that's how deep and 00:09:20.264 --> 00:09:22.154 comprehensive you would like to go. 00:09:22.634 --> 00:09:25.369 In my classroom, that's exactly what I did. 00:09:25.819 --> 00:09:30.229 It's deep learning, so once you get started, you don't have to think 00:09:30.229 --> 00:09:34.609 about anything else because this activity runs up to eight or 10 00:09:34.609 --> 00:09:38.329 weeks, especially after children have still got to do their presentation. 00:09:38.630 --> 00:09:41.930 So that's your integrated learning area taken care of. 00:09:42.140 --> 00:09:45.560 Now all you need to do is to go to the show notes where 00:09:45.560 --> 00:09:47.000 I will leave a link for you. 00:09:47.420 --> 00:09:50.780 So go there now after this episode, get the lesson plan. 00:09:50.839 --> 00:09:56.849 Save yourself hours of time, and instead, do what you really love, teach. 00:09:57.540 --> 00:10:02.160 As it an extra bonus when you purchase the lesson plan, you automatically 00:10:02.160 --> 00:10:05.310 qualify to join the Blooming Community. 00:10:05.579 --> 00:10:09.750 It's an exclusive group away from Facebook, away from the distraction 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:13.530 of social media where you can mingle with like-minded folk. 00:10:13.930 --> 00:10:18.520 Ask questions and get the support I know you so desperately are looking for. 00:10:18.550 --> 00:10:22.449 I know that because people in my group have already told 00:10:22.449 --> 00:10:23.920 me that's what they want. 00:10:24.489 --> 00:10:26.229 I can't wait to serve you more. 00:10:26.499 --> 00:10:30.400 Please get on with a lesson plan, and if you need help or you wanna 00:10:30.400 --> 00:10:35.170 ask a question, just send me an email at contact@bloomingcurious.com. 00:10:35.589 --> 00:10:36.640 I'm here for you. 00:10:36.729 --> 00:10:41.319 And remember, people, curiosity is your superpower. 00:10:41.319 --> 00:10:42.609 So until next week. 00:10:43.304 --> 00:10:44.834 Stay blooming, curious. 00:10:45.554 --> 00:10:50.384 Go to the show notes, download your lesson plan, and get your life 00:10:50.384 --> 00:10:56.264 back and get those students engaged in hands-on projects right now. 00:10:56.474 --> 00:10:58.484 You can even start tomorrow. 00:10:59.204 --> 00:10:59.594 I'll see you next week.