Acing Your NQT Year - Website Sample

Acing Your SAMPLE

Introduction

You are now a qualified teacher. Well done! The hardest part is behind you; real teaching is nothing like teaching placement! So, what now? Do you plan to work as a substitute teacher or apply for a full-time position? Whichever you choose, this manual will help you navigate your first year in the teaching world.

If you have not yet been offered a job, please don't worry, this is not a reflection on you. You could be the most amazing candidate, but the fact is that some counties, like Dublin or Kildare, have a huge number of jobs available, whereas others have significantly fewer. So, your geographical location can influence the outcome, no matter what you do or how well you prepare.

I would not necessarily recommend moving counties for a job unless you had already planned to do so. Focus on subbing and applying for jobs in your preferred area. Remember, you will be building up panel rights as you go, which is better than building up panel rights but being back to square one 5 years down the line!

Do what is best for you long term. Don't worry if all your friends are getting jobs and you haven't. You just need to focus on you. You will love teaching; whether it is subbing or a more permanent position, it is just as rewarding either way. I won’t discuss interviews here because I cover that in a separate book.

This book is a guide for both teachers who are subbing and for teachers who have been offered a job, whether a maternity leave contract, a fixed term, or perhaps even a permanent position.

• I would then gather resources for each theme. I would download and print them as required throughout term one. I would have two themes for each month, eight themes in total.

• Source art supplies (not buying, just holding on to objects like egg cartons, shoe boxes, butter containers, cereal boxes, kitchen roll tubes, etc.) throughout the summer. Have a box for your collection. This will save you scrambling for them the night before an art project begins later in the year. Always check to see what is available in the school before buying art supplies.

• If you can, assess the incoming class to determine placement in groupings.

• Decide on classroom rules. However, do not display them, as this is an activity you will need to do with the class to get their input.

• Decide on some games and ice breakers for the first day back.

• If your school supplies children’s resources, such as glue sticks, pencils, etc., label these with each child’s name and give them out.

• Have a place and space for everything, so you and the children know exactly where the scissors or art supplies are. Classrooms need to be highly organised places!

•

Set up learning stations if you have space in your classroom.

• Organise your early finishers station.

• Label everything!

• Know exactly what systems will be in place for the children before they come in, and be able to show these to them. For example, where do they line up? Where do they put their homework in the morning? Where do they put their finished classwork? Do they eat their lunch before or after break? What is the system for bathroom breaks? What do they do first thing in the morning? Check the school policies for this information too!

03. The First Day

I love the first day back to school. There’s something about the fresh start, with autumn ahead; I just adore that time of year! There is so much to look forward to. The most important thing you can do is to pace yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take your time. You don’t need to have a perfect classroom ready for the first day back. In fact, you don’t need to have a perfect classroom at all! I would advise focusing on getting to know your students and building a rapport with them. Prepare a list of circle games to do with the children to promote friendships and teamwork.

I know it is a hectic time, but try to chat to each child individually, if you can, throughout the day.

Circle Games/Ice Breakers for the First Day Back

1. Two Truths and a Lie: The children sit in a circle and each child has a turn to say two things that are true about themselves and one that is a lie. The child beside them has to guess which one is the lie, then they have their turn, and you work around the circle until everyone has had a turn.

2. Beach Ball Pass: Pass a large inflatable ball with questions written on it in marker around the classroom. When a child catches it, they need to answer the question that their hand lands on. For example, "What’s your favourite animal?", "Do you have any brothers or sisters?", and so on.

3. Roll the Dice: All you need for this is a large sponge dice. Write six questions on the board, numbered one to six. The children must pass the dice to each other. Whatever number they land on is the question they must answer. For example, (1) What age are you? (2) Do you have a pet? etc.

4. All About Me Bag: Give each child a small paper or plastic sandwich bag. They can bring it home and bring it back to school the next day with items in it which reflect their personality, interests, etc. They can then show the objects to the class and talk about them.

5. Would You Rather: Would You Rather is always a fun game! Use a back-to-school version and display the questions on the interactive whiteboard to get the children discussing!

6. Hide the Ball: The children all sit in a circle. Give one child an object – a teddy or ball works well. The children close their eyes and the child picks one classmate behind whose back to hide the object. The children must then open their eyes and guess who has the ball.

7. Spider Web: This classic game is always good fun! The children sit in a circle. The teacher, with a ball of yarn, starts the game by introducing and then saying one fact about themselves. Holding on to one end, they then toss the yarn to a student, who gives their name, a fact, and passes it on. This continues until everyone has had a turn. The goal is to try not to tangle the yarn.

8. Find Someone Who: Write a list of statements on the whiteboard. The children must choose one, walk around and find someone who matches the statement. For example, "Find someone who has blue eyes", "Find someone who has a pet goldfish", "Find someone who has been on an airplane".

9. Switch Lines: Put some masking tape down the middle of the floor. The children line up either side of the line. Have a list of statements to call out; for example, "Switch lines if you have a brother", "Switch lines if you have a dog", "Switch lines if your favourite colour is blue".

10. Musical Chairs: One child stands in the middle of the circle and calls out a statement such as "Stand up if you like basketball". Whoever likes basketball must stand up and swap places. A chair is removed each time, which means that whoever is left without a chair is eliminated from the game.

Once you have introduced yourself to the children and played a few icebreakers, it's time to start making them aware of their surroundings. They need to know where the bathroom is, where their lunches go, which table they are sitting at,

where their books go, and so on. Everything should have a specific place in your classroom, so the children know exactly where everything goes. Having structures in place like this will save you hours over the course of the year!

I would recommend having a classroom jobs display ready for the first day. Explain each job to the children and then ask for volunteers for each role. This works with infants right up to 6th! All children need responsibility in the classroom.

Label everything, including the children’s books and belongings. You could give the children some time to chat and have ‘Golden Time’ at the end of the day to give yourself time to label and get through some classroom jobs.

5 First Week Back Activities for Children

1. Design a Table Name

Give the children strips of paper on which they write their names in their best writing and then decorate. The strips can be laminated and used as their place names by sticking them on their desk or table.

2. All About Me Rainbows

I loved this activity when I had 1st and 2nd class. The children each get a cloud template and five strips of coloured paper. They write their name on the cloud and facts about themselves on each strip. It makes a beautiful display as well as a great SPHE lesson.

3.

Summer Recount

This will vary depending on your class level; it might be an oral language activity for infants, or senior classes could write a full recount of their summer holidays and then read it to the class.

4.

All About Me Worksheet

There are many templates available online for this activity and it will vary depending on your class level. All About Me bunting is a nice way to do it; the template is in the shape of bunting, the children fill in each section and then colour/decorate it. It is a lovely English lesson and can double up as a display for the first few weeks.

5.

Name Art

All you need for this is lots of coloured paper cut into tiny squares, and black paper. The children write their names in large bubble writing on the black paper. Infants will need help with this. They then glue the pieces of paper inside their names, using as many colours as they can. It is a great fine motor skill activity for younger children.

To summarise this chapter, the first day of school would look like this:

9.00 am

Show the children where their seats are. Introduce yourself to the children and show them the ‘First day back to school’ PowerPoint to explain what you will be doing throughout the day.

9.30 am

Sort out their books into piles and label them. Show them where their books will be stored and get them to put their books and belongings in the right place in the classroom.

10:00 am Play your first ice-breaker game.

10:30 am

Explain the routine for break times. For example, we line up by table group and go to the bathroom and wash our hands. The lunch helper gives out the lunches. We eat our lunch then we chat with our friends. We then line up in a straight line to go out to yard. I would give the children extra eating time for the first few days until they get used to the busy pace of school life. The children have a small break.

11.00 am

The children start working on a first day of school activity while the teacher circulates, helping and giving feedback.

11:30 am

The children form a circle, the teacher and children go through classroom jobs, and then the classroom rules.

12.00 The children play another ice-breaker game.

12:15 pm

The teacher asks the children to remind him/her of the routine for lunch time. The children eat and go out to the yard.

1:00 pmPE time

2:00 pm

The children are probably tired at this stage of the day, so it would be a good idea to bring them out to play some playground games or co-operative PE activities to work on teamwork skills.

Story/reading time, tidy up, and recount our first day back.

05. Planning and Paperwork

Droichead

Droichead is the main induction process for NQTs. There are two strands in the Droichead process: school-based induction and additional professional learning activities. Schoolbased induction allows you to become familiar with the school’s policies and planning, to visit other classrooms and schools, to engage in professional conversations with colleagues, and to reflect on your progress as an NQT. The additional professional learning activities provide you with opportunities to meet other NQTs at cluster meetings, and to engage in further professional development. The PST is the professional support team in the school who will guide and support you through the process. As an NQT, you must observe two other teachers at least twice and reflect on the teaching and learning which took place. School-

based induction is a period of at least 60 days in either mainstream or an SET/ASD class setting.

You will be observed by the PST on at least two occasions, and you must complete all professional learning activities. There are cluster meetings which take place in local education centres, and you must attend one per term. You must complete one other activity of your choice, either a course, attending a conference, or engaging in CPD. Taisce then requires you to reflect on your teaching. This can be through many forms of media, including a written reflection, a blog, or a video recording of the highs and lows of your Droichead experience, and the key learning opportunities and moments along the way.

Registration for Droichead is through the Teaching Council website. In addition to a Registration Handbook, detailed information on the Droichead process and requirements for application are available on this website. The onus is on the applicant to ensure all criteria are met.

Droichead Planning

Long-Term Plans

The Primary Induction website states that a Long-Term Plan shows the teacher's plan for the three terms of the school year. It should be developed in accordance with:

• The needs, abilities, and interests of the children

• The Primary School Curriculum (DES, 1999) and the Primary Language Curriculum (NCCA, 2019)

• The School Plan.

Long-term planning is a requirement in primary schools, but teachers have discretion as to how they lay out and approach their planning. The long-term plans for each subject will help to direct your teaching throughout the year. Long-term plans should show what the pupils will learn, how they will learn, and how you will know what the pupils have learned. The long-term plans must always include the objectives, strand, and strand units of the primary curriculum. The plans should show the following:

• Term, Class level

• Subject

• Aims

• Content (a) Strands and strand units/elements, (b) An overview of the learning outcomes/content objectives to be taught, (c) Skills/language learning

• Approaches, Teaching Strategies, and Methodologies

• Resources

• Differentiation

• Assessment

• Linkage and Integration.

The next piece of the puzzle refers to the children and behaviour management. The key word here is 'expectations'. Once I realised this, it revolutionised my teaching and made life so much easier. My first year of teaching was quite challenging, I had a 5th and 6th class with lots of different behavioural issues, and I did not set my expectations high enough! Now, I see the importance of not only having high expectations, but also communicating these expectations to your class so that you are all on the same page.

Expectations communicated to children may include:

• Hanging up your coat and putting your lunch away

• Sitting down and starting morning work

• Raising a hand to ask a question or to go to the bathroom

• Being kind and respectful to all

• Having neat and carefully presented written work

• Lining up to go out to yard.

Classroom management is largely informed by the relationships you form with the children in your class. If there is a relationship of mutual trust and respect, everything should fall into place. Building a rapport with your class cannot be rushed. It will happen naturally over time. A good relationship with your class in conjunction with a well-organised classroom and a highly structured routine is the recipe for a very well-managed classroom! Teachers vary hugely in their expectations of what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of classroom management.

• For example, some teachers allow children to chat throughout class, others do not.

• It is important that whatever your expectations are, the children are in a safe and calm learning environment.

• As already stated, it is imperative to communicate your expectations to the class.

• Whether you are training to be a teacher or teaching for 40 years, you need to show a strong teacher presence and children should be respectful whether you are a substitute or their full-time teacher.

SAMPLE

Teacher led

• Questioning

• Teacher-designed tasks and tests

• Checklists

• Standardised testing

Student led

• Self-assessment

• Peer assessment

• Conferencing

• Portfolio assessment

• Concept mapping

• Student reflections

• True or false statements

• Think, Pair, Share

• Peer explanation

• Mini whiteboard quiz

SAMPLE

Tips for Correcting Assessments

Keep all your correcting items in one place, for example, observation notebook, pens, stickers, and stamps.

SAMPLE

Correct throughout the day. If the children are working on a task or on their workbooks, circulate the room, correcting as you go. It saves you having 30 workbooks to correct at the end of the day.

Give children verbal feedback on their work as much as possible.

Have a designated spot in your classroom for work that is awaiting correction.

Before setting a task, ask yourself if it needs to be a written task; could you assess in any other, more meaningful way?

21. Irish Games

Deir O’Gradaigh

(Simon Says in Irish). This is suitable for 5th and 6th class and can be made quite difficult. Begin with commands such as “Bígí ag rith, ag léim”, etc, but as the game goes on, make the vocabulary more difficult, with full sentences and scenarios or stories, for example, “Bhí tú ag rith síos an bóthar, thit tú ar an talamh, ghortaigh tú do chos, chuaigh tú go dtí an ospidéal” and so on. The children act out the sentences. Use the vocabulary and story that are being studied that week.

Cluiche Kim

Make it very difficult and use funny or current images. Even with over 30 images on my Cluiche Kim PowerPoint, some children still figure it out!

Focail Leadóg!

Two children stand at the front of the classroom. You will need a score board and a timer. Three children keep count of the words the two contestants use, and another child is the time keeper. The two children who are ‘on’ compete to see who can think of the most words on a certain theme, within the time frame, which is usually one minute. The winner’s name and score go on the score board and an overall winner is declared at the end of the week.

Verb Hunt/ Ag Cuardú Briathra

Print and laminate several Irish verbs and hide them around the classroom. Based on table groups, the children take turns looking for them each day. Record the time taken by each table group to find the verbs and explain their meaning. The quickest group by the end of the week is the winner. Set a maximum time allowable for the search.

SAMPLE

Chuaigh mé go dtí an siopa agus cheannaigh mé….

One child may say bainne, then the next has to say bainne and add their own word, so bainne agus subh and so on.

rang fuinneog Nollaig tú buidéal Sláinte

ceann beoir scian feoil tolgbia

Cara Inis beatha uisce daoine teilifís ceol 77

Fios

Brainstorming: My Great Ideas

Things will not always go to plan and that is okay!

Believe in yourself and be confident!

You are a wonderful teacher!

Self-care is important, don’t neglect it!

Things to Remember

Keep things simple!

Start of Year Checklist

1. Welcome poster on door.

2. Name tags on coat hooks and desks.

3. Desks arranged and seating plan.

4. Welcome PowerPoint on board.

5. Sitting space set up, e.g., cushions, rug.

6. Whiteboard markers well stocked.

7. Teacher desk well stocked.

8. Aladdin set up and ready to go. Check with the principal about how it is used. Do parents contact you via Aladdin? Check what to do if this happens.

9. Visual timetable on display.

10. Quiet space or ‘Calm Corner’ set up.

11. First day’s photocopies and resources ready to go (first week is even better!).

12. Shelf with a small collection of DEAR Time books.

13. Early finishers’ activity area.

14. Aid Kit – Box of Band-Aids, bags of ice in freezer, paper towel, tissues.

15. Noise maker of some sort to gain attention when required, e.g., a bell or buzzer (clapping your hands or calling out a countdown from 5 can also work well).

16. Camera and empty frame or cardboard frame for ‘First Day of School' photos. Take a photo or have a parent take a photo of each child on their first day. As it is a very busy day, you could do it for the ‘First Week’ to allow you extra time to capture the moments.

17. ‘Meet the Teacher’ slideshow presentation.

18. Prepare a few whole-class ‘icebreaker’ activities to get to know each other and help ease anxieties about the new year.

19. ‘Where is our class?’ poster to display outside the room for visitors when your class is at another area of the school (e.g., sport, library, excursion).

20. Award certificates.

21. Awards record list – tick off when students receive a class award to keep track.

22. Whiteboard markers.

23. Highlighter pens.

24. Coloured pencils.

25. Black, blue, red pens.

26. Permanent markers.

27. Paperclips.

28. Reams of A4 paper.

29. Stapler and staples.

30. Stickers and stamps.

31. Hole punch.

32. Sellotape dispenser and rolls.

33. Masking tape.

34. Blu Tack.

35. Mobile phone charger.

MY SELF-CARE ROUTINE

(see page 74 for ideas)

All About Me

This is a resource for the first day back to school to help your class settle in.

The children will fill in the worksheet about themselves and will read them aloud to the class.

I am

I enjoy ...

This year I want to...

My friends are...

My teacher’s name is...

Our SNA’s name is...

My First Month Back at School

The children fill in what they learnt in their first month back in school, and some lessons they enjoyed.

My SCIENTIFIC LEARNING LOG

This scientific learning log can be used throughout the year for your students to record their science experiments and investigations in. It will then be used as a form of portfolio assessment at the end of each term.

The experiment template pages can be photocopied as the children use them, and they are responsible for adding them to their learning logs. The children can design the cover, through adding a name and drawing a picture depicting what science means to them.

There are a number of templates within the learning log, making it a resource which can be used from junior infants to sixth class.

The learning log can also be used during science week as the children engage in more scientific learning experiences.

PROCEDURES TO

Teach Your Class

This is a teacher document, it is not for children’s eyes as it is not simplified enough for this age.

These are just some of the procedures I teach my class each September to ensure the year goes smoothly.

Lining up in the morning: Where to stand and how to stand (hands by your side)

Walking in the corridor: Walk in a straight line, no talking.

1 6

Moving around the classroom: Walk, don’t run.

1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6

7 8 8 7

Bathroom procedures: Make a T sign with your hand when you need to use the bathroom.

Entering the classroom: Take down chair, put bag on the floor.

Eating lunch: Don’t leave your place while eating lunch.

Sitting around the whiteboard: Keep your hands and legs to yourself.

School supplies: Show the children where the supplies are.

Getting the teacher's attention: Raise your hand, don’t shout out.

Group work: Follow group work rules.

9 10 12 13 14 11SAMPLE

What to do when finished your work: Early finishers activities.

Classroom visitors: How to behave when visitors enter the room.

9 10 11 12 13 14 143

Would you rather...

This is a fun game to use as a transition between lessons to give the children a little break, to use on a rainy day when the children don’t get out to yard, or to use as an oral language game!

The bright and engaging visuals can simply be displayed on the interactive whiteboard and the children can put up their hands to answer, or they can be printed and laminated and distributed to the class to use as a collaborative groupwork activity.

The children choose which they would rather between two images, and give a reason why.

Would you rather...

be able to fly

Would you rather...

turn invisible

OR

be a cat

be a dog

Would you rather...

be a magician

Would you rather...

SAMPLE

be a snake

be an astronaut be a crocodile

TEACHER’S MARKERS HOMEWORK

SITWITH A FRIEND!