Tips for a multi-level class

This post has been written to give some inspiration to teachers who are teaching three or more year levels within the same classroom.  It is intended that you pick up something that you can apply or reconfigure to suit your teaching style and the needs of your students.

I've taught in a three multi-level classes at small rural schools.  Small schools mean you have to have some flexibility in year levels and at times half way through the year you find that you need to have a move through and suddenly you have acquired a new year group in your class.

So I've had a Year 4/5 class become a Year 3/4/5 class, a Year 5-8 class become a Year 4-8 class and a Year 4-8 class become a Y3-8 class with some Year 2s thrown in for reading.  To boot, those classes have all contained students who were working well below their age group peers, some of whom were receiving support from RTLBs and teacher aides, some even going to Speld for extra support.  One class even had an ORS student with a full-time teacher aide.

Consequently, it can be quite daunting when you are not only faced with a multi-level class, but you have students working well below the level of your youngest year group.

So back when I had a Year 4/5 class with quite a number of students on IEPs, an RTLB helped me establish the Reading Tumble in my class.  We did this particularly for one student with dyslexic tendencies to have him more integrated into the learning programme and have him working with his peers rather than in isolation.  The premise was the Tumble groups were mixed ability and of mixed age so when I withdrew an ability group for reading, there would still be other students within the group working with and supporting the student with dyslexic tendencies, thus keeping his learning on track and him focused.

I have then used this model in a multi-level class to support the younger members of the class to learn routines and activities for reading and maths.  I've also used this model in inquiry and maths units.

I would recommend having a buddy system to teach the younger children how to do games and independent activities when you are first establishing the routines of the class and introducing new games to the students.  I teach the older children the new games first and then have them teach the younger students.  Sometimes, if the older student is a bit unsure I will start with that group until that older student has got their mojo. 

When you're doing reading or maths, have "vertical groups", groups with a mixture of ages and ability, so that when you pull out your ability groups for maths or reading, there are still some older children there to support the younger ones during their activities.

You can read about what sorts of activities the "vertical" Tumble groups do here and how it works.

Because you will have multiple levels in your learning, assessment is a very important tool to personalise learning.  My spelling programme personalises for each child and you can learn more about this here.  Handwriting is also something that will have to be targeted to the ability of each child.  I discuss how I do this in this post here.

Because I will end up with multiple worksheets for handwriting and other activities, I photocopy all the sheets I know I'll need for the term, then wrap a scrap paper around it and then write on it which group of children and which week to hand it out.  I then put all the sheets for one week in a cardboard wallet (like those to the left) for each week. 

There are some things I do whole class such as the Newsboard (see the post here), Poem of the Week (working on a post for this to publish later in the term) and Shared Big Book.  These are great for practicing reading fluently as you are doing repetitive reading daily, introducing and discussing new vocabulary, investigating punctuation, spelling patterns, editing skills, sentence structure and other literacy skills, developing critical thinking and questioning skills, oral language and responding to literature.

Singing is another good form of sneaky reading that the whole class can share in at once. 

Many maths warm ups can be done whole class... others you could split them into age or ability appropriate and set each group to do, after having the older students teach the younger ones using the buddy system.

PE, art, drama and dance was whole class - it just means you have to chunk it down a bit more with explicit teaching.  Sometimes you may leave the more able to it while you target those who need that little bit more teaching.  It is about setting those who can up to succeed and with additional challenges to work on while you mentor those who need it, then let them practice while you challenge those who are more able.  You have to be on your toes.

When it comes to inquiry or themed unit work, you are going to have to do some things whole class and then design some different activities and learning experiences for different groups within your class according to their abilities or needs or the need to challenge your able students.  I found by incorporating some of that into my Reading Tumble I was able to cover a fair chunk of content knowledge, new vocabulary knowledge and some general activities or response.

Don't be afraid to give your older students leadership roles, but don't expect the same older students to always be the teaching buddies for the very youngest.  As you progress through the year, let the next age group down take on some of the role of being the teaching buddy for some things.  Grow the leadership capabilities of even your youngest students by putting them in charge on occasions.

Personally I loved the challenge of having a multi-level classroom.  It enabled me to cover many aspects of teaching that I love and it challenged me to keep on my toes with a wider base of knowledge of available resources and how to use them as well as a variety of teaching techniques.

Maths Tumble

I was introduced to the Reading Tumble first as a way to bring differentiation into my programme and allow students of all abilities to practice literacy activities together.  I then adapted the Reading Tumble for my maths programme.  I run my maths programme differently according to the strand I am doing, but when I am running ability maths groups I use the Maths Tumble to ensure everyone is involved in meaningful work.


So when I am busy with a maths group on the, doing some serious strategy learning, the other groups will be engaged in some serious maths practice and activities.  These are the labels I have up on the Tumble for them:

Obviously Teacher Time is when they are on the mat doing marking and/or strategy learning with me.  I have a modelling book for each group.  The students will bring down to the math their maths books, pencils, glue sticks and scissors.  I will have the modelling book and in a cardboard envelope I have the worksheets, any WALTs that may have to be glued in their books if there is no worksheet, and coloured bits of paper - but I will explain that a bit later, along with what I have in the modelling book.

This is where they go away and do the worksheet to follow up the learning of the strategy on the mat.  The Practise sheet is also in my modelling book for when we do marking, as part of my planning so I know which group is working on what, and so I can keep track of what we have learnt.

I have a variety of games.  Initially I started off with the Numeracy project games... but the internet is a wealth of games and activities for maths now.  Later in this post I will share some links to useful websites.

The NCM text books and many others are still a bonanza of awesome practice for learners and I think they are a fabulous resource.  Even the books from the dark ages of the 80s still have some great stuff to help children practise and learn their maths concepts.

This would usually involve Mathletics or Studyladder or the like.  Try to link the computer work to what you are learning or to maintain past learning.

The i-Pads have lots of numeracy apps for children to practise and explore maths ideas.  I usually specify the apps/games I want students to play at the beginning.  I may write these on the board.


Modelling Books
I have a modelling book for every maths group when I am teaching the Numeracy Project.  I usually choose to use a Kiwi Activity Book as they are big for group work and it is a size that works for me.  I name my maths groups after endangered animals.  Each modelling Book has the name of the group and a picture of the animal on the front.  At the bottom I glue a list of names of who is in the group.  If I change who is in the group, I print out another copy of the names in the group and glue it over the top.  I believe that if I want my students to have a high level of presentation in their books I need to model this in my own books I use with them. 


I plan into my modelling book directly, with the appropriate Numeracy book by my side to refer to, noting at the top of the modelling book page the Numeracy book I am working from, strategy level (because as a group changes so can the strategy level) and page number, name of the activity in the book and any resources I may need (eg. counters, money, blocks).  The WALT is written in larger writing beneath all of that information.  All of this information is always written in the same colour, especially the WALT so the students will recognise the WALT from all the other writing on the page.

Under the WALT I write the questions for the strategies I want to teach to the group.  I have all my questions pre-written unless I am at the point of teaching the group how to write their own stories for the strategy.  I leave room between each question for the student's own answers.


I found it too time consuming to have each child write in the book, so I have a stash of cut up coloured paper for the students to write their strategy out on and then they glue it into the book.  Sometimes I give each student the same colour for each question so I can look at the blue paper and know those were "Bob's" answers.  Sometimes I will write as they talk to speed things up, as in the two photos above.


On the next page I have the worksheet I want them to practise the strategy with glued in.  That way, when we come to marking, I am writing out their strategies on the same worksheet as they discuss the answers.  This is helpful for any absent children.  They can mark their own work when they have caught up directly from the book.
Sadly I am lacking in good photos from my previous modelling books for maths, something I hope to rectify when I'm back in full time teaching in the future.


Don't be afraind to model on your teacher whiteboard or your ActivBoard or Smartboard.  I take a photo afterwards in case I need to rub it off for future reference, or even to print off for the odd individual for their book.

Set high standards for book work.  I really like the A4 sized books with the margins already ruled up.  Not that my students have the date and it is underlined for each new day and each day is ruled off.  Below I was teaching a Year 4-8 class to draw 3-D objects.

Games and Activities Storage
I use these boxes to store my games in:

I get these boxes from The Warehouse.  I put the games I have made in these boxes and it means I can group games for specific groups and themes.  Each game is in a plastic bag (like a glad bag with the press together seal) with the name of the game and what it contains (eg. one game board, two dice, twenty counters) so that the children will put the games (hopefully) away properly.  On the top of the box I sellotape the name I give this group of games.

I have used games from the following websites that I make myself:

• Basic Facts worksheet generator and you can find heaps more by using a good Google search.
• A whole lot of maths games from Kentucky USA.
• nzmaths is always going to be a starter for any Kiwi teacher.
• A direct link to the Numeracy Project Material Masters for games and teaching resources.
• The Numeracy Project Assessment page on NZMaths.
• Top Marks is a British website where you can search through and find some gems.
• Every School is another British website with a lot to offer.
• Mathzlinks has links to NZ numeracy resources.
• Super Teacher Worksheets has a lot of options across the strands.
• Teacher Tools NZ has a lot of great books to support the Numeracy Project and across the strands.  Hopefully your school has a selection of them for you to use, but here is the website for your interest.
• Teacher Tools NZ on YouTube can help you with videos of strategies and you could use them to support your teaching or for students to refer to them for help if you are not available.
• AWS is another really good supplier of maths worksheets across the strands.  Hopefully your school has them for you to use.... so this link is for your knowledge of what they have available.
• Your school will likely have a variety of the Essential Resources maths resources, so this link is for your knowledge of what is available.
• Your school will likely have a variety of the User Friendly and RIC maths resources, so this link is for your knowledge of what is available from these companies.
• Caxed has published three awesome maths text book series over the last twenty odd years that are brilliant, and your school may have these resources, but here is a link for your knowledge.
• Check out your Scholastic Teacher Bookclub brochure when you get it for cheap maths resources and games.
• Sparklebox's maths section has a lot of free games and resources.*
• Classroom Treasures is an inspirational blog for me - that is one talented teacher!
• Have Fun Teaching has lots of fabulous maths (and literacy) games, but it is now a paid site sadly... but if you want some bright colourful games, it is good.
• Team Solutions has this very good page focused on basic facts with games and resources and links too.

Note that some of these websites may have a membership component or require payment for resources downloaded.


Tip: if I am going to spend my out of school time making them, I print them on my own paper/card on my own computer, and laminate with my own laminator with my own sheets, and I buy/collect all the extra materials like dice, counters, playing cards.... and then when I move onto another school I still have all these games for my new class.


* Some people have an issue with using Sparklebox resources due to the founder being a paedafile.  Personally, I think the resources are mostly good and will help learning, so I cut off the Sparklebox logo, which also makes it laminate better anyway.


Art as Maths
Be creative with your maths.  I try to bring art in as much as possible.  Symmetry is a great way to do this:

When the students had finished creating their symmetrical patterns, I gave them the labels and they had to match the labels to their patterns and take a photo - one part of my assessment completed!

Last year I was asked to do tessellations with a class while relieving, and this post Tessellations explains how we created these beauties below:

It's also important to bring in a construction element when doing something like geometry.  My class made all the 3D objects we could think of out of straws and paper nets.

I get the students to go around the school looking for specific shapes and photographing them, such as below:

  

 

   

Get the children out doing practical maths for things like measurement.  Get them using rulers, measuring wheels, tape measures, scales, cooking....

I often used cooking in my classroom programme over the years to get the students measuring.

     

In the photos above we made apple and tamarillo pies.  We were inspired by a bakery in the nearest town winning Pie of the Year for a fruit pie.  The prinicipal's family lived at a house with a tamarillo tree, so we decided to use tamarillos.


For our class camp, the students did all the baking, including a courgette chocolate cake using the courgettes out of the school garden.


At another school we made spring onion soup from the copious spring onions in the school garden.  Don't be afraid to be adventurous and cross your maths over with other aspects of school life.


Imagine having a new building built and having your students map it out as part of a measurement unit....




Do practical statistical investigations.  The projects below involved deciding on a question and who to ask, collecting the data as a tally chart and then converting the data into a bar chart, pie chart and strip graph.  They then had to make three statements summarises the data content.  Each step was explicitly taught prior to them starting their own investigations through the "Smarties Method".  This project was also about using the computer to make titles and effective use of space and presentation through visual language and communication skills through oral language, so very much a multi-curriculum area unit.

Get the students using Excel (or equivilent) to make various statistical displays and sites like Survey Monkey to get a wider group to collect data from.

Basic Facts

I acquired a number of years ago two great resources for basic facts.  One I think may be from the Wellsford Maths system, but it is paper based and I can not share it or a link.... but find a teacher who has been around for at least twenty years and they will have it. 

The other system is from Team Solutions maths advisors.  I can not give an electronic link to it.... but find a teacher who went through the Numeracy Project before the current government killed off the PLD for Numeracy and they will probably have it.  I also have developed my own resources for supporting this within the class and homework programme, but I am unable to make these available currently.

However, I can give you this link to Number Facts Activities from NZ Maths that has lots of really great resources around learning and practising Basic Facts.

Being teachers, you should be somewhat creative, so have a look at various basic facts resources and then make some that work for you in your class programme.

The essentials I reckon a Beginning Teacher needs to start their class.

Ever since the Facebook page NZ Teachers (Primary) started, I've seen multiple posts from beginning teachers asking what others suggest are essential for them as they set up their class.  In this post I will attempt to pull together some of what I consider essential to help a beginning teacher set up their first class.

You will read advice on storage, the walls, setting up your literacy programme, numeracy, and there are numerous links to blogs, downloads and websites and a whole lot of ramblings from a teacher who has been in the game for twenty-five years.

If you are on Twitter and have any questions, you can get me at @melulater.  Otherwise if you arrived here through Facebook, I am always on the NZ Teachers page, so you can hit me up there to with any questions.

You can also now find me on Instagram at melulater_room7 (but that 7 will be changing to a 12 this year).

Storage
Firstly I recommend you get lots of boxes of various sizes for reading groups, fluency boxes and various resources.  Thankfully the Warehouse has some very cost effective options now, and they often have great sales with two for one deals or great percentage mark downs, so shop then if you can.  Prices possibly differ from when I first wrote this.  I've detailed below ones that I have found good and for what:

The front boxes are the guided reading boxes, and the back boxes are the boxes for fluency reading.

This box cost $3 and I use it for my reading groups, one per group.  I usually have two sets of books in here at a time.

This box cost $5 and I use it for my fluency boxes for each reading group.  It can hold more books than the box above and is more stable for the number of books I think kids need to browse through.

This is the box I use to put maths or language activities in to keep them mobile and intact (providing the kids put the stuff back in).  It costs about $6.

This box is great for keeping your modelling books in and any other books like ELP or Numeracy books as well as felts and pens and rulers....  I move it about the class to wherever I am working with my groups.  They are usually about $10 a box.

When I need to carry portfolios home or store them, or store a lot of stuff, these hobby boxes are my go to.  They can cost $7-10 depending on how the Warehouse is pricing them.

Trays like this are great for table groups to store stuff like pens, pencils, felts, colouring pencils, glue sticks, pencil sharpeners and rubbers.  They start from $3.

You can't go past boxes with lids like this for storage.  I have these in a variety of sizes to keep different things, and because they have lids, sticky little fingers are less likely to find their way into them.  There are different prices for different sizes.

This trolley is a great way to keep things at hand.  You can get metal ones and plastic ones in a variety of prices.

I use these wallets to store the photocopying in for each week.  Anything I know that I will have every week, like poem of the week or handwriting or a basic facts test or whatever, I photocopy off at the beginning of each term and I have a wallet for each week of the term with my photocopying organised in it ready to pull out and go.  I keep the wallets in a hobby box (best size) in order, the current week at the front.  I get these wallets at Warehouse Stationery and you can buy singly, but I find it more cost effective to buy the packs of 10.  K-Mart has wallets too.

I also use these wallets when planning for my reading, writing and maths.  I plan directly into my modelling books (see the link further down in the literacy section), but as I plan I will photocopy, print, create or whatever resources that I want the students to work with, manipulate or write on.  So I have a wallet for each reading group, each maths group and one for writing to keep the things for each group in an easy to grab way.  I will even put the reading books I am working on with a group next in there.  If I don't do this I tend to lose stuff and then kids are left waiting for me to shift through the mammoth piles on my desk.

The Walls

Now you need some of that nice teachery stuff that teachers love having up on the walls.

First of all you'll probably want a visual time table (they are all the rage but also really effective for children who like to know the routine for the day) and the best one I have found is from Sparklebox (see footnote at bottom of blog regarding Sparklebox) and this is the link here. 

If you are in juniors, you can have one of those calendar things from Sparklebox too.  The link is here.

If you want a birthday display, the link from Sparklebox is here.

If you want a display for classroom jobs, the link from Sparklebox is here.

If you want some numbers in te reo Maori to 20, the link from Sparklebox is here.

If you want the colours in te reo Maori, the link from Sparklebox is here.

If you want the days of the week in te reo Maori, the link from Sparklebox is here.

The link to more te reo Maori resources on Sparklebox is here.  Just click on the resource, and then click on the Te Rangatiratanga flag to access the te reo Maori version.

Also look for the "editable version" in Sparklebox to personalise certain resources.

If Sparklebox doesn't rock your world, expecially after you read the footnote, there are other options.

You may consider a Twinkl subscription (check to see if your school already has a subscription or not) as they have heaps of cool things for setting up a class.  I have really enjoyed updating my classroom with Twinkl resources last year as some of my stuff I've been using for 15-20 years and I've created heaps of new Te Reo resources to challenge the kids and me.

Green Grubs Garden Club is pure Kiwi resources and seen on TV3's Mean Mums comedy set in a real school.  There are some very affordable class start up resources, lots of Te Reo and Pasifika language resources too.

Don't be afraid to make your own resources for the wall.  Embrace using programs like publisher as well as the colour printer, coloured paper, glue sticks and a laminator.  Getting your own laminator for when you have a need/desire/necessity to laminate is advisable.  You can get a decent one for $50-$70 at Warehouse Stationery.

Also check out Files on NZ Teachers for more fabulous resources others have shared.

I like using this site, Instant Display, to create my own lettering that I print out for my walls (see the example above).  You can also buy ready to go lettering from catalogues you will find in your staff room, as seen in the picture below.

Setting up your Literacy programme
Personally, I have a modelling book for each group and I run the Reading Tumble as I teach guided reading.  To find out more about various parts of teaching Literacy, see:

• The Reading Tumble
• Modelling Books - how I use these to plan, teach and assess in my class
• Handwriting - is it still relevant?
• My Spelling Programme - the essentials first
• Newsboard or Current Events

Twinkl has got a heap of literacy resources, everything from sight words to reading comprehension to.... well, the world is your oyster on Twinkl.  Looking for a distinctly Kiwi literacy resource?  Look no further than Top Teaching Tasks with a range of literacy resources for a fee and some are free!  Sparklebox has a lot of literacy resources you can download and make, you can get some phonics activities here, and these websites will also help you out with your literacy programme, but last time I used these links I th:

• Literacy Online - Effective Literacy Practice - of which there are three books: Years 1-4, Years 5-8 and Years 9-13 - is going to be a go-to book for you.  Your school should also have the appropriate hardcopy book for you within your class/bookroom to access.
• Literacy Online - Ready to Read
• Literacy Online - Ready to Read Phonics Plus
• Literacy Online - Junior Journals
• Literacy Online - School Journals
• Literacy Online - School Journal Story Library
• Literacy Online - Connected
• Literacy Progressions Wiki
• Sheena Cameron's The Literacy Place
• Guided Reading - Pearltrees
• Kidspeak Literacy Progressions

The books I definitely recommend that the school should have on hand for you are these:

Effective Literacy Practice - there are two books, one aimed at Years 1-4 and one aimed at Years 5-8.  This really should be already in the classroom ready for you to use (you should not have to buy your own copy - thanks Dawn for reminding me to put this in), but I included the digital link above for when your book is not where you are.  Teachers in the know call it ELP for short.  I've still got the original copy I got when it first came out.  I highlighted and scribbled in it enough that I wanted to keep it, so when I left the school, I replaced the one in my class and kept this one.

Teaching Handwriting  -  It might be from when I was still at primary school, but it has the style of handwriting that is mandated for New Zealand.  There is a digital link to this book in my blog I linked above about Handwriting.

Junior Handwriting and Senior Handwriting from Start Right  -  I use these books because they are brilliant with teaching kids correct formation, from learning to write through printing, flicking and linking.  You can get them at your local bookstore or order from the publisher.  I explain how I use them in my Handwriting blog post up above.

Sheena Cameron's books are gold.  Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies has lots of fabulous resources that will support your guided reading programme, which makes it, along with your ELP, a companion book to planning.  Check that it is in your school first before you run out and buy it for yourself.  Use The Reading Activity Handbook along side it.

The Publishing and Display Handbook and The Writing Book are also must haves for teachers today with lots of ideas for writing lessons, displays, techniques, indicators, etc.

I also recommend the Alison Davis book Building Reading Comprehension....

....and Jill Eggleton's Lighting the Literacy Fire.

I also really love Gail Loane and Sally Muir's book I've Got Something to Say:

I also recommend these books for supporting word family work:

I picked these four resources up through the Teacher's Scholastic Book Club - it's a cost effective way of getting great teaching resources.

Numeracy
Definitely make sure that you have all the pinkish Numeracy Project books in your class to have at hand for planning and teaching - at worst you can download the PDFs at NZ Maths (link is below in my essential website list).  Ensure that your classroom has been kitted out by the school with the full box of resources for teaching the Numeracy Project.  Check out the NZ Teachers page for heaps of really awesome maths resources.


This is my post on how you could run a Maths Tumble.  Check it out and take what works for you from that.

Here are some essential websites that I use regularly when planning my maths time:

• NZ Maths  -  you can get to everything from the Numeracy Project from here.
• Numeracy Stage Knowledge
• Group Tracking Sheet
• Sparklebox Maths Resources
• This site has lots of Maths games and worksheets and activities
• Basic Facts worksheet generator
• Mixed Operations Math Worksheets

I've also collected a number of my own books over the years.  The Teacher's Bookclub has provided a lot, but also watch out for books at $2 Shops for the younger kids or the struggling older kids.

A few more helpful websites and blog posts and ramblings

• As I've said above, I've become a big fan of Rosie over at the Green Grubs Garden Club blog and resource page.  If you want a really awesome source of great Kiwi resources, especially for Maori kupu, and typical NZ topics like Waitangi Day, Anzac Day and Matariki... this is a great place to go.

• It pays to have a countdown timer handy for when you need to give extra motivation to be quick.
• Behaviour management is key.  I've used many different strategies over the years, but I've been using Class Dojo since 2015 Class Dojo.  Here my reflective post about it:  Class Dojo - a behavioural management tool for the digital child and teacher.  Since I first started using Class Dojo they have added more features, incluing a portfolio feature, parent contact and student log ins.  
• Be involved in the future of your profession along with many other new members to teaching by joining NZEI and becoming part of the New Educator Network (NEN) in your area.
• Check out EdBlogNZ for the latest in education blogs and challenges.
• If you are on Twitter, use the #edchatnz and #BFC630NZ hashtags to communicate with other Kiwi teachers.
• Pinterest is a great place to collect ideas for later.  This is the link to the Melulater Pinterest Collection.  There are heaps of teachers on there with great collections to follow.
• This blog post was written due to a posting by another fabulous teacher on the NZ Teachers page:  Advice to beginning teachers... but something all teachers should remember too.
• Here is a post on the basics of a Physical Education programme with links to resources and websites and hints that are tried and true:  Essentials and Basics for Physical Education in the Classroom.
• Confused about planning and teaching without the National Standards?  Then check out: For those who are crying: "How will I plan and assess without National Standards?" here is some inspiration.
• And Bruce Hammonds is an "old school" teacher I admire who has a fabulous blog.  Check out this one he has produced for the start of the 2018 school year: Beginning a new school year.....  Beginning Teaching - some practical advice to start the year.

You will never be able to walk through a $2 Shop, bookshop, the Warehouse or a supermarket without wanting to buy the shop out.  Resist everything except what you truly need.  Set yourself a limit each pay period if you feel you must indulge.  Keep receipts for anything you can get reimbursed for and fill out that paper work and hand it in.

A number of $2 Shops now have magnetic te reo Maori resources that are worth getting.  I get my map posters and the like from $2 Shops and a lot of crafty stuff like pom poms, feathers, googly eyes, and the like.  They are also fabulous for stickers and stamps.

David's Emporium in Hamilton is a great place to get resources too.  Someone pointed out that they got 25m of velcro for $40 which is way more cost effective than $27 for 10m at Warehouse Stationery!  And there are so many other useful things in an emporium too!  If your classroom is super ugly, you can make it over with brightly coloured eco cloth (similar to, but nicer than, weed mat) to brighten up the space.

Get sauce bottles with wide necks to use as glue bottles for PVA.  The wide necks make it easier to fill up the bottles with PVA when you are time poor with 50,000 kids wanting your attention at once.  With the narrow nozzle it allows the glue to be easily manipulated.  Use a folded out paper clip to unblock it, but teach the kids to put the bottle upright and give it a wee squeeze after use to make a bubble blow out and keep the bottle tip unblocked.

NEVER EVER use a paint brush in PVA.  You'll never have any paint brushes for painting if you let the kids use paint brushes in PVA.  They will all end up with the bristles glued together.  Have dishwashing liquid in the class and use warm water to wash brushes regularly.  That would be a good monitor job.

Teach your kids to glue in, either with PVA or a glue stick, by going around the outside edge and then doing a diagonal cross from corner to corner as a quick and efficient method of gluing that will minimise the risk of the work falling out.

When it comes to hot glue guns, I prefer to purchase the smaller ones.  I find the big ones hard to use, so imagine how tricky they are for children!!  But I always supervise the use of the glue gun.  I burn myself all the time after all.  Make it a rule that when it is not in use that it is unplugged and if it's not needed at all that it is put safely away from sticky little fingers.

I personally prefer A4 sized books for my classwork.  It means we usually only have to trim two sides of an A4 paper before gluing in worksheets.  Teaching skills like this are essential at the beginning of the year to getting tidy books and preventing loss of work. 

I also teach the kids to cut using scissors by holding the big side of the paper and then cut off the little side and then rotate the paper.  I can't stand seeing kids turning their arms in Twister fashion to cut something out and then seeing them cut off a part that was essential!  (I know!!  I'm a control freak!!).  Teach the children to hold the blade of the scissors rather than the handle when moving around the classroom for safety.

Teach kids to only use felts for outlining and colouring small titles, so the felts last a long time.  Have a lot of colouring pencils and Jovis for doing the colouring in with.  Choose sharpeners that have containers to catch shavings.  You don't want shavings all over the floor.  I make the kids pick them all up with they do that.

I usually have trays for each table group with the felts, colouring pencils and Jovis they need in there.  I wrap different coloured insulation tape (see below) around each pencil and pen so that if someone finds a random pencil on the floor, they can put it straight back in the right tray.  You can get the tape at the Warehouse usually and sometimes at $2 Shops.  Occasionally I've had to go to Mitre 10.  It means that every group will have equitable access to equipment and then one group can not hog everything.  I also make sure I have a PVA glue bottle and sellotape holder for each group.  It helps with time management when we are all gluing or taping something in our books at the same time.  I also have enough staplers per group for the same reason.  Students usually have their own glue sticks.

Personally, I believe bookwork should be done in pen, and that pencil is for maths, drawing and drafting.  I really can not be bothered with the "My pencil is broken" chant which is why I prefer pens, but you need to abide by the school expectations if they have them.  I also can't stand bendy rulers.  Within a month you can't rule a straight line with them.  I encourage parents to buy rulers with cm and mm on them rather than inches to save the confusion when learning measurement.

Teacher Wellbeing
Remember to take time out to enjoy your family and friends.  Don't be a hero and keep going without asking for help - you'll burn yourself out and be no good to anyone.  Ask lots of questions of your colleagues, be aware of deadlines and plan for them (ironic of me to say!), and check in with those in the know to make sure you are on the right track. Make sure that at least once a week (minimum) you go home with no extra work at 4:00pm and have some "Me Time".  Eat sensibly, exercise.  Try to keep a store of healthy snacks at school and eat breakfast every day.  Eat your veges! 


Vital to your mental health as a BT:  Read this article, Advice to grad teachers: 'I made one big mistake you should avoid.'  It is written by Tegan Morgan, a young Australian teacher who burnt herself out before she even got through her first year of teaching.  Don't repeat her mistake.

Start taking vitamins and immune boosters early on, because you will get every bug going during your first year - so also keep a healthy supply of Panadol, cold & flu medicine, cough mixture, throat lozenges and tissues at home.  If you get sick, stay home and get better faster - don't give it to your colleagues or students.  If it persists, go to the doctor - save some money for going to the doctors, because you will need to go more often than ever before.  Most classes are fitted with soap for hand washing - do it regularly, particularly before eating and if the school doesn't provide it, get yourself some of that gel that disinfects your hands.  Teach the kids how to sneeze and cough into their elbows to stop them spreading germs from their hands around the class.

It would pay to put together a reliever's kit with a class roll, time table, outline of routines and a few go to ideas for a reliever so they don't obliterate your plans you have going on with the students.  Thankfully, in these days of email, you can always email a plan into your principal or senior leader to give to the reliever if you are as much of a control freak as I am as a classroom teacher.  But, having been a reliever in the past, they are paid the big bucks to step in at the last moment and if they are worth the big bucks, they should be able to whip up a great day of learning without bothering you on your sick bed.

It would pay to be familiar with the life of a reliever, so check out my recent post Tips for Relievers.  

Being Organised for the Term:
At the beginning of every term, during the term break, photocopy everything you know you will use during the term with the students, organise it into the groups and which week and store it in folders or wallets ready to go.  I can not stress how much time this saves me during the term knowing that my handwriting or poetry or homework is ready to roll.

Homework is going to be a huge bugbear during your teaching career.  You will never have all the parents happy at the same time, so KISS - Keep It Simply Simple.  But for some inspiration, here is my post on homework: Homework - the eternal can of worms for teachers, students and families: "To give or not to give?  That is the question!"

Take the time to set the routines for sitting on the mat, lining up, moving around the school, getting equipment and activities out and putting them away, setting up art activities and cleaning up, listening to instructions, pack up at the end of the day, coming in after breaks, how you listen to stories, class discussions, group work, guided teaching sessions, how to do literacy and numeracy activities independently.... you name it, be thorough.  It will pay off in the long run if you take that time and you are consistent with enforcing the routines.  If you are coming in part way through the year, you may need to adopt some of the previous teacher's routines, but the students need to fit with how you teach, they need to learn to adapt.

You will always need more blutack, Velcro dots, sellotape and glue sticks than you are given.  Make the admin staff in charge of this stuff in your group of closest friends as soon as possible.  Learn what you can get on your classroom budget as much as possible and guard it from small sticky fingers jealously.  You will spend a lot of your own money.  But try very hard to resist this for the basics that schools should provide.  And if you do, supply the receipts to the school so they see how much you are subsidising them.

Get to know the caretaking staff and the cleaners well.  Please respect your cleaners by getting the kids to tidy up properly.  The caretaking staff always know where extra furniture is and can often work miracles with existing furniture.  Make sure the kids respect the furniture.

Make sure you know the routines for when kids feel sick, especially a child who feels like they are going to vomit.  One school I was at had the sacred sick bowl and if someone felt ill, a child was sent down to the sick bay to get it and the ill child sat with the bowl in class until they went home or they felt the time had passed.  Find out who is responsible for cleaning up any vomit.  Some schools have specific staff to do that, and in others (usually a small school) it will be you, so you need to know where to get the stuff to clean it up with.

Most importantly, take the time to learn about your students.  You will only learn so much from their portfolio.  You need to take the time to talk to your students before and after school, during duty, at random times like during a running record.... talk to their mums and dads or significant caregivers who are full of very important tid bits about their child.  Talk to the teachers who had the students before you - they have a lot of important tid bits too.

Don't forget to share who you are with the children.  Think about what is appropriate before sharing with the students.  But I've found that the kids love to hear about my pets or funny stories from when I was a kid.  They love knowing what I did in the holidays (within reason).  Share those experiences that demonstrate that you are a learner and the life of being a teacher too.  (This part is a late addition due to feedback - thanks Marama).

And remember to laugh and have fun.  You can cry too - certain Anzac Day books always bring me to tears when I read them to the class.  Sing to them during spelling tests, put on a crazy voice during marking sessions, dress up for house events or for a special day (one time I dressed for Melbourne Cup Day and we made fascinators and ties).  Every now and again do something nice for the kids for a treat, like letting them choose the sport for the afternoon, or having a bring a boardgame day, or popcorn and a DVD.  Learn to love the children in your class.  Even the most "interesting child" will have something special about them that you can cherish.  

Do something nice for your fellow staff members too every now and again.  A morning tea shout, a sneaky bite sized chocolate bar with a message attached, offering to do a duty or take their class into yours for a shared story or some singing... these things are always appreciated.

IMPORTANT FOR NEW STAFF TO A SCHOOL FOR TEACHER ONLY DAYS AND SETTING UP YOUR ROOM:

This applies to beginning teachers, teachers who are returning to the profession after a break in service and those whose fixed term positions were short so their holiday pay will not carry you through until the 27 January:  YOU SHOULD BE PAID TO ATTEND ANY TEACHER ONLY DAYS AND MEETINGS PRIOR TO 28th JANUARY.  It says so in the Primary Teacher Collective Agreement.  Make sure you and your principal are on the same page on this because it is in the Collective.

Good Luck and Best Wishes
As I think of more things, I will update this post, and if you have any further suggestions, please put them in the comments.  This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the things I have found useful each and every time I set up my class.

Best wishes to you as you begin in the journey of being a teaching professional.

Footnote: 
I did wrestle with including the links to Sparklebox in this post.  Most people are aware that the founder of the site was a teacher and was arrested, convicted and jailed for having child pornography on his computer and all that entails.  I believe the founder has changed his first name and remains a director of Sparklebox from what I have gleaned.

But I did include the links because most Beginning Teachers are financially poor, setting up their classrooms weeks in advance of being paid.  Sparklebox has free resources, resources that were created by a teacher for teachers.

So I believe it is a personal choice as to whether or not you choose to use the resources.  Personally, I have.  I just tend to cut the Sparklebox logo off what I can before laminating.  It makes it fit into the pouch better and stick together (pro tip there).

LAST EDIT: 12/1/22