The Essential Classroom

May include:

- a round-robin chess tournament
- an ongoing scrabble game
- a puzzle under construction
- a new challenge/problem solving puzzle published in the class daily doings website
- metaphors and abstract nouns - instead of just similes
- metaphysical poetry, such as The Thought Fox by Ted Hughes
- an exhibition space for student's products
- means of publication for the student to self-publish a novel/poetry anthology

Roman Numerals

Click on the picture to make it larger.

Class rules

1. Use polite speech and good manners.

2. Respect personal space, rights and property of others.

3. Follow directions of all your teachers.

4. Listen quietly while others are speaking.

5. Obey all school rules.

6. Always do your best.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden was written in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The garden at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, England, provided the inspiration for the book. The garden is the book's central symbol. In the book, the secret garden at Misselthwaite Manor is the site of both the near-destruction and the subsequent regeneration of a family.

Using the garden motif, Burnett uses the garden motif to explore the healing power that exists in living things.

In the book, Mary, a young orphan girl from India, is taken to England to live with her uncle on the Yorkshire Moors. She finds it difficult to adjust to the lonely and unfamiliar life of her uncle's mansion, but she gradually befriends Dickon and her cousin Colin. Together, they begin to restore the Secret Garden, into which she had been forbidden to go, by her uncle. At the end of the book, the garden flourishes again and Mary's cousin is finally able to walk again. The Secret Garden sends a message of hope based on the powerful role of friendship in bringing about a change for the better.


The Secret Garden can be read as an ebook online. We will also watch the DVD.


Here is a site with a viewing guide -

The Secret Garden Study Guide

1. Identify the following Characters:
a) Mary Lennox
b) Mrs. Medlock
c) Martha
d) Archbald Craven
e) Dickon
f) Ben Weatherstaff
g) Colin Craven
2. Why was Mary taken from India to England? Find both countries on a map, and trace her journey.
3. When Mary heard crying during the night, what did she think about her new home?
4. Martha told Mary the crying sound came from the wind on the moor. What is a moor?
5. What is special about Dickon?
6. Mary was very curious and wanted to know about everything. Name two things the Mary's curiosity led her to discover.
a)
b)
7. Why did Mr. Archibald become so sad when Mary asked him for some earth to make a garden?
8. List three (3) problems that Colin had.
a)
b)
c)
9. How did Mary help Colin to solve each of these problems?
a)
b)
c)
10. Ben Weatherstaff said, "Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow." What do you think he meant by this? Explain how this relates to
a) Mary
b) Colin
11. Explain how Colin's attitude about life changed after he and Mary became friends.
a) Before:
b) After:
12. How does Colin surprise his father?
13. Who is the lady sitting outside the garden at the beginning and at the end of the film version of the story?
14. What happened to Dickon?
15. How does the story end?
16. Compare/contrast the book and the film.

Modigliani's Alice

Study of Modigliani's Alice.

Modigliani was born in 1884 and died in 1920.

He was an Italian artist who worked mainly in France.

His style was called 'figurative' and he became known for his paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form.

Alice was painted in 1915 and is in the National Art Gallery in Copenhagen, in Denmark.

An outdoor fitness game called Bombscare

The words:

round the ocean

bombscare

all clear

swim

great white pointer

octopus

piranha

jellyfish





The equipment - a tree about 25 meters away to run around for around the ocean, and a set of benches to jump up on for the piranha bit.

You all stand in a group. the teacher calls out 'round the ocean'. The students all run up to and around the tree and back towards the teacher.

The teacher will then call out another instruction such as 'octopus'. In this one, the students all link arms in groups. The last student left is out, and goes to stand with the teacher.

With jellyfish, they prance about in slow motion waving and fluttering their arms like jellyfish.

Then call 'round the ocean' again. This time when they are half way there, call out 'bombscare!'. The children all crouch down with their hands protecting their heads. When the teacher calls out 'all clear', they can get up and wait for the next instruction.

This time call out piranha. They all run to the benches and jump up onto them, and the last two to jump up are out or any who fall off are out.

The whole point is to get them out, one or two at a time.


I work it like this:

'Round the ocean', count to five and call out 'bombscare'. Then I call out 'round the ocean' again without saying 'all clear'. Several will get up and run - they are all out. (You talk beforehand about honesty and being a good sport.)

The I will say 'all clear', and then 'round the ocean'. When they are almost back to me I will call out 'piranha'. The last two to jump up on the bench or anyone who falls off is out.

Then I will say 'swim' - and they just mill about and do swimming movements. Then I will say 'bombscare'.They all crouch down with their hands on their heads. So I will say 'great white pointer' without saying 'all clear'. That will get more kids out. Then I'll say 'great white pointer', and they will put a hand up on top of their head like a fin and sing the song - da dum, da dum, da da da dum! We all laugh at this.

Then I'll say 'piranha', then after they do that I will say 'octopus' or 'jellyfish' then 'round the ocean again'. And so on. Throw in a 'bombscare' and 'all clear' once in while until only one child is left to get a class reward.

Class behaviour management plan

Our school motto - Teamwork and Tolerance.

In our classroom we foster the following environment:

- the teacher's right to teach and the student's right to learn
- personal accountability and responsible behaviour
- individual responsibility for behaviour choices and the consequences of irresponsible behaviours
- the development of self-worth and self-confidence
- strong student involvement in the processes of their own learning and decision- making
- a commitment to cooperative relationships
- the non-violent resolution of conflict with confidence
- confidence to ask for help if required

In our classroom we incorporate the nine values for Australian schools:

1. Care and compassion
2. Doing your best
3. Fair go
4. Freedom
5. Honesty and trustworthiness
6. Integrity
7. Respect
8. Responsibility
9. Understanding, tolerance and inclusion

Student Management in the classroom:

We use the following to ensure positive behaviour outcomes:

Step 1 - Time out in class.

Student is removed from group but kept within the class space to reflect on positive behaviours and is returned to class after a short period of time.

Step 2 - Time out in another classroom.

Students are sent to another teacher and will reflect on their behaviours and complete a written plan of future positive behaviours.

Step 3 - Time out with executive.

In this step students are required to spend reflection time with a member of the executive team and may be given a recess or lunch time out. Parents may be informed if this stage of undesirable behaviours are exhibited by students.

Year 4 Maths class times tables test.