Appeal to the children's techie sides - Pinterest finds

I found these two techie-themed displays on Pinterest. 

A fantastic iPhone display for classroom jobs by Sheila at Room 13...

... and an Angry verbs display.

I was then inspired to make an Angry Birds-style display for my room. I settled on an "Our Golden Rules" display. I have yet to add the golden eggs (the children will make these next week). Stay tuned for the finished product!

How I plan on decorating my classroom FOR FREE

I've been getting a few bits and bobs ready for the new school year. I've spent hours ogling over some amazingly decorated classrooms. Here are some free materials for displays that I'm planning on putting in my room. (Obviously, free to me doesn't include the cost of paper and laminating sheets!)

1. Birthday months display: 

I got these cute party hats from Jennifer Squires' TPT store and changed the font to black and Comic Sans MS.

2. My own question prompt posters:

You can download them from Google Docs by clicking here.

3. Footprint number line:

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I plan on sticking this number line on the ground for maths activities. I downloaded this for free from Twinkl.

4. Clock labels:

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I got these clock minute labels from the incredible Amy Lemons (Step into Second Grade). Click here to download in Google Docs.


5. My I.B. learner profile posters

These outline the 10 aspects of learners in the I.B. programme with brief, simple descriptions on each. You can download the whole display, heading included for free here.

6. Rockstar themed clip chart

Abby at The Inspired Apple has made this AMAZING rockstar-themed clip chart. It's a really visual classroom management tool. You can download the labels here and an explanation of how it works here. She also has loads of rockstar-themed signs here. 

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I still haven't decided if I'm going to use the following resource this year. I think the maths language may be a bit too challenging for the age-level I'm teaching. Anyway, I couldn't resist sharing it as it's an absolute gem!

These are alphabet posters but all of the examples are maths vocabulary, making them less baby-ish and suitable for older age levels. They're really bright and colourful and the clipart is really child-friendly and cutesy. A huge word of thanks to Bridget Clabby (Little Lovely Leaders) for designing and sharing these for free here.

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For more free resources for decorating your classroom prior to term, have a visit to my Classroom Décor FREEBIE linky party.

Teacher Week: Technology Tip Tuesday

I'm posting this as part of Teacher Week on Blog Hoppin'. Last year, a lot of resources that I made and downloaded for class were in PowerPoint format. I found that I often ended up stationary at my desk so that I could change between slides. I'm not the sort of person who likes to stay in the same spot for too long, especially while teaching and trying to keep an eye on the giddy children at the back of the room! So this is my simple technology tip for PowerPoint users, get a clicker/pointer like this!

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This little baby didn't set me back too much money-wise (hint: have a look around for cheaper prices. I got mine on Amazon at a good price.) but it made such a difference to me in the classroom. It's great to be able to flick back and forth between slides and use the laser pointer to highlight certain parts.

 I found lots of uses for it after a few weeks --> highlighting pronunciation of certain letters/words in Irish poems, flicking between paintings when making comparisons in art, getting the children to use the laser to point out certain aspects of a picture/the answer to a question (this was hugely popular with my 10-12 year olds!) and of course, good ol' flicking back and forth between slides in a PowerPoint presentation. The best part was that I was able to do all of these things from any corner of the classroom, allowing me to prowl roam around the place!

For more technology tips, head over to Blog Hoppin' where you'll find a tonne of links at the bottom of the post.

One to follow: Subkit.eu

As the new school year approaches, I know that many teachers are looking at doing some substitution work (hopefully only for a short while!). If you are one of these people, Deirdre at Subkit.eu runs a fantastic website that you should definitely check out. There, you'll find a blog with lesson ideas, a Delicious account with links (well-organised by category), detailed information on what you need to know if you are a first-time sub and lots of helpful tips for jobseeking and interviews. 

Have a look at her September checklist here.

Classroom Décor FREEBIE linky party

Greetings all! 

I'm delighted to be back blogging after a well-needed summer break. This year I'm faced with a lot of excitement and challenges as I will begin teaching in a new country, with a new age level and an entirely new school system. I hope to continue blogging - my resources will now be designed for 7-year old ESL (English as a Second Language) pupils. I hope that they will prove useful for somebody out there! 

 One of the challenges I'm facing at the moment is how I want to decorate my classroom. There are some outstandingly creative themed classrooms out there. Have a look at Miss Nelson's Before and After linky party to see some ridiculously talented teachers' rooms.

I've been looking around for ready-made resources to stick on the wall in preparation for day 1 of term. Unfortunately, most of what's out there at the moment is TPT sales. Though many of these resources are fantastic, it'd be nice to get some resources that teachers are sharing for free. Hence, this linky party is for teachers to share FREE resources that others can use to decorate their classroom.

FAO bloggers. I'd really appreciate if you could give this linky party a mention on your own blog!