Hi Everyone
Well done on a wonderful effort to attend the meeting at such a busy time of year. Many great examples were shared and your positive input to the discussions made the session worthwhile for everyone.
What follows are some of materials, resources, ideas and links we discussed. Let me know if I left anything out or you have something else to contribute.
Christmas Ideas
FantasticThinkers Key Resource About All Things Christmas
A nice activity which links art with maths. Students have a ‘budget’ with which to purchase materials to make an angel. Simple maths involved would suit juniors. http://www.successlink.org/GTI/lesson_unit-viewer.asp?lid=3823
A worksheet of simple maths sums, which serve to help with working out the code for Christmas jokes.http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/other/docs/christmas_jokes.doc
A neat little problem solving activity for middle and upper primary. Students have to choose a menu for the wise men based on certain conditions. http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/other/pdfs/Christmas_cafe_problem.pdf
Listening skills, oral language activitity. Students follow set instructions to decorate the Christmas treehttp://www.primaryresources.co.uk/other/docs/Christmas_Tree_Thinking_Skills.doc
Great questions based on the Twelve days of Christmas, creating snowflakes, and activity based on area and perimeterhttp://www.primaryresources.co.uk/topic/pdfs/Christ-Maths.pdf
Great open ended maths activity using maths addition skills to make codes for Christmas words.http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/other/pdfs/cracker.pdf
A powerpoint template of an advent calender. You could get students to design their own page which could be revealed in the countdown to Christmas.http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/other/powerpoint/adventcalendar_template.ppt
Sudoko with Christmas symbols to print out.http://math.about.com/od/sudokupuzzles/ss/xmassud.htm
Online Christmas puzzle games:
Stained glass windows http://www.akidsmath.com/mathgames/stglass.html
Sudoko http://www.akidsmath.com/mathgames/sudoku/sudokuchistmsl.htm
Bright students love jokes. Here’s a good page.http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/santajokes.htm
Upper primary activity which nicely links Pascal’s Triangle with “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Hard, but worthwhile.http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/~judyann/LP/lessons/12.days.pascal.html
Picture puzzles of well know Christmas song titles. http://www.santalady.com/xmasgame/xmassong.html
A wonderful way to develop vocabulary and thinking skills by using Christmas song Titles. Can be used for all year levels.
Blooms Christmas Resourceshttp://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/christmas/australian.htm
Other Resources/Ideas
Reading Eggs is worthwhile considering as an online interactive site in the mould of Mathletics, but very suited to K and PP students. You need to subscribe and there are schools who are doing this. Could also be a good extension strategy for individual students and parents looking for ideas to try at home.
Build Your Wild Self. I think I mentioned it last time too. This is a great creative activity to do online and would really be suitable for those of you with interactive whiteboards. Gorgeous activity. Students love it.
http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
Wordle is a great site which lets students visually play with words. Very popular with teachers.
A website recommended by colleagues as a good general site.
The following sites were recommnended by teachers particularly as having great tools and resources for those of you using interactive whiteboards.
www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au
Have a safe and wonderful Xmas. Hope to work with many of you in 2011.