Total Teaching Blog

We have our second installment of books with children. This time the books have been chosen by Billie (repeat offender) and joined by the youngest member of the Total Teaching team, Billie’s little sister Ruby.  Billie is 4 years old and she loves reading. She loves listening to stories and discussing them, Billie also enjoys reading stories that she knows on her own. Billie likes to point out the letters she knows and the sounds that they make.  Ruby is 18 months and is a handful. She has taken a real shine to books and reading in general. We read close to 50 books a day, not at her parents' request, Ruby is always carrying a book and loves to repeat the same 2 words… Book, More. She is a big fan of any books that are interactive, loves to touch and feel the pages. A bit of onomatopoeia and she loses her mind.  We hope you enjoy their book selection. Billie has chosen some stories that may not be as well known as her previous choices whereas Ruby stuck with the classics....

Alarmed by the news of NZs declining results in Maths? https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/124512951/a-generation-has-been-failed-in-maths--can-new-zealand-turn-that-around Or are you concerned about the growing trend that kiwi kids just don’t like reading? https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/117952158/classroom-disruption-decline-in-reading-blamed-for-poor-test-scores?rm=a Or just worried about the issues facing our education system as a whole? https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/81496845/student-achievement-is-improving-in-new-zealand-but-internationally-kiwis-are-slipping--report?rm=a Total Teaching is here to help.  First of all - in a hurry, getting the kids in the car, the bath or to bed and you don’t have time to read all of this? Click here and one of our teachers will reach out soon. Now, for the slow and measured approach - It is not all doom and gloom. We believe that our teaching is here for all students. Every student benefits from additional sup...

  What can we learn from 2 minute noodles? As Kiwis we have all had Maggi 2 minute noodles at some stage in our lives. As a food it is fairly mundane, not the most nutritional, but is simple, easy to prepare and gives us sustenance... but a fairly forgettable meal.  Unusual segue to an education concept but stay with me… I want to introduce ‘2 minute noodles’ as a way to communicate about your child’s education. Daily Routines For Total Teaching, 2 minute noodles is a simple idea that we want to share with you.  Just like the mundane food, we want to use the mundane routines in your life as an opportunity to communicate effectively with your child/ren.  Look for 3 opportunities each day to create a ‘2 minute noodle’. When you sit down for breakfast, make lunches, drive/walk to or from school, brush your teeth, get ready for bed etc. Use this as a time to have a discussion - no phones, no distractions, just one on one interactions. Then make this a routine, make it a ...

We are celebrating reading this week so we are sharing with you one children's book a day for a week. These books have all been chosen by one of our youngest members of the Total Teaching team, Billie. Billie is 4 years old, and loves to read, draw, paint and play. Over the week she is going to share her favourite books with you all. Oh the Places You’ll Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VDc-B8gJMY This book is an absolute family favourite about what life can bring. Billie’s thoughts: “I like it when he won’t eat green eggs and ham on the train.” (Clearly the wrong Dr. Seuss book) Maui and Other Maori Legends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbM3PwcGi0g We have recently purchased this book set after Billie found a love for the Maui stories at kindy.  Billie’s favourite is ‘How Maui Slowed the Sun’ while mine has always been ‘The Fish of Maui’ The Book With No Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZwY5BeYcyo This is a fun lighthearted story that all young children love. Billie...

Recently I was able to attend the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) virtual reunion. This is a full day of workshops geared towards reading, writing and phonics instruction. I walked away from this day with a handful of practical ideas that can be used in the classroom and at home to support children’s literacy development. Decodable Texts One of the workshops I attended was on using decodable texts to help reading instruction. These are types of texts used in early reading instruction that provide many opportunities to practise specific phonics principles. They are largely made up of words that are easy to sound out with consistent letter sound relationships. They are one resource that can be used to help develop early literacy. When readers encounter major sound patterns in reading that they have learned during phonics instruction this can help to consolidate their learning and provide extra practice. I love using FlyLeaf decodable texts to practise phonics skills ...

March 8 is International Women’s Day and there is plenty to do to celebrate. In my class we are talking about women who inspire us in our own lives. My 6 year olds also love listening to a good read aloud. I have read many books to them leading up to International Women’s Day and will continue to focus on books about strong women for the duration of International Women’s Month. Here’s a roundup of my favourite books to read for International Women’s Month so you can celebrate all month long too! Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed My students were excited to see the Mars rover Perseverance land in February and have shared their wonders about space ever since. We read this story about Mae Jemison, the first African American women in space whose primary school teacher told her she should be a nurse rather than trying to be an astronaut. My girls got the message loud and clear - don’t let anyone discourage you from chasing your dreams just because you are a girl. Who Says Women Can’t Be Doc...

To complement our previous post about reading, the Total Teaching team has selected 3 free online read aloud sites to build excitement about reading. We have attached their blurb with the link below. The first is Storyline Online which features stories being read by celebrities to create a love for reading. Second is Story Time from Space , literally astronauts reading stories. Lastly we have KidLit TV , a series of stories written and read by the authors themselves. https://www.storylineonline.net/ Storyline streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell, Rita Moreno, Viola Davis, Jaime Camil, Kevin Costner, Lily Tomlin, Sarah Silverman, Betty White, Wanda Sykes and dozens more. https://storytimefromspace.com/ While in space, astronauts are videotaping themselves reading these books to the children of Earth. These videos are being edited and placed on this Story T...