We worked on Procedural Writing.

We were doing this exercise:

“Supposing you had a substitute teacher,

what would you tell her that you do in school each day”.

Photo Credit: Charlottes Photo Gallery via Compfight

JC wrote:

First we write down our homework.

Then we do our Mental Maths.

Then we do our Modern Handwriting.

Then we say our morning prayer and Teacher calls the roll on Aladdin.

Then we do Maths and English.

At 10.35 we go out for a break.

After break we do Irish.

At 12 we say The Angelus.

Then we do Religion.

At the moment we are preparing for our First Communion.

At 12.30 we have another break.

So far so good

However this is one of our favourite poems

from the book ‘Please Mrs Butler’ by Allan Ahlberg.

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“Here’s the rule for what to do

If ever your teacher has the flu

Or for some other reason takes to her bed

And a different teacher comes instead

When the visiting teacher hangs up her hat

Writes the date on the board, does this or that

Always remember, you have to say this,

OUR teacher never does that, Miss!

When you want to change places or wander about

Or feel like getting the guinea pig out

Never forget, the message is this,

OUR teacher always lets us, Miss!

Then, when your teacher returns next day

And complains about the paint or clay

Remember these words, you just say this:

That OTHER teacher told us to, Miss!”

 
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Senan began:

‘My Teacher was out and we had a substitute teacher.

She said to me,

‘Can you be my helper?’

She asked me if I can tell her what our teacher does normally.

So I thought it was time to have a little fun…’

Alice wrote:

1. Ella: She loves art and hates Maths!

So Ella says’Miss, we REALLY want to do Maths,

but our Teacher always says to do Art instead’

Substitute Teacher:

‘Oh really … Well for a treat we will do Maths …for a BIG treat’.

So Ella didn’t fool the Teacher.

2. Sam: He loves PE but hates spelling!

‘Miss, we do PE all day so

where did you get the idea we do spelling?’

Teacher: ‘Well…I…always do spelling.’

Children: ‘It is completely up to you Teacher.

You have two choices Miss.

One: Don’t do PE and don’t be our Teacher’s friend.

Two: Is the other way round.

Teacher: Alright then, we will do PE…

Are you sure about this Sam?’

Sam: ‘Yes, definitely.’

The class had other ideas too:

We’d tell the teacher that we go to the playground everyday

and buy sweets on the way,

that Teacher brings us to the cinema every Friday

and the swimming pool every Monday.

On Tuesdays we go on a nature walk

and on Wednesday, we watch videos and have a half day,

That only leaves Thursday, when we do art all day.

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This exercise didn’t turn out as Teacher had planned,

but we had good fun.

Istigh sa Sú, tá Babaí Cangarú,

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Léim anois,

Léim anois,

Léim anois go luath.

Istigh sa Sú

tá Mamaí Changarú…

Léim anois,

Léim anois go luath.

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Istigh sa Sú

tá Daidí Cangarú…

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Léim anois,

Léim anois go luath.

Rabhlaí Rabhlaí suas le falla

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Rabhlaí Rabhlaí, anuas den bhfalla.

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Dá dtiocfadh na Fianna is Tuatha Dé Danann,

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Ní chuirfidís Rabhlaí Rabhlaí mar a bhí sé cheana.

Click here to read about 

Biodiversity Action Day on our Green Schools Blog

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In school we are following Derek Mooney’s ‘Nest Watch’ (RTE Radio).

At last count the Mother Blue Tit has laid six eggs. I am putting the 

Link here to Derek Mooney’s Nestwatch so you can find it easily.

Cnag ar an doras

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Cnag ar an doras
 
is féach isteach.

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Bain diot do háta
 
is siúl isteach.

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Suigh ar an stól

is bí ag ól

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is conas atá tú ar maidin?

Cnag ar an doras

Is féach isteach

Ardaigh an laiste

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Agus buail isteach

Suigh ar an stól

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Is ól do dheoch

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Is conas taoi féin ar maidin?

Na Muiciní

Chuaigh an muicín seo

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ar an margadh.

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D’fhan an muicín seo sa bhaile.

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Fuair an muicín seo arán is im.

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Ní bhfuair an muicín seo tada.

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‘Bhíoc, bhíoc, bhíoc,’ 

a deir an muicín seo

cá bhfuil mo chuidse?

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Gugalaí-gug,mo chircín dubh,

Suíonn sí síos is beireann sí ubh,

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Ubh inné is ubh inniu,

Gugalaí-gug mo chircín dubh.

Cúig Ubh

Cúig ubh istigh

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sa nead.

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Cearc ar gor, glug, glug, glug.

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Bhris an bhlaosc, bhris sí arís,

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Thaining sicín amach, tsíp, tsíp.

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Ceithre ubh istigh sa nead…

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Trí ubh istigh sa nead…

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Dhá ubh istigh sa nead…

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Ubh amháin istigh sa nead.

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Cearc ar gor, glug, glug, glug.

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Bhris an bhlaosc, bhris sí arís,

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Thaining sicín amach, tsíp, tsíp.

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This is digital art work we did using Scribbler.

First we looked at images of Dublin city on Google.

Then we drew using the Scribbler digital art programme.

Look closely. Can you see The Spire,

the Custom House

the buildings and

the River Liffey?

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Summer Morning

by Rachel Field

I saw dawn creep across the sky,

And all the gulls go flying by.

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I saw the sea put on its dress

Of blue midsummer loveliness,

Photo Credit: Justin Kern via Compfight

And heard the trees begin to stir

Green arms of pine and juniper.

I heard the wind call out and say:

‘Get up, my dear, it is today!’

Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt via Compfight

by Frank Asch

If sunlight fell like snowflakes,

gleaming yellow and so bright,

we could build a sunman,

we could have a sunball fight,

we could watch the sunflakes

drifting in the sky.

We could go sleighing

in the middle of July

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through sundrifts and sunbanks,

we could ride a sunmobile,

and we could touch sunflakes—

I wonder how they’d feel.

An Bogha Baistí.

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Dearg agus glas,
gorm agus buí,

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Féach sa spéir,
An bogha baistí.

Ag ceann an bogha,
Tá pota breá mór,

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Féach isteach ann,
Is leatsa an t-ór.

2nd Class, Room 6 love a sing song.

These Vimeo videos are useful in that they have the lyrics on screen.

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We find the words of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’‘  uplifting and inspiring.

Photo Credit: ®DS via Compfight

Owl City’s'Fireflies’ is very melodic and tuneful.

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Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’  also puts us in a good humour and

Photo Credit: Jacki Gallagher via Compfight

Taio Cruz’s ‘Dynamite’  is … dynamite!

Photo Credit: Lola Audu via Compfight

Though the words of  ‘Winter Song’ by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson

are not included on this video, we are including here,

because in is another song we enjoyed this year.

Vimeo is very convenient as,

unlike Youtube, it is not ‘blocked’ in school.

However please do not let your child use Vimeo unattended.

We were asked for the Highlights of our Learning Year

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for the school newsletter.

We were asked for five or so bullet points.

It was hard to choose from all the Highlights of our Learning Year,

so we will put up a longer list on this post.

Highlights of our Learning Year – 2^nd Class Room 6

-         We were Junior Spider Awards national winners for our class blog

You can see the presentation here: Junior Spider Awards

-         We participated in the international Student Blogging Challenge 2013

Student Blogging Challenge 2013

- We learned about our digital footprint and digital citizenship.

We made friends all over the world through our blog.

- On 22nd January 2013 we the featured site

on the Comments4kids blogspot:

Comments4Kids Blogspot – Spotlight Blog

- We followed Chris Hadfield of the International Space Station on Twitter.

- We read these books: Our Shelfari Bookshelf

-         We learned how to make podcasts

Podcast: Julia reads from ‘The Snow Spider’

-         We participated in Digital Art Week 2013

Seasaws: Art Activity for Digital Art Week 2013

- We took part in the Twitter Autumn and Spring Challenge

Signs of Spring Twitter Project

- We entered Write A Book

Senan had his ‘moment in the sun’ and received the class merit award.

-         We prepared for our 1^st Holy Communion. This was chronicled on the parish website:

Our Communion Preparations on the Parish Website

And the happy news is that

our school tour (5th June),

sports day (7th June, weather permitting)

and the annual seaside scavenger hunt (TBA) are still to come!

Dear Parent,

On Wednesday the photographer is coming

to take photographs of the 1^st Communion class.

Other years, it has worked out best if your child

comes to school in their finery,

with their school tracksuit in a bag.

Parents are very welcome to come in

and help their child change,

however there is absolutely no pressure

to come in.

However the timing of all this is up to the photographer

and completely out of Teacher’s hands.

Generally he makes a start shortly after nine,

but as there are two classes you may find

you have to wait for some time,

Thanking you for your patience

and understanding in this matter

This letter will be going home on paper tomorrow.

Photo Credit: josefnovak33 via Compfight

of the Student Blogging Challenge 2013.

You can read about it here

Photo Credit: Patrick Hoesly via Compfight

and we got some very encouraging feedback from Ms. W.

 

This is probably too much

and makes the blog

a bit slow to load,

but we like them so much

 

we are going to leave them there.

If we saw a new one we really liked,

we’d probably add it.

We feel our widgets like our twitter feed

and add to the personality of our blog.

Having our podcast feed in our sidebar

helps visitors find them.

Widgets tells visitors a bit more about who we are

and what is important to us, like our bookshelf,

What were your first impressions of this blog?

Colourful, busy, age appropriate

What captured your attention?

I thought the title was good

and I liked all the images.

What distracted you on the blog?

The blog takes some time to load

What suggestions can you give us to improve the blog?

Shorter, snappier posts!

Well done to all the boys and girls in 2nd Class

who made their First Communion today.

We were all very proud of how well

you prepared for this special day.

You behaved beautifully in the church.

Everyone agreed you sang,

and read very well,

and brought up the gifts

with great reverence.

We hope you have had a super day

and that you get a good night’s sleep tonight.

We heard some of you were up very early indeed.

Teacher realises you may be very tired on Monday

and has planned the day accordingly

I am looking forward to

hearing all about your Big Day.

We will make thank you cards

and write some thank you letters.

You won’t have to work too hard.

Viking Dig It Up Game

Photo Credit: Pascal via Compfight

This is  Student Blogging Challenge 2013 – Week 9 – Game Week.

 
Photo Credit: Charlie Barker via Compfight

We read many posts that we found interesting and enjoyed

and we left many comments.

Of all the blogs we visited and posts we read in the past few weeks

these are our top three:

We really enjoyed Mrs Krebs Geography Surveys

We loved participating and we thought it was very interesting

how a language we share in many ways can have

different meanings in different parts of the world.

It certainly gave us  ’food for thought’

if you excuse the pun.

We were very flattened to get a mention on

Mrs Tharp’s Class Blog on ‘Being Inspiring’

but that apart we thought her collection of posts

were very inspiring and that it was clever the way

they were linked together under one theme.

 
Photo Credit: Conor Keller via Compfight

And we just have to give Larkin’s Weirdly Special another mention.

Check the link above and you will see how hard he is working

and engaging with other bloggers.

Recognising and commenting on other blogs is key to blogging.

‘No man is an island’ and this is true of blogging too.

Since we started blogging we have left oodles of comments

on other blogs and it can be discouraging not to hear back.

In general for every 100 comments we leave we get about 5 back.

That is why we treasure those five.

Happily this percentage is much better on the Student Blogging Challenge.

What can make up for the lack of comments in general is

what good and faithful friends some bloggers then become.

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 One of the best things about blogging

is the friends we make from all over the world.

Dijana from Canada is a very good friend to us

here on ‘If Only The Best Birds Sang’.

She is a frequent commenter.

What she has to say is always positive and encouraging.

We know that Dijana is a little older than us.

She loves wolves!

And that her beautiful and unusual name is pronounced Dee-ana.

(the ‘j’ is silent).

We learn two languages in school; English and Irish

and Dijana learns English and French.

Now Dijana has sent us two lovely pictures

using a free photo editing programme called GIMP.

She asked us what we were interested in.

We said music and animals, especially dogs

and these are what she sent back to us.

Thank you Dijana.

Perhaps you would like to visit Dijana’s blog.

This is an excellent poem she wrote on the theme of friendship.

Dijana’s Blog

Aon, Dó, Muc is Bó

Aon, dó, muc …

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is bó,

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Trí ceathar, bróga leathair,

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Cúig, sé , cupán tae,

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Seacht, ocht, seanbhean bhocht,

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Naoi, deich, císte te.

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Seáinín Bocht 

Photo Credit: Miguel Angel via Compfight
Tá pian i mo lámha,

a mhúinteoir, a mhúinteoir.

Tá pian i mo lámha;

Ní féidir liom scríobh

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Ní féidir leat scríobh,

a Sheáinín, a Sheáinín?

Ní féidir leat scríobh?…

An féidir leat léamh?

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Tá pian i mo shúile,

a mhúinteoir, a mhúinteoir.

Tá pian i mo shúile;

Ní féidir liom léamh.

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Ní féidir leat léamh?

a Sheáinín, a Sheáinín?

Ní féidir leat léamh?…

An féidir leat éisteacht?

Photo Credit: Travis Isaacs via Compfight

Tá pian i mo chluasa,

a mhúinteoir, a mhúinteoir.

Tá pian i mo chluasa;

Ní féidir liom éisteacht.

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Ní féidir leat éisteacht,

a Sheáinín, a Sheáinín?

Ní féidir leat éisteacht?…

An féidir leat ithe?

Is féidir liom ithe,

a mhúinteoir, a mhúinteoir.

Ba bhreá liom

seacláid,

milseáin,

líomanáid.

Ba bhreá liom

seacláid,

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milseáin,

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líomanáid.

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Le Dominic Ó Braonáin

Seo é an teach a thóg Seán.

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Seo é an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

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Seo é an rópa a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

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Seo í an luch a d’ith an rópa a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

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Seo é an cat a mharaigh an luch a d’ith an rópa

a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

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Seo é an madra a lean an cat a mharaigh an luch

a d’ith an rópa a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

Photo Credit: Andrew Morrell via Compfight

Seo í an bhó a rop an madra a lean an cat

a mharaigh an luch a d’ith an rópa

a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

Photo Credit: Rick Harrison via Compfight

Seo é an fear a bhligh an bhó a rop an madra

a lean an cat a mharaigh an luch a d’ith an rópa

a cheangail an mála a bhí sa teach a thóg Seán.

Photo Credit: Dennis Jarvis via Compfight

All year, 2nd Class, Room 6 has been writing about their preparations

for 1st Holy Communion on the Parish Website.

This is the most recent update:

All about our Passover Meal on the Holy Rosary Parish Website

Photo Credit: drp via Compfight

Many thanks to Eoin for facilitating this contact

between ourselves and the parish.

Photo Credit: Kıvanç Niş via Compfight

What is the Sun? by Wes Magee

the Sun is an orange dinghy

sailing across a calm sea

it is a gold coin

dropped down a drain in Heaven

the Sun is a yellow beach ball

kicked high into the summer sky

it is a red thumb-print

on a sheet of pale blue paper

the Sun is a milk bottle’s gold top

floating in a puddle

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maggy and milly and molly and may

maggy and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,

and milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:

and may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

its always ourselves we find in the sea

ee cumming

As it is that time of year again,

I thought it would be helpful to

repost this item on Standardized Tests.

 
Some information about standardized test results.

‘A test only measures what the test asks’

A parent generally shouldn’t be overly concerned about test results

unless the teacher is.

The teacher looks at the result in conjunction

with how the child has succeeded at their schoolwork

over a full year

and decide if it reflects reality or not.

Parents can do this too.

Looking back over completed workbooks and copybooks

may show that your child can be inconsistent.

Some days they may do excellent work and present their work beautifully

and on another they may not.

This is not unusual.

Children after all are children!

We wouldn’t have them any other way.

Some background information on standardized tests.

How do teachers prepare children for the test?

It is accepted as more that ‘good practice’

not to ‘teach to the test’.

In fact it is vital not to ‘teach to the test’

as doing so invalidates the test.

We teach the Maths and English curriculum

as laid down in the Irish curriculum.

We do not prepare the children

for the specific questions in the standardized tests.

If we did that would negate the ‘standardized’ aspect of them

and the results wouldn’t be authentic.

These results just show how a child performed

in one test with a set of questions

that they are not prepared for in any way,

The format may be unfamiliar.

Other aspects to consider

The test may be given in 2nd class

or in the Autumn Term of 3rd.

For that reason, some of the sums included

by the designers of this test

are from the 3rd class curriculum.

So this content,

included towards the end of the test

will be unfamiliar to students in 2nd class.

Some children will approach these more difficult questions

as problems to be solved and

with a ‘can do’ attitude may get some right.

Others can be somewhat perturbed by their unfamiliarity

and say ‘Teacher you never taught us how to do this!’

The timing of the tests

The English or Maths tests are completed in a day.

We are advised not to ‘test’ on a Monday or a Friday

or on a day after an event like ‘Sports Day’

or the day of the School Tour.

Children find the standardized tests challenging.

At 2nd class, one section of the English test is 40 minutes long

and the Maths test can take over an hour.

That’s a long time for a 7 or 8 year old to sit quietly,

- work independently,

- concentrate

- and to remain motivated.

While the teacher is there to supervise and ‘support’ the children,

the examinees do not get help or advice from the teacher.

Exams by their very nature are all too often an endurance test

as much as a test of knowledge and abilities.

Exam Skills

Then there are ‘exam skills’.

These are still very much developing in Second Class.

Time management is one of these skills.

It is considered ‘good practice’

the teacher moves around the classroom during the test.

So, for example, if a child gets ‘stuck’

on one question they can be advised to

‘leave it until later and move on’.

On the other hand some children can be

inclined to rush and not understand the

importance of checking back over their work.

The standardized test results are a ‘snapshot’ on the day.

Perhaps a child is tired or distracted.

Maybe he or she does’t realise

the significance of the test

and doesn’t do their best.

Teachers walk a tightrope between

reminding the children to do their best yet

not cause children unnecessary worry.

An analysis of errors made

I was pleased with how the class did

in their tests.

I had an interesting time analysing errors,

particularly in the Sigma T Maths Test.

The children do the first two pages with direction from the teacher.

They are then given up to an hour to complete over forty questions.

Some children were up to me very quickly to say they had ‘finished’ the paper.

Still in 2^nd class some children equate doing best with finishing first.

Coming up after even twenty minutes means that a child has given less than 30 seconds to

- reading a question,

- deciding what needs to be done,

- arriving at an answer

- and checking it is correct.

I can see from the exam papers

that some very simple mistakes were made by those in a hurry.

For example;

at one point the students are asked to count money.

Instead they counted the number of coins on the page.

Many of the sums had graphics to help the children.

I see from my analysis that some children

who were in a hurry simply miscounted.

Rushing also resulted in some questions not being answered.

I also noted children adding where they were asked to take away and visa versa.

STen Scores

In the end of the year reports,

results will be given in the form of STen scores.

(A system of scoring from 1-10)

Just a few simple mistakes like those described

and a child can drop a STen

Sometimes it can be a case of two or three more correct answers

and a Sten would go up.

If the child got a STen of 5 (average) last year

and a STen of 4 (below average) this year,

it can seem like the child is beginning to have difficulties

whereas the reality is,

if they hadn’t made two or three avoidable errors as I have described,

they would still be at a 5.

Finally

In accordance with a recent directive

from the Department of Education,

school reports will be going out before the school holidays.

The standardized test results will accompany the school reports.

I hope you have found this information useful.

‘There is nothing in a caterpillar

that tells you it is going to be a butterfly’

JC loves nature.

In particular he is interested in sea life.

He knows a lot about sea creatures.

He really enjoyed creating this food web.

We think he did an excellent job.