Feadóg Stáin / Tin Whistle

Bhuel faoi dheireadh ... chríochnaigh mé an cúrsa samhraidh inar fhoghlaim mé an fheadóg stáin. Chláraigh mé agus thosaigh mé an cúrsa seo i lár mí Iúil ach is duine mé a chuireann rudaí ar an méar fhada ... ceann an-fhada ar fad! Bhuel cad a d'fhoghlaim mé ...

1. Ní maith leis an madra an fheadóg stáin!!! 
2. Níl sé chomh éasca san ... bhí m'fhear chéile ag gáire faoi cé chomh holc is a bhí/tá mé! (Ní raibh aon ath-treisiú dearfach ansin!)
3. Bhain mé taitneamh as.
4. Cinnte táim chun é a dhéanamh le mo rangsa i Meán Fómhair. (díreach timpeall an cuinne anois!)

Well at long last ... I've finally finished my Tin Whistle Summer course. I registered and began the course back in mid-July but I'm the type of procrastinator who has very long fingers! Well here is what I learned ...

1. The dog HATES the tin whistle!!!
2. It's not as easy as I expected ... my husband got great enjoyment out of telling me how bad I was / am! (no positive reinforcement there!)
3. I did enjoy it.
4. I will definitely be doing the tin whistle with my class in September (just around the corner now!)

So ... na sonraí. Cúrsa le CPD College a bhí ann a chosnaigh €95. Chláraigh mé agus laistigh de dhá lá bhí m'fheadóg agus dhá leabhair tagtha sa phost. Tosnaíonn siad ag an tús mar sin is cuma munar ardaigh tú feadóg raimh i do shaol (cosúil liomsa). Buntáiste amháin a bhí agam ná go bhfuilim in ann ceol a léamh. Múintear duit (trí fhíseanna) faoi na nótaí éagsúla agus an rithim. Bíonn na nótaí ar fad agat go han-tapaidh. Ansin ar aghaidh chuig poirt a fhoghlaim. 

So ... the details. This was a CPD College course that cost €95. Once I had registered I received my tin whistle and books within 2 days. They start at the beginning so it really doesn't matter if, like me, you've never played the tin whistle before. One advantage that I had was that I am able to read music but this isn't a requirement as they teach you all the notes, note names and rhythm. The notes are learned quite quickly and then you move on to learning the tunes.

Tá nasc leis an gcuraclam ag deireadh gach mhódúil. Tá trácht déanta den dá chlár Jolly Music & Music Made Easy tríd na módúil ar fad. Clúdaíonn siad Féin Mheastóireacht Scoile agus Measúnú freisin. Is féidir na hábhair ar fad a íoslódáil agus teacht ar na físeanna trí YouTube. 

Each module has a curricular tie in, the last section covers the strands of the music curriculum. There is a strong connection to the Jolly Music and Music Made Easy programmes. The course also covers School Self Evaluation and Assessment. All of the material is downloadable and the videos are accessible through YouTube. 

Mar a fheicim iad seo na rudaí is fearr faoin gcúrsa seo:

• Múintear na nótaí &rl trí fhíseanna; tá seo an-áisiúil mar is féidir dul ar ais chucu arís agus arís eile chun dul siar a dhénamh
• Faigheann tú an fheadóg & dhá leabhar lán le hamhráin nuair a chláraíonn tú
• Tá na tascanna éasca, ní gá duit ach an port a luaitear a thaifeadadh agus a uaslódáil
• Bhí go leor PDFanna le poirt breise 
• Rogha leathan poirt

The best things about this course:

• The majority of the course is delivered via videos that can be accessed time and again for anything you may need to revise
• Two books and a tin whistle are included in the cost of the course
• The end of module tasks are easy; you just need to record and upload yourself playing a tune
• There are lots of PDFs with extra songs & tunes
• A huge variety of different tunes

Homestore & More

Cheannaigh mé roinnt rudaí i Homestore & More do mo sheomra ranga inniu. Fuair mé an catalóg tríd an doras le déanaí agus bhí luach airgid an-mhaith le fáil ann.
I paid a trip to Homestore & More today and picked up a few bits for my classroom. The catalogue came through the door recently and I spotted some great value items in it. 






Uimhir a haon ar mo liosta ná tairreacáin stórála plaisteacha do m'fhearas ealaíona. Bhí siad leath-phraghas ... €17.50 agus tá siad láidir go leor. Bhí go leor acu ann i mo shiopa áitiúil i Luimneach.
 Top of my list were some plastic storage drawers for my art supplies. These are half price ... €17.50 and quite sturdy. They had lots of these in my local store in Limerick.

An chéad rud eile ar mo liosta ná cláir bhána beaga a chonaic mé sa catalóg. Tá roinnt cinn agam cheana féin ach tá sé ar intinn agam ceann an duine a bheith agam don scoilbhliain seo. Caithfidh go raibh promóisean ar siúl mar bhíodar marcáilte ar €1.99 ach fuair mé iad ar €1.40 an ceann.  Níl siad ar ardchaighdeán, tá siad éadrom go leor agus tagann maircéir beag leo. N'fheadar cé chomh fada a mhairfidh siad ar scoil ach toisc go mbeidh Rang 6 agam tá súil agam go dtabharfaidh siad aire dóibh! N'fheadar an molfainn iad don na naíonáin / bunranganna. Next were some mini whiteboards I had seen in the catalogue. I have some already and I'm hoping to have one per pupil for the coming school year. I think there was some promotion on these as they were marked at €1.99 but I got them for €1.40 each. The quality isn't spectacular, they're quite flimsy but they come with a little mini marker. I'm not sure how long they'll last in the classroom but as I've 6th class I'm hoping they'll look after them and they'll last a while. I'm not sure I'd recommend them for infants / junior classes. 

Bhuel sin a raibh ar an liosta ach phioc mé suas roinnt rudaí eile a chonaic mé sa siopa. Well that was all that was on my list but I picked up some other things I spotted in the shop. 

Tá na boscaí éadomhain seo an-áisiúil chun maircéirí / criáin &rl a stóráil do ghrúpaí. Tagann siad i bpaicéad 4 ar €7.99. (Cheannaigh mé 2 phaicéad) Tá dathanna geala ar na clúdaigh ... rabhadh beag ... déarfainn go bhfuil siad níos oiriúnaí do na hardranganna (don stóráil) mar ní dóigh liom go mbeadh méara beaga in ann iad a oscailt go héasca. These shallow boxes will be great for storing markers / crayons etc for groups. They come in packs of 4 for €7.99. (I bought 2) The lids are nice and colourful ...  a word of warning though ... these are probably more suited to the senior classes (for group storage) as little fingers may not be able to open the lids easily. 

  

Cheannaigh mé na ciseáin seo a úsáidfidh mé chun cóipleabhair &rl a stóráil. €2.99 le haghaidh 3 cinn. I bought these baskets that I will use to store copies etc. €2.99 for three baskets.

Cheannaigh mé na pionnaí éadaigh seo mar beidh siad an-áisiúil chun rudaí a chrocadh sa tseomra. Paicéad de 30 ar €1.99. I bought these close pegs to hang things in the classroom. €1.99 for a pack of 30

Primary Teaching Bloggers Ireland Blog Hop

Fáilte chuig Blog Hop. Tháinig roinnt múinteoirí le blaganna le chéile chun ár smaointe agus acmhainní a roinnt agus chun é a dhéanamh níos éasca do mhúinteoirí teacht ar acmhainní a oireann do churaclam na hÉireann.  This is the first every Irish Primary Teachers Blog Hop. A few of us have gotten together and decided to share our ideas and resources and hopefully make it easier for teachers to find great resources that are tailored for the Irish curriculum.

Gliogáil ar an bpictiúr chun teacht ar bhlaganna Éireannacha Oideachasúla iontacha eile. Click on the image to discover some other great Irish Educational Blogs. 

Ar aghaidh liom ... beagáinín fúm féin! So here goes ... a little about me!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your teaching experience:

Is mise Ríona, as Luimneach agus táim ag tosú ar mo 15ú bhliain ag múineadh in nGaelscoil i gCathair Luimnigh. Tá Ranganna 1, 3, 5 agus 6 múinte agam. Is mise Leasphríomhoide na scoile agus chaith mé 3.5 bhliana mar phríomhoide feidhmeannach na scoile. Is breá liom TEC agus úsáidim na scileanna atá faighte agam thar na blianta chun acmhainní a dhéanamh do mo rang. 

I'm Ríona from Limerick and I'm heading into my 15th year teaching in a Gaelscoil in Limerick City. I've taught 1st, 3rd, 5th & 6th. I'm Deputy Principal of my school and also spent 3.5 years as acting principal. I love ICT and use the skills I've learned over the years to create resources for my classes. 

What class level are your resources/ideas aimed at?

Baineann mo chuid acmhainní le rang leibhéil éagsúla. 

My resources are aimed at a variety of class levels. 

What made you want to start blogging?

Thosaigh mé mo bhlag féin ag tús laethanta saoire an tsamhraidh. Spreag cuid de na blaganna iontacha mé chun mo cheann féin a tosú, ar nós Seomra Ranga agus Réalta Ranga. Theastaigh uaim i gcónaí mo chuid acmhainní a roinnt agus éiríonn liom teacht ar níóm mó múinteoirí trí Teachers Pay Teachers, an blag agus mo leathanach Facebook. 

I took the leap and finally started my blog at the beginning of the summer holidays. I was inspired by some of the fantastic blogs out there such as Seomra Ranga and Réalta Ranga (to name but 2). I've always wanted to share the resources that I've created and through Teachers Pay Teachers, my blog and Facebook I've reached a wider audience.

Would you advise other Irish teachers to start a blog?

Cinnte! Bí cúramach ... éireoidh tú an-thógtha leis :) 

Definitely! Beware ... it's totally addictive :)

What's your favourite free resource that you have shared?

Is breá liom filíocht agus tá roinnt bailiúcháin filíochta curtha le chéile agam agus roinnte saor in aisce. 

I love poetry and have put together some poetry collections that I've shared for free.

                     

What's your favourite paid resource that you have created?

Is breá liom téamaí agus ceann de na hacmhainní is fearr liom ná ceann a bhaineann le téama Naomh Pádraig. Díríonn sé ar scríbhneoireacht. I'm all about themes and one of my favourite resources that I've created can be used with the St Patrick's Day theme. It focuses on descriptive writing.

Brain Breaks

An mbaineann tú úsáid as Brain Breaks le do rang? Bhain mé úsáid astu le Rang 1 arú anuraidh. Bhí seomra ranga fíor-fíor-bheag agam agus bhí na páistí lán d'fhuinneamh. Bhían easpa spás pearsanta deacair ar na páistí agus bhí siad cainteach. Bhí sé deacair orm freisin! Is maith liom bogadh timpeall nuair atáim ag múineadh agus ní raibh aon spás agam sa seomra sin chun é sin a dhéanamh. Chun múineadh agus foghlaim éifeachtach a chinntiú bhí orm mo stíl féin a athrú. Roinn mé an Dréimire (íoslódáil é anseo) libh cheana féin, d'úsáid mé é sin le haghaidh cúrsaí iompar. Cinnte bainfidh mé úsáid as sin má bhíonn na bunranganna agam riamh arís, oibríonn sé!

Have you ever used Brain Breaks with your class? I used them the year before last with First Class. We had a really, really small classroom and the children were full of beans. They struggled with the lack of personal space and the temptation to chat was just too much for most of them. I struggled too! I like to move around when I'm teaching and there just wasn't the space to do that. I found that in order to ensure effective teaching and learning I had to make adjustments in my teaching style. I've already shared The Ladder (download it here) with you, this was what I used for behaviour management. I will definitely use it again if I have the junior classes, it works! 

Ach ní leor é sin, ansin tháinig mé ar suíomh dárbh ainm Go Noodle. Tá go leor físeanna ar Go Noodle chun na páistí a chur ag bogadh agus físeanna le gníomhaíochtaí anála agus síneadh freisin. Nuair a bhraith mé go raibh na páistí ag sleamhnú uaim chuir mé iad ag seasamh, na cathaoireacha isteach agus d'úsáideamar an spás fíor-theoranta a bhí againn agus chuir mé Go Noodle ar siúl. Thaitin sé go mór leis na páistí ... agus liom féin.

It wasn't enough though, then I came across a website called Go Noodle. Go Noodle has lots of videos to get the kids moving and also has nice breathing and stretching exercises. When I felt that the kids were losing focus we would get to our feet, push our chairs in and use the very very limited space we had and put on Go Noodle. The kids loved it ... I loved it

Tá a gcinn féin acu agus tá go leor cinn eile ó YouTube. Go Noodle have created their own videos and also use videos from YouTube.

Seo na cinn is mór a thaitin liomsa (ó YouTube). Here are my favourites (from YouTube).

An Dréimire

Bhí Rang a hAon agam arú anuraidh. Bhí seomra fíor-bheag agus rang an-bhríomhar agam. Ní raibh mé in ann na boird a eagrú i ngrúpaí toisc easpa spáis agus bhí páistí le deacrachtaí móra iompar sa rang mar sin bhí a fhios agam nach n-oibreodh na grúpaí a bhí in úsáid agam le ranganna eile a bhí agam. Thosaigh mé ag lorg smaointe ar Pinterest agus tháinig mé ar an dréimire.
I had a particularly lively First Class a few years ago in a tiny classroom. I couldn't organise the desks in groups due to lack of space and I also knew that due to behavioural difficulties in the class the group system would be a non-runner. I began to trawl Pinterest for alternative ideas. It was there that I came across the Behaviour Ladder.
'Séard atá ann ná córas céimnitheach a thosaíonn as an nua gach lá. Chun é a chur i bhfeidhm caithfear na cártaí a phriontáil agus a ghearradh amach, ansin iad a lannadh agus a ghreamú le chéile. Ansin beidh pionnaí éadaigh uait. Oibríonn na cinn adhmaid níos fearr mar caithfidh tú ainm gach páiste a scríobh ar na pionnaí. Tá pionna ag gach páiste agus tosaíonn siad ar fad ar "Ar Bís Chun Foghlama" gach maidin. Bogann an pionna suas nó síos ag braith ar iompar an pháiste.
The Ladder is a staged system that starts from scratch each day. To implement it in you class you need to print and cut out the cards and then laminate each one and stick them together in order. Then you need some clothes pegs. The wooden ones work best as you will need to write each child's name on the pegs. Every child has their own peg and they start each morning on "Ready to Learn". Their peg then moves up or down the ladder depending on their behaviour.
Bhí sé éasca na rialacha a mhíniú leis na páistí agus thug mé rabhadh dóibh sular bhog mé aon phionna síos. De ghnáth ba leor an rabhadh agus is annamh go raibh éinne ar an gcéim deireanach. I ndáiríre d'oibrigh sé chomh maith gur shroich an-chuid daltaí an céim ar barr roimh am lóin! Lá amháin bhog mé an pionna ón gcairt chuig mo chairdeagan. Bhuel! Bhí fonn ar na páistí ar fad go mbeadh a bpionna orm (bhíodh siad ag crochadh ó mo spéaclaí go minic freisin!!!) mar bhí a fhios acu go bhfeicfeadh a dtuismitheoirí iad ag am dul abhaile agus go mbeidhí an-shásta.
The rules were very easy for the children to understand and I would generally warn the children before I moved a peg downwards. Usually, the warning sufficed and there pegs were rarely on the bottom rung. In fact, it worked so well that quite a few children reached the top of the chart by lunchtime. I needed to up my game so one day I moved a peg from the top of the chart to my cardigan. Well I couldn't believe the response! They all tried their hardest to have their peg hanging off me (many a day saw me wandering around with several pegs hanging off my glasses!!!) because they knew their parents would see the pegs at hometime. 
Níl aon duaiseanna i gceist leis an gcóras seo, ba leor domsa duine ón gcárta ar barr a chur go barr an líne mar dhuais. An dá píonós atá ann ná ag seasamh amach ag am lóin ar feadh 5 nóiméad (píonós scoile) agus an ceann is measa ná nóta sa dialann do na tuismitheoirí.
There are no rewards to buy with this system, picking someone from the top rung to go to the top of the line was motivation enough. The two punishment steps on the ladder are a 5 minute Time-Out at lunchtime (a standard punishment in our school) and the most serious is a note in their homework journal.
An rud is fearr faoin gcóras seo, i mo thuairim, ná go bhfuil deis ag na páistí feabhas a chur ar an iompar i rith an lae agus is feabhas é ar mhaithe le moladh a fháil ní duais.
The best thing, in my opinion, about this system is that the children have the opportunity to improve their behaviour throughout the day and this improvement is in order to receive praise not a prize. 
Íoslódáil é seo saor in aisce ó mo shiopa TPT anois!
Download it for free now from my TPT store!

            

Duaiseanna Ranga Class Rewards

Bhíos ar bís ar maidin nuair a tháinig fear an phoist le beart dom! Bhí sé lá le duaiseanna iontacha ó mo chairde ag Mol an Óige. Ar dtús báire caithfidh mé bheith ionraic, tá aithne agam ar na húinéirí agus fuaireas na rudaí saor in aisce uathu le léirmheas a dhéanamh orthu.
I was all excited this morning when the postman brought me a parcel of goodies for Mol an Óige. Full disclosure ... this company is owned by a former colleague of mine and they sent me on the goodies for free so I could review them.
Bhí formhór na rudaí a fuair mé i nGaeilge mar is múinteoir Gaelscoile mé ach tá rogha iontach rudaí acu i mBéarla freisin. Most of the products I received are as Gaeilge as I teach in a Gaelscoil but Mol an Óige also stock a large selection of products in English too.

Céard a bhí ann? So what did I get?

• Sticéirí Stickers - leathanach le hulcabháin agus ceann eile le piongain (gleoite amach is amach!) Ceannaigh anseo iad. A page of owl stickers and another with penguins (soooo cute!)  Get them here.
• Bandaí Riosta Wrist Bands - Fuair mé meascán de na bandaí riosta - cinn plaisteacha agus cinn páipéir. Cinn iontacha mar dhuais do Dhalta na Seachtaine, cinn a deir "Maith thú" agus ansin cinn páipéir freisin. Is féidir iad a cheannach anseo. I got a selection of wrist bands, both plastic and paper. There are lovely ones that can be used as a reward for your Dalta na Seachtaine, ones that say "Maith thú" and lovely colourful disposable ones. Get them here.
• Pinn Biros - Bheadh siad seo ar fheabhas do dhaltaí sna hard ranganna. Dearadh éagsúil orthu. These biros would be fantastic rewards for pupils in the Senior classes and are available in different shapes and sizes.
• Scriosáin & Bioróirí Erasers & Sharpeners - Scriosáin deasa le "Molaim thú" agus bioróirí i gcruth réalta le "An-mhaith" orthu. Faigh anseo iad. Lovely durable erasers that say "Molaim thú" and cute heart-shaped sharpeners with "An-mhaith". Get them here.
• Pinn Luaidhe Pencils - Pinn luaidhe deasa a deir "Tá an dalta seo ag obair go dian". Faigh anseo iad. Pencils with smiley faces that say "Tá an dalta seo ag obair go dian". Get them here
• Nótaí Notepads - Slí an-dheas chun dea-iompar a roinnt le tuismitheoirí, nótaí le haghaidh obair mhaith agus pasanna obair bhaile. Faigh anseo iad. A great way to share hard work and good behaviour with those at home, lovely notes praising great work and homework passes. Get them here. 
• Fáinne Eocrach Key Rings - Duaiseanna deasa do na hardranganna. Faigh anseo iad. Great rewards for senior pupils. Get them here. 
• Suaitheantais Badges - Suaitheantais ildaite le moltaí i nGaeilge. Faigh anseo iad. Lovely colourful badges. Get them here.

Is fiú go mór cuairt a thabhairt ar an suíomh .... molanoige.com ... agus sracfhéachaint a thabhairt ar na duaiseanna atá acu. D'fhéadfadh éinne na cinn i nGaeilge a úsáid mar shlí neamhfhoirmiúil chun Gaeilge a spreagadh i scoileanna nach Gaelscoileanna iad.

It's well worth paying a trip to molanoige.com and having a browse through their products. The Irish products would be a great informal way to promote the Irish language in non-Gaelscoileanna.

Beidh mé cinnte ag ceannach rudaí uathu i rith na bliana. I'll definitely by purchasing from them during the year.

Hallowe'en Poetry

I've put together a collection of Hallowe'en poetry that can get you started on your thematic planning for the first term. Hallowe'en is one of my favourite themes and there is an abundance of material available. My 6th class Hallowe'en thematic plan is starting to take shape and this is how it looks:

• Science - The Skeleton
• English Poetry - The Listeners by Walter de la Mare / Advice on how to sleep well on Hallowe'en Night 
• English Reading - The Ghost of Grania O'Malley by Michael Morpurgo / The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively
• Music - A Night on Bare Mountain Mussorgsky / The Monster Mash
• Art - Spooky Trees (charcoal & paint Pinterest) Picasso Witch Portrait (Pinterest)

You can download the free collection of Hallowe'en poetry in my TPT store, click the image below