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).