I love using picture story books for teaching anything and everything! I love the way rich literature enables imagination and wonder, and empathy and connection in students. These are wonderful starting points for inquiry learning driven by curiosity and care. Through a 'STEAM through Picture Story Books' series, I want to highlight some simple opportunities … Continue reading Just One Bee | STEAM through Picture Story Books
Author: emily.fintelman
Wilam: A Birrarung Story | STEAM through Picture Story Books
I love using picture story books for teaching anything and everything! I love the way rich literature enables imagination and wonder, and empathy and connection in students. These are wonderful starting points for inquiry learning driven by curiosity and care. I am currently working in a STEAM-based leadership role and have been encouraging teachers to … Continue reading Wilam: A Birrarung Story | STEAM through Picture Story Books
Introducing the Learning Assets in Upper Primary
In this post I share some lessons for introducing the learning assets. Skip to the end if you're looking for those. This year my classroom co-teacher and I have been focusing on building the learning assets with our Year 4/5/6 students. As documented by Kath Murdoch in her book The Power of Inquiry (2015), learning … Continue reading Introducing the Learning Assets in Upper Primary
Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools Conference: My Reflections
I've written this post more as a reflection for myself rather than piece for anyone else, but if something resonates with you, I'd love to chat about it. I've got lots to untangle after this. I recently attended the inaugural Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools conference. The conference was, as always with Bastow, high quality … Continue reading Bastow Middle Leaders in Schools Conference: My Reflections
Emily and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Professional Development Session
Illustration by the very talented Ashlin Day The presenter started five minutes late and said “Can you see my screen?” and we all said “No”. I could tell this was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad professional development session. The presenter spent 10 minutes giving us an overview of what they … Continue reading Emily and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Professional Development Session
6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Voice
This post is part of a series of posts on mentor texts I recommend for showing students how authors use the 6+1 Traits of Writing. What is the voice trait? The writing trait of voice is "the tone and tenor of the piece - the personal stamp of the writer, which is achieved through a … Continue reading 6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Voice
6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Organisation
This post is part of a series of posts on mentor texts I recommend for showing students how authors use the 6+1 Traits of Writing. What is the Organisation trait? The writing trait of organisation involves "the internal structure of the piece, the thread of meaning, the logical pattern of ideas".Ruth Culham (6+1 Traits of … Continue reading 6+1 Traits of Writing Mentor Texts: Organisation
A Spelling Investigation in Action
One of the ways I approach spelling with my students is to use spelling investigations. A spelling investigation requires a student or group of students to inquire into a spelling pattern, sound, or observation about how words are spelled, and then to find and sort examples of this and create generalisations about spelling based on … Continue reading A Spelling Investigation in Action
Getting Started with Writer’s Notebook
What is a Writer’s Notebook? Sometimes called the ‘messy attic of the mind’, the writer’s notebook is a magical place. It’s a place writers can collect, store, grow and nurture their ideas for writing. It is often filled with a collection of seeds (artefacts that provoke writing) like photos, sketches, holiday mementos, lists, news clippings, … Continue reading Getting Started with Writer’s Notebook
The New Normal: Teaching Amidst Coronavirus
Written for the DLTV Journal in April 2020 as a follow up to my first blog post responding to teaching amidst Coronavirus. This reflection outlines my school's approach to Remote Learning 1.0. It is a difficult time for teachers. There is so much scrutiny and attention on what schools are doing right now. It feels … Continue reading The New Normal: Teaching Amidst Coronavirus
Mrs Fintelman Teaches 