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Review: The Bright Stars Quizzes (Prim-Ed)

I have been dipping in and out of the 3rd Class Bright Stars Quiz book for the past six weeks. It is part of a series of books from 1st-6th Class. Each photocopiable book is laid out in a similar format - one section per term comprising of twelve quizzes along with their answers and a review test, a further set of additional quizzes which are topic specific, e.g. Disney, The Great Famine etc, which would be useful at the end of a thematic unit in class.A lot of work has gone into the Bright Stars Quizzes series. Elements from each quiz have been linked back to the curriculum. This has been clearly laid out in a very useful termly planning grid at the beginning of each section. The books touch on curricular areas including English, Maths, History, Geography, Science and some general knowledge. There is also a quiz for Seachtain na ...
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5 Hallowe’en Tips from Teachers

Earlier in the month, we asked Mash users for tips to survive the last day of the Mid-Term Break before Hallowe'en. Here's what they had to say! michellesinnovativeideas Drama is always a nice activity to keep the kids busy for a while! Especially if they are dressed up 🙈 I always get mind to made a drama with their friends or the people in their group pretending to be the people they are dressed up with! I give a small prize for the most creative drama and also for the best listening group to keep them all engaged! ligood1 Just go with the flow and the madness! The only way to get through it all 😉😍 newmuinteoir2018 Fun and games🤗 last year I had drama activities and an art lesson where the children made spider webs with wool!🤩 once they were all finished, the sweets made an...
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A Little bit of info about me . . .

Good evening everyone,I am a primary school teacher in Northern Ireland working in a Foundation Stage classroom (Junior/Senior Infants in the South). I am also the school SEN Coordinator and have a passion for Special Needs and working with children on the Autistic Spectrum. I have just started a part time masters degree in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (Wish me luck!)I am brand new to Mash as a vendor and I'm feeling a little nervous. I've decided to take this next step as I have been so grateful to all the amazing educators out there for sharing their fantastic ideas and resources. I will only ever post anything in my store that I have tested myself and found useful in my own classroom and beneficial to the children I have worked with - I hope you will too. Looking forward to getting some feedback along the way!Thank you in advance, Miss Mac...
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5 Amazing Web Sites to Try Right Now

With the millions of educational websites out there right now, I thought I'd share 5 that I generally have open all the time on my browser in school. 1. Calm.com If your class ever need some mindfulness practice or just some chill out music in the background, Calm.com is one of the best web sites I’ve ever come across. I even use it at home. It's also now completely free for teachers. 2. Class Dojo Class Dojo started off as a small but cool concept for behaviour management in the classroom. The teacher sets up her class and can reward points to individuals, groups or whole classes for positive behaviour. (You can also subtract points for lesser desired behaviours) Many teachers already use this free web site for their classroom management already but if you haven’t, you really need to start! There are lots of new...
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Review: Prim-Ed Integrated Oral Language Program

The Prim-Ed Integrated Oral Language Program is going to be an absolute life-saver for any teacher who is wise enough to use it to its fullest potential this coming year!  I intend on having it as a go to for my Oral Language lessons as its structured approach will keep me on target to engage the children in my class in each of the learning outcomes proposed in the Primary Language Curriculum. I will supplement the program by including stories and pictures books to flesh out the themes and topics being explored and to ensure the children have a context for each unit in the program. All of the themes fit really well with the Aistear framework and also can be integrated into EAL teaching. To give a brief overview of the program itself is very difficult as it is  jam packed with best practice approaches and...
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An Aistear Tale

Hi everyone,My name is Clara, I am a primary school teacher in Kildare. I am teaching almost ten years, it is hard to believe as I still feel like I am constantly learning with every class that I have. I completed my teacher training in London and came home to the Emerald Isle after 3 years. I have taught in a number of schools with varied settings since being home and have really tried to continually progress and adapt my teaching skills to suit each of the settings. Last year, I left school in June feeling like I was facing into my toughest school year yet as I had been allocated JUNIOR INFANTS. During the summer, I completed three summer courses, trying to prepare myself for what for me seemed like a huge challenge. I had always loved teaching older children and really didn't think my personality would suit such young children. But just a few...
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2019 Updates to The Primary Language Curriculum

This article will discuss what to expect from the release of the Primary Language Curriculum for Infants – 6th Class due in September 2019, and will provide some guidance in how to use and plan with it. I am currently teaching First Class and have used the 2015 Primary Language Curriculum (PLC) for teaching and planning for the past two years. It seemed very daunting at first, but once I got my head around the terminology in the new curriculum, it became no more challenging than using for the 1999 curriculum. For those who haven’t used the PLC before, below is a very simple explanation of the terminology that I used to help me transition from the 1999 curriculum in my planning and teaching: Elements are listed instead of Strand Units. Learning Outcomes are listed instead of the Content Objectives of the 1999 curriculum. Progression...
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iPads in the Primary Classroom

I'm very lucky that we have a set of iPads in our classroom for the children to use throughout the day. The iPads always begin as such a novelty for the children and are a hassle as they end up being so overexcited about the fact that they will have the use of an iPad that they can be careless and irresponsible with them. However, after a bit of training, they are a great asset to have in the classroom. During our first week  I spent a lot of time talking about the rules of the iPad. We have a school policy that each child had to read and sign, so as a class we discussed every rule and why it was in place. The main reason for all our rules were to keep ourselves and each other safe so this point was really being hammered home to the children. In the classroom we have our school rules on display and I also put up a set of the iPad rules so that...
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10 Tips for Interviews

While job interviews can be stressful, there is a lot you can do in advance to make sure you are prepared and that you give yourself the best chance possible at getting the job. The following are 10 tips that should help you put your best foot forward and make sure you impress the interview board.Punctuality - Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get to your interview, particularly if it is in a location you have never been before. If possible, it would be a good idea to go to the school the day before to check where it is if you are unsure. Arrive at least 10 minutes early so you have time to settle yourself and you are not arriving flustered when you are called in to your interview.Professionalism - Dress appropriately and professionally. Be polite, shake hands with the interviewers at the beginning and the end of the interview and...
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Top ten tips for supporting children with ASD in the classroom

Top 10 tips to support children with Autism in your classroom1. Build good relationships. Strong relationships between students and teachers is key in any classroom. Get to know your student and find out what they love, build their trust by showing them that you understand and want to help them in any way that you can. Your student will respond much better to you once that trusting relationship is in place.  2. Create a safe environment. A classroom can be a busy and noisy environment for any child. Setting up supports for the child with Autism can avoid sensory overload and meltdowns. Create a calm corner in the classroom away from the hustle and bustle, maybe include headphones, calm down strategies, deep breathing visuals and some sensory toys.  3. Use visual schedules. Visual schedules help children with Autism as it allows them to predict...
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