Mrs Dixon and I taught a double class of 80 year 7 children for a lesson about English Legends – Robin Hood. At first no one knew what a legend was! By the end they could all say what a legend was and knew Robin Hood was a legend in England. We showed them some pictures of Robin Hood and using a map explained where the stories take place compared to Leeds – in Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. We introduced them to drama techniques we use in school and after lot of encouragement they joined in brilliantly. They were especially good at Hot Seating and found out so much about Robin Hood by asking him thoughtful questions. They enjoyed role playing Saxons and Normans and getting into character and expressing their thoughts in a ‘Conscience Alley. ’ Finally one of the children read Robin’s solemn oath to ‘Take from the rich and give to the poor.’ They enjoyed singing the Robin Hood song about ‘riding through the glen’ to finish. We have left them a book with some myths and legends in from around the world so they can enjoy more stories.

Miss Syan used the beautiful David Hockney book we have given Bachpan and used the pictures to stimulate creative writing with year 8 children. They worked through a story planning process using the picture – generating lots of discussion and sharing their ideas along the way. In Bachpan the students do not often get a chance to talk in class, and do work that celebrates and uses their own ideas and so this was a very different experience for them. They loved it and said the lesson wasn’t long enough for them! Later on we demonstrated the lesson to the English department so they could try the ideas across their classes.

There was a request for more Ballet, so Yvie and Miss Prior did another ballet lesson – this time with year 6 children – they will all show it in the ‘Come Back Soon Assembly’ tomorrow – I hope Yvie doesn’t get too nervous!

We watched nursery and reception children have their daily Nasta (pronounced ‘Nashta’) or snack. It’s just like we have our daily milk at school. It is always something healthy and they sit in long rows to eat it. Today it was lentils (dahl).

All of us and Yvie then went into every year 1 class and sang some action songs with them – they all know ‘Wind the Bobbin Up’ and ‘5 Little Men in a Flying Space Ship’ now!

We met all the maths Department and shared some teaching tips on practical maths and how we teach at Southroyrd. Then it was time to come home and have some delicious lunch before packing ready to leave tomorrow. Later on Chitra is coming to collect us for a shopping trip!

Thursday News

Well, after having our hands decorated with amazing Mendhi patterns, we spent last night at the ICT teacher Vishrajit’s house for a traditional Gujarati meal. Yvie and her new friend Devanshi performed a wonderful dance to a popular Indian pop song and we retired with full tummies to bed.

Another busy day today. Hot by 8 am, we got to school and taught our David Hockney art lesson to the year 9 pupils. They loved getting messy with the pastels and by the end of the lesson, they had created some fantastic pieces of abstract art, inspired the patterns and mark making used by our own Yorkshire artist.

Following art, the three of us performed Roald Dahl’s ‘The Magic Finger’ to the year 6 and 7 pupils. We had the children up at the front quacking like ducks, and using percussion instruments to make sound effects. Mrs Dixon was the perfect Mrs Gregg and had a great go at flapping around when she discovered she’d grown wings!

After a spot of lunch (a big spot of lunch, that is), our afternoon was spent driving through the bumpy village roads and dirt tracks to a very scenic farm full of mango and lemon trees. We had a nice walk through the farm, taking in the smell of the flowers on the lemon trees and looking for the biggest lemons to pick. Later, while I sat with my feet up relaxing, Mrs Dixon and Miss Prior had a game of cricket with the Bachpan staff.

It’s been a great but long day and we’re all now having an early night. The days are flying by and we will be sad to leave but we’re still excited about what tomorrow will bring.

 Goodnight from us all

PS: We had a rickshaw ride, around the block today. Passed many a cow basking in the sun!

Garba Fantastic

Last night we all dressed up in traditional Indian clothing and attended Bachpan’s Garba – it was wonderful! We learnt lots of traditional Indian dance routines and everyone was fantastic.

This morning we started school early for an assembly. We enjoyed singing ‘Peace is flowing like a river’ and enjoyed some speeches by some students. Then, as part of our project with Bachpan, we shared our super energy saving posters that many Southroyd pupils made on the projector and then we saw the ones that Bachpan students had made which we will be bringing back with us. The posters that we have made are already on the walls of Bachpan reminding them about the importance of saving energy and how they can do this in their school and at home. Was one of the posters yours?!

After we shared the posters, lots of students were invited to read out their energy saving pledges they had made in front of the whole assembly. Just like Southroyd pupils, every child in Bachpan have pledged to help save energy and have put them in their very own ‘Pledge Box’. Then the whole assembly read out some of the pledges together and Mrs Dixon was so proud she filmed it all for you to see when we are back!

After assembly we spent some time planning our next projects. The next two days we will be sharing some of our favourite stories, including some myths and legends! We also had time to speak to Miss Chitra about ‘Investors in Pupils’ as she is working towards a Global Teacher Award which includes many of the ideas we use in school such as talk partners, targets, making sure children enjoy their lessons and have ownership of their classroom environment. She was very excited to learn more from us and is going to put lots of it into place. She’d fit right in at Southroyd!

At breaktime we went to the activity hall where some of the teachers cooked us some Indian snacks such as samosas – they were delicious! They cooked them right in front of us and showed us some interesting ways they use flour and rice – we filmed some of the cooking so we will show you when we return!

Then it was time for a huge art session with Year 5. Miss Syan introduced them to Yorkshire’s famous artist David Hockney and Miss Prior taught them about his mark-making techniques. The children enjoyed experimenting with different marks and produced some great abstract pictures using oil pastels. Mrs Dixon ensured all the teachers got involved by doing their own pieces of art and modeling to the children. Outside on the terrace, Miss Prior co-ordinated a huge art project based on one of David Hockney’s paintings which the children enjoyed painting it and making different styles of marks onto it. The teachers were so eager to have a go we had to try and restrain them! They were so interested in what we were doing they have asked to have their very own lesson on the David Hockney art before we leave! Yvie won the prize for the messiest pupil – she was thoroughly involved in the painting on the terrace!

Now we have just eaten a very delicious lunch back at Sanjay Sir and Meena Ma’am’s house and preparing for the last two days. Then we are having some lovely students over for some mendhi on our hands and feet and then we are off for dinner. Will be back in touch soon!

Tuesday

Today we have had a jam packed day of teaching and learning Southroyd style! Miss Syan delighted the WHOLE of Year2, along with her glamorous assistant Yvie, with an action packed version of ‘The Runaway Chapatti’ (which is the Indian version of The Gingerbread Man). The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in acting, singing and listening to the story and both teacher and teaching assistant returned with big smiles on their faces!

Meanwhile, upstairs in the activity hall, Miss Prior taught the Year 3 classes more numeracy games and Mrs Dixon, who has claimed the upstairs terrace as her classroom, taught Year 3 and 5 how to use loop cards and develop their mental maths skills. She also provided them with a set of loop cards that they can use like we do in our classes.

As well as this, Miss Prior and Yvie have been teaching the Year 4 girls Yvie’s ballet routine to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (much to Mrs Dixon’s delight!) whilst Mrs Dixon and Miss Syan gave Years 6 and 7 a session each on the Polar Regions that Year4 at Southroyd know all about. We showed them how to use whiteboards and pens to facilitate their learning, showed the teachers how to assess children using them and to give all pupils opportunities to share their ideas – as well as talk to one another and feel confident about having a go – just like us!

After a delicious lunch back at Meen Ma’am and Sanjay Sir’s house, we are preparing for tomorrow before we get dressed in traditional Indian clothing and attend Bachpan’s very own ‘Gurba’ – which is a night full of traditional dancing and having fun! We are all looking forward to it as we are enjoying the Indian food and keep going back for more! Pictures to follow!!

More Monday

Today we have had a jam packed day of teaching and learning Southroyd style! Miss Syan delighted the WHOLE of Year2, along with her glamorous assistant Yvie, with an action packed version of ‘The Runaway Chapatti’ (which is the Indian version of The Gingerbread Man). The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in acting, singing and listening to the story and both teacher and teaching assistant returned with big smiles on their faces!

Meanwhile, upstairs in the activity hall, Miss Prior taught the Year 3 classes more numeracy games and traditional English songs and Mrs Dixon, who has claimed the upstairs terrace as her classroom, taught Year 3 and 5 how to use loop cards and develop their mental maths skills. She also provided them with a set of loop cards that they can use like we do in our classes.

As well as this, Miss Prior and Yvie have been teaching the Year 4 girls Yvie’s ballet routine to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (much to Mrs Dixon’s delight!) whilst Mrs Dixon and Miss Syan gave Years 6 and 7 a session each on the Polar Regions that Year4 at Southroyd know all about. We showed them how to use whiteboards and pens to facilitate their learning, showed the teachers how to assess children using them and to give all pupils opportunities to share their ideas – as well as talk to one another and feel confident about having a go – just like us!

After a delicious lunch back at Meen Ma’am and Sanjay Sir’s house, we are preparing for tomorrow before we get dressed in traditional Indian clothing and attend Bachpan’s very own ‘Gurba’ – which is a night full of traditional dancing and having fun! We are all looking forward to it as we are enjoying the Indian food and keep going back for more! Pictures to follow!!

More Maths Games

Yvie playing in the playground

More Monday

We gave out some of our gifts from Southroyd children - cholcolates, pictures, toys, dress up clothes and lovely things from the classes like energy saving badges, class books.Finally we gave them some lovely books and equipment that we are giving them that we will use in class this week - whiteboards and pens, story books and a beautiful art book. Lots of things were added to the Southroyd corner of school where they display our gifts over all the years for the students to enjoy.

We taught Maths for most of today in years 3, 4 and 5. We gave the children white boards and pens and let them experience mental maths lessons like we have at Southroyd – they loved it! In their usual lessons they work silently and do most of their work on paper without talking – they don’t do a lot of mental maths. So it was very different for them to have us saying ‘talk to your partner’ or expect them to calculate in their head. They had a go at Loop Cards and we learned that they say their fractions differently to us. We taught them how to play ‘Beetle Drive’, gave them snakes and ladders and Ludo and helped them realise that maths games are a great way to practise and apply their number work. 

Yvie helped to teach the lessons, played different characters when we acted out ‘The Gruffalo’ with the new costume we gave them as a gift, played Ludo and ‘Build a Beetle’ and enjoyed playing with her Indian friends in the playground. Lots of children gave her sweets – she will need to go to the dentist when we get back!

When we got back to the house after school YVie made a display of some of our cards and presents so we could read them and enjoy the flowers. She acted out the welcome assembly all afternoon – blessing everyone and throwing flowers all over Mina’s terrace - oops!

Southroyd Corner

A present for Yvie

Posted at 10:29 AM by Prior, K