I cracked on with the work, making sure everything was ready for the day ahead. I also had an hour of learning walks in Maths, so made sure I didn't have to rely on that hour for prep etc.
(I am always tempted to do Pythonesque Silly Walks during a learning walk, as the name lends itself to that and only that.)
Year 10 for starters were a pleasure, which is such a good way to start.
Then came Year 9s. I thought I had done well with my planning. The first task they had when they walked in was Venn Diagrams. With all our KS3 groups we are revisiing for Exam Week. So to shake off the cobwebs I opted for a word-sort activity.
Each pair had:
A blank Venn Diagram - 3 circles, each labelled with a topic from the first 3 half terms
A bank of words/phrases - all relating to the 3 topics
A pair of scissors
They had to cut up the words/phrases and place them on the Venn. It was very interesting to see how many students realised that sentences can overlap topics. Even then it was tricky for some to understand that "Je vais au cinéma" can apply to hobbies, media and holiday topics!
Yes Year 9s were doing the task, but for some of them it was as though I asked them to cut open veins and offer me blood. They were frustratingly unsettled, and nonchalant when reprimanded. Grrrr!
I think I learnt from the unsettledness of Year 9s when I welcomed Year 8s to my room after lunch. Because I had the same task (with different topics and phrases), I set them to it as soon as they arrived. We then played 9 Box-Bingo and Strip Bingo with the words/phrases cards, as they weren't stuck down. The students seemed to be much more engaged.
Would it have worked with the 9s, had we used the cards more? Maybe so. I expected more focus than I received, that's for sure.
This evening I arrived home at 5.30, and the next thing I knew it was 8.30pm. Where did the time go? Good grief!
So happy Monday, and it is only 36 days left. Or so my colleagues tell me!
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