Nicola

Feb

2025

Labour Day

Just Finished Screening?

Just finished your start of year literacy and numeracy testing?

Concerned!?

Mastery Learning Folders enable you provide differentiated practise to catch up those students who need to consolidate last year's learning. Whether they need help with phonological awareness, phonics, decoding or sight words, or mental maths skills each student's folder can contain content informed by your start of year assessment results.

If you know what needs remediating in early literacy, this amazing free resource, the PA / Phonics Toolkit, provides you with a heap of practise flashcards from PA Word Level through to Advanced Phonetic Decoding. If you're not sure where a student is at, it also includes one page quick screeners. If you need to step a student through some basic mental maths, here's another great free resource: Mental Maths Continuum Flashcards.

Not sure how Mastery Learning Folders work? The video below gives you a 4-minute introduction. Take a look around the website and you'll discover the evidence informed strategies used by the folder process, in-depth or introductory training, as well as HUNDREDS of free flashcards for your students' folders if you sign up to the free Flashcard Club.

I'd love to chat about your school or classroom context with you. If you're keen, please schedule a chat or email!

Have a great Term 1!

Nicola

PS Mastery Learning Folders can be handmade with basic supplies from your school's stationery cupboard or you can check out my hand-made class kit option or hardcover folders.

Oct

2022

Remembrance Day

“Australia’s biggest music names; Lee Kernaghan, Guy Sebastian, Sheppard, Jon Stevens, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll & Megan Washington united to release the official music video for the charity single, ‘Spirit of the Anzacs’, as a tribute to those that have given their lives, those who have served, and those that still today step bravely into the unknown to serve our country.”

Remembrance Day, the 11th November, is an important commemoration in Australian schools and a complex concept for primary aged students. As always, use your discretion as to what is appropriate for your class, and use the links below in association with the slideshow.

Slideshow Links:

Spirt of the ANZACS Video

Spirit of the ANZACS lyrics

The Work of Legacy

The Mission of the Solder On Charity

Join the Flashcard Club for access to other free Australian content, including Remembrance Day theme words.

See also the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba Slideshow.

Some background from the Australian War Memorial Website:

“At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted allied terms that amounted to unconditional surrender.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.”

The Education at the Australian War Memorial Facebook page has some great photos and further information.

Remembering my grandfather (far right) and his brothers:

Sep

2022

Australian National Day of Mourning

A short video to be read by students (or the teacher for younger students) to explain the purpose of the National Day of Mourning to honour the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

Aug

2022

Science Week 22 Glass

The glass students use in their everyday lives is usually manufactured. This short video explains how glass can also be made naturally in the environment through lightning and meteor strikes, as well as through lava.

Aug

2022

Fluency with Multiplication & Division

These multiplication and division fluency flashcards (with answers) follow the following learning progression:

basic skip counting

advanced skip counting

commutative triangles (eg 4 x 5, 5 x 4, 20÷4, 20÷5)

multiplication tables

division tables

Students can be pre-tested to address prior knowledge and practice can be individualised using a mastery learning folder, which also condenses the learning time. The flashcards, with answers on the reverse, may also be used by students independently in a variety of classroom learning activities and games.

To access hundreds of foundational learning flashcards join the Flashcard Club!

https://www.masterylearninggroup

May

2022

WA Day 2022

The latest WA Day slideshow takes Year K – 4 students through some iconic animals and locations in Western Australia. Also see the WA Day Slideshows from previous years.

WA Day 2022