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Each lesson includes a brief descriptor of the purpose and scope of the lesson. Most lessons are supported with many digital resources indicated by:

Websites           Videos

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Bright Ideas


1BrightIdeas1-4#1.pdf : [210 KB]

Bright Ideas #1

 

  1. Lots of Different Experiences: Providing interesting experiences for young students to write about, speak about and illustrate
  2. Discovering Evaporation: Simple science-based activities.
  3. Making Totem Poles: Students will discover and research the history of totem poles and discover their different meanings. The students are then challenge to construct their own totem poles using the outside of wine cartons and display their creations around the school.
  4. The Journey of the Wind: Discovering the sounds of the wind, where it goes, where it comes from, how it affects people explorations. The 'bright idea' concludes with a challenge of making wind music using voices and percussion instruments and presenting their music to the class and school.

BRIGHT IDEAS 01.pdf : [98 KB]

3 Bright Ideas Topics: Encouraging mathematical thinking – statistics. Encouraging counting – number trains. Encouraging observation and exploration – things that fly.

Websites to support 'Keeping a Tally' and 'Things that Fly' activivites.

Keeping a Tally Worksheets

Make 50 Cool Paper Airplanes

Video to Support Paper Glider Activity

BRIGHT IDEAS 02.pdf : [87 KB]

Daily bread. Simple food chains. Our top ten. My special place

FOOD CHAINS VIDEO 1

FOOD CHAINS VIDEO 2

FOOD CHAINS VIDEO 3

BRIGHT IDEAS 03.pdf : [94 KB]

Using basic photography across the curriculum in the classroom. Several simple assignments.

Websites of ideas about teaching digital photography to kids.

Share These Photography Secrets with kids

Click it Up Photograpy Ideas For Kids

Links to Resources Teaching Kids About Photography

BRIGHT IDEAS 04.pdf : Subscription Only Download [107 KB]

Sense of smell activities, environmental counting, time sequences and understanding calendars activivites.

Websites supporting 'Sense of Smell' and 'Calendar' activivites.

Calendar Maths Worksheets

Taste and Smell Challenge

BRIGHT IDEAS 05.pdf : Subscription Only Download [75 KB]

Sound experiments including classifying sounds by pitch, volume and method of making sounds. Maths based activities to develop an interest in numbers. Fun experiments with shadow giving opportunities for speaking and measuring. Visual arts ideas – creating heads, bodies and leg collages.

Shadow Experiments for Students

BRIGHT IDEAS 06.pdf : Subscription Only Download [78 KB]

Observation Skills – Language activities. Using Senses – cross curricular. Country/Sport/Famous – Speaking and Listening. Useless Things – Speaking, listening, writing. Place Names – music.

 

SUPPORTING WEBSITES AND VIDEOS

https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/senses.html

https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson183.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQNqXnjJxH4

https://www.generationgenius.com/videolessons/five-senses-video-for-kids/

 



BRIGHT IDEAS 07.pdf : Subscription Only Download [86 KB]

Databases – maths and language. Number Words – Maths. Drama with Comics – the Arts (Drama). Monsters – Visual arts and language. Who am I – Visual arts and language.

Websites to support 'Drama' and 'Monsters' activities.

Drama Warm-ups

Painting Monsters

BRIGHT IDEAS 08.pdf : Subscription Only Download [83 KB]

Databases – maths and language. Number Words – Maths. Drama with Comics – the Arts (Drama). Monsters – Visual arts and language. Who am I – Visual arts and language.

BRIGHT IDEAS 09.pdf : Subscription Only Download [104 KB]

What Sounds?– Listening Skills, Music/sound pictures. Special Words – English, Reading, Listening. Count What I Pick Up - Maths, Number. What Will We Find – English, Visual Arts. Self Portraits – Visual Arts.

Self Portraits for Kids

BRIGHT IDEAS 10.pdf : Subscription Only Download [81 KB]

Musical Feelings – English and Music. Measurement Topics – Maths Activities. What Sound? – Music and Listening.

20 Clever Ideas for teaching measurement of all types

Measurment of Length

Integrating Music into the Basic Curriculum

Music and Maths

BRIGHT IDEAS 11.pdf : Subscription Only Download [81 KB]

Primary Colours – Language and Visual Arts. Imaginative Thinking – Language. Collecting Words – English – speaking, listening, presenting.

Websites for 'Primary Colours' activity.

Science and STEM-BASED Colour Activities

Dozens of Cross Curriculum Lesson Ideas

Website for 'Imaginative Thinking' activity.

How to Promote Creative Thinking

BRIGHT IDEAS 12.pdf : Subscription Only Download [76 KB]

Labels to Read – English reading and speaking, Visual Arts. Composite Monsters – Cooperative Visual Arts. Wet and Dry – Language and Maths. School Gossip – English – reading, speaking and writing.

Making Monsters 

BRIGHT IDEAS 13.pdf : Subscription Only Download [84 KB]

Sound Experiments – Music. Shadows – Science. Box Design Challenges – Visual Arts. Interest in Numbers – Maths. Heads, Bodies and Legs – Visual Arts.

Website supporting this unit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z2pfb9q/year/zmyxxyc

BRIGHT IDEAS 14.pdf : Subscription Only Download [83 KB]

Sense of Smell – Science, Language. Just Counting – Number Maths. Time Sequences – Maths, Language.

BRIGHT IDEAS 15.pdf : Subscription Only Download [131 KB]

Data Bases in the form of card indexes and graphs. Number Words – in the form of song and book titles, simple number computations based on books and songs. Drama starters using comics. Stained Glass Windows. Creating Monsters. Who Am I scenarios, pictures and captions

BRIGHT IDEAS 16.pdf : Subscription Only Download [127 KB]

Jigsaw Painting. Food Survey. Animals take over the world – imaginative art and language. Mathematical Shapes. Listening Skills.

BRIGHT IDEAS 17.pdf : Subscription Only Download [149 KB]

What sounds do we hear? listening activities. Words – listening for special words. Count what I pick up. Self Portrait collage.

BRIGHT IDEAS 18.pdf : Subscription Only Download [117 KB]

Musical Feelings and body language. Shape Books. Measurement topics Sound recognition – listening activities.

BRIGHT IDEAS 19.pdf : Subscription Only Download [127 KB]

Trees for measurement. Water – a wealth of learning activities including words, tasting, shapes with water and a simple water clock.

Website supporting Sense of Smell activity.

Sense of Smell Activities

BRIGHT IDEAS 20.pdf : Subscription Only Download [116 KB]

Labels – reading opportunities and motivation. Composite Monsters – visual arts construction activities. Wet and Dry – what changes happen when you wet various materials etc. Gossip – difference between good and bad gossip – establishing a good gossip board at school.

BRIGHT IDEAS 21.pdf : Subscription Only Download [126 KB]

Sound – experiments with sounds and musical scales. Shadows – activities to stimulate speaking and listening. Boxes – design challenges. Numbers – activities to motivate an interest in numbers. Body Parts – visual arts collage activities.

BRIGHT IDEAS 22.pdf : Subscription Only Download [111 KB]

Smell – activities based on our sense of smell to encourage written and oral language. Counting – using the natural environment to encourage counting. Time Sequences – cross curricula activities based on the past, present and future.

BRIGHT IDEAS 23.pdf : Subscription Only Download [200 KB]

How Things Change – Simple social science activities where they focus on the changes to their local community. Children conduct interviews with neighbours and 'older friends' and plan and run a 'How Things Change ' Day at school.

BRIGHT IDEAS 24.pdf : Subscription Only Download [93 KB]

Two bright ideas on an Autumn theme: Autumn leaf count and leaf mobiles and hangings.

Geat Ideas for Mobiles

BRIGHT IDEAS 25.pdf : Subscription Only Download [90 KB]

All about quirky letter boxes and letter box design.

Scroll down on webpage below to find a stunning Picture Gallery of Quirky NZ Letterboxes.

Quirky Letterboxes

BRIGHT IDEAS 26.pdf : Subscription Only Download [99 KB]

Plants and gardens as a motivation for writing, speaking, presenting and listening.

Gardening ideas for Families

Kids Gardening Video Link

BRIGHT IDEAS 27.pdf : Subscription Only Download [95 KB]

Making an interesting 'class tree' and the special things we can hang on it to keep it healthy. Playing the 'when I go to the …' game. Why do we have rules discussion. What birds are nesting in the school grounds – an English and science walk.

BRIGHT IDEAS 28.pdf : Subscription Only Download [87 KB]

Describing textures and creating rubbings. Making a Cardboard/Pare Cone mask. Ten drama vignettes to act out. Finding out about New Zealand and where we have all been.

BRIGHT IDEAS 29.pdf : Subscription Only Download [96 KB]

Keeping our class tree healthy. Nest Building. When I go to the … Thinking About Rules

BRIGHT IDEAS 30.pdf : Subscription Only Download [111 KB]

Establishing and using a 5 Senses Box. All about parachutes and gliding. Using community musicians in the classroom.

BRIGHT IDEAS 31.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

Tracking time. Parts of the face observation and description. People who help us. Developing an interest in physical activity and the outdoors.

BRIGHT IDEAS 32.pdf : Subscription Only Download [113 KB]

Time for Time. Making unusual clocks to develop the concept of 'event duration' and activities to compete against the clocks.

BRIGHT IDEAS 33.pdf : Subscription Only Download [214 KB]

New Experiences: Having, sharing and recording new experiences including illustrating, speaking and writing.

Discovering Evaporation: A science experience and investigation

Making Totem Poles: An exciting art construction activitiy.

Journey of the Wind: – A topic for expanding vocabulary and the imagination.

BRIGHT IDEAS 34.pdf : Subscription Only Download [92 KB]

Bright Ideas #34

3 Topics: A Night Without Television; Birds and Nests; Exploring Textures.

BRIGHT IDEAS 35.pdf : Subscription Only Download [84 KB]

WHY GO OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM?

  • Education is about ‘real life.’
  • Real Life exists outside the classroom.
  • Plan regular L.E.O.T.C. experiences for your students.
  • These experiences can be related to and enhance any curriculum area.
  • Make them a regular part of your planning.
  • In this Bright Ideas Unit we provide starter activities across five curriculum areas to get you started and provide inspiration for many more.

 

NZ MAIN ROAD SIGNS

BRIGHT IDEAS 36.pdf : Subscription Only Download [91 KB]

Focus on Exercise

Lesson ideas for encouraging your students to take responsibility for and to get at least 60 minutes of quality exercise each day.

KiwiDex Exercise Manual Download

Bright Ideas 37.pdf : Subscription Only Download [133 KB]

Bright Ideas 37

School in the Olden Days. Language/English-based Activities,

Fun With Balloons. Technology and English-based Activities

Fun Topics for Mimes and Drama

Video and Websites

• 3 Simple Experiments with Balloons (Video)

• Balloon Fun Science Activities (Website)

ConservationWeek2023.pdf : [4 MB]

CONSERVATION WEEK 2023

Conservation Week 2023 will be held from Sepember 5-11, 2023.. 

Download this free resource which features:

Visit the following page to discover: It's History; Timeline; Observation; Mind Blowing Facts and Why Conservation Week is so importent.

Conservation Week 2023

USING MULTI MEDIA PROJECTORS.pdf : Subscription Only Download [1 MB]

Of all the classroom technologies to come along, the multimedia projector – probably more than any other, has started a revolution in the way we approach the teaching and learning task with our students. In this article we explain the why, how and what about using this technology.