Here is another early photo I found of a display from my first few years of teaching.
This was from the Summer term when we studied the Life cycle of a plant.
My ultimate favourite lesson was that on Methods of Seed dispersal.
The lettering was made out of black lettering which was stuck to folded clear thick plastic which was stapled only one side down (packaging- recycling as always!) with rice stuck on as if the letters were seeds dispersing in the wind- as you can see the folded plastic has led the letters to stand at different heights.
I had collected together a beautiful set of various seed cases, pods of many different types, carefully preserved in cases which I distributed amongst the tables- Teasel, burrs, bean pods, acorns, pine cones, sycamore keys, chestnuts, conkers, coconuts and many more.... After being taught identification clues for methods of seed dispersal, the children carefully sketched the seeds in pastels on black paper which they then had to write with details of the method of seed dispersal next to it. On a separate sheet, they had to give reasons as a back up. It was a nice mixture of Science and Art which made a really pretty display. I do wonder if year 5 still use my seed collection or if they got binned like many things do. I even sacrificed a few duplicate seed to be stuck onto the display.
I never forget that when OFSTED came to our school for the second time, the day before they unexpectedly arrived, I had actually got this very lesson (with a later class) ready for my termly observation. It was meticulously planned. But alas, the call from OFSTED came at lunchtime and the observation was cancelled. I carried on teaching it but I was sad that I would not be able to get it observed. Luckily, a teacher in the other year 5 class was coming back from maternity leave for the first day of OFSTED (bad timing eh?) and her class hadn't done this lesson yet so I passed on my detailed lesson plan, resources and seeds etc to her and luck of luck, OFSTED came in as she was teaching this very lesson. They were very impressed with her planning, resources etc and asked if she was the Science Coordinator. I'll never know if that was down to my planning, her teaching or a combination of the two, but I like to think I had a hand in her getting such a compliment.
I, on the other hand,was teaching Music the day OFSTED came and got observed twice in one day with separate classes, first and last lesson. Some of my colleagues have never been observed in the 3 OFSTEDs we have had, but I have been observed every time. Sigh.