DEMOCRACY AND ME

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Democracy and Me

Featured

4 Activities for Exploring Democratic Decision Making in the Classroom. A blog post with 4 learning activities for teaching civics and citizenship in the classroom

Why you should teach civics and citizenship. A blog post exploring the reasons why learning about government in the classroom is so important and what our students take away from these lessons.

5 Things to Teach About Democracy in the Classroom. A social studies blog post exploring democracy and government in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Ideas for Teaching Community and Helpers After Disasters. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

Why We Need to Teach Australian Elections - and a Wide Range of Resources to Help You. This Blog post looks at why to teach Australian elections and offers a range of blog posts, websites and resources you can use to teach them effectively. A Galarious Goods blog post

What are election policies? (and how can we teach students about them?) A government and civics themed blog post exploring election policies, how they're made and how we can read them. A Galarious Goods blog post.

What are Political Parties, Why Do They Matter and How Can We Teach Them? A look at political parties in Australia and how we can create effective lessons to teach this sometimes complex topic. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Things You Need to Teach Year Four Australian Civics and Citizenship. An overview of the Australian Civics and Citizenship HASS outcomes with teaching ideas for busy teachers. A Galarious Goods blog post

Australian Election Myths and Teaching Ideas for a Better Understanding. Mythbusting misconceptions about Australian elections and voting in Australia and teaching ideas to help students be better informed. A Galarious Goods blog post

Different Types of Government and How We Can Teach Them. A look at a range of different types of governments, why it is important to learn about them and how we can teach them in an engaging way for our students. Perfect for social studies and government teachers and students. A Galarious Goods blog post

Is Australia a Democracy or a Monarchy? And how can we teach this in the classroom? A civics and citizenship, government in Australia blog post exploring ways to teach democracy and monarchy and Australia's system in your classroom. A Galarious Goods post

Why should we explore compulsory voting in the classroom, what role does it have in Australian history and how could students learn about it from other countries? A government and civics education blog post from Galarious Goods

Integrating Civics and Citizenship with Other Subjects . A Galarious Goods blog post exploring a range of ways you can integrate civics and citizenship with other subjects - making it easier to fit into a busy timetable.

4 High Interest Ways to Make Law-Making Lessons Fun . A Galarious Goods blog post exploring some different ways to explore law making including creating and playing games, making social media posts, writing songs and making museum displays. Perfect for any classroom teacher exploring law-making and government

7 Great Books to Integrate With Australian History and Social Studies - a look at 6 great books which can be easily used in middle grades classrooms as you explore HASS topics

Four ways students can get information and get involved. A Galarious Goods blog post to support teachers of social studies, government and citizenship looking at how citizens get involved with their government and their local community. This blog post focuses on different places where students can find more information and research topics which are important to them.

Five times young people got involved and took action. A Galarious Goods teaching blog post exploring 5 real life examples of young people getting involved in the world around them. Great real life examples teachers can use to discuss with their students looking at how they can also get involved in their local community. Perfect for social studies classrooms.

Get Students Involved to Make A Better World. Looking at ways students can get involved with the world around them to create change in the world. A Galarious Goods blog post

7 Things You May Not Know About Government in Australia. A sneak peek into the government systems of Australia - perfect for social studies and government classes around the world. A Galarious Goods blog post

Teaching the government of other countries - how and why? A Galarious Goods blog post exploring why students can benefit from learning about the government of countries other than their own and some high quality teaching ideas to help teachers explore global governments

Elections in the Classroom - 7 Tips for Real Learning with Minimal Controversy. An insight into how to teach elections effectively in the classroom and to make sure you don't have a classful of parent complaints the next day. A thoughtful look at staying objective at election time. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

Engage Your Students With Civics and Citizens. Get your high quality teaching resources here

Book Studies

Novel Studies

Featured

Examining Storytelling in the Classroom through Number the Stars. A teaching and learning blog post exploring using the Lois Lowry historical fiction novel as a novel study #novelstudy #storytelling

Why You Should Teach Number the Stars. A teaching and learning blog post about using Number the Stars by Lois Lowry as a novel study in the classroom #ela #novelstudy

The Power of Settings When You’re Teaching Coraline. A teaching and learning blog post exploring settings and some ideas for teaching them in the classroom when teaching Neil Gaiman's Coraline. #novelstudy #settings

Why You Should Teach Coraline as Your Next Novel Study. A teaching and learning blog post exploring Coraline by Neil Gaiman with links to teaching resources. #novelstudy

Exploring Unreliable Narrators in the Classroom. A quick look at first person narratives with unreliable narrators and how we can explore them in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

Introducing Hating Alison Ashley. A look at Hating Alison Ashley, the classic Australian middle grades novel by Robin Klein - and why it's perfect for upper primary classrooms. A Galarious Goods blog post

8 Free Resources for Classrooms Reading Boy Overboard - a collection of links and ideas for the Morris Gleitzman novel and some ways to use them in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post.

10 Books for Classrooms Exploring Boy Overboard. A curated list of books related to Boy Overboard and how teachers can use them in the classroom as teaching resources. Perfect for classes learning Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman. A Galarious Goods blog post.

5 Ways to Take Rowan of Rin out of the Classroom. A thoughtful and extensive blog post exploring Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda and how teachers can extend learning outside the four classroom walls. A Galarious Goods blog post.

5 Topics to Explore when you read Rowan of Rin as a class. A look at a range of topics in Rowan of Rin and how these topics can be covered in teaching activities. A Galarious Goods blog post

Introduction to Rowan of Rin: Classroom Discussions and Teaching Resources

6 Exciting Books for Students Who Love The Ruins of Gorlan. A list of great books for fans of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. A Galarious Goods blog post

Adventure Girl and Reclusive Author - A Galarious Goods blog post for teachers showing three Ways to Investigate Stereotypes Using the Nim's Island Movie. Perfect for teachers and students exploring stereotypes and tropes in different texts

9 Brilliant Books to Read if You Love Nim's Island by Galarious Goods. Nine book recommendations for students who have loved Nim’s Island and some ways to use them in the classroom

Four Simple Ways to Teach Nim's Island Outside the Classroom - A Galarious Goods blog post with engaging, outdoor activities which explore events and themes of the novel Nim's Island by Wendy Orr.

Introducing Nim's Island - A Galarious Goods blog post taking a look at the novel by Wendy Orr and why it's great to use in the classroom

Addressing controversial topics in the classroom. Teaching tips and advice on how to deal with controversial topics to allow for the best possible outcomes.

Exploring Author Intention - a blog post exploring how students can take a closer look at what message authors are sharing in their novels.

Using Boy Overboard in the Classroom - a Galarious Goods blog post examining the novel Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman, why it is suitable for the classroom and how you can use it

3 Connections to the Ruins of Gorlan. A look at different topics you can explore in relation to the first Ranger's Apprentice book by John Flanagan. A Galarious Goods blog post

Lessons from 3 Characters in The Ruins of Gorlan - a look at the first Ranger's Apprentice book by John Flanagan and potential discussion topics to use in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Introducing the Ruins of Gorlan. A look at the Ranger's Apprentice novel by John Flanagan and why it's a great class novel for middle grade readers. A Galarious Goods book blog post

Picture Books

Featured

Five Ways to Explore Bowerbird Blues in the Classroom

Five Ways to Explore The Sleepy Sloth in the Classroom

Four Ways to Explore Family Tree in the Classroom.

Why You Should Share Kamala and Maya's Big Idea in Your Classroom

4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn. A blog post exploring 4 ways to use the Aaron Blabey book in the classroom

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10 Great Books About Space Exploration for Your Classroom. A teaching and learning blog post with a book list of picture books for every classroom. #booklist #learningaboutspace

4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend. A teaching and learning blog post for the Heidi McKinnon picture book and how it can be used in lower primary classrooms #year1 #year2 #prep

5 Engaging Picture Books Featuring Australian Animals. A teaching and learning blog post filled with ideas for books about Australian native animals and how you can use them in the classroom #booklist #classroomlibrary

4 Literacy Activities for the Wrong Book by Nick Bland. A teaching and learning blog post exploring reading and writing activities for this picture book. #year1 #year2 #prep

12 Picture Books to Read After Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas. 12 picture books which are great for the classroom, along with ideas for how to use them. Extend this book with these connected texts, allowing students to draw comparisons between different books and to discuss a wide range of themes related to Chicken Divas.

The House that Cleaned Itself - 5 Reasons to explore this biographical picture book in the classroom. Teaching ideas and tips from Galarious Goods.

Exploring The Girl With a Mind for Math in the Classroom. Explore this picture book memoir of the amazing Raye Montague by author Julia Finley Mosca and illustrator Daniel Rieley. This blog post explores why it's great for the classroom and a range of teaching ideas as well as a free resource. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Exploring three Galarious Goods picture book studies for upper primary. Looking at Drought, The Peasant Prince and Memorial, and my favourite parts of the comprehensive book studies for these books. A Galarious Goods blog post

3 Easy Ways to Explore Alpacas with Maracas. Easy Ways for teachers to take a closer look at Alpacas with Maracas by Matt Cosgrove. Perfect for school story telling, this blog post includes a free resource as it looks at story telling, vocabulary, movement and character lessons. A Galarious Goods blog post

Exploring Australian Picture Books about Weather. A look at a range of Australian picture books which bring the diverse weather of Australia to life. Plus how these books can be used by students and teachers in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Reasons We Love Macca (the Alpaca) - a little look at the Macca the Alpaca series of picture books by Matt Cosgrove and a range of ways they can be used to supplement teaching in the classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

Explore the Pig the Pug Series with These Writing Tasks - 5 Writing Task Ideas for classrooms and students exploring Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey and how teachers can teach them. A Galarious Goods post

7 Reasons We Love Pig the Pug. A blog post exploring Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey and the ways these wonderful books can be used by teachers in the classroom. Perfect for teachers looking for reading resources. A Galarious Goods post

Using I'm Australian Too in Upper Primary Classrooms

5 ANZAC Day Picture Books to Use in Your Classroom. A look at picture books and suitable activities for students in your classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

An Aussie Night Before Christmas in the Classroom. A blog post exploring this modern Christmas classic and how it can be used in the classroom

Featured

Unsure which picture book to pick for in-depth study in the classroom? This blog post contains five points to reflect on to ensure that you choose the picture book that's right for your students, the curriculum and standards and the best book companions in your classroom. Perfect for any ELA classroom exploring literature.

Challenging Students to Find Connections Between Picture Books. A teaching and learning blog post focusing on text-to-text connections and how teachers can help students make these connections between different picture books #readingcomprehension #readingconnections

Exploring Early Childhood Books in the Middle Grades. A teaching and learning blog post looking at how books aimed at early childhood readers can be used by upper primary and middle grades teachers #picturebooks #readingcomprehension

Asking Students to Create their Own Picture Book Questions. A teaching and learning blog post about getting students to engage in the reading comprehension practice of asking their own questions #readingcomprehension #picturebooks

Taking a Deep Dive Into Picture Book Illustrations in the Classroom. A teaching and learning blog post exploring visual literacy in the classroom with ideas for teaching it to students #visualliteracy #picturebooks

Should You Read a Picture Book to Your Class Every Day? A teaching and learning blog post exploring the pressure to read certain books to students every day and the impact on teacher self care #picturebooks #teacherselfcare

Exploring the Plots of Picture Books with Triptychs. A teaching and learning blog post exploring a book report alternative using art to explore plot in picture books #literacy #picturebooks

5 Places You Can Find Picture Books. A teaching and learning blog post looking at some of the places where teachers can purchase or borrow picture book teaching resources for their classroom #teacherresources #classroommaterials

5 Reasons to Explore Christmas Books in your classroom. A blog post taking a look at Christmas picture books and how they can bring Christmas to life in your classroom

Five Ways to Explore Picture books in the classroom. A blog post looking at different ways to utilise picture books, particularly in a middle grades classroom

5 Reasons to Use Picture Books in Middle Grades Classrooms. A Galarious Goods blog post exploring some of the ways picture books can be used in classrooms and why they can be incredibly effective for middle-grades students and to teach a wide range of middle grades lessons.

General Reading Posts

Featured

5 Ways to Introduce Reading and Books into your classroom at the beginning of the school year. A back to school literacy and literature post for all teachers.

Bringing Book Characters to Life in the Classroom with Collage. A teaching and learning blog post exploring an art alternative to character profiles and a way to explore texts more deeply #characterprofile #bookstudy

How to Use Book Talks to ‘Sell’ Books to Your Students. A teaching and learning blog post about increasing student interest and engagement in reading through using book talks #booktalk #readerengagement

How Not to Teach the Vocabulary of a Novel - and 4 Ways to teach vocabulary instead. A teaching and learning blog post exploring the role of vocabulary in novel studies #vocabulary #novelstudy

How Students Can Create a Brain Dump When They’re Reading. A teaching and learning blog post exploring different methods for students to show understanding of texts and to create reading connections. #readingskills #teachingreading

Exploring Settings in Novel Studies. A teaching and learning blog post exploring settings in novel studies and how drawing and describing them can help students understand them better #novelstudy #ela

Using Back to School Reading Tools in Your Classroom. A beginning of the school year post about prioritising reading in your classroom as a teacher. A Galarious Goods blog post

3 Ways Students Can Use Folding Resources to Explore Characters. An exploration of interactive notebook resources for book studies and more. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

3 Ways Students Can Use Folding Resources to Make Comparisons

5 Ways to Plan and Differentiate for Young Gifted Readers Part Two. A look at vocabulary, reading choices and differentiating classroom activities for gifted readers. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

5 Ways to Plan and Differentiate for Young Gifted Readers Part One. A look at differentiating for gifted readers in Grade 1, Grade 2 and Kindergarten classrooms. Exploring testing of reading and providing a range of texts for gifted readers. A Galarious Goods blog post

What Would You Take With You? Project. A great classroom project for teachers to use in reading or social studies classrooms. Perfect to go with books like Boy Overboard or when covering natural disasters and their impacts on the population. A Galarious Goods blog post

Celebrate Valentine's Day in the Reading Classroom with these Valentine's Day teaching ideas. With a free character valentine resource and more. A Galarious Goods blog post

3 Ways to engage students with folding vocabulary lessons. Interactive resource blog post with free downloadable resource. Includes three examples of folding vocabulary resources - a vocabulary wheel, vocabulary pocket and vocabulary expandable resource. A Galarious Goods blog post

6 Great Middle School Books for Your Classroom. A look at 6 books perfect for 5th, 6th and 7th grade students. A Galarious Goods blog post

7 Great Books to Integrate With Australian History and Social Studies - a look at 6 great books which can be easily used in middle grades classrooms as you explore HASS topics

Find comprehensive novel studies and picture book studies here

Writing

Featured

Using Digital Resources to Inspire Creative Writing in the classroom. A look at a range of digital tools teachers and students can use to inspire creative writing and to assist in the writing process. Perfect for students and teachers working remotely or classrooms involved in 1 to 1 computer programs. A Galarious Goods blog post

Explore the Pig the Pug Series with These Writing Tasks - 5 Writing Task Ideas for classrooms and students exploring Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey and how teachers can teach them. A Galarious Goods post

Writing skills and expectations before goal setting. Don't jump straight into making writing goals with your students. Take a moment to make sure they understand what is expected of them and how they can achieve that. A Galarious Goods blog post

Don't Make Writing Goals with Blank Pages - Creating Writing to Make Writing Goals

Including Freewriting in Your Classroom Writing Centres - a blog post from Galarious Goods looking at using freewriting in the classroom through setting up freewriting writing centres

Freewriting in the writing classroom. What it is and how teachers can use this writing strategy

3 Different Ways to Explore Poetry in Your Classroom. A blog post exploring poetry and some different ideas for bringing poetry alive in your classroom

Using Badly Written Texts in the Classroom. This writing blog post explores how teachers can use badly written texts in a range of different ways in their classroom.

Where can we find the time to explore persuasive writing? A Galarious Goods blog post exploring how teachers can find time to teach persuasive and argument writing in a busy teaching and classroom schedule. Perfect for classroom planning and classroom organization. Teach students persuasive writing as you explore a range of other subjects and topics.

Where do we find persuasive writing? A Galarious Goods blog post exploring persuasive writing and how teachers can engage students with real life persuasive text examples. Great teaching ideas for classrooms exploring persuasive writing and arguments..

Looking for writing prompts for your students? Find a wide range here

Holidays

Featured

Are you looking for easy to use teaching resources for Anzac Day? This blog post introduces a wide range of activities, especially for using Anzac Day picture books.

Using Primary Sources in the Classroom When Exploring Anzac Day. A look at what primary sources are, where to find Anzac Day primary sources and exploring 3 particular primary sources. A Galarious Good blog post

Celebrate Valentine's Day in the Reading Classroom with these Valentine's Day teaching ideas. With a free character valentine resource and more. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 ANZAC Day Picture Books to Use in Your Classroom. A look at picture books and suitable activities for students in your classroom. A Galarious Goods blog post

12 Christmas Ideas for your classroom. A blog post with 12 ideas to make Christmas in your classroom a bit easier!

5 Reasons to Explore Christmas Books in your classroom. A blog post taking a look at Christmas picture books and how they can bring Christmas to life in your classroom

An Aussie Night Before Christmas in the Classroom. A blog post exploring this modern Christmas classic and how it can be used in the classroom

Creating Lessons from Holiday Decorations. A blog post with a big list of classroom activity ideas to use with holiday decorations

Surviving Christmas in an Australian Classroom. A teachers blog post with different ideas for making the most out of the Christmas season in the classroom

5 Quick Alternatives to Holiday Busywork. Looking for some authentic learning ideas for holiday periods? This blog post offers 5 quick alternatives to craftivities!

Creating Thoughtful Holiday Lessons - a blog post exploring holiday lessons - lessons for Christmas, Valentine's Day and more

Get meaningful teaching resources for holidays and other special occasions here

Back to School

Featured

5 Ways to Introduce Reading and Books into your classroom at the beginning of the school year. A back to school literacy and literature post for all teachers.

5 Galarious Goods Back to School Posts and Why I Love Them

Starting a new teaching job on a limited budget. You don't need to spend all your money to set up a warm, welcoming and ready to learn classroom. Read this teaching blog post to find ideas for new teachers setting up their first classroom while keeping to a budget. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

Using Back to School Reading Tools in Your Classroom. A beginning of the school year post about prioritising reading in your classroom as a teacher. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Great Reads for Teachers Setting Goals. A great collection of links for teachers beginning a new school year or a new term. Make effective goals to help your teacher growth. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Ways Teaching is Like the Beach. A look at how you can thrive and enjoy teaching - like the beach - and take care of yourself at the same time. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Writing skills and expectations before goal setting. Don't jump straight into making writing goals with your students. Take a moment to make sure they understand what is expected of them and how they can achieve that. A Galarious Goods blog post

More Back to School Blog Posts to Enjoy

Back to School Blog Posts to Enjoy

5 First Day of School Blog Posts to Inspire You

6 Fabulous Blog Posts for New Teachers

Allowing Students to Fail in the Classroom

Don't Make Writing Goals with Blank Pages - Creating Writing to Make Writing Goals

5 Ways to Find Joy in Your Classroom and Teaching from Galarious Goods

First Day of School Reads - a Back to School Blog Post from Galarious Goods

5 Things School Parents Might Worry About (And how teachers can help those worries) A Back to School blog post from Galarious Goods

Making contact with parents. A variety of ways you can make positive and informative contact with parents - ensuring a great teacher/parent relationship. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Classroom Organisation for the Disorganised. Planning and organisation skills for teachers who aren't born organised! A Galarious Goods blog post.

Taking Care of Ourselves as Teachers - self care ideas to make teaching a little easier. A Galarious Goods blog post

Helping our students with goal setting. A back to school, goal setting blog post from Galarious Goods

Find Back to School Resources for Your Classroom Here

Teaching Ideas and Other Posts

Featured

How To Make Sure A Teachers Pay Teachers Resource Is Right For Your Class. A Galarious Goods blog post exploring ways teachers can make sure they're purchasing the best resources for their students and their teaching style

5 Times Teachers Should Contact Parents (and 5 Times They Might Consider It) : A blog post exploring times when teachers should reach out to parents and carers and when they might consider reaching out.

Starting a new teaching job on a limited budget. You don't need to spend all your money to set up a warm, welcoming and ready to learn classroom. Read this teaching blog post to find ideas for new teachers setting up their first classroom while keeping to a budget. A Galarious Goods Blog Post

So you want to be a Teachers Pay Teachers seller? Some advice and tips to help you avoid common mistakes of new TpT Sellers. A Galarious Goods blog post

How to Use Teacher Knowledge to Throw an Excellent Birthday Party. Explore how teacher skills helped me throw an amazing Harry Potter birthday party for my son and his friends. #galariousgoods

Finding Communities to Support Us as Teachers. An exploration of the importance of teaching communities and an invitation to join a new Australian/New Zealand teaching community. A Galarious Goods blog post

Why I Won't Share Anti-Parent Teacher Memes (and you shouldn't either). Building better parent teacher relationships. A Galarious Goods blog post

5 Great Posts for Teachers Writing Report Cards. Check out these thoughtful and comprehensive posts to help you during report card writing season. A Galarious Goods blog post

Assessing and Addressing Waiting in Your Classroom. Do you have students who are always finished early? What do they do while they wait for other students. This blog post explores why you should assess the waiting of early finishers and how to avoid frustrating waiting time. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Don't Put My Child on Your Classroom Data Wall - a look at public data walls and how they lack context, privacy, thought for outlier students and how they may harm our students. A parent-teacher perspective from Galarious Goods

5 Ways Teaching is Like the Beach. A look at how you can thrive and enjoy teaching - like the beach - and take care of yourself at the same time. A Galarious Goods blog post.

Allowing Students to Fail in the Classroom

5 Ways to Find Joy in Your Classroom and Teaching from Galarious Goods

Share guest speakers: Engage your students. A blog post exploring why you should invite guest speakers into your classroom and how you can prepare your students to get the best out of your students.

4 Ways to Use Songs to Make Your Lessons Sing. A teaching blog post exploring how songs and music can bring lessons alive and help your students explore and retain knowledge

What is a Teachers Pay Teachers Sale? (And how can you save money?) A blog post examining what a TpT sale is and how teachers can make the most of them when they come around

Using printable resources when you have a photocopy limit. A blog post for teachers negotiating tight photocopy budgets while trying to use printable resources.

Making contact with parents. A variety of ways you can make positive and informative contact with parents - ensuring a great teacher/parent relationship. A Galarious Goods blog post.

What is a maths investigation? This blog post looks at what mathematical investigations are and how you can use them in your classroom