Rice, spice and all things nice...

Us vegetarians have to be rather creative when it comes to preparing our lunches and today's recipe went down really well (literally).  I boiled brown rice and cooked some quorn chicken (style) fillets.  I cut them into strips and added them to the ‘mildly spicy mexican sauce' by Chicken Tonight.  The rice was then stirred in. This colourful concoction certainly beats sarnies.

A feast for the eyes.

Pin up...

I came across these adorable pins in Paperchase and use them to pin up notices, pictures and postcards in my classroom.  The occasional student does a double take, thinking that I have an infestation of ladybirds but the majority find them curious and quaint.

Teaching through soundtracks...

As I've mentioned before, music is a great way to stimulate ideas and generate discussion.  What's better than one musical number?  A whole medley of musical numbers!  Below is a medley of songs that I will use when my oldest students revisit ‘Of Mice and Men' by Steinbeck, for their English Literature exam.  I have extracted the most applicable verse/chorus from each song and edited these together to provide one seamless soundtrack to the novel.  I will ask students to work out how the lyrics apply to the story:

‘Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?' by Bing Crosby

‘You've Got A Friend In Me' by Randy Newman

‘I'm Like A Bird' by Nelly Furtado 
‘Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado

‘Black or White' by Michael Jackson

‘I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Miserables

This is an engaging way to get students into a piece of literature.  You could even ask them to create their own soundtracks.

What novel would you select and what would be on your soundtrack for it?  I'd love to hear (and possibly pinch) your ideas.

Dress up those displays...

To personalise those classroom display boards or give them an instant lift, why not back them with wrapping paper?  This tends to be more durable than your school-issued rolls and more importantly, it adds a splash of colour and interest.  My students love the patterns below:

A notice board in my classroom

Such pretty paper! (From Paperchase)

I've gone polka dotty!

Today's teacher wardrobe choice...

This is what I threw together for work today (I'm wearing my favourite boots but they were unceremoniously chopped out).  The flowery skirt was a recent purchase and adds a ‘pop' of colour to a neutral outfit.  It reminds me of spring/summer; very welcome during this dreary January!