Review it, Post It...

  This post follows on from ‘Rest, relaxation, reading' (July 15th). I set most of my classes the challenge of reading at least 3 new books over the summer break. This was mainly to ensure that their literacy levels didn't regress, as can sometimes be the case. They picked up the gauntlet and bounced back into my classroom brandishing their Post It reviews. The students simply stuck them onto the designated board and the result is something rather special. I am especially pleased by the number of students reading their peers' recommendations. It's a masterpiece of a collage that I want to keep up as long as possible (although errant Post It notes float down regularly and keep us all on our toes!).

Snippets from an Indian adventure...

   Chic Teacher is back from her jaunt in the sun and very happy to be blogging again. I experienced temperatures that I didn't think humans could withstand; was charmed and captivated by a wedding that spanned 5 days; experienced the philosophy of ‘your guest is god';  did NOT pick up ‘delhi belly' or any variant of the tricky tummy and absorbed the fascinating and eccentric customs of the Indian people.

   The new academic year is looming but I'm not quite ready to remove the post-holiday glow. Here are tiny morsels from a most fulfilling Indian adventure:

Rest, relaxation, reading...

‘We're all going on a summer holiday,

No more working for a week or two (or six),

Fun and laughter on our summer holiday,

No more worries for me or you,

For a week or two...'

~ ‘Summer Holiday' by Cliff Richard

Special thanks to crooner Cliff for these timeless and apt lyrics. I am throwing items into suitcases as we speak and in the midst of packing chaos, I have taken a breather to share my holiday reading with you. The selection comprises a mixture of school-related books and books for simple reading pleasure (not to say the two don't overlap!).

The ‘simple reading pleasures' include ‘The Fault in Our Stars' (John Green), ‘Divergent' (Veronica Roth), ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' (Helen Fielding).

The school-related books are ones that I am reviewing in terms of how well they suit the new English Curriculum that has been introduced. These are: ‘Two Weeks with the Queen' - play script, ‘Animal Farm' (George Orwell), ‘Forty short plays' (Ann Cartwright), ‘Brave New World' (Aldous Huxley) and ‘Whispers in the Graveyard' - the play.

I set all of my classes the task of reading at least three new books over the summer break. They have to write mini-reviews of each one on a Post-It note. They will stick these onto our Summer Reading board as soon as they return to school. I, of course, need to lead by example!

On that note, I must bid you a fond holiday farewell as I will be out of the country for a few weeks. The unreliability of internet connections abroad means there'll be a little blogging hiatus.

I wish you a happy holiday, however you choose to spend it.

Looking on the sunny side...

  This is my favourite kind of post because it involves, you guessed it, FOOD. I had two eggs (sunny side up) on toast this morning. The eggs were given a sprinkling of black pepper and the bread is wheat free and contains sunflower, linseed and poppy seeds. The whole ensemble was washed down with organic green tea. It's the breakfast of champions because, as you know, eggs are a good source of protein and potassium. Green tea is reported to contain lots of antioxidants and in Chinese medicine it is used to treat an array of ailments and illnesses. As well as that, it just tastes darn good! 

      I'm up at 5:30am every morning and have breakfast at 6:45am. Starting the day with something like this keeps those tell-tale tummy rumbles at bay until break (10:35am).

A flowery flourish...

This pretty arrangement of artificial flowers is perched on the end of my desk. Sanity tells me that a vase containing real flowers and WATER would eventually be the victim of a student's elbow. I would like to introduce real green plants in my classroom as there is research to suggest that this can increase productivity in the workplace. I'll let you know if I become that brave but for now, you can feast your eyes on these: