Primary school

High Impact Reading Instruction and Intervention in the Primary Years is a call to action for passionate teachers, education assistants, principals, and deputy principals who believe in the transformative power of literacy. With a focus on evidence-based practices and the science of reading, Julie Scali equips educators with accessible and practical knowledge to elevate their teaching to the next level. In the first part of the book, Julie lays the foundation for high-impact literacy instruction and intervention, emphasising the importance of data-informed practice, high expectations, explicit instruction, daily review, and response to intervention. With an unwavering dedication to student success, she guides educators through the fundamentals that will empower them to create classrooms where every student can thrive. The second part of the book dives into the science of reading, unravelling the complexities of how children best learn to read. Julie connects research to practical examples, providing educators with insights on implementing structured literacy in the classroom. Unlock the potential of young minds and nurture a love for reading that will last a lifetime.   Access resources and templates from the book here.

If you’re an educator you’ll know this: teacher wellbeing has never been more important. And yet, this complex issue is often misunderstood, leading to band-aid solutions that don’t address the root cause or inspire long-term change. In this go-to guide for teachers and leaders, Amy Green provides inspiration and practical tools to unpack the many facets of teacher wellbeing. She explores the purpose of teacher wellbeing; where we’ve gone wrong in tackling issues such as burnout and stress; and what we can do to build teacher capacity and enhance school systems to support teacher wellbeing. Amy believes we all play a part in writing a better story for our teachers. With awareness and knowledge we can move beyond tokenistic activities to long-term, embedded, sustainable solutions. In these pages you will find a deeper, richer, more holistic approach to improving wellbeing. It’s a book that will inspire the real conversations we so desperately need. Together, we can bring about transformation far beyond what we imagine.

We know education is not a level playing field. Those living with early adversity are starting school significantly less likely to complete their education than their peers who have things easier. When educators and schools understand childhood trauma, they are well placed to embed wellbeing practices into every interaction, and when those interactions are trauma-informed and responsive, students’ lives are positively impacted in a deep and enduring way. Safe to Learn offers readers an understanding of behaviour through the lens of trauma and adversity, and provides practical strategies for primary schools and educators to become trauma-informed and responsive in a way that best supports all students, regardless of their life experiences. This book offers guidance for schools to introduce, or expand, a whole-school model of integrated wellbeing practice and support for individual teachers to learn how they can make a significant difference to their students. It also provides the tools to identify which interventions may benefit a student or class as well as ideas for tracking and showing wellbeing growth.

Guerrilla Tactics for Teachers is a life-saving, career-preserving, sanity-building guide for teachers. Based on over 30 years of research, it is an essential collection of behaviour management and learning enhancement strategies that will help educators at any stage of their career. These are the methods that will help educators create and maintain calm classrooms that enable students to learn effectively, achieve great results, and still have a life. It provides the secret knowledge of survival in a sector that loses many great teachers to other careers when they decide it is too hard and walk away.   Download the audio book companion guide here.

Talkin’ Chalk will inspire confidence, knowledge and understanding in every new teacher who reads it. Author Rebecca West, a Top 10 Finalist of the 2021 Global Teacher Prize and creator of YouTube channel Talkin’ Chalk, shares her invaluable top tips and experiences from two decades of teaching. This book offers real advice about how to set up your classroom, plan and monitor your workload, build relationships, reflect on practice and much more. The useful tips and editable templates make it a practical and indispensable resource. Talkin’ Chalk is a prerequisite to teaching your first class, and will remove any fear or angst from beginning teachers. Click here to download the templates in Word. Click here to download the templates in PDF.  

Developing the critical and creative thinking skills of students in our classrooms is a necessary culture that all teachers should foster. Not only does it underpin the syllabus outcomes and content indicators, but the ability to think critically and creatively, and to articulate that thinking to others, is a hugely valuable skill in today’s world. Supporting students to be critical and creative thinkers requires us as educators to be willing to build our capacity, to make small consistent shifts towards embedding practices and fostering a ‘thinking’ environment that welcomes questions, that celebrates multiple perspectives and is comfortable working in a space that requires depth of understanding. This book was written with the teacher and leader in mind and is a mix of foundational theory and practical strategies with tools you can take away and apply in your classroom or with your teams tomorrow. It is divided into five parts, with each component delving into key areas of embedding critical and creative thinking into practice.

As educators we all recognise the power of using data to inform our work. A key piece that is often missing is how we engage students in their data story. When we use data with students they become data-informed learners. They have a better understanding of their ability as a learner and can articulate their goals and challenges more clearly. We can support our students through targeted conversations, working in partnership to help them improve. There are three main purposes for using data with students: goal setting, learning dispositions or behaviour, and the quality of student learning or understanding. There are five main modes by which we do this: data walls, success criteria, student-generated assessment, deliberate conversations and data on walls in classrooms. In this book, Dr Selena Fisk unpacks these purposes and modes, giving practical ideas for implementation in schools and classrooms. She offers guidance in having constructive data-informed conversations with students, while building a culture of psychological safety where data use is productive and transformational.   Praise for this book: This book offers readers an important glimpse into what it takes to ensure that students can answer my 5 questions: What are you learning and why? How are you doing? How do you know how you are doing? How do you improve? Where do you go for help? When they can, we know that they are all 'Data-informed Learners'! This makes this book a rich piece of school improvement literature. Dr Lyn Sharratt - International Consultant and Author  

Dr Timothy O’Leary is a firm believer that decisions about improvements, whether they be for a teacher or school, need to be based on fact, not fancy. In Classroom Vibe he uses data to demystify why some classrooms are primed for learning while others aren’t and explains why strategies for change in schools often fail. In breaking down the atmosphere of the classroom as experienced by the students – the ‘classroom vibe’ – he gives teachers practical steps for improving theirs. The author argues that when teachers focus their improvement efforts on the ‘vibe’ in each of their classrooms and school leaders focus on supporting their teachers in this endeavour, everyone benefits. He provides a clear framework that highlights how the culture of a classroom can determine whether important teaching strategies will succeed or fail.

In Seriously Fun Maths, Dr Laura Tuohilampi changes the narrative of mathematics education into something fascinating, intriguing and something that touches every human. Based on her cutting-edge research she challenges the outdated ways of motivating students around maths. This engaging book provides teachers with research, resources and activities to teach a lesson a month. The rich activities are accessible to young students and deep enough for secondary students. Even adults! This book will help mathematics educators reflect on their skills of orchestrating mathematical discussions and problem-solving. They will learn how to increase students’ engagement in ways that reduce stress-inducing expectations around what a ‘good’ student in maths can and cannot do. Teachers will improve their grasp of what’s important – making mathematics a meaningful experience. Everyone will have serious fun while learning maths!  

Dive into the definitive guide to nurturing self-regulated learners with Educate to Self-Regulate. Drawing from extensive teaching experience, research studies and school partnerships, Dr Shyam Barr presents evidence-informed strategies to empower both educators and students on the path to lifelong success. Through three comprehensive parts, the book navigates from laying the foundations of self-regulated learning to practical classroom implementation and leadership initiatives. It is an essential roadmap for teachers to identify barriers to students’ self-regulated learning and apply effective teaching approaches. Unlock the secrets to fostering self-regulated learners with Barr's expertise, equipping yourself with the tools to cultivate autonomy, resilience, and academic excellence in your students. Whether you're a seasoned educator or a newcomer to the field, this book provides invaluable insights and actionable steps to transform your teaching practice and empower students for success in an ever-changing world.

Grief and Loss in Schools aims to support teachers and schools by providing discussion topics, play scripts and engaging activities to allow students to work through thoughts and feelings they may be having. With this book, Hazel Edwards hopes to dispel the taboo and uncomfortable feelings associated with this subject, and encourage schools and teachers to open up conversations. Hazel provides guidance to initiate a comfortable setting for students to express their thoughts, concerns and questions, and for teachers to address any misconceptions. Featuring stories from Hazel’s experience and research, as well as practical and thought-provoking questions, and role play scripts based on various scenarios, Grief and Loss in Schools is a welcome resource. It will help teachers encourage conversations that will benefit the mental health of their students and school communities.  

Grammar in its place tackles the two questions most asked by teachers: How do I teach grammar? What grammatical features do I include in my teaching? Part A of this book presents a variety of text types and the grammatical features that are associated with each one. It demonstrates how to use these text types to give purpose to the students’ writing and meaning to the teaching of grammar. Part B deals with the knowledge, understandings and the terms used in traditional and functional grammar. This section covers parts of speech, sentences, phrases, clauses, noun groups and punctuation. This book is packed with activities, and the authors show teachers how to implement strategies that will integrate the knowledge and the function of grammar into all areas of the school curriculum. Some activities focus on the needs of individuals while other activities can be used as the basis for class lessons. The methodology suggested in Grammar in its place encourages students to realise that a sound knowledge of grammar is essential for clear, concise and effective communication.

The role of teachers isn’t limited to just teaching. Teachers are here to educate, to lead others out to a new beginning, a future that students and teachers can wholeheartedly embrace. In Curating Inquiries, Grant Lewis shares his knowledge of curriculum design and inquiry learning garnered from over 20 years of experience. This book will explore how schools and teachers can develop a conceptual framework that scaffolds the learning journey while developing inquiries worth learning about.From looking at how to map curriculum across a year or longer using the framework, it is designed to be practical and provide strategies and protocols to be applied in a primary school setting. It also explores what inquiry-based learning is, how to make sense of it all and still remain accountable to curriculum and student voice. This book is recommended for teachers who wish to develop knowledge around planning for an inquiry and providing the time and space for students to grow in their confidence and skills in inquiry. Through understanding how inquiry-based learning works, it will enable teachers to achieve success in setting up the memorable, powerful and engaging learning experiences for their students.

Good thinkers are 4P thinkers. The international bestseller, Become A Better Thinker, focuses on ways of improving the 4Ps. Positivity for better attention to a task Pattern seeking for identifying key elements Probing for asking yourself helpful questions Picturing for summarising key words and their connections Become a Better Thinker contains examples, strategies, and tests for improving the 4Ps. Aiming to examine, support and improve the creative and critical thinking skills of teachers and their students in order to help all learners think better in our rapidly evolving world. Revised and updated, this book is now in its fourth edition.     Download PDF of the tests from this book to use: The Langrehr Test of Creative ThinkingThe Langrehr Test of Critical ThinkingThe Langrehr Test of Early Childhood Thinking

Igniting STEM Learning: A Guide to Designing an Authentic Primary School STEM Program is a groundbreaking resource for teachers and leaders ready to take on the challenge of bringing robust and sustainable STEM learning to their primary schools. Having kicked STEM programs into gear around Australia, experienced educator, coach and consultant Dr Adrian Bertolini distils decades of practice into a book that has the capacity to empower and transform. In Igniting STEM Learning, you’ll find the support you need to establish the ways of thinking, structures and ongoing practices that develop students and teachers alike as learners and problem solvers. From delivering learning experiences to meeting curriculum requirements, designing authentic assessment and more, this comprehensive resource lights the way to a primary school STEM program that ignites curiosity and prepares students to thrive in a changing world. Access the resources and templates from the book here  

The roles and responsibilities of educators grow more complex every year. School leaders and teachers are tasked with creating high-performing schools that foster a culture of trust, collaboration and enquiry for students, parents and staff – all while working within prescribed protocols of safety, equity, transparency and fiscal responsibility. How do they do it? There’s no simple solution, but balance is the key. Andrew Oberthur draws on his rich experience as a principal and teacher to unpack a range of scenarios where a balance must be struck between following the rules and building relationships. His insights on ethical and courageous leadership – including when to follow and when to flex – offer new and experienced educators a proven framework for difficult decision-making. Exploring real-life dilemmas of communication, enrolment, staffing, budgeting, behaviour management, parent-teacher relationships, managing through uncertainty and more, Balance provides tested strategies for navigating the system’s myriad rules and regulations while building positive relationships and improving outcomes for all students.

In How Good are School Gardens? seasoned educator, Emma Derainne, with over two decades of experience, delves into the transformative potential of school gardens. Drawing from her extensive background in Early Childhood and Primary Education across Australia, Asia, and Europe, Emma explores how these vibrant green spaces offer more than just nutritional benefits. Through engaging anecdotes and practical insights, she illustrates how school gardens foster hands-on learning, therapeutic benefits, safety and security, environmental stewardship and a deep connection to the community. Emma’s book is a compelling invitation for educators to reimagine their teaching practices by integrating school gardens into the curriculum. With a focus on experiential learning and community engagement, she provides a comprehensive guide to creating and maintaining school gardens that cater to diverse student needs. From promoting sustainability to enhancing academic outcomes through real-world applications, How Good are School Gardens? offers valuable strategies and reflective prompts. This book is an essential resource for teachers looking to cultivate enriching, dynamic and inclusive educational environments that nurture students’ growth and holistic development.

In The School Leadership Juggle, Andrew Oberthur offers a lifeline to educators and school leaders grappling with the intricate balancing act of modern primary school education. Drawing upon his extensive background in education, Andrew provides a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted world of primary school leadership, emphasising the practical tools and strategies necessary for success. This book not only equips educators with evidence-based techniques for curriculum design, classroom management, and more but also places a strong emphasis on self-care and collaboration, recognizing the emotional toll of the profession. The School Leadership Juggle is a beacon of guidance and inspiration for anyone navigating the challenging and rewarding journey of primary school education.

Are you thinking of enrolling your child into school next year? You might have heard the term ‘school readiness’ – but what does it really mean? Starting school is a big step for all children and their parents. In this book, experienced primary school principal, Andrew Oberthur, provides a detailed roadmap of how you, your child and the school can make the move into primary school a successful one for everyone. Andrew uses personal stories, coupled with knowledge from some of Australia’s leading educators and parenting experts to provide genuine insight into getting your child ‘school ready’. Full of communication tips and insights into how schools operate and how to navigate issues that could eventuate. It also explores current issues like remote learning and technology to help parents and their children be prepared for the new and exciting world of primary school.

A user-friendly resource book for teachers, Kaleidoscope of Ideas contains numerous classroom activities that are designed to help middle primary to junior secondary students develop creative thinking skills. These practical and enjoyable activities require very little preparation and may be used in the classroom immediately. Covering topics that range from the everyday to larger global and more serious issues, each activity can be used as a sound tool to help the development of systematic creative thinking. Many of the activities in Kaleidoscope of Ideas require group work, encouraging students to learn cooperative social skills, and most of the activities can be adapted to suit different content. Download the Tournament of Minds sampler here.

Help your primary students develop a deep appreciation for the natural world with Life in a garden: Activities and projects for the outdoor classroom. In this practical handbook, permaculture expert Dr Ross Mars guides teachers through the basics of garden design and maintenance, while providing opportunities for students to explore and contribute to a thriving ecosystem. The easy-to-implement investigations and hands-on projects included in this book allow students to observe and understand the dynamic processes that take place in the garden environment and encourage them to consider sustainable solutions to keep their plants healthy and productive. Using this resource, readers will find: tips for effective garden design, including establishing basic garden beds and deciding on effective planting strategies advice for seasonal planting and harvesting produce sustainable solutions for managing common pests flexible activities aligned to the Australian Curriculum. You’ll love watching your students learn to love gardening as they make a positive impact on their local environment. Access more resources and templates from the book here.  

This practical resource provides early years professionals and foundation teachers with games, activities and strategies to incorporate language into movement. The premise is that learning language concepts through movement will help all children, particularly especially those who might have language delays or coming from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Section one provides whole class and individual movement activities to enable children to learn single-word concepts and simple phrases. Section two contains concept games and development motor movements activities and ideas that will help develop the physical process needed in learning language. Educators, teachers and learning assistants can easily implement these ideas to their programs and be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to help children develop language through movement and active play.   Authors: Garry Powell was a teacher and administrator in both country and city government schools for 32 years. He was a classroom teacher, specialist physical education teacher and principal at inner city schools. He lectured in tertiary education for 15 years, and has spoken on teacher education at conferences and workshops. Garry has written numerous teacher reference books. Debra Armstrong has taught in government primary schools for 28 years. She has been a classroom teacher, a specialist teacher in art and physical education, and a lecturer at Monash University. Debra has undertaken research in Australia and overseas, and won awards for her contribution to teaching. Debra has co-authored a number of teacher reference books.     Download the Flashcards here

Scripts allow hesitant students to be able to assume the protection of a character and play a role or explore issues which may concern them in real life. Issues contains a collection of scripts, discussion prompts and activities for use in the classroom, as a way of opening up students to understand and process topical and sensitive issues in their world, from a range of perspectives. The art of performing harnesses the students’ engagement in the subject and offers a chance to immerse themselves within the protection of a character or role. This book gives middle school and secondary school students a chance to discuss contemporary topics or problems during the classroom rehearsal and performance of these scripts. There are enough parts for the whole class to participate, and conversation prompts and activities are provided to extend and deepen classroom discussion. Extensively workshopped and already used in classrooms nationally, this large collection of student performance scripts allows students and teachers to improve their ability to understand, navigate and discuss sensitive issues in the classroom.

Would you like maths with that? Improving numeracy in the primary years guides educators and school leaders through numeracy improvement with a focus on deeply understanding the difference between mathematics and numeracy, their relationship and the implication on teaching and pedagogy. Author and expert Thelma Perso takes a holistic approach to mathematics teaching, supporting readers to transform low-level learning into higher-order thinking in their classrooms to ensure all students can tackle mathematics with confidence. With a thorough and knowledgeable approach, Thelma lays the foundations for teachers, school leaders and school communities to enhance their numeracy pedagogies and, in turn, improve the numeracy capabilities of their students. Starting with numeracy definitions and how to teach mathematics for numeracy attainment through to intervention, extension and assessment, the chapters support readers through the whole numeracy improvement journey. Would you like maths with that?, along with the online resources developed for individual educators and schools to assess their current numeracy positions, show how it is not only possible but necessary to improve student numeracy achievement regardless of educator, subject area and student capability. Would you like maths with that? will empower educators to teach mathematics in engaging and effective ways that teach students to use mathematics confidently to meet the needs of their everyday lives.   Download the resources and templates from the book here.