I taught in the U.K. for 15 years - temporary and permanent positions plus supply/substitute teaching. I taught all year groups at primary/elementary level and have done some substitute teaching since arriving in the USA. My degree was in History so I always particularly enjoyed teaching this subject, and creating class plays/assemblies around what I was teaching in the classroom - whether it be Ancient Egyptians or King Henry VIII and his Six Wives!
My teaching style has been a mixture of whole class teaching, and small group teaching, focusing on the positive! I am a great believer in teaching through 'role play' which is what my plays and group readers are about!I feel passionately about this mode of teaching. Do visit my website www.plays-r-ussell.com to learn more me and my writing!
I have a BA Honors Degree in History - from Exeter University; a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) - from Hull University; and a Counselling Certificate.
I have 10 O'Levels, 3 A'Levels, a degree in History and a PGCE, plus counselling certificate. I went into teaching after dipping into a number of other 'fields' - one of the most enjoyable being working for a wildlife conservation society (as membership secretary)based in London Zoo.
I taught for 15 years in the UK, then took up writing following the performance of one of my class plays (Henry VIII and his six wives)which was a massive hit with children and adults alike. This (plus comments like "You're in the wrong job - go work for the BBC!)gave me the confidence to sit down and write - plays based on the curriculum, starting with coverage of the history/social studies curriculum and moving onto other subjects such as science, geography and PSHCE. I am now living in the United States where I do the occasional day substitute teaching but most of my time I am writing - building up the collection of plays and group readers that are available off my website www.plays-r-ussell.com I see my plays as mainly performance pieces but I write them 'as a teacher, for teachers' so that they are easy to deliver, with minimum stress! I recognise that some teachers enjoy drama/class performance more than others, but I would defy anyone not to enjoy the 'music suggestions'! These are deliberately chosen to 'lift' the performance - they are rocks songs familiar to children and adults alike and in my experience they definitely add to the enjoyment of the experience! In addition to these class plays, I have written an extensive collection of 'Group Readers' which are intended for smaller groups, of 6 children; these come in sets of 5 'mini plays' which have quizzes attached and are, I think a great classroom resource. As these cover 5 aspects of the subject in depth, they are an excellent supplementary material to the class plays.I am always happy to answer questions about my work - feel free to email me on sue@plays-r-ussell.com or visit my website www.plays-r-ussell.com for more information.
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Higher Education, Adult Education, Homeschool, Staff, Not Grade Specific
English Language Arts, Balanced Literacy, Reading, Grammar, Specialty, Math, Science, Anatomy, Astronomy, Biology, Earth Sciences, Environment, Other (Science), Social Studies, Ancient History, Native Americans, U.S. History, European History, World History, Middle Ages, World Languages, French, Spanish, Arts & Music, Art History, Music, Physical Education, Drama, Health, Other (Specialty), Canadian History, British History, Geography, Other (Social Studies), Life Skills, Religion, For All Subjects, Literature, International Baccalaureate, School Counseling, Character Education, General Science, Physical Science, Problem Solving, Cooking, Short Stories, Robotics, Asian Studies, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas-Chanukah-Kwanzaa, Poetry, Autumn, Halloween, Winter, The New Year, Dance, Valentine's Day, Easter, Spring, Earth Day, Summer, Informational Text, Engineering, Phonics, African History