Category Archives: Unit of Inquiry

Exhibition 2014 and technology

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The students have been engaging with a variety of ICT in order to present and share their learning journey. Below are the websites, apps and auras that were designed for the Exhibition 2014.

Additionally students have also created eBooks, iMovies, Keynotes and presentations in other formats using their iPads.

ART PIECE

The student art piece has been documented using the apps below and have been shared as auras (using Aurasma).

Art – Self Portrait Explained

Self portrait explained

WEBSITES AND APPS

Please note: the apps created with Blippit are no longer active.

As of March 2014 Blippit has changed to Blippit IO App Maker.
To retain the work of the students this presentation was created.

STOLEN GENERATION 6A WEBSITE
ARRANGED MARRIAGES 6A WEBSITE
TECHNOLOGY 6A WEBSITE
OBESITY 6A WEBSITE
STOLEN GENERATION 6B APP
STOP RACISM  6B WEBSITE
OBESITY 6B WEBSITE
RACISM 6B APP
PETS & WELBEING 6A WEBSITE

 

GAMES – CREATED USING SCRATCH

6A  SLEEP  GAME EXPLAINED

Sleepy bird Scratch game (created using Scratch)

SCREENSAVER

Designed using Pages and finalized using Comic Head app.

This has been added to the JS Library iPads.

Social Media screensaver

 

 

 

Design thinking @Edutech2014

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I was fortunate enough to attend a Masterclass at Edutech this year.

“Design thinking in the Australian Curricululm” with Ewan McIntosh @notosh (and Hamish Curry and Tom Barrett).

The sessions were fast and furious (I went through four pencils in the Immersion and Synthesis stage of the process).

Simple, yet effective ideas like the six word stories are wonderful ‘I can implement tomorrow’ ideas.

I think that a tool like Haiku Deck would be excellent to visualise these as well.

I am currently in the synthesising phase of how to actually implement this process at SALC. The concepts have great potential not only for use with the Australian Curriculum but perfect for the inquiry method in the PYP. I LOVED the idea of using TED talks to generate a “generative topic” and the challenging nature of them.

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@art_cathyhunt visual notes – nice!

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What’s in a word? Meaning and intention? Does it make a difference? Emotive words and hidden intent?

The focus on a key word in statements was frustrating (as often words used could be interchangeable) yet I understood the purpose and importance of the selection of language.

See some tweets – #Edutech

 

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Lots of food for thought. Stay tuned for where we go next.

RESOURCING THE CURRICULUM

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This resources curated below are to support teachers to locate resources to teach students about THE RESEARCHING PROCESS  and some of the resources that we have at St Andrews in the Junior School.

The resources provided for teachers and students include:

  • the research process
  • researching tools
  • referencing and academic honesty
  • and links to the units of inquiry
  • curated materials specific to the units of inquiry
  • use of the library management system (Oliver) to support reading through the creation of reading lists and materials

Other pages that may be useful are:

INFORMATION LITERACY – WIKISPACES

SEARCHING THE INTERNET – WIKISPACES

RESEARCHING (VIRTUAL LIBRARY)

 

QR code Resourcing the curriculum

 


 

National Simultaneous Storytime

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Tomorrow is National Simultaneous Storytime where students around Australia read/listen to the same book.

The book is Too Many Elephants (shortlisted last year). We have three hard copies if you would like to borrow one to read to your students tomorrow. Alternatively watch the video below or the view book trailer. ALSO, the book is also translated into other languages – including Japanese (perfect!).

Book being read in Japanese

Book Trailer

Too  Many Elephants being read Jane Kennedy (scroll down to the video)

Audio books will be available in the following languages courtesy of SBS Radio.

• Arabic
• Cantonese
• French
• German
• Greek
• Hindi
• Italian
• Japanese
• Mandarin
• Punjabi
• Swahili
• Somali
• Vietnamese

Have fun!

Show me how!

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Year 6 have been learning the process to create a presentation using the Show Me app or the Explain Everything app. These are excellent tools that will be useful to help prepare for the Exhibition later this year.See below for the first two students who have submitted their tutorial or presentation.

See the ICLT4ME Student Reviewed Apps for more examples.

More will be added to our WONDER WALL(s) in the JS Library as the students complete them.

photo 1 photo 2 photo 3

These display spaces in the JS Library are Showcasing student work and reflections, or support resources for the UOIs. They are activated by QR codes and the Aurasma app.

PREZI 

 

Making connections – Luther and the Cloud-Makers

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Who is the cloud-maker?

From Darkness to Light - please read
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Evan Leeson via Compfight

“Luther and the Cloud Makers”by Kylie Newburn and illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson  is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book that is not only a great book to share with younger children but is a perfect example of a resource to support student inquiry into Sharing the Planet.

Read an in-depth review by  the Picture Book Nook.

This book will be one I recommending for the Year 2 Sharing the Planet unit.

View the book trailer below.


#takingaction #courage #integrity #PYP_Literature #postmodern

Want to have a play?

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Bee Bots supporting inquiry

We have spent some of our reward points from Scholastic Book Fairs and we have purchased some Bee Bots. Bee Bots are some programmable robots that are excellent to use across the curriculum (lower primary). These are hassle free ICT tools for supporting the Technologies curriculum as well.

In the JS Staffroom we have the Bee Bots on a world map ready for your explorations. We have ordered more maps – just waiting on delivery!

Bee Bots in action

See this blog post Beebots Downunder for some ideas about how these are being used in classes.

Great for literacy, maths, problem solving and geography! (Perfect for mapping UOI Year 2/3).

Name our beebots

We have six Bee Bots and they need names!

Please come and have a play with your class and suggest a name (and reason why).

Beebots (2)

 

Post your responses below.

 

Exploring Refugees through picture books

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Teaching about refugees

The use of the picture book can be underrated as a resource once students are beyond Year 2 or 3. In my mind picture books are useful as teaching and learning tools even in Secondary School and beyond.

Currently Year 6 students are inquiring into the life of  refugees.

The following resource is designed around picture books suitable for this inquiry and age group.

Picture Book Evaluation

The Picture Book evaluation page has been structured for students to consider the purpose of the book and to try and consider from the perspective of the refugee.

The students examine each picture book for the following elements.

Who are the main characters? Why are they leaving their country?What tells you this in the story? What events forcedeach individual toflee their homeland? Consider the linguistic features – imagery, emotive language, personification, symbols, exaggeration, puns and sarcasm.

This simple resource sheet is one way to analyse a picture book.

This PPT file explains how to analyse a picture book.

Teacher Resources

Teaching about refugees and migration through picture books

Global Education wiki

Resource Kit – Refugee 

Useful resources – Refugee Council

Picture Book list