1.3 Sustainability in Geography

Nowridge Primary 100 Years !

This year Nowridge Primary School have celebrated the milestone birthday of 100 years. Students have been investigating the history of our school and displaying their work throughout the classroom and halls. Today I would like to present the work Mrs Thomas’s year one class has been undertaking, in regards to Geography and Sustainability

 Geography and Sustainability
As part of our geography unit, students have been investigating sustainability and “the natural, managed and constructed features of places, their location, how they change and how they can be cared for”. The students have been by viewing old photographs and maps supplied by the school, local council and community members and documenting the changes of the layout of the school buildings, school grounds and the existing environment surrounding the school. Students have been encouraged to answer question for example; How has the school and the environment changed and why? and What would it feel like to go to school 100 years ago? This type of questioning assist students with their critical thinking and develops communication and develops inquiry based skills. During this unit of work, students were quite surprised at how small the school building was when it was first built and that only forty student attend the school. Students were amazed that there were no climbing areas, basketball hoops or monkey bars. Students were able to describe these changes in quite detail and made connection to past and present and how the school

environment has change over time.

Practicing Mapping Skills
 

The students walked around the school boundary, stopping to draw parts of the environment and photographing it with a polaroid camera. The students were encouraged to look at the school from different angles and to incorporate this into their pictures. On the return to the classroom the students disused the photographs that they had taken and discussed the layout of the school. Students were then provided with A3 paper to draw a map of the school and label their areas. As you can see from the bellow maps the students have provide clear, labelled and detailed maps of  Nowridge Primary school. 

 To further develop the students understanding of how environment change over time, students were required to draw a map of the school in the future. Students discussed what the school may look like and what types of changes may occur to the school environment. By providing students to think about changes to their environment it enables students to make connection to why our environment changes and what may impact these changes.



Come and See our Display      

 

                                                                                                                                                            Year One students invite all parents, carers and family members to visit our classroom to view our display of maps, photographs and drawings that represent the changes to the school and the environment over the last 100 years. Come and view our school from the sky using the website google maps. (https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-41.5926588,146.162371,7z) The students will be quite excited to discuss their ideas, thoughts and views of our every changing environment.

 
 
 

1.2 Civics and Citizenship - Following the Rules

Civics and Citizenship

During the first four weeks of term one our Prep students from Mrs Thomas’s class have been looking at rules and why we have them. The students have been engaging in a variety of classroom activities to establish a set of classroom rules and also looking at rules we follow at home and within the community. In addressing why, we have rules, students learn how to be active and informed citizens by being able to communicate their values and by understanding other people’s viewpoints. Through cooperatively discussing and debating their values within the classroom students have been able to create a list of five class rules, that the students will aim to meet so our classroom is an inviting safe and friendly environment.

Our Class Rules

Prep Thomas

2016

1. No running in the class room.

2. be Respectful and Kind.

3. Inside Voices

4. Be careful with other people's property.

5. Remember to say Please and Thank You .

Road Rules 

In preparation for our excursion to the Launceston Transport and Road Safety Centre, Constable Miller and Constable Deangelo from the Tasmanian Police Department came to our class to teach us all about road rules. The Students were delighted to have two police officers in their classroom and were very eager to discuss what they already knew about road safety. Constable Miller and Constable Deangelo showed the students a variety of road signs and discussed what they meant. Students were taught about what red, orange and green lights represented and also taught about the safety benefits of wearing a helmet when riding a bike, scooter, roller-skates or skateboard.

 

Excursion: Launceston Transport and Road Safety

Center

The excursion to the Transport and Road Safety centre was such a success, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and used all their new knowledge of road rules throughout the excursion. It was lovely to see so many children stopping at a red light and understanding what to do at a give way sign. It was also fantastic to see so many children wearing their helmets as head injuries are extremely common in cyclists not wearing helmets.

  

Putting it all together

As a class we have created a two picture books that are displayed in our classroom for parents and carers to view. The students have created beautiful illustrations along with written text to represent our class rules and road rules. By talking about why we have rules and by designing our own rules for the class, the students have been able to develop their understandings of right and wrong by making informed decisions and sharing their own thoughts on what can happen if we don’t follow the rules. It would be appreciative if parents and carers could discuss these rules at home with their children to develop these ideas further and also model the correct road rules for example using the school crossing to cross the road before and after school and using seat belts at all times.

1.1 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander. History & Culture - Teaching a controversial topic.

Australia Day V’s Invasion Day

During second term, students from Year 3 Thomas have been learning about the First Fleet and the European settlement in Humanities and Social Sciences. Students have been engaging in a variety of activities to gain knowledge to assist in their critical thinking, as well as learning to respect other people’s viewpoints and learning to “pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues (ACHASSI052)” (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2016)

Today we would like to share with you, a controversial issue that had all the students immersed in conversation, Australia Day V’s Invasion Day.


Australia day is celebrated on the 26th January, the day the First fleet arrived at Port Jackson in 1788.

Invasion Day also known as Survival Day remembers the original invasion of the English colonisers. (http://www.criticalclassroom.com/events/invasion-day/ 2016).

Students were first shown the picture titled

 The Founding of Australia.

Students we asked

*What is happening in this picture?

* Who could they be and what do you think they are doing?

*What do you think is going to happen next?

Students were then shown another untitled picture and asked the same questions.

 

Students held discussion surrounding how two pictures can represent different point of view. Students discussed how Indigenous Australians may have felt and how they may feel today, when we celebrate Australia Day. To allow students a deeper understanding of the First Fleets landing, students watched a short clip from Splash ABC titled ‘What’s Australia Day all about’. Students viewed this video to appreciate other people’s opinions and to allow students to reflect on their own thoughts of Australia Day, Invasion day and what the term Australian, means to them. This task evoked a lot of debate form the students and established a variety of positions and illustrated how respectful the students were to other’s opinions.


Student’s thoughts regarding

Australia Day, Invasion Day and what it means to be an Australian.

*Why do we celebrate Australia Day? So we can celebrate the founders of Australia.

*What does the term Australian mean to you? To be kind and fair.

*Do you think our land was invaded? I guess it was invaded because they should have searched where aboriginal communities were first and then built away from them, so they would not have any problems.

*Should we celebrate Australia Day on the 26th January? Yes, because without the English people, Aboriginal people may not have been able to build things, like homes and get food like milk and dairy and other animals would not have be introduced to Australia.

As you can see the students have put a lot of consideration into their thoughts surrounding such a controversial issue. By allowing students to openly research and discuss controversial issues it allows students to become informed citizens and be respectful and mindful of other student’s beliefs and views of Australia and the world around them.

*****

For parents to view and discuss with their child.

‘What’s Australia Day’s all about’ http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/598639/