All students will soon have a new portal with updated features and functionality.
You can learn more here.
The log-in will be: http://student.det.nsw.edu.au,
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Australian Protest Songs
I thought it might be nice to finish our successful unit of work on 'Making Informed Choices' with a few protest songs.
Archie Roach - Took The Children Away
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
Yothu Yindi - Jailbreak
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Protest Song Lyrics
Some information on Australian protest songs during war is here.
Archie Roach - Took The Children Away
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
Yothu Yindi - Jailbreak
">
Protest Song Lyrics
Some information on Australian protest songs during war is here.
Week 6 Focus: Voting
This week we are looking at voting, elections, with a focus on the preferential system of voting used in Australia.
A good, short 1min clip on preferential voting in Australia:
2 rather basic (and sort of funny) videos produced by the Australian Greens for the 2007 election. It is good for students in that it visually explains how preferential voting works.
Of course the Australian Electoral Commission is the first place to look for information on voting in Australia.
An Australian Parliamentary Education Office Factsheet on Elections is here.
How to fill in an Upper House Ballot Paper - (Liberal)
The preferential vote as explained by... Christians! Well explained and easy to understand, supported by diagrams.
Enrol to Vote - Kevin Rudd 07 Ads
A man complains about the size of his Senate ballot paper but explains how to use it to vote.
Finally, A Federal Election 'megamix' of commercials from 1990 - very funny (and a good starting point for election issues.)
A good, short 1min clip on preferential voting in Australia:
2 rather basic (and sort of funny) videos produced by the Australian Greens for the 2007 election. It is good for students in that it visually explains how preferential voting works.
Of course the Australian Electoral Commission is the first place to look for information on voting in Australia.
An Australian Parliamentary Education Office Factsheet on Elections is here.
How to fill in an Upper House Ballot Paper - (Liberal)
The preferential vote as explained by... Christians! Well explained and easy to understand, supported by diagrams.
Enrol to Vote - Kevin Rudd 07 Ads
A man complains about the size of his Senate ballot paper but explains how to use it to vote.
Finally, A Federal Election 'megamix' of commercials from 1990 - very funny (and a good starting point for election issues.)
Reporting Run Sheet
Keeping my mind on top of where one is at with school reports is one of life's great challenges.
I developed this table to print out and assist me 'when I'm in the thick of it.'
Teachers - Enjoy!
Reporting Run Sheet[1]
I developed this table to print out and assist me 'when I'm in the thick of it.'
Teachers - Enjoy!
Reporting Run Sheet[1]
Thursday, May 26, 2011
National Sorry Day
Today we had a class visit where we discussed the Stolen Generation and the importance of 'Sorry Day' to Australians.
The original 'I have a dream' speech.
The original 'I have a dream' speech.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
How to use a Compass
We have been looking at Pie Graphs this week - it seems that most students could not use a compass properly! So together we constructed this procedure.
(Sorry about any poor formatting, it's just the tool I use to embed the document into the blog.)
Compass Scribd
(Sorry about any poor formatting, it's just the tool I use to embed the document into the blog.)
Compass Scribd
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Maths: Pie Charts
This week in Maths we are looking at Pie Charts.
A pie chart is a circular chart divided into sectors, each sector shows the relative size of each value.
There are many resources available, here is a website where you can create your own pie chart.
Links follow:
- A good explanation given in a narrative style is found here.
- An online lesson plan with links to resources.
- An interesting lesson starter comprised of an estimation question.
- A good downloadable worksheet with answers is located here.
On Tuesday we were looking at some more advanced calculations for Stage 3, and the BBC Bitesize Maths website has some good supporting activities.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Exam Technique
It's that time of the Semester where we undertake Reading Comprehension and Cloze exams. I normally take my students through this presentation once or twice as they approach their testing period, it helps them to understand there is more to doing an exam than just displaying their knowledge.
Exam Technique
Exam Technique
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Week 5 Focus: Levels of Government in Australia
This week we are focusing on the three levels of government in Australia.
The Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) has an excellent factsheet along with a quiz here. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has a more comprehensive factsheet in easy to read language.
The PEO Assignment Assistant also has a page of links to relevant documents and media.
The Video 'What is Parliament' explains how Federal Parliament works in Australia.
The NT has an excellent printable class activity where students are asked to allocate tasks and responsibilities to the correct area of government.
This teachertube presentation summarises the levels of government in Australia very clearly:
Friday, May 20, 2011
Reporting
Twice a year NSW Primary School Teachers have the task of writing end of semester reports.
The time and brainpower this takes is generally underestimated - on one occasion I kept a log book to try and measure the time I spent writing reports. For me it generally takes 2 hours per student in total - just on 60 hours for a Primary School Class (and I once worked corporate, so I consider myself organised and computer literate!)
I'm always looking for new ways to write comments, and new stimulus to inspire my writing.
The Victorian Government has produced a website with report writing tips for Teachers.
The NSW Government has a less comprehensive guide and a 'comment starter' tool. (You may need to enter via the portal.)
Wish us all luck as we approach our reporting period!
The time and brainpower this takes is generally underestimated - on one occasion I kept a log book to try and measure the time I spent writing reports. For me it generally takes 2 hours per student in total - just on 60 hours for a Primary School Class (and I once worked corporate, so I consider myself organised and computer literate!)
I'm always looking for new ways to write comments, and new stimulus to inspire my writing.
The Victorian Government has produced a website with report writing tips for Teachers.
The NSW Government has a less comprehensive guide and a 'comment starter' tool. (You may need to enter via the portal.)
Wish us all luck as we approach our reporting period!
Debating Introduction
Every year when I introduce debating to my class I show them a presentation to assist their familiarity with the whole concept.
Debating Introduction
Debating Introduction
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Debating Warm Up Games
This term we have been forming class teams for our unit of work on debating.
Yesterday we played these games in class with our new Debating Groups and it was so much fun!
The focus of these activities is:
- Sharing teamwork
- Convincing an audience
Both are important elements of conductng a successful debate.
Debating Warm Up Games
Yesterday we played these games in class with our new Debating Groups and it was so much fun!
The focus of these activities is:
- Sharing teamwork
- Convincing an audience
Both are important elements of conductng a successful debate.
Debating Warm Up Games
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The 2011 NSW Premier's Debating Challenge
This year our school is staking part in the NSW Premier's Debating Challenge.
All information relating to the competition can be found here.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Week 4 Focus: The Events That Led to Federation
In Week 4 we are focusing on the events that led to Australian Federation.
To begin, the ABC has a website dedicated to the Centenary of Federation from 2001 which has all kinds of links dedicated to telling the story of Australian Federation. It also includes an excellent overview of Aboriginal perspectives and the journey towards reconciliation and the 1967 referendum.
The ABC's comprehensive explanation of the process of uniting the colonies, establishing the Australian nation:
2 x fantastic 2 minute presentations suited to upper Primary students:
This second presentation focuses a little more on the White Australia Policy and may need some further explaining.
Some important images from Federation:
An invitation to a celebration of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901 from The National Archives of Australia.
Image of the first Commonwealth Ministry from The National Archives of Australia.
Image of the ceremony of the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament from the National Archives of Australia.
First Australian Prime Minister Edmund Barton's annontated copy of the constitution from 1891 - image from the National Archive of Australia.
An summary of events leading to Federation are found in this essay.
The Australian Government also has an excellent 'Federation: Fast Facts' web page, that includes a link to a Federation Timeline.
The Federation Pavillion is located in Sydney's Centennial Park - a walking distance from our school! You can see it here on this interactive map. The history and heritage of Centennial Park is discussed here. Photos of the Pavilion and a bit of information can be found here.
Finally, this is not exactly relating to Federation, but interesting to children is the 'Australia - A Federation in Stamps' clip.
To begin, the ABC has a website dedicated to the Centenary of Federation from 2001 which has all kinds of links dedicated to telling the story of Australian Federation. It also includes an excellent overview of Aboriginal perspectives and the journey towards reconciliation and the 1967 referendum.
The ABC's comprehensive explanation of the process of uniting the colonies, establishing the Australian nation:
2 x fantastic 2 minute presentations suited to upper Primary students:
This second presentation focuses a little more on the White Australia Policy and may need some further explaining.
Some important images from Federation:
An invitation to a celebration of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901 from The National Archives of Australia.
Image of the first Commonwealth Ministry from The National Archives of Australia.
Image of the ceremony of the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament from the National Archives of Australia.
First Australian Prime Minister Edmund Barton's annontated copy of the constitution from 1891 - image from the National Archive of Australia.
An summary of events leading to Federation are found in this essay.
The Australian Government also has an excellent 'Federation: Fast Facts' web page, that includes a link to a Federation Timeline.
The Federation Pavillion is located in Sydney's Centennial Park - a walking distance from our school! You can see it here on this interactive map. The history and heritage of Centennial Park is discussed here. Photos of the Pavilion and a bit of information can be found here.
Finally, this is not exactly relating to Federation, but interesting to children is the 'Australia - A Federation in Stamps' clip.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Exhibition: From Little Things Big Things Grow
The Museum of Sydney just finished presenting an exhibition called 'From Little Things Big Things Grow.'
This exhibition told the story of a group of Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who said 'That's not good enough' – and did something about it. The exhibition tells some uncomfortable truths and celebrates some 'ordinary extraordinary' heroes.
I attended the exhibition on the final weekend of showing and was so glad I did - there was so much information availble about the history of voting and citizenship rights for Aboriginal people in Australia.
Here are some photos from my visit!
Please note, if you would like to read the text just double click on each photo and a larger image will appear.
Perhaps you would like to sue this information in the Week 4 component of your Homework Assignment...
The entry to the exhibition:
The explanation at the beginning of the exhibition:
An image of protest:
The 1940s:
The 1950s:
The 1960s:
A voting booth from the time of the referendum:
The Aboriginal tent embassy:
The Freedom Ride:
Aboriginal Citizens called their citizenship papers 'dog tags':
Some information on citizenship:
Blog Ed
I suppose I'm walking a little on the dark side by not using NSW Department of Education IT resources.
Here is a link to a tour of the blog they'd like me to use in the classroom - which I will, one day soon.
Here is a link to a tour of the blog they'd like me to use in the classroom - which I will, one day soon.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Becoming an Australian Citizen
The Australian Government - Department of Immigration and Citizenship website has a fun 'Citizenship Ceremony' roleplay on their 'Resources for Schools' webpage.
My class is thinking of using this role play at our next assembly presentation!
Steam Heat Dance
We have a Performance Dance Group in Stage 3 and we are learning a Dance to a song called 'Steam Heat.'
The original footage is below:
The track only:
01 Steam Heat by miffymoo
Here is the information on the costume:
Steam Heat Costume Scribd
Practice is on Mondays Lunch One - after eating time. See you at the hall!
The original footage is below:
The track only:
01 Steam Heat by miffymoo
Here is the information on the costume:
Steam Heat Costume Scribd
Practice is on Mondays Lunch One - after eating time. See you at the hall!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Week 3 Focus: Democracy in Australia
This week our Stage focus is the 'Development of Democracy in Australia,' and the key participants in the process such as Sir Henry Parkes, Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin.
This comprehensive timeline documents the development of democracy in Australia.
The Parliament of NSW has a more child-friendly timeline and explanation of the events that contributed to federation, as well as an explanation on 'Federation and the Parliament of NSW.'
The National Museum of Australia has a 'Life at the time of Federation' Curriculum materials that are fully downloadable from their website.
This unit of work encourages students to investigate what life was like in Australia at the time of Federation through an examination of a 'time capsule' containing seven key objects used at the time of Federation. Students explore the meaning of these objects to reveal their role in our national identity and their importance in the Federation process.
The Australian Constitution is explained by the Parliamentary Education Office here.
A copy of the Australian Constitution is available here.
The 'Discovering Democracy' website has an amazing array of downloadable material and worksheets appropriate for upper primary students. They are also directly linked to NSW Outcomes. Now I need to go back to school and see if we have the 'video' ;) Can't wait until these websites are all updated with downloadable media.
Here are also some ESL Links that might be worth exploring.
A continent for Federation:
In Search of Democracy - Federation:
Presentation summarising the life and achievements of Sir Henry Parkes:
Actual footage of Australia's Federation Ceremony (silent):
This comprehensive timeline documents the development of democracy in Australia.
The Parliament of NSW has a more child-friendly timeline and explanation of the events that contributed to federation, as well as an explanation on 'Federation and the Parliament of NSW.'
The National Museum of Australia has a 'Life at the time of Federation' Curriculum materials that are fully downloadable from their website.
This unit of work encourages students to investigate what life was like in Australia at the time of Federation through an examination of a 'time capsule' containing seven key objects used at the time of Federation. Students explore the meaning of these objects to reveal their role in our national identity and their importance in the Federation process.
The Australian Constitution is explained by the Parliamentary Education Office here.
A copy of the Australian Constitution is available here.
The 'Discovering Democracy' website has an amazing array of downloadable material and worksheets appropriate for upper primary students. They are also directly linked to NSW Outcomes. Now I need to go back to school and see if we have the 'video' ;) Can't wait until these websites are all updated with downloadable media.
Here are also some ESL Links that might be worth exploring.
A continent for Federation:
In Search of Democracy - Federation:
Presentation summarising the life and achievements of Sir Henry Parkes:
Actual footage of Australia's Federation Ceremony (silent):
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Hungry Beast
ABC's Hungry Beast had a humorous story about 'Third World Monuments' last night. It compliments our homework study of Totalitarianism and Dictatorships really well!
I apolgise for the size of the viewer, the ABC will not let me choose my embed size.
And earlier, a story on North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il
I apolgise for the size of the viewer, the ABC will not let me choose my embed size.
And earlier, a story on North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Child Protection
Child Protection is an important Unit of Work in Stage 3.
It contains three themes:
- Recognising Abuse
- Power in Relationships
- Protective Strategies
The documents assist Teachers in implementing child protection education within the framework of the NSW Board of Studies, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) Years K-6 syllabus.
It provides curriculum materials to assist in developing student knowledge and understanding about child protection issues and skills in protective behaviours. It also supports teachers in the delivery of child protection education by discussing key concepts in child protection education, teaching strategies, community involvement and dealing with sensitive issues.
The curriculum support website containing all materials is here:
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/safe/cpe.htm
My presentation on 'Recognising Abuse' is available here, although it is locked by a password.
Same goes for the support material located here.
It contains three themes:
- Recognising Abuse
- Power in Relationships
- Protective Strategies
The documents assist Teachers in implementing child protection education within the framework of the NSW Board of Studies, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) Years K-6 syllabus.
It provides curriculum materials to assist in developing student knowledge and understanding about child protection issues and skills in protective behaviours. It also supports teachers in the delivery of child protection education by discussing key concepts in child protection education, teaching strategies, community involvement and dealing with sensitive issues.
The curriculum support website containing all materials is here:
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/safe/cpe.htm
My presentation on 'Recognising Abuse' is available here, although it is locked by a password.
Same goes for the support material located here.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
CAPA Groups: Creative Dance
We run Creative and Performing Arts performance groups weekly for approximately 40 minutes, rotating groups about once a term.
This year I am delivering Stage 3 Creative Dance while other Teachers on my stage teach Music, Drama, and Computer Art.
The NSW Department of Education has created this Dance Resource Page for Stage 3, it includes suggested programming, scope and sequences and units of work.
Stage 3 Curriculum Support for Dance is here, and there is a page dedicated to Units of Work.
This term I will be delivering the 'Dance Solutions' Unit of Work.
Stage 3 Dance Program
I was really lucky to finally get my hands on the 'Quantum Leaps' music CD today and thought I would see if I could upload the audio files to this blog, so they would never be lost again, here goes!
01 DET Quantum LeapsTrack 01 by miffymoo
02 DET Quantum Leaps Track 02 by miffymoo
03 DET Quantum Leaps Track 03 by miffymoo
04 DET Quantum Leaps Track 04 by miffymoo
05 DET Quantum LeapsTrack 05 by miffymoo
06 DET Quantum Leaps Track 06 by miffymoo
07 DET Quantum Leaps Track 07 by miffymoo
08 DET Quantum Leaps Track 08 by miffymoo
09 DET Quantum Leaps Track 09 by miffymoo
LESSON TWO
In this lesson there is a focus on Busby Berkeley's Dance Formations.
Extension - Examine the form of an icosahedron.
Rudolf Van Laban experimented with movement using all the possible directions indicated by the planes of this form. Create a short gestural sequence that explores these directions.
This year I am delivering Stage 3 Creative Dance while other Teachers on my stage teach Music, Drama, and Computer Art.
The NSW Department of Education has created this Dance Resource Page for Stage 3, it includes suggested programming, scope and sequences and units of work.
Stage 3 Curriculum Support for Dance is here, and there is a page dedicated to Units of Work.
This term I will be delivering the 'Dance Solutions' Unit of Work.
Stage 3 Dance Program
I was really lucky to finally get my hands on the 'Quantum Leaps' music CD today and thought I would see if I could upload the audio files to this blog, so they would never be lost again, here goes!
01 DET Quantum LeapsTrack 01 by miffymoo
02 DET Quantum Leaps Track 02 by miffymoo
03 DET Quantum Leaps Track 03 by miffymoo
04 DET Quantum Leaps Track 04 by miffymoo
05 DET Quantum LeapsTrack 05 by miffymoo
06 DET Quantum Leaps Track 06 by miffymoo
07 DET Quantum Leaps Track 07 by miffymoo
08 DET Quantum Leaps Track 08 by miffymoo
09 DET Quantum Leaps Track 09 by miffymoo
LESSON TWO
In this lesson there is a focus on Busby Berkeley's Dance Formations.
Extension - Examine the form of an icosahedron.
Rudolf Van Laban experimented with movement using all the possible directions indicated by the planes of this form. Create a short gestural sequence that explores these directions.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Week 2: Homework Booklet Resources
Today we distributed a homework booklet to all Year 5 & 6 students.
There are a number of internet links included in the homework booklet, I have added them here so they may be accessed conveniently.
Week 2, Task One - Communism: http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/co/Communism
Week 2, Task Three - Totalitarianism:
http://villageofjoy.com/north-korea-most-isolated-country-in-the-world/
Week 4, Writing Task - Option One, Women's Right to Vote:
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-suffragettes
Week 4, Writing Task - Option Two, Indigenous (Aboriginal) citizenship & voting:
http://www.aec.gov.au/voting/indigenous_vote/aborigin.htm
Week 6, Task Two - Head of State:
http://www.peo.gov.au/students/fss/fss17.html
Week 6, Task Two - Head of State (second website):
http://www.gg.gov.au/content.php/category/id/1/title/role
EXTENSION AND ENRICHMENT - Visit these websites and enjoy!
Freedom to Choose
http://www.peo.gov.au/kidsview/funstuff/index.html
• Explores the meaning of democracy. Arrange the stars on the Australian flag to reveal different quotes on democracy. Click on the stars to play the national anthem.
Make a Difference
http://www.peo.gov.au/kidsview/democracy/diff.html
• Looks at what it means to be an active citizen. Investigate different ways of getting informed and getting active to solve a local issue.
Our House
http://www.peo.gov.au/kidsview/parlhouse/ourhouse.html
• Explores Australia's Parliament House as a meeting place. Follow the images, listen to the sound grabs and reflect on why people come to APH.
• Ideal to watch and interact with this clip before our Canberra trip!
Signatures of Oz
http://www.peo.gov.au/kidsview/parltreas/sigoz.html
• Explores the historical connection between parliamentary treasures and parliament today. Select the right stamp and send each postcard to parliament.
• Another site worth visiting before our Canberra trip – learn about Parliament House before we visit!
Our Government
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-government
• A good summary that will help you to further discover the background and structure of government in Australia.
Parliamentary Quiz
http://www.peo.gov.au/multimedia/games.html
• Test your knowledge, remember, you will know more towards the end of the term!
Watch the Opening of the first Australian Parliament House by King George VI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYFzfRYVrW0
• Original footage from The provisional Parliament House opened on 9 May 1927
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