Tag: celebrations

This Week in HASS – term 1, week 9

The last week of our first unit – time to wrap up, round off, finish up any work not yet done and to perhaps get a preliminary taste of what’s to come in future units. Easter holidays are just around the corner. Our youngest students are having a final discussion about celebrations; slightly older students are finishing off their quest for Aunt Madge, by looking at landmarks and the older students are considering democracy in Australia, compared to its early beginnings in Ancient Greece.

Foundation to Year 3

Foundation/Prep (units F.1 and F.6) students are finishing off their discussions about celebrations, just in time for the Easter holidays, by looking at celebrations around the world. Teachers may wish to focus on how other countries celebrate Easter, with passion plays, processions and special meals. Students in Years 1 (unit 1.1), 2 (unit 2.1) and 3 (unit 3.1) are finishing off their Aunt Madge activity, looking at landmarks in Australia and around the world. There is the option for teachers to concentrate on Australian landmarks in this lesson, setting the stage for some local history studies in the next unit, next term.

Years 3 to 6

Ancient Greek pottery with votes scratched into the surface

Older students in Years 3 (unit 3.5), 4 (unit 4.1), 5 (unit 5.1) and 6 (unit 6.1) start looking ahead and laying the foundations for later studies on the Australian system of government and democracy, by comparing democracy as it arose in Ancient Greece, with the modern Australian democratic system. Our word for democracy comes from the Ancient Greek words demos (people) and kratia (power). Students move on from their discussion of Eratosthenes to looking at the Ancient Greek democratic system, which was to lay the groundwork for modern democratic systems around the world. Discussing Ancient Greek democracy leads students to consider the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen, at both the local and international levels. Students also consider who could and could not vote and what this meant for different groups. They can also touch on the ancient practise of ostracism, which can lead to ethical debates around fair election practises. By considering these fundamental concepts, students are better able to relate the ideas around modern democracy to their own lives.

 

This Week in HASS – term 1, week 7

This week our youngest students are looking in depth at different types of celebrations; slightly older students are examining how people got around in the ‘Olden Days’; and our older primary students have some extra time to finish their activities from last week.

Foundation to Year 3

First car made in Qld, 1902

In the stand-alone Foundation (Prep) unit (F.1), students are discussing celebrations – which ones do we recognise in Australia, how these compare with celebrations overseas, and what were these celebrations like in days gone by. Our integrated Foundation (Prep) unit (F.5) and students in Years 1 (1.1), 2 (2.1) and 3 (3.1), are examining Transport in the Past – how did their grandparents get around? How did people get around 100 years ago? How did kids get to school? How did people do the shopping? Students even get to dream about how we might get around in the future…

Years 3 to 6

Making mud bricks

At OpenSTEM we recognise that good activities, which engage students and allow for real learning, take time. Nobody likes to get really excited about something and then be rushed through it and quickly moved on to something else. This part of the unit has lots of hands-on activities for Year 3 (3.5) students in an integrated class with Year 4, as well as Year 4 (4.1), 5 (5.1) and 6 (6.1) students. In recognition of that, two weeks are allowed for the students to really get into making Ice Ages and mud bricks, and working out how to survive the challenges of living in a Neolithic village – including how to trade, count and write. Having enough time allows for consolidation of learning, as well as allowing teachers to potentially split the class into different groups engaged in different activities, and then rotate the groups through the activities over a 2 week period.

This Week in HASS: term 1 week 1

We thought it would be fun to track what’s happening in schools using our primary HASS program, on a weekly basis. Now we know that some of you are doing different units and some will start in different weeks, depending on what state you’re in, what term dates you have etc, but we will run these posts based off those schools which are implementing the units in numerical order and starting in the week beginning 30 January, 2017.

Week 1 is an introductory week for all units, and usually sets some foundations for the rest of the unit.

Foundation to Year 3

Our youngest students are still finding their feet in the new big world of school! We have 2 units for Term 1, depending on whether the class is standalone, or integrating with some Year 1 students. This week standalone classes will be starting a discussion about their families – geared towards making our newest students feel welcome and comfortable at school.

Those integrating with Year 1 or possibly Year 2, as well, will start working with their teachers on a Class Calendar, marking terms and holidays, as well as celebrations such as birthdays and public holidays. This helps younger students start to map out the coming year, as well as provide a platform for discussions about how they spent the holidays. Year 2 and 3 students may choose to focus more on discussing which season we are in now, and what the weather’s like at the moment (I’m sure most of you are in agreement that it’s too hot!). Students can track the weather on the calendar as well.

Years 3 to 6

Some Year 3 students may be in classes integrating with Year 4 students, rather than Year 2. Standalone Year 3 classes have a choice of doing either unit. These older students will be undertaking the Timeline Activity and getting a physical sense of history and spans of time. Students love an excuse to get outdoors, even when it’s hot, and this activity gives them a preview of material they will be covering later in the year, as well as giving them a hands-on understanding of how time has passed and how where we are compares to past events. This activity can even reinforce the concept of a number line from Maths, in a very kinaesthetic way.