games | OpenSTEM Pty Ltd

Celebration Time!

Here at OpenSTEM we have a saying “we have a resource on that” and we have yet to be caught out on that one! It is a festive time of year and if you’re looking for resources reflecting that theme, then here are some suggestions:

Celebrations in Australia – a resource covering the occasions we celebrate here in Australia

Celebrations Around the World – a resource comparing some familiar and some different celebrations around the world

Celebrations in the Past – sometimes students can gain a new approach on the past by seeing how familiar celebrations used to be commemorated. This resource looks at a range of celebrations (including Christmas) and has lots of historic photos and images to help students experience a different perspective.

If you’re looking for activities to keep spirits alive in the final weeks of term, or ways of keeping excited young people entertained, then we have some resources which may help:

Games from the Past – students can play a variety of games from around the world and through time. Some of these are good for running around in open spaces and some can be done in the classroom. All of the them tie in to themes that students have covered in HASS subjects through the year.

Food in the Past – if you’re looking for ideas for a class party or other celebration, this resource contains recipes for celebratory foods from around the world and through time – students can experience the past through their taste buds!

If you’re looking for stories – Living in the Past and Children In the Past contain tales of fictional children in realistic historic settings around the world, including Australia.

These are just some of our resources that can be used to brighten up the final weeks of the year and keep students engaged. If you have a subscription, now might be a good time to browse through the site checking for new or updated resources or grabbing that resource that you saw earlier and thought looked interesting.

However you celebrate, all of us at OpenSTEM wish you a very Merry Festive Season and a wonderful start to 2018! We look forward to catching up in the New Year!

This Week in HASS – term 3, week 9

OpenSTEM’s ® Understanding Our World® Units are designed to cover 9 weeks of the term, because we understand that life happens. Sports carnivals, excursions and other special events are also necessary parts of the school year and even if the calendar runs according to plan, having a little bit of breathing space at the end of term can be essential for teachers and students alike. We have many suggestions for activities that can keep the students engaged and learning if there is extra time at the end of term.

So this week is the last week of scheduled lessons in our term 3 units. This week our younger students are ending the term on a high note with a class party! Older students are completing their Reflections on the term’s Scientific Report and engaging in a discussion on the role of Science in our society – always topical.

Foundation/Prep/Kindy to Year 3

The second half of the year can be tough for younger students – they are often starting to get tired and attention may be flagging at this stage. In order to liven things up, the units for Foundation/Prep/Kindy (Unit F.3), Year 1 (Unit 1.3), Year 2 (Unit 2.3), Year 3 (Unit 3.3) and combined Foundation/Prep/Kindy and Year 1 (Unit F-1.3) have a class party scheduled for this week. A range of options are discussed in the Teacher Handbooks – building on year level appropriate material covered during the term. Our Food In the Past resource is always popular and even contains recipes tailored to match the stories covered by students earlier in the term. However, sometimes food is not practical in the classroom, in which case dress-ups, decorations and games can promote the party atmosphere! Our Games From the Past resource has a range of activities both new and familiar, which students love. These games are also matched to the places from the stories covered in the beginning of the term, allowing the teacher to provide a coherent theme for the term.

Years 3 to 6

The older students have finished or are finishing off their Scientific Reports. This week there is an opportunity for them to reflect on what they have learnt during the term. The Student Workbook guides the students through the task of looking back at their work for the term, naming the enjoyable aspects of their projects, as well as any challenges encountered. Students are encouraged to think about alternate ways they could have approached their work, as well as recapping what they have learnt (an important step in integrating their knowledge). These skills of re-evaluating their own work and the processes they used are critical in the development of independent thinking and in teaching them how to manage their work, not only as they go on towards high school, but also for work habits in later life. In addition, we suggest a class discussion on the perspectives Science provides on issues in the world. How do modern perspectives differ from historical ones and what role has Science played in changing our understanding of these issues. The discussion of these points also addresses key parts of the curriculum. Students in Year 3 (Unit 3.7) will consider how their capital city or local community has changed over time. Those in Year 4 (Unit 4.3) can discuss our understanding of Australia before Europeans arrived and around the time of the First Fleet – how has our understanding of Aboriginal Australia changed over time? Year 5 (Unit 5.3) classes can compare colonial Australia to modern Australia and Year 6 (Unit 6.3) students will consider how Australia has changed since Federation.

This Week in HASS – term 3, week 3

This week our youngest students are playing games from different places around the world, in the past. Slightly older students are completing the Timeline Activity. Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 are starting to sink their teeth into their research project for the term, using the Scientific Process.

Foundation/Prep/Kindy to Year 3

This week students in stand-alone Foundation/Prep/Kindy classes (Unit F.3) and those integrated with Year 1 (Unit F-1.3) are examining games from the past. The teacher can choose to match these to the stories from Week 1 of the unit, as games are listed matching each of the places and time periods included in those stories. However, some games are more practical to play than others, and some require running around, so the teacher may wish to choose games which suit the circumstances of each class. Teachers can discuss how different places have different types of games and why these games might be chosen in those places (e.g. dragons in China and lions in Africa).

Students in Years 1 (Unit 1.3), 2 (Unit 2.3) and 3 (Unit 3.3) have this week to finish off the Timeline Activity. The Timeline activity requires some investment of time, which can be done as 2 half hour sessions or one longer session. Some flexible timing is built into the unit for teachers who want to match this activity to the number line in Maths, and other revise or cover the number line in more depth as a complement to this activity.

Years 3 to 6

Last week students in Years 3 to 6 chose a research topic, related to a theme in Australian History. Different themes are studied by different year levels. Students in Year 3 (Unit 3.7) study a topic in the history of their capital city or local community. Students in Year 4 (Unit 4.3) study a topic from Australian history in the precolonial or early colonial periods. Students in Year 5 (Unit 5.3) study a topic from Australian colonial history and students in Year 6 (Unit 6.3) study a topic related to Federation or 20th century Australian history. These research topics are undertaken as a Scientific Investigation. This week the focus is on defining a Research Question and undertaking Background Research. Student workbooks will guide students through the process of choosing a research question within their chosen topic, and then how to start the Background Research. These sections will be included in the Scientific Report each student produces at the end of this unit. OpenSTEM resources available with each unit provide a starting point for this Background Research.

E.A.K. | Erase All Kittens

E.A.K. (Erase All Kittens) is an online platform game that teaches kids (yes that’s you!) to code and create on the web. It does this in a unique way – by encouraging hacking into levels, written in HTML and CSS (the languages of websites) – in order to complete the game.

Now go forth and save some kittens!