For the second year in a row, our students have been involvved in the 1001 tales project. This year our year 6 students have been partnered with schools in Barcelona and America. Each student has to post a story, which their partner students then edit. The project is almost at a close and as usual, our students have learnt much about writing interesting stories and in how to write constructive and helpful advice.
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Tagged: 1001tales
In response to some questions from our partnership school in Guadaloupe, French Carribean, we were asked to summarise some of the significant events in Australia’s history. We decided to try out www.tokbox.com Apart from discovering that we need a much better microphone, the actual tool was brilliant. Just like voicethread, once you have finished, you have finished. It just needs embedding in your blog. Anyway, for what it’s worth, here is our first tokbox.
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Tagged: australian history, guadaloupe, tokbox
Our year 6 Graduation Dinner is booked for December 4th and we will start working on some fun things to do for the night. The first thing I am asking the students to do as individuals is to write a letter to their parents, but they are going to fast forward to 2018 when the students will be 21 and 22. I know that most of them think they will never be that age, but I assured them they will.
The letter is to include information about their aspirations re occupation, lifestyle, car, pets, where they are living and what they are doing. They need to remember, that mum and dad will of course know all this – so their letter has to be a chatty letter, which lets us know what it is you are up to.
eg. Dear mum and dad, you should have seen the cute little kitten that came in today. We had to operate on it’s eye and it was so tiny. The vet up the road was busy, so we had to take it. I was pleased to get home tonight and obviously Brutus was pleased to see me. These little staffies are the cutest little dogs. I’m pleased that I am able to keep a pet in these lovely St Kilda Road units – I would be lost without him. (you get the picture)
I asked the students to use adjectives and to “show – don’t tell.” I look forward to posting some of their letters here next week, for you to read.
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Tagged: Literacy activities
This is a post from one of my year 6 students, which she wrote for the blog action day project. I have to remind myself as I read it, that she is only 12 years old. What do you think?
As I see it, world poverty is the most terrible thing in the world. Compared to other problems in the world, poverty is definitely the saddest and hardest. Imagine if you were living in a developing country, no family, no food, no money, no friends, not enough food and no clean water. One person dies every 3 seconds , from poverty. What if that was your best friend, your mother, your brother or sister. It could even be you! No one deserves to die from AIDS / HIV, malaria or other diseases. No one should have to starve to death! It’s just not how the world should work.
In the year 2000, the United Nations came together and set 8 Millennium goals.
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger – imagine how much that would change people’s lives and give them a stable life?
2. Achieve universal primary education – that would give every child the education that they deserve.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women – this will make the world a fair place and give girls and women an important job or leadership role.
4. Improve maternal health – achieving this goal will keep young and old mothers healthy through pregnancy and birth.
5. Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases – this will help curing and stopping these awful life threatening diseases from spreading.
6. Ensure environmental sustainability – this keeps water and the environment sustainable. People in developing countries would be able to develop food crops, water ways and ensure their environments were self generating and sustainable.
7. Reduce child mortality by two thirds for children under 5 – this means getting children immunised against preventable diseases and possible death.
8. Develop a global partnership for development – this will bring the world together as one to eradicate world poverty for good.
A good start to life, an education, clean water, housing, medical help, sustainability and the ability to provide enough for their families, is what can be achieved through pursuing these 8 goals. Let’s keep our governments on target.
Chloe
→ 2 CommentsCategories: Hot topics
Tagged: blog action day, oxfam, poverty
We have just finished listening to a 7 CD set of Tomorrow When the War Began. I have a number of readers in year 7 who would not have coped with reading this fabulous novel by themselves, so over a period of about 10 lessons, we listened to the excellent narration of this story. I have now set the students a book response project which they are working on over the next fortnight. I have been able to incorporate the web 2.0 tools into the requirements which caters for all student learning styles. Questions 1 and 10 are compulsory.
1. Retell the story – using the 6 key events. Write about 50 words for each of the 6 key events, explaining the story and how this event was significant. You might like to use voicethread.com to do this. You could upload 6 different pictures to match each of the key events. Remember to acknowledge all sources of images.
2. Choose a character and create a profile on him or her. Use a word web to do this. Think of the following sub headings – personality, friends, strengths, weaknesses, how important was their role in the story, likes, dislikes etc. You may like to interview this character and video it. Ask questions which would demonstrate their personality.
3. Create a quiz about the book, using mystudyo.com include at least 10 questions.
4. Write at least 200 words on the topic “War changes the rules”. You can use audacity to create a podcast on this topic.
5. Create a diorama from the story, Hell, Hermit’s hut, Showgrounds, Wirrawee
6. Write a conversation between Elly and one of the others, when they were planning the trip. Use sms language.
7. Create a collage using magazine pictures – creating images from the story.
8. Write a poem which demonstrates the emotions and thoughts Elly or one of the others was experiencing throughout the story.
9. Imagine you are a news reporter who has stumbled across Hell and the kids. Record an interview using the flip videos, between you and the characters asking them what has happened so far.
10. Your opinion of the book – which must include:
a. Reasons why you did or didn’t like the story
b. What it was exactly about the story that you did or didn’t enjoy
c. Is this the type of story you would normally read? Why or why not?
d. What sort of books do you normally read? Why?
e. Would you recommend this story to other readers – why or why not?
f. Who would you recommend this story to?
.
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I found this link on Twitter. It is a poem called “The Little Boy” written by Heather Buckley which should speak to all educators out there. See what you think.
→ No CommentsCategories: Thought Provoking Thoughts
Tagged: learning styles
One of SARK’s recent writing challenges, was to create an affirmative alphabet – all words had to be positive or affirmative. I set this challenge for my students. These are some of the words they came up with.
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Tagged: awesome alphabet, SARK
I have set these simple writing challenges for my year 6 students for a bit of fun while they are on a 2 week term break.
• Hug at least one person each day (yes you can hug your brother or sister – that counts as 2 hugs:)
• Every day make an observation in your writing journals about
o An animal you see by naming the animal and then supplying 2 adjectives which describe it eg. CROW – shiny and scheming
o The weather and what you are doing each day– but the challenge is to make this interesting and fun. Don’t tell me the temperature – show me! eg Saturday – rubber boots, long sleeves, Kung Fu Panda and hot milo in front of the heater.
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Tagged: holiday homework, writing challenges
Please take the time to listen to the messages of peace, recorded by some of my year 6 students, in celebration of International Peace Day which falls on September 21st 2008. I hope they will inspire you as they have me.
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Tagged: international peace day
I am one excited writer, blogger, liver and lover of life and all it’s mysteries, adventures, thrills and spills. I have discovered SARK
If you want to be inspired beyond belief in your writing quest, in your journey to quash the inner doubts which plague and beset the author inside you – do yourself a favour and buy “Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper” and visit SARK’s blog.
Can’t write anymore now – have to go grab a coffee, find some outrageously coloured clothes, a purple hat, a bright pink feather boa and sink into a big soft couch with my juicy pen and thirsty paper. Chat soon.
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Tagged: SARK
