Literacy Development through History

Dear parents and carers, 

 

What? 

This term our learning in history will be linked with literacy. We are beginning our unit on Australian society by reading the book 'Weslandia' by Paul Fleischman. We will develop our literacy skills by looking at how the character Wesley started his own civilization. We will compare that with how Australian society developed, specifically looking at the beginning of hydro power in Tasmania. We will look at individuals' contribution to our society and factors that influence what a society will be like.  

Did you know...

Launceston had Australia's first hydro-electric power station at Duck Reach.  

We will research into the individuals that made this happen, and factors that influenced development, such as rivers, topography and population centres. In groups we will delve into inquiry into the Duck Reach Power Station. We will walk to the site of the original power station and explore the area and information plaques available.

Why?

Using the story Weslandia will help students relate to people's personal experiences of beginning societies and why people create new things. Stories have a unique communciation style that allows students to move beyond seeing words, to seeing sentences and ideas and thoughts on issues (Grugeon & Garder, 2013).
Through our inquiry, we will come to understand more about the factors that make change necessary, and the people that make change possible. This will link to the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability as we think about our energy supplies and how we use them. 

How?

Wesley faced criticism for his inventions and revolutionary ideas. We will compare his triumphs with that of early citizens of Australia. Using a fictional text in this way can help students construct understanding, and make meaning (Bage, 2012). Through looking at the thoughts and feelings of our character in a similar situation, we will come to a greater understanding about how people can make a society and build a nation.

Just as Wesley used available resources to create a product, we will look at how people used the river to make a product - electricity. This links with our science unit for this term about electricity.

Students will have the opportunity to create their own story book from the information they have gathered. Using Weslandia as a guide, students will create a story from the viewpoint of a child living in Launceston in 1895 when the first station was built. They will write about things like why their city needed a power station, how they felt about it, and what impact it had on Launceston.

Here's how you can help...

• Whenever you walk past an information plaque with your child, read through it together and record any questions for further class study
• Show your child a recent power bill and talk about the types of things that need power and where the power comes from
• Think about how life has changed for you or grandparents over time, and share with your child about why that might be

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2018). HASS. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2018). Sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/sustainability/

Bage, G. (2012). Narrative matters: Teaching history through story. New York, NY: Routledge.

Fleischman, P. (2007). Weslandia. London: Walker Books.

Grugeon, E., & Garder, P. (2013). The art of storytelling for teachers and pupils: Using stories to develop literacy in primary classrooms. New York, NY: Routledge.

Tasmanian Government. Duck Reach and Launceston's Electric Light. Retrieved from http://duckreach.com.au/ 

Tasmanian Government. The Historic Elements of Duck Reach. Retrieved from http://duckreach.com.au/the-historic-elements/

Citizenship learning through Geography

 Dear parents and carers,

 

What?

This term our HASS focus will be citizenship and geography. We will be learning about the relationship of our city, Launceston, to one of our Sister Cities in Asia.

Ikeda, Japan

Our class will be learning about our connections to different places. We will look at areas such as tourism, cultural differences, and life for Year 6 students in this part of the world. We will also look at individuals' experiences of life as a new citizen of Australia, migrating from a country in Asia. This will also help us learn more about Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia, one of the cross-curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum.

Why?

Australia has many connections with countries in Asia, and it influences our lives in tourism, food, entertainment and manufacturing (Medcalf, 2018). Learning more about Asia will prepare students to continue fostering these connections in the future, better preparing them for global business and education (Schultz et al., 2009).

It is my hope that our class will become more empathetic and appreciative of the connections between these two places (ACARA, 2018). In comparing the similarities and differences in citizenship between Australia and Asia, we will gain an understanding of our role as citizens both locally and globally (Gerritsen & Riello, 2015).

Students will be developing their skills in personal and social capability, and intercultural understanding. These general capabilities are important for students to be able to participate fully as active citizens our our world.

How?

As a gift to Launceston in 1965, Ikeda gave an exhibit of Japanese macaques. We will visit the exhibit in City Park and discuss questions about the park.

• Why was this gift given?
• What part does City Park play in our culture in Launceston?
• Are there any other Asian influences here we can see?

We will explore the relationship between Launceston and Ikeda using sources like historical records and newspaper articles to learn about education and tourism partnerships.

We will be considering how our lives have been impacted by Asia. For a whole day, students will be creating a log of the parts of their day that were possible because of Asia. For example, did you read an anime comic in recess or go to karate practice after school?

Students will also have the opportunity to write letters to a Japanese pen-pal at our sister school.

Using their log and information on connections between the cities, students will create a poster on how their life as a citizen of Australia has been impacted by Asia. This will encourage deep analytical and creative thinking as students consider the connections between their culture and the rest of the world (Walton, Priest, & Paradies, 2013).

How can you help?

• Alongside your child, think and discuss about the impact of Asia on Australia
• Assist in logging parts of the day with Asian influence
• Share with your child your experience of being a citizen of Australia and how you have been impacted by other cultures

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2018. HASS. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/

Gerritsen, A., & Riello, G. (2015). The global lives of things: the material culture of connections in the early modern world. New York, NY: Routledge.

Medcalf, R. (2018). Reimagining Asia: From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific. In International Relations and Asia’s Southern Tier (pp. 9-28). Springer, Singapore.

Schultz, L., Guevara, J. R., Ratnam, S., Wierenga, A., Wyn, J., & Sowerby, C. (2009). Global connections:‘a tool for active citizenship’. Development in Practice, 19(8), 1023-1034.

Walton, J., Priest, N., & Paradies, Y. (2013). Identifying and developing effective approaches to foster intercultural understanding in schools. Intercultural education, 24(3), 181-194.

Citizenship learning through Australian History

Dear parents and carers, 

 

What?

In HASS this term, students will be learning about our role as citizens in our world in the context of issues faced by children across different times and in different countries (Harcourt & Keen, 2012). We will be looking at children being held in detention on Nauru, and the experiences of children from the Stolen Generations. 

Why?

This links to our studies in Civics and Citizenship, and History. Students will discuss and form opinions on our role in society, both locally and globally. As citizens of the world, we can help make it the kind of place we want to live in. This links to HASS key concepts and how we see the world and our place in it. 

Students will be learning about local and global citizenship, looking at different viewpoints on topics, and gathering information to inform their learning.  

Students will develop their reflection skills when faced with issues, preparing them to make informed decisions as citizens in our world. This will increase students' ethical and intercultural understanding of the world around them, giving students the skills to become active participants in their world (ACARA, 2016a). 

 

We will be gaining an appreciation for the Cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Histories and Cultures.

How?

Our learning begins with the film, The Rabbit Proof Fence. Students will consider differences in their own lives and the lives of children in different times and places. Students will choose an high power inquiry question and begin gathering information (Serrat, 2017). Through various sources students will experience different viewpoints and perspectives (Molina-Giron, 2016). 

We will discuss issues raised from our findings. Students will make a video log or journal imagining they are a child that has no citizenship rights or safe place to call home. They can present from a mixture of differing viewpoints such as an aid worker, government member, or the individual child (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2017). We will write a letter to the newspaper sharing our feelings on the topic of child detention.

Students will be encouraged to consider our role as global citizens.

What does this mean? 

What can we do?

Here's how you can help...

It is my hope that through our studies we will be a more informed, understanding and reflective class on our rights and responsibilities as citizens. As parents and carers, you can support your child in the following ways:

Discuss with them any current news topics based on citizenship rights. 

Share about your experiences as a citizen. 

Be prepared to consider alternate viewpoints to your own. 

I am aware that the detention of children may be a difficult topic for some students to discuss, considering diverse backgrounds and experiences. However, I consider these stories and experiences invaluable to our learning and empathetic understanding (Henderson, 2010). I also understand that some things may be too much to share in a classroom setting. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any queries or concerns at all.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2016a. General Capabilities. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2016b. Cross-curriculum Priorities. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2018. HASS. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/hass/
Harcourt, D., & Keen, D. (2012). Learner engagement: Has the child been lost in translation?. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 71.

Henderson, D. J. (2010). Civics and citizenship education in the national history curriculum: conducting the same music or rehearsing an incomplete tune?. Social Educator, 28(1), 18-26.

Gilbert, R., & Hoepper, B. (Eds.). (2017). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, Geography, Economics and Citizenship (6th edn.). Southbank, VIC: Cengage Learning.

Molina-Giron, L. A. (2016). Civics is largely about politics: The possibilities and challenges of a citizenship education pedagogy that embraces democratic politics and recognizes diversity. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 18(1), 142-157.

Serrat, O. (2017). Asking effective questions. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 889-895). Singapore: Springer.