Made environments – information

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This term, Stage 3 students will be completing a collaboratively-taught unit of work in science on Made environments – information, with particular emphasis on early and modern communication devices, types of codes, digital citizenship and eSafety. This week, the students completed a pre-test survey sheet from the SLIM toolkit (Guided Inquiry) to provide some baseline data, both qualitative and quantitative. We also revisited the Orbit interface of our OLIVER library system to familiarise the students with its capabilities.

We aim to communicate our cumulative findings as entries on a blog, which can be shared with each class and beyond the school.

Coincidentally, today is International Safer Internet Day 2018. “Celebrated globally in 130 countries, Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, and national Safer Internet Centres across Europe.” This year’s SID theme is “Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you”.


1.1 – Stone Age to Modern Age – evolution of communication


What is communication


16 famous logos with a hidden meaning (that we never even noticed)

Addressing English outcomes in library lessons

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Today, I want to explore with my teacher colleagues the upcoming National Simultaneous Storytime picture book for 2018, Hickory dickory dash by Tony Wilson & Laura Wood, and how it fits into our existing K-2 literacy cycle, and how it can address English outcomes for Stage 2 and Stage 3 students (see Objective C).

English K-10 syllabus outcome (From NSW Education Standards Authority, NESA):


English Objective C
English Objective C

We will also briefly discuss:

* aspects of Guided Inquiry activities for Stage 2 and Stage 3, team-taught, library lessons this year (Note: units use the KLA’s own syllabus outcomes plus related English outcomes)

* revisit the concept of pre-, mid- and post- surveys for students (from the SLIM toolkit) to collect both qualitative and quantitative data (action research)

* some possible strategies for improving student attitudes and successes with longer form fiction, such as novels (see Objective D).

English K-10 syllabus outcome (From NSW Education Standards Authority, NESA):


English Objective D
English Objective D

OASIS searching:



Searching the library catalogue in Oliver


Students searching with the Orbit interface in Oliver

More about Western Sydney Airport

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Stage 3 students continue their investigations in geography (Humans shape places) into the plans to build a second Sydney airport at Badgery’s Creek.

Some links include:
westernsydneyairport.gov.au/

Interactive portal

Liverpool City Council – Planning

Liverpool City Council – Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Fables and frogs

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Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students are learning about Spring, the life cycle of the frog and the fable, “The exploding frog” (aka “The frog and the ox”).


The life cycle of a frog


Life cycle of a frog


Panama frogs serenade females – The trials of life – BBC


The mystery of the red-eyed tree frog

Here are the links we have used in previous years:
ianmclean.edublogs.org/2011/10/18/frogs-frogs-frogs-life-cycles-fables/.

Humans shape places: Badgery’s Creek Airport

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Stage 3 students will be researching the Geography unit, Humans shape places, with particular emphasis on the numerous false starts on Sydney’s proposed second international airport.

Second Sydney airport – a chronology

These Youtube clips will be a useful starting point for developing field knowledge.


Badgery’s Creek Airport to be ready by 2000 for the Sydney Olympic Games


Sydney Airport 2000 Building your Olympic airport documentary


Western Sydney Airport explained – 12 December 2016


Ten Eyewitness News Sydney-Badgery’s Creek Airport Project (2/5/2017)

CBCA Book Week 2017: Escape to Everywhere

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BW KF 3F

Here are this year’s class displays to celebrate CBCA Book Week!

Click HERE to view a slideshow.

Jimmy Cook

BW 34M d

BW 3W

We also had a visit from author Bruce Pickworth, a former teacher at our school. He introduced his book The godwits to students in Class 23, and all of Stage 2 and Stage 3.

Godwits

Bruce Pickworth 2

Bruce Pickworth

BW 56N Godwits

And here are some old friends…

Bear and Chook 3

BTN and Kid Architects, Built Environments

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The Stage 3 students continue to investigate the built environment in the school library.

The Kid Architects story from BTN (“Behind the News”) should prove useful.

This month has also seen the revision of plans for Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s signature art project for the Sydney CBD: a massive metal “Cloud Arch” structure, which would tower over the intersection between the Sydney Town Hall, Queen Victoria Building and Woolworth’s Corner, with the light rail tracks passing beneath. Since first being announced, the structures shape has been refined but the cost has almost quadrupled. See the Daily Telegraph‘s story HERE.

Sydney’s new light rail project: Stage 3 Built Environments

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Our Stage 3 students are exploring the built environment in their current geography unit. Some of these students did work on the planning that went into Sydney’s current light rail projects when they were in Stage 2, so I will need to establish some baseline data as to their current field knowledge on the topic during the library sessions this term.

Here are some of our useful Youtube clips:


Sydney’s Light Rail future with audio commentary – Transport for New South Wales


Sydney Light Rail flythrough – May 2015 [Sydney CBD]


Western Sydney Light Rail concept flythrough [Parramatta CBD]

The students are probably also aware of the recent building projects (Thornton Estate) and our local railway station modifications at Penrith:


Future of Sydney – Penrith