Author: mreale0

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Year 4 Lesson mind map – The value of water!

Water_thoughts_882x300

In this lesson students will look at:

  • The importance of water
  • Discover ways to save water
  • In groups decide on a water saving topic that they can present using digital technologies

Background to this lesson:
Students have been learning about water pollution over the past three lessons. To make the more learning authentic students will have an opportunity to look at water usage in relation to their own lives. Further to this, students will be asked to create a 2-4 minute presentation using digital technologies on how to save water.

In the last lesson students learn about filtering water and come to a realisation that minimising water pollution begins with prevention. To reinforce this understanding begin the lesson by asking students to think of a word that begins with P. It would be good to do a think-pair-share activity at the point. Inform students that this word was mentioned at the end of our last lesson and is related to water pollution. Are students confused? If so, state that instead of cleaning up the mess people have already made, we can do something before the water gets polluted. Word = Prevention.  

Additionally, refer to the brainstorm that was developed in the previous lesson. Draw a big circle around the entire brainstorm (if possible) and explain to students that pollution, water pollution and the environment in which it is contained can be improved if people work together to prevent it. “Learning about the issue (like you [all] are doing) is the greatest and most important step you can take” (Prevention of water pollution, 2010).

Yr 4 – The Value of Water Mind Map

Water conversation banner edited2

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010). English. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010). Science. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/science/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Sustainability. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities/Sustainability

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013a). Design and Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/design-and-technologies/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013b). General Capabilities. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/General-capabilities-in-the-Australian-Curriculum

My Rubric 1 Digital Media Presentation Rubric BTE330 FCS330 Student Name. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/102713781/MyRubric-1-Digital-Media-Presentation-Rubric-BTE330-FCS330-Student-Name

Prevention of water pollution. (2010). Retrieved fromhttp://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/prevention-of-water-pollution.html

Social skills: Promoting, positive behaviour, academic success, and school safety. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/socialskills_fs.aspx

Spider map. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/spider.pdf

Values education and the Australian curriculum. (2011).Retrieved from the Department of education, employment and workplace relations at http://www.valueseducation.edu.au/verve/_resources/ValuesEducationAustralianCurriculum.pdf

Watercorpwa. (2010, June 30). The value of water. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjvWGkqOUzU

Water – more precious than gold. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.watercorporation.com.au/home/teachers/lesson-plans-and-teaching-resources/lesson-plan-search/lesson-plan/?id={E0F3207D-DDC4- 4BA6-AEEB-21869694B51D}

 

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Voki

Voki_Classroom_Logo

Years:
F – 2

Subject:
Digital technologies

Sub strand:

Using digital systems and creating and interacting online

2.4 Identify, explore and use digital systems (hardware and software components) for personal and classroom needs

2.6 Work with others to organise and create ideas and information in the form of text, images and audio using information systems, and share these with people in safe online environments.

Link to resource: http://www.voki.com/

Cross curriculum priorities:
There is a potential to connect Voki with any of the cross curriculum priorities. This will be highly dependent on the choice of learning area and content by the teacher.

Links to other learning areas:
English, mathematics, the arts (music, drama, media), history and geography

Note: Voki has the potential to be used in any learning area.

About Voki:
Voki is an online resource that has been designed to allow users to create customised character videos. Throughout the creation process students are provided with visual, verbal and written prompts making it an easy to follow process. The first step to creating a customised voki is to select a character, then choose a background and lastly selecting a mode of audio.

Teachers also have the option to purchase “Voki Classroom”. This option on the website delivers a more extensive range of character and background options. When implemented into a classroom environment Voki has a variety of uses and benefits. It engages students through interactive lessons, it introduces technology into curriculum in a simple yet effective manner and can be used to assist audio and visual learners.   

Also, you can embed Voki into your PowerPoint presentations to make them more engaging and to help cater for the visual and auditory learners in the classroom.

 

 

Voki also has a selection of tutorials and lesson plans available on the website.

Learn more about voki: http://www.voki.com/learn.php

Lesson plans using voki: http://www.voki.com/lesson_plans.php 4

 

VokiAvatar

 

Additionally, some useful tutorial videos are available on YouTube.

Voki tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FunBew6S4Bk

 

Official Voki tutorial: How to create and publish your voki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FunBew6S4Bk

 

References:

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2011].

            Cross-curriculum priorities. Retrieved from  

            http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities

 

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2013].

            Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/technologies-across-foundation-to-year-10

 

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2013].

            General Capabilities. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/General-capabilities-in-the-Australian-Curriculum

 

Voki. (2014). Retrieved from

http://www.voki.com/

Swirled world! And make a sundial!

Kids-Websites-Tips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Years:
3 & 4

 Subject:
Design and technologies

 Sub strand:
Technologies and society

Activity 1
Swirled world activity addresses the Design and Technologies curriculum scope and sequence years 3 & 4 within 4.1, 4.2, 4.4.

Activity 2
Making a sundial activity addresses the Design and Technologies curriculum scope and sequence Years 3 & 4 within 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.7, 4.8.

 

Knowledge and understanding

Process and production skills
4.1 Recognise the role of

people in design and

technologies occupations and

explore factors, including

sustainability that impact on the

design of products, services

and environments to meet

community needs (Activity 1 & 2)

 4.5 Critique needs or

opportunities for designing and

explore and test a variety of

materials, components, tools

and equipment and the

techniques needed to produce

designed solutions (Activity 2)
4.2 Investigate how forces and

the properties of materials

affect the behaviour of a

product or system (Activity 1)

 4.7 Select and use materials,

components, tools and

equipment using safe work

practices to make designed

solutions (Activity 2)
4.4 Investigate the suitability of

materials, components,

systems, tools and equipment

for a range of purposes (Activity 1 & 2)

 4.8 Evaluate design ideas,

processes and solutions based

on criteria for success

developed with guidance and

including care for the

environment (Activity 2)

 General capabilities:
Literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability.

Cross curriculum priorities:
Sustainability

Links to other learning areas:
English, mathematics, science and geography

Using the kids section of the NIEHS website I am going to discuss two activities you can do which integrates the science and technologies learning areas. To access the specific learning activities follow the steps below:

Step 1.) Click on the link: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/science/index.htm

Step 2.) Click on the tab “scientific kids”

Step 3.) Click on the button “science experiments

Step 4.) Scroll down and click on “swirled world! And make a sundial!”

(Note: I didn’t provide a direct link to the activity so that you can see some of the other features of this fantastic web resource).

About this learning activity and how to implement in the classroom:
What better way to keep students interested and engaged than to have them make models themselves! This site by the National Institute of Environmental Health has two fantastic activities which are simple and easy. These activities illustrate: 1) the way our Earth’s environment is affected by natural and man-made disasters and how to tell the time using a sundial.

Both of these activities require the students to design and test their experiment or model and observe the results, enabling them to evaluate their findings and critique the steps they took along the way.

Activity 1: Swirled world!
The first activity requires students to simulate the world and manmade disasters such as pollution through mixing liquids. I believe this activity would be a terrific stimulus for students to investigate reasons as to why pollution is such a problem in the world and what are the technological advances which have played a role in this?

Activity 2: Make a sundial
The second activity involves students utilising everyday materials to design and make a sundial to tell the time. Since this activity involves explicit instructions in the design it is more suited to early primary students. Through utilising recycled materials or an additional activity of making recycled paper as part of the sundial design, this activity could be incorporated into middle primary lessons and the exploration of further issues related to using materials to design for a purpose included. Students could then examine how suitable their designs are for society and their durability.

For further information about the National Institute of Environmental Health Science please download the following PDF brochure: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/niehs_overview.pdf

niehs-logo-black

References: 

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2011].

Cross-curriculum priorities. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2013].

Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/technologies-across-foundation-to-year-10

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [2013].

General Capabilities. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/General-capabilities-in-the-Australian-Curriculum

Swirled world! and make a sundial! [2014]. Retrieved from

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/explore/nworld/earth2_swirled_world.htm