Our final project for term 1 has been about ANZAC Day. It was interesting to watch the students engage in their work over the last two weeks, especially as the previous project, the Marble Run, had so many practical elements.
With this project came change. Firstly, the groups were all changed, so group dynamics were thrown into the mixing pot. For some this was a real challenge as they were comfortable with their existing group. Learning how to negotiate, collaborate and interact with a different group of people develops interpersonal and social skills. We do this in the real world all the time.
All projects begin with three things:
An entry event – in this project we set up a mini museum with books, newspaper clippings (some dating back to 1914) and World War I artefacts from the Australian War Memorial.
A driving question – “How do we make sure we do remember them?”
Need to Know Questions – what do we need to know to be able to answer the driving question? Some examples from this project included: Who is ‘them’? What is so special about ‘them’? Who are the ANZACs?
The next big change was the way we presented this project to the students. After attending our mini museum, the students were given their iPads containing an iBook I had created with nine chapters for them to work through. There was a range of individual, partnered and group activities, with passages of text, images and links to videos and websites for students to gather further information. Working through a project like this develops independent learning skills. It’s been impressive to watch the students navigate and engage in these books.
Coming to the end of this project, I would have to say that I am really proud of how well each student has worked. I think at first they thought this project was not as fun as the Marble Run, fun is not a word generally associated with ANZAC, however, they have developed a deep understanding of the ANZAC tradition and Australian history. This understanding became most evident during our ANZAC Day Service at college. The students, of course, knew how to behave in this commemorative service with the whole college, but our class also understood what was happening and why we did certain things, such as play The Last Post.
Stage 3 students will remember them.
http://youtu.be/9lz8Ey8jLgU
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