Planning Document

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Essential Declaration:

GLOBAL

It is essential that students understand that they have the power and responsibility to make a difference to the local and global community.  To respect life and a culture of equal rights and partnership between men and women.

PERSONAL

It is essential that students understand and value themselves, others and the world around them.

HUMAN MADE WORLD

It is essential that students understand how the human made world works in order to operate effectively within it.

ARTS

It is essential that students understand the importance of the arts as a way to express themselves and interact with the world and others.

CULTURAL

It is essential that students understand the importance of respect for traditions, similarities and differences between cultures in order to understand their place in society.

Specific Topic Goal:

For students to develop an understanding of the importance of following their passions.  Students will identify what passion means and develop what the necessary components are for feeling empowered and confident in following these passions.  Students will identify the pressures and obstacles that may impede their working toward fulfilling their passion.

VELS Outcomes Level 4:

Physical, Personal and Social Learning Domains

Interpersonal Development

(Whole Unit of Work)

The Passion Project allows students to work effectively in different teams and take on a variety of roles to complete tasks of varying length and complexity. Working in small groups (e.g. creating audio and video feeds) and having class discussions, students gain a respect for diverse ideas and cultures. They accept and display empathy for the points of view and feelings of their peers and others.  They identify and use a variety of strategies to manage and resolve conflict.

Personal Learning and Development

(Whole Unit of Work)

The Individual Learner

The Passion Project focuses on students developing knowledge about their personal characteristics and capabilities, and those they need to develop to support their approaches to and reflections about learning. Students explore and practise skills and behaviours which support learning. They develop the capacity to monitor their own learning, identifying learning strengths and areas requiring improvement.

Managing Personal Learning

Students develop and implement plans to complete short-term and long-term tasks within timeframes, set by the teacher, utilising appropriate resources. They undertake some set tasks independently, identifying stages for completion. They seek and use learning support when needed from peers, teachers and other adults.

Civics and Citizenship

(Writing letter to school principal)

Community Engagement

The Passion Project enables students to demonstrate a deep understanding of the roles and responsibilities of people of interest within the local and global community, and of democratic processes, when engaging in school and community activities. They present a point of view on a significant current issue and include recommendations about the actions that individuals and governments can take to resolve issues. Students demonstrate understanding that there are different viewpoints on an issue, and contribute to group and class decision-making.

Discipline-Based Learning Domains

English

(Reading, writing, speaking and listening)

Reading

At Level 4, students read, interpret and respond to a wide range of literary, everyday and media texts in print and in multimodal formats. They analyse these texts and support interpretations with evidence drawn from the text. They describe how texts are constructed for particular purposes, and identify how socio-cultural values, attitudes and beliefs are presented in texts.

Writing

At Level 4, students produce, in print and electronic forms, a variety of texts for different purposes using structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience and context of the writing. They use a range of vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, and use punctuation accurately. They identify and use different parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, adverbs, comparative adverbs, adjectives, and appropriate prepositions and conjunctions. Students also employ a variety of strategies for writing, including note-making, using models, planning, editing and proofreading.

Speaking and Listening

At Level 4, students plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes. They sustain a point of view and adjust their speaking to take into account context, purpose and audience, and vary tone, volume and pace of speech to create or emphasise meaning.

When listening to spoken texts, they identify the main idea and supporting details and summarise them for others. They identify opinions offered by others, propose other relevant viewpoints and extend ideas in a constructive manner.

Mathematics

(Graphing, categorisation)

Measurement, Chance and Data

Principal operations for computation with measurement include the use of formulas for evaluating measures, the use of technology such as dataloggers for direct and indirect measurement and related technologies for the subsequent analysis of data, and estimation of measures using comparison with prior knowledge and experience, and spatial and numerical manipulations.

At Level 4, students present data in appropriate displays (for example, graphs – bar, pie or histograms).

Arts

(Creating audio and video)

Creating and Making

At Level 4, students independently and collaboratively experiment with and apply a range of skills, techniques and processes using a range of media, materials, equipment and technologies to plan, develop, refine, make and present arts works. They consider purpose and suitability when they plan and prepare arts works for presentation to a variety of audiences.

Interdisciplinary Learning Domain

Information and Communications Technology

ICT for visualising thinking

In the ICT for visualising thinking dimension students use ICT tools to assist their thinking processes and reflect on the thinking strategies they use to develop understanding.

ICT for creating

The ICT for creating dimension focuses on students using ICT tools for creating solutions to problems and for creating information products

ICT for communicating

The ICT for communicating dimension focuses on students using ICT to:

• present ideas and understandings
• communicate with known and unknown audiences
• support knowledge-building among teams

Understandings:

Students will know….. (knowledge that can be tested objectively)

• What it means to be passionate.

• That there is an importance to follow your passions.

• That there may be obstacles/pressures in finding/working towards their passions.

• That when working in an area that they love and are passionate about it’s very likely that 1hour will feel like 5 minutes.

• That it can be hard not following your passions and can end up regretting doing something that they think is ‘expected’ of them just because they are good at it, or because they received high marks, etc.

Essential Questions:

Students will be able to answer….(skills that can be observed)

What is a passion?

What does it mean to be passionate about something?

What are the pressures/obstacles that may impede the following of a passion?

Why is it important to be passionate?

How can fulfilling one’s passion be made easier to achieve?

Stage 2 - Assessment evidence

Assessing prior learning:

Group task on what “passion” and “working in your element” means through individual mind mapping and group discussion.

Gathering children’s questions:

“What do you want to find out?”  Logging a class list of questions with students’ names attached to respective questions to show ownership. List to be displayed in classroom.

Rich task:

Students will write a letter to themselves highlighting the importance of staying true in pursuing their passions.  This letter will represent student’s learning into both the positive aspects of pursuing their passions and addressing the pressures that might hinder their want to pursue a passion.  The letter will be placed in a Time Capsule with their other work from the unit and can be read at any time when they are in search of wisdom regarding the want to follow their dream.   

Other evidence:

Ongoing samples of work that demonstrate students specific learning and understanding.

Eg: Students focus on survey/interview questions and present their findings to the class.

English focus – documenting thoughts and arguments.

Maths – graphing answers from student surveys.

ICT – accurate use of ICT tools to navigate through IQuest, produce audio and video recordings.

Tuning In: 

At beginning of Unit students will view the Home page and think about the posed question.

A YouTube clip re: Passion, will be shown and then a mind map will be asked of the students.

Taking Action:

Students will write a personal letter to themselves highlighting the importance of embracing their passions despite external pressures.  This will be accompanied by a video that has each student briefly describe some important areas of learning throughout the unit.  Together with their completed work throughout the unit, all articles will be placed in a Time Capsule and presented to the student at their Year 6 Graduation.  This capsule can then be opened at any time when a student finds it hard to follow a passion for whatever reason, in an attempt to realign themselves with the motivation and confidence to continue to follow their passions working toward the position of being “in their element”.

Reflection:

Students will redo the same mind map and survey they completed at the beginning of the unit (Tuning In) and compare their outcomes.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Week

 VELS

Learning activities

1+2

English- Reading, Listening.

ICT – for visualising thinking.

Arts – creating and making.

English- Speaking and Listening.

English- Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

ICT – for communicating.

Arts – creating and making.

Personal Learning and Development

English- Reading and writing.

Introduce Unit

Have students log on to the internet and save the IQuest web address to their favourites list.  Instruct that each student will need to save their work directly to their student drive within a folder titled “student’s name” IQuest.

Students are to visit the Home page and direct themselves through the Navigation details toward the Activity page.

1)      Students are to follow the instructions for completing the Mind Map activity using ‘Inspiration’ program.  This is to gauge their varied understanding of where “Passions” fit into their lives and how it is represented.

This is to be saved to their respective folders.

2)      Class discussion of the Mind Maps to recognise the various ideas of what their peers describe passion to be. Students will hear perspectives that they haven’t yet considered to build a greater understanding.

3)      Students are to answer set open-ended questions to think about and answer.  Students are encouraged to make notes of their answers.  In pairs, students are to interview their partner using these questions.  Student answers are to be recorded as an audio file (mp3) using the Mac voice recording application. 

This is to be saved to their respective folders.

4)      Following the set links, students will read how different people have actively followed their passions. Eg: Kirra Parkes news article.

5)      Students are to complete a Blog entry outlining interesting aspects of the last fortnight. Open forum.

 3+4+5

English- Reading

ICT – for creating solutions

Personal Learning and Development

Maths – Graphing, percentages, data & statistical analysis.

Personal Learning and Development

English- Reading and writing.

Arts – creating and making.

ICT – for creating

Personal Learning and Development.

English-  Speaking and listening.

1)      Students are to research and list various obstacles / pressures that they think they may face whilst striving toward /or continuing to follow their passions.  Ie: peer/parental pressure, expense, accessibility of resources etc.

2)      Students to complete a survey about the pressures they think will impede them from following their passions.  Each answer will sit on a scale from 1-10. 

This is to be saved to their respective folders.

3)      The answers of the questionnaire will be graphed to find the Mean, Median and Mode for discussion as to what pressures students anticipate.  Questionnaire to include questions regarding pressures from:  Home; School; Community.

4)      Students are to rank in order the obstacles/pressures that they (may) face in pursuing what it is they are passionate about.  Students are to think of ways how they can combat these pressures and highlight what needs to happen for greater success in their lives. This is to be saved to their respective folders.

5)      Students are to re-visit the articles that were presented to them at end of week 2.  Students are to log and explain the obstacles/pressure that they think may have had an impact on the people in the articles from following their passions.

6)      Students are to provide short video which shows evidence of them following or working toward what they are passionate about.  They can narrate over themselves working/playing in their element; or demonstrate; or explain etc, what it is that they are passionate about.  Students are to explain the pressures that they have overcome and what it means to them to partake in following their passions.

 This is to be saved to their respective folders.

6+7+8

English- Reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Personal Learning and Development.

English-  Speaking and listening.

ICT – for creating

English-  Writing.

1)      Students to re-cap on the characteristics of an interview by following links outlining same.  Class will be informed that they will interview the principal about how he/she has followed their passions.

2)      Students will brainstorm 5 questions that they are wishing the principal to answer.  From these 5, each student will choose 1 and post this on the class Blog paying attention not to duplicate a posted question.

3)      Interview with the Principal takes place.

4)      Students are now asked to choose 8-12 questions (including new ideas) they thought were important/interesting when interviewing the Principal. 

5)      Students are then to interview a person in their lives who they wish to learn more about in regards to them following their passions which has enabled them to live very happily with what they do. Ie: Working (in any capacity) in their element.  These people may be community leaders, sports people, friends, etc.  The interview is to be recorded in either audio (mp3) or video format. This is to be saved to their respective folders.

6)      Students are to then write a reflective piece highlighting:

·         What they learnt;

·         What surprised them;

·         What obstacles the interviewee overcame;

·         What important messages they learned;

9+10

Personal Learning and Development.

ICT – for visualising thinking.

Personal Learning and Development.

English-  Writing.

ICT – for creating; for communicating.

Arts – creating and making.

1)      Students are to re-do the original Mind Map thinking routine from the start of the unit.  Students are to compare the differences between these Mind Maps and discuss with the class “what they knew” and “what they now know”.

2)      Rich Task: Students will write a letter to themselves not about what it is they want to be when they grow up but rather have them follow their heart toward what it is that they find themselves most wanting to strive toward, and feel supported, empowered, confident etc to do so.  It is them telling themselves how to work toward what it is that they feel is essential in life.  Additionally it is about what it is that they want to have themselves know about being true, real, passionate, etc, to themselves no matter how far into the future.  When it is that they are at a crossroads in life, irrespective of their age, they can revisit their letter and have themselves unknot their inner conflicts by reading the little pearls of wisdom that they wrote as a 12 year old.  Along the lines of following what you believe, being passionately successful doesn’t mean fancy cars or big houses, and  being confident in making a change that you believe in.  Essentially a message for students to   find/follow/expand on what it is that they are passionate doing and naturally they will achieve/succeed in their own little or big ways.

3)      After the writing of the personal letter, students will partake in the production of a video that will have each student speak (2 mins approx) about what it is that they have found important in striving toward their passions.  All student recordings will be edited together to form a master piece of learning about their passions.

4)      The Personal Letter, class video and all material saved on students’ hard drives will be both printed in hardcopy and copied onto a memory stick/dvd.  These items will then be placed in individual time capsules and presented to students at their Year 6 Graduation.  Students can re-visit their work at any time they are needing wise words to help them in striving toward their passions.