SOSE

Social and Environmental Education 2, Semester 2, 2009. A learning portfolio of SOSE Resources

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 * Philosophy


 * Environmental/Resources Education**:

[|ActewAGL Timeline] A timeline of events to do with resources. Details both ACT and World events from 8000BC to present day. This timeline is interactive and ideal for using on a SmartBoard. The interactive nature of this resource makes it an ideal way to teach the history of our resources to 21st Century Learners. It provides them with information in an easy to access interactive format and gives a context to significant events in the development of natural resources.

This resource could be used in the Finding Out stage of Kath Murdoch's Inquiry Process (Murdoch, 1998). It would provide a context to the current state of our natural resources and give students a introduction to the history of the natural resources. The timeline could also provide a springboard to further research about a particular event or natural resource as part of the 'Going Further' or 'Making Conclusions' stages of the inquiry process (Murdoch, 1998). It caters for visual and kinaesthetic learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 23: The student understands world events and issues Band of Development: Later Childhood 23.LC.11 develop a timeline that indicates significant world events that are connected to one another

[|'Where Does Tap Water Come From?' Puzzle] An interactive puzzle that illustrates how water gets into our taps that can be used both on a individual computer or on a SmartBoard. Students choose either Country or City and move the jigsaw puzzle pieces into place to create the correct diagram. There are spoken instructions to aid students who have difficulty reading and to use in a whole class situation. The completed diagram can be printed out to make a paper or cardboard jigsaw puzzle for the students to use in class.

This puzzle is an excellent tuning in exercise to show what students know about both the country and city water supplies. It is an interactive, visual way to assess students knowledge and build on this knowledge. It could be used individually on computers or as a group on a SmartBoard, depending on how you wanted to assess the students. This resource caters for visual and kinaesthetic learners (Gardner, 1983).  Curriculum Links: ELA 23 The student understands world events and issues Band of Development: Early Childhood 23.EC.5 ways people live differently in different places (e.g. food, features of culture, language and religion, schooling, clothing, access to resources)

__The Ins and Outs of our Future Water Supply__: A poster from the Water Security Agency that illustrates the planned improvements to the ACT's water supply system. The poster was included in the National Water Week liftout in the Canberra Times 19th October 2009. It shows the connections between the rivers, dams, pumping stations and treatment plants in relation to Canberra and Queanbeyan. There is also a timeline that shows when each step of the work is due to be completed and lists some 'Fast Facts' about our water supply, including the capacity of our dams and past and present water savings.

This poster can be used as an introduction into Canberra's water supply, as it illustrates the current and projected situations. As it has both words and pictures it is easy for students to see how each element fits in with each other and what they whole picture looks like and caters for both visual and verbal learner (Gardner, 1983). The poster can also be used to start a discussion about the proposed changes to the water supply and the pros and cons of these changes.

Curriculum Links: ELA 23 The student understands world events and issues Band of Development: Early Childhood 23.EC.1 things that happen in the world beyond their local area (e.g. from the media and people they know)events (e.g. from family members, media)


 * History:**

__History of the Wanniassa Primary School Area__: A document prepared by John White about the farming history of the Erindale area in Canberra. This document has been written for school age students to provide them with a history of their local area. It is written in a narrative form, detailing the history of the area from the 1820's onwards. Photographs accompany the text and are captioned to provide further information and an orientation to the area today, using suburb and street names.

The document was originally prepared for use at Wanniassa Hills Primary for Year 5/6, however the information is relevant to all students in Canberra as it provides them with an idea of what Canberra was like when it was mainly farming land. It also gives students an insight into the life of a farming family and the contribution farmers have made to Canberra. It could be used as part of a local history unit, in the 'Finding Out' or 'Going Further' stage of Kath Murdoch's Inquiry Process (Murdoch, 1998). The photographs and text can be used separately to build understanding or as a whole package to provide an overall understanding. This resources caters for verbal/linguistic learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 21 The student understands about Australia and Australians Band of Development: Later Childhood 21.LC.1 a range of natural environments and features in Australia, how these have shaped Australia’s settlement and development and how people have shaped these environments influenced national identity and community life in Australia over time


 * Cultural Studies**

[|Snapshots of Asia] A series of big books designed to introduce Asian cultures to young children. Countries include China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Malaysia and the Philippines. Each book contains an inroduction to the country, along with a map to help students locate the country. They then describe the family, culture, environment, schooling, food, and transport in the country. The series are accompanied by a teacher's guide that includes information about the books, curriculum links, blackline masters and strategies for classroom use.

The Snapshots series is a great way to introduce or extend a cultural studies unit. It could be used as a teacher led resource, in a whole class situation as an introduction to the unit and as a student led resource to find out more information and answer key questions in the inquiry process. The big book style of the resource also makes it easier for young children to use independently. This resources caters for verbal/linguistic learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 23: The student understands world events and issues Band of Development: Early Childhood 23.EC.5 ways people live differently in different places (e.g. food, features of culture, language and religion, schooling, clothing, access to resources)

[|National Museum of Australia] A museum in Canberra containing exhibitions that explore 'the land, nation and people of Australia ' (NMA, 2003). A great place for an excursion, as their are a number of guided education programs, as well as self guided exploration of the museum, which has some special areas for children such as Circa and Kspace. The National Museum's website is also a fantastic resource as it contains information on the museum's collections and exhibitions as well as classroom resources for teachers.

An excursion to the National Museum would be an excellent way to tune students in to the study of Australia and Australians. Each education program focuses on a different part of the collection and would be a useful introduction to the particular topic. An excursion to the museum caters for kinasthetic and interpersonal learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 21 The student understands about Australia and Australians Band of Development: Later Childhood 21.LC.12 access and interpret information from a range of sources (e.g. atlases, satellite images, primary and secondary historical sources, census data, media)


 * Civics, Citizenship and Human Rights**

[|For Every Child] A book that has been developed by UNICEF which illustrates the 14 Rights of the Child in an accessible and easily understood manner. Each right has been written in appropriate language for children and is accompanied by an illustration, making it an ideal way for young children to learn about their internationally recognised rights.

A context needs to be given to this resource by exploring what human rights are and the ideals behind the creation of the 14 Rights. Once the context has been established this book could be used to investigate the 14 Rights and why they are needed. It could be used as a stimulus to discuss what might happen if these right aren't upheld. This resource caters for verbal/lingusitic learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 22 The student understands and values what it means to be a citizen within a democracy Band of Development: Early Childhood 22.EC.1 their personal rights and responsibilities in familiar contexts (e.g. school, home)

[|Oxfam Australia] The Australian branch of Oxfam International, an aid organisation that campaigns against poverty and injustice. Oxfam Australia's work is guided by four main goals: Economic Justice, Essential Services, Rights in Crisis and Gender Justice. Their website has three main areas students and teachers can investigate: Explore, Act and Donate. The 'Explore' section contains information about Oxfam's projects both in Australia and around the world, 'Act' provides information on how to get involved in Oxfam's projects and 'Donate' details the many ways to help Oxfam by donating to their causes.

The Oxfam website can be used as both a teacher resource to inform the teacher of world events and aid projects, and as a student resource, for students to learn more about international aid organisations and their work. The donating section could be used as part of the 'Taking Action' part of Kath Murdoch's Inquiry Process (Murdoch, 1998). It caters for verbal/lingusitic and visual learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 22 The student understands and values what it means to be a citizen within a democracy Band of Development: Later Childhood 22.LC.13 the range of ways in which people work together to contribute to civil society

[|Job Match: Save the Day] An interactive learning object from the Learning Federation. Students are given a number of scenarios where they need to choose which person would be the most helpful in that particular situation. Students can talk to each person to find out more about them before they make their choice and are then shown what would happen if that person responded to the problem. The pictures give information about the scenario and the people, however students learn that the person who looks most suitable isn't always the best choice.

Job Match can be used as a tuning in task as part of a unit about Community. It can be displayed on the SmartBoard and done as a whole class task, or used on classroom computers to assess individual students knowledge. It will show their current understanding and also help them learn that stereotypes are not always true. This resource caters for visual and kinaesthetic learners (Gardner, 1983).

Curriculum Links: ELA 22 The student understands and values what it means to be a citizen within a democracy Band of Development: Early Childhood 22.EC.8 the contributions made in the school and local community by diverse groups (e.g. volunteers, community groups, parents, leaders, teachers and students)


 * Geography**

__Google Earth:__ An interactive program that enables you to view "satellite imagery, maps, terrain, : 3D buildings <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean" (Google Earth Website). Students can build their geographical knowledge by using the program to look at their local area, parts of Australia and other countries and continents. Content can be viewed through many different layers including: ocean, land, roads, buildings, boarders and weather. This allows students to see the area as a whole or break it down to its individual components to learn more about an individual landmark or place.

Google Earth can be used as many different stages throughout a Geography unit. It can be used to investigate the local area as part of the F 'Finding Out' stage of the inquiry process or it can be used as an addition to an assessment activity where students need to demonstrate their geographical knowledge in the 'Making Conclusions' stage (Murdoch, 1998). It caters for visual and kinaesthetic learners (Gardner, 1983).

<span class="wiki_link_ext">Curriculum Links: ELA 23: The student understands world events and issues Band of Development: Later Childhood 23.LC.5 significant geographic areas (e.g. deserts, seas, continents) and reference points in the world (e.g. countries, capital cities, the equator, poles)


 * Financial Literacy**

[|Biz Whiz Unleashed: Compete for Customers] An interactive learning object from the Learning Federation. Students run a dog walking business and have to choose from the options to make important decisions that effect their business. There are two competing dog walking businesses in the neighbourhood and so students have to compete for customers, whilst making money and increasing customer satisfaction. Each decision has a certain number of points attached to it, but also may cost money or take up valuable time, so students need to weigh up the pros and cons of each situation before making their choice. This resource could be used both on individual computers or on a SmartBoard.

This is an excellent tool for teaching students about financial literacy and responsible business choices. It involves a real life situation and allows the students to make considered decisions about the situation. They are able to see the effects of their choices and learn that business involves a lot more than just making money. If it was used as a whole class activity it would allow the students to learn from each other and for the teacher to see what each student knows and what they need help with. That way, the next lessons can be scaffolded or extended to support the whole class's learning.

Curriculum Links: ELA 24 The student makes informed choices about money and finance. Band of Development: Later Childhood 24.LC.3 factors to consider when making purchasing decisions (e.g. needs, wants, function, cost, quality, income, savings)