Canberra Camp 2019

Canberra Camp 2019

 

 

Arriving at Bullen bright and early on a Monday morning straight after the holidays was no match for the enthusiasm and positive vibes that both 6F and 6D brought to the beginning of our Canberra camp. As we headed towards Melbourne Airport, the excitement in the air was palpable and before we knew it, we were up in the air and had landed in Canberra. Day 1 was a bit of a slow day, but what followed was a non-stop, go go go adventure.

 

Some highlights for me were Parliament house where we were very lucky to visit the office of Mr. Speaker and walk around corridors that the public very rarely gets to see. Josh Frydenberg captivated the group’s attention with his dulcet tones and sitting in the Senate and House of Representatives was quite surreal. The actual size of the building and rooms is something that really surprised me.

 

An unexpected highlight was when we got to go to the movies and watch the movie Dora the Explorer. What started out with Mrs. Jackson spilling popcorn everywhere, ended with a full cinema dance off. What an amazing experience. This really encapsulated the vibe of the group; fun loving and enthusiastic.

 

Questacon for me was the last of my top three highlights. This year was the first year that I meet the challenge of the vertical slide. Buoyed by encouragement from many students I had no option but to have a go. The moment just before you let go is a feeling that you just don’t forget and one that makes it all worthwhile. If you had a go at it, how would you explain the feeling of falling?

 

I would like to thank all students for making this Canberra camp such an enjoyable week. Without your enthusiasm, sense of humour and ability to give everything a go, it would not be the success that it was. A special mention to DJ Dines for making the bus trips such a memorable experience and one filled with so much laughter that it will forever be etched into my memory.

Year 6 Project

Year 6 Project
A huge effort for a complex unit of work, The PROJECT, was witnessed today as the students from 6F and the rest of the year level presented their chosen topic to the Carey Community. With 26 different topics in each class, the teachers were kept on their toes to deliver content, provide feedback and assist students in maintaining a tight timeline of research, development of a new skill and an action.

Unlike many of our other Integrated units, the PROJECT requires students to use develop inquiry questions, which simply put means they are beyond research questions that are ‘Googleable’. For many, this was a challenge and with the help of some templates such as the question matrix and many one-to-one discussions, students formulated questions or statement. For around 5 weeks students: researched; refined their note-taking practises; contacted experts; wrote lengthy responses using the TEEL structure (Topic sentence, elaborate/explain examples and linking sentences); communicated with an expert in the field before combining key information into a report. All the while still learning in all of their other classes.

With their knowledge students were asked to develop a skill, which they could then apply to their newly discovered information. This involved the students taking ownership of their own learning and making decisions and deciding directions to take their learning. Whilst for some this was tricky because they appreciate the guiding support and specific direction of their teachers, they pushed on and wow, did they deliver!

One of the final components in the preparation for their presentations was for the students to consider what contribution their work, knowledge and skill could make to society with some sort of action. Given our short timeframe, the students weren’t expected to activate their action; however, some managed to do so. Their action could have been activism, the product of their skill, awareness or something creative such as a published anime book or an informative video to assist others with football skills.

Whilst it is a difficult unit for all involved (including the photocopier), the result of the Year 6’s efforts brought smiles to faces, collective sighs of relief, and literal tears to the eyes of some teachers because of the depth of content and effort of our students. They showed grit, resilience, perseverance and knowledge throughout the unit, and hopefully beyond this term they can take with them the assurance that they have what it takes to be self manages in their learning. I am extremely proud of my class and all of the Year 6’s and I look forward to the next chapter of their learning.

 

 

Lucas Fleming

Year 6 Classroom Teacher

+61 3 9816 1313

carey.com.au

349 Barkers Road Kew VIC 3101 Australia

ABN 83 051 576 062 | CRICOS #00135G

6F Camp

As the bus engines roared to life and with a chill in the air, the boys and girls of 6F departed to the Mitchell River National Park and Toonallook. As soon as we arrived at the caravan par and got off the bus, the comforts of home were noticeably absent. Packing bags and putting up tents occupied much of day one. The rest of the week provided the students with a great variety of challenges. I was amazied watching student grow as individuals and bond together. Please have a read of the blogs written and feel that you can respond.

Skip to toolbar