Conditions on the First Fleet, and how convicts really copped it...

but by standards of the day, some of these sailings were pure miracles. It is easy to judge history with the privilege of hindsight. And indeed, how we will be seen in two hundred years' time? We discussed this idea in class the other day. The mind boggles. Together we read a chapter about conditions on board the transportation ships during the early colonization of Australia. Students were asked to cross-reference this with another source and then using only fifteen words or phrases, sum up the voyage from the point of view of a convict. They could also add illustrations. This will be another entry in their "Horrible Histories" books. Here are some wonderful depictions:

3D Shapes Boards

Students hard at work

3D Shapes Boards on display in the classroom

The students have been working on planar and 3D shapes. Most students have finished or are very close to finishing their 3D shapes Boards. About seven students will be sharing theirs in assembly tomorrow and two boys will be introducing them. Students have been looking at the characteristics of shapes, most notably, faces, edges and vertices and most can capably apply Euler's Law to check the accuracy of their labels. Students had to design and construct their own nets for the cube and a pyramid, and also converted a toilet rolls into a closed cylinders and spray painted them. I also have some very challenging nets for them to construct and a handful of students are taking up the challenge. Students have certainly improved with their fine motor skills, their scoring, folding, gluing and of course following written instructions. They will be tested on their knowledge of shapes this Friday morning. Most of the students did a pretest today to check out where they are with their knowledge on the theoretical side of things. They also did some cross-sectioning of Plasticine shapes so that they understand this concept. Cross-country students will be given the pretest booklet tomorrow.

Kuni looks down from a sea of shapes

Oonah: a Tasmanian Aboriginal Story

Students are currently engaged with writing retellings of a well-known Tasmanian Aboriginal story called Oonah. Students have been receiving extra assistance from a colleague teacher and as a result have produced some very stunning artwork. The retelling combined with their illustration will make up another chapter in the Horrible Histories books.

Example of work done, a retelling

Another fine example of a retelling

What a great read!

Cityscapes with Pastel and Edicole Dye

 Our latest focus, humanised buildings.

"They Found a Cave," Our Film Study for this month

We viewed this film on Thursday and students will be writing a report on the film. Four other students, who have read the book will also be doing a comparison of the book written in 1947 and this film which was released in 1962. This was Australia's first childrens' film and it was filmed in Tasmania.

"This is a quaint offering from 1962 and is based on what was a somewhat radical story at the time it was written when children were seen and not heard. 

Three British orphans travel to Tasmania to be cared for by their aunt who lives on a farm. They make friends with the boy in the care of the couple employed as farm help. Whilst exploring the bush they find a cave and use it as a base as they battle the baddies. 

The harmonica background music was a feature of films of the era and quite frankly it becomes thoroughly annoying after about ten minutes. Some of the acting is a bit forced, but it is a little like the Famous Five travel to Australia."

The report will include:

* A short biography about Nan Chauncy (We have already had one research session on this.)
* A brief  introduction talking about the book and the film.
* A synopsis of the story
* Character studies (Students will choose three of the characters and write a paragraph about each) They    can do more if they wish.
*The setting
*Their opinion about the film

The art lesson this Friday afternoon will be used by students to design a cover for their report. A3 cartridge in a booklet form has been supplied.

Here is an example of a synopsis:

"Four English orphans migrate to Tasmania to live on a farm in the wild Tasmanian bush with their aunt, Jandie (Barbara Manning). But when their aunt becomes sick and goes to hospital, the children are left in the company of the bossy housekeeper Ma Pinner (Beryl Mekin) and her sinister husband Pa Pinner (Mervyn Wiss). Faced with a life of misery, the children run away to live in a cave in the hills, with the help of Tas (Christopher Horner), the Pinners' foster son. When the children discover that the Pinners are plotting to steal Jandie's money, they foil the plot and call in the police. When Jandie returns, she proposes Tas stay with the rest of the children in their new home."

Below are some useful links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Found_a_Cave

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356119/

http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2008/10/they-found-a-ca.html

http://tasphotos.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/they-found-cave-film-1962.html

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/chauncy-nancen-beryl-nan-9735

This last link will be useful if you still need information for the biography section.

Some of the covers the students have designed for the front of their film studies are amazing!

Horrible Histories

Students should now have:

1.   A cover page, these were laminated for students as they were handed in

2.  A timeline showing major events in the transporation period'

3.  A reflection of the Gumnuts to Buttons role play

4. A write up on the Proclamation Boards, including their initials interpretation of the board and then the
facts (using up to four sources of information...students were taken through some excellent resources  available online) They each have a colour photo to of a board to glue into their Horrible History book.

Here are some samples of work done by a grade 5 boy:

A Horrible History cover page

Time line of transportation page 1

Timeline of transportation page 2

Reflection

http://treasure-explorer.nla.gov.au/closerlook/text-analysis-and-comprehension-1-8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Arthur,_1st_Baronet

Reflection on "From Gumnuts to Buttons"

Today in class we discussed the characteristics of a reflection as a written text. Students were also given an example of one  which was written about the same experience our upper primary students had with the role play "Gumnuts to Buttons." We read through it as a class, decoding any difficult vocabulary. Then students were requested to read through it again individually.  We also discussed our experiences at our recent role play which was undertaken in the other Friday in the hall with all of the grade 5 and 6 students for a double lesson. We talked about the symbolism and we discussed the devastating effects of colonisation on the Aboriginal people in Tasmania. This introduction took about forty minutes. Students were then given forty-five minutes to an hour to write up their draft. Some students actually had  a little longer than this because we had a small amount of time in the afternoon after all the photographs had been done. Tonight's homework is the type up, or hand write up the top copy. Students who were word-processing the text were given lines and white A4 paper to use. The illustrations can be done Friday afternoon when we do art-based activities. This will make up one of the chapeters in the students' "Horrible Histories" books they are currently writing.

The role play was aimed at helping students' understanding of an empathy for Aboriginal peoples' history. It was to promote a new knowledge and awareness of the important events and occurrences in Tasmanian history. Here are a few photos taken on the day. The gumnuts symbolised the Aboriginal people (nature) and the buttons symbolised the European invasion (manufactured).