Geography – Liveability – Year 7

Discover:
Draw up a table or use a spreadsheet on your computer to collect at least five sets of information to compare the top 10 and the bottom 10 in the liveable cities list.

Explain your findings.

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS?view=chart

geog-solo-t42016

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/1278012/wheres-the-best-place-to-live

solo-geog-t4

Mining for Stories – Thanks to Sybila

Mining for Stories

Which of these will you choose to answer in your Digital Story?

“I don’t have any interesting stories, nothing has happened to me.”
This is often the initial response people have when faced with the task of storytelling. Here’s a secret: everyone has stories. Human beings inherently have stories about their lives. The problem is sifting through the thousands of memories to find a story we value, and hope others value. Here is a list developed by Christina Baldwin in her book Storycatcher that has been adapted and will help in your search.
1. Describe one of your earliest memories. Who is with you? Is this an actual memory you have, or was it told to you?

2. Think of your grandparents. What is your relationship with any one of them? How involved were they in raising you? Affecting you? Influencing you?

3. Where do you come from? What is the landscape? Who are the people? Is there a person, or memory you have that captures the place?

4. Choose a family heirloom or artefact that has a history. What does it mean to your family? What is its history? Why is it valued by your family? Who has it now?

5. What do you know about the origins of your family? What was life like for older family members when they were your age?

6. Life is full of mysteries. Pick a mystery that you are curious about can you imagine a story that explains that mystery?

7. Is there a family story that you are responsible for passing on?

8. What was a typical family dinner like when you were growing up? Can you share some special family meals or ways in which your family celebrate?

9. Describe a world event that changed your thinking. What were you doing when it happened? How did you view the world differently?

10. If you had to make a time capsule of yourself, what would you include? How do you want to be remembered?

11. Where do you go when you are afraid? Did you have a special place you went to when you were scared? Angry? Lonely?

12. Describe a lesson you learned the hard way. How did this lesson affect you?

13. Describe a sacrifice you made. How did it change you? Was it worth it? Would you make the same sacrifice again if you had the chance to do it again?

14. Where were you at age___? How are you different now?

15. Do you know your birth story? Who told you? Do you have artefacts from around the time you were born?

16. Do you have memories about pivotal choices you have made in your life?

17. Describe an accomplishment that gave you great pride.

18. Think of a decision that one of your family members made that you are grateful for. Why are you grateful?

A Comparative Report – Year 4-7

Comparative reports  compare or contrast particular characteristics of similar things or processes. Comparative reports are typically structured as follows:

  • General statement
    • Introduces ‘things’ to be compared
  • Description
    • systematic analysis of similarities and differences
Title Stars and Planets

General statement

Entities (Things)

Our solar system comprises the sun (a huge star) and all the planets orbiting it as well as other material. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a star and a planet?
Description

Similarities and Differences

Movement

The basic difference is that a star gives off light and a planet only reflects light. A star is a ball of gas. Pressure at the centre of the star causes a nuclear fusion reaction to start. This fission burns and creates light for millions of years. A planet is a spherical ball of rock or gas that is usually found orbiting a star. Over time a star will eventually change properties and become a planet but a planet will remain relatively unchanged.
Appearance When observing planets and stars through a telescope, several differences can be seen. Stars appear to twinkle whereas brighter planets don’t. The closer, larger planets appear as disk-shaped; in contrast , the stars tend to be points of light.

 

Exploring the Shortlisted Books in preparation for Book Week 2016

Over the next 5 weeks, during RBL/ICT lessons the Year 4 to 7 students will be exploring the non-fiction texts that have been shortlisted by the Childrens Book Council of Australia. Which one of these do you think deserves to win? Why?

We will be exploring the topics presented by these books, and thinking about how the authors have used the topic and language structures and features to good effect. What makes these worthy of making the shortlist?
Non fiction CBCATo begin, what do we already know:

Phasmid: Saving the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect – Room 9

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 I think they will save the stick insect
They will probably try to find some more because they thought they were extinct
The text will be about the recovery of the stick insect
Might all be extinct then they find another egg and it breeds
 We think that maybe there is more of them. Where do they come from? Travel to look for them, find more
 Maybe they were endangered, being taken care of in an enclosure, got away, had to try to look for them
They started to be extinct and they found one
 Some people think they are all extinct then someone finds some
They are all extinct but some people don’t agree and then go and search and they find them. Find them on the edge of extinction, but manage to save them
We think that they are on the verge of extinction, try to find some more of the species
Someone finds a whole group of them somewhere but no one believes them
Science non-fiction book about the stick insect. They finds one, copy the DNA and then breed more

 

Phasmid: Saving the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect – Room 11

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 We think it would be sad if this species of insect becomes extinct
 Cool that a guy discovered a new species on the island
 The phasmids were extinct and then found and bred more
 A man will discover a new bug
Everyone who tried to save the bug would have been really happy
Story about saving a stick insect. Happy to find species
Extinct but then a man found on a crevasse in a rock
Grateful that they found it, now we can learn more. Never give up
Interesting that everyone thought it was extinct. Need to learn more to keep it alive
Book about how to save insects

Phasmid: Saving the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect – Room 12

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 Phasmid was extinct but not extinct
 A lot of research before they could breed more.
How they kept them alive
 People that saved them must have really cared about them
 How it got extinct and how they found it
Publishers are scientists
Persistence and hope
Colours which identify it – from other animals
Send someone to go find the phasmids, research lab to learn more about them
Care a lot about them, heard about extinction, searched island. Starts a breeding program
Might try and get other people involved
Book to create awareness of extinction and other animals that might have same problem
Work together as a team
May have been preyed on by predators – birds, animals –maybe snakes  √ birds
Some people wouldn’t care just to become famous

Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony – Room 13

Lennie goes to Sydney from Melbourne
What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 He didn’t flee Melbourne
 Lennie is really brave because he was on a pony
 Probably had to go through a tough time – robber
 Crazy to travel all that way. Was the pony Ok – was it fed?
Lennie meets the Prime Minister. Who was the Prime Minister at the time? Gough Whitlam?
31 years after Federation. Lennie was optimistic. During the Great Depression. Pony – Ginger Mick
Not very well thought out blurb, it shouldn’t tell the outcome
Maybe the family was struggling
I wonder how old the pony is and what happens to it afterwards

 

We Are the Rebels: The Women and Men who made Eureka – Room 14

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 Maybe some people invaded their town, and there was a big fight
Maybe they were having a war and people were told not to be involved – tried to fight back and that’s why they were called the rebels
There is the gold rush, Eureka Flag – looks very old – white cross and dark blue background with stars at the end and the middle
Gold rush – people across the world went to the gold rush, so they could mine gold and get rich
 Maybe the background of the cover is the flag
Eureka Stockade – mining area – attracted lots of people, Cornish people
 Eureka – I found it!
Seen a mining film – gigantic field – Burra
Eureka – Sky Deck building – tallest building in Southern hemisphere – named after Eureka Stockade
Mining place
Eureka Stockade in Australia somewhere
Lots of money involved
Front cover – flag – burn – culture or belief
Eureka flag – stars, red, blue
Up and down story – good parts and not so good parts

 

The White Mouse: The Story of Nancy Wake – Room 15

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 She is in the French Resistance – WW2 (against the force – Hitler)
 Australian
 She is very secretive and brave – The White Mouse
 She’s wanted – Dead or Alive
 Most decorated Australian woman
 She is rebellious for a good cause – helping refugees
 – works for the army – Australian army
 10 medals
 – parachuted behind enemy lines – sneaky, using a tactic to get around the opposition
Had to sacrifice and cause destruction

The White Mouse: The Story of Nancy Wake – Room 16

What do I think I know Confirmed  √ Misconception New Information Wonderings
 A war, a woman’s experiences during WW11 and how she achieved the medals
 She was a spy and her code name was The White Mouse  because she could get passed the enemy’s defences
 Women have equal abilities as men, as she can do things that men can’t
 Must have had a lot of courage
 Wonder why it’s called The White Mouse
 Think she’s a spy and the other enemies call her The White Mouse
 Called The White Mouse because of how she dresses
 Nurse, Reporter, Rebel

Pyramid Blooms

Blooms #1 Blooms#2

Phasmids – Year 4/5

Phasmids q7,8,9

Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony – Year 6

Lennie the legend q 7,8,9

We are the Rebels: Women and Men of Eureka – Year 6

 

The Rebels q 7,8,9

 

The White Mouse: The Story of Nancy Wake – Year 7

Nancy Wake2

 

 

Wiederhold Question Matrix

 

SOLO BookWeek