YEAR 6

Term 1

The beginning of the year starts with a unit on Newspapers. The students investigate and research the functions of a newspaper such as headlines, editorials, Letters to the editor, cartoons and advertising. Feature articles are studied in great depth and an individual one is written for assessment. Cartoonist Brian Doyle visits to teach everyone about cartoons and caricatures. Brian's visits are always fun and fast paced and before long the rooms are covered in drawings. We also learn about political cartoons in the newspapers. The year 6 students conduct interviews with various people and compare and contrast school experiences. Guest speakers include journalists and cameramen from local newspapers. This is also the term for the start of individual web pages. We see amazing and very creative web designs appearing and our skills develop quickly. This is a very comprehensive collection of student's work, which is updated throughout the year.

Example of a newspaper front page

Term 2

Term two arrived quickly and immediately after Easter the students began their term with a four-day camp to Maroon Dam. It was a fantastic time with activities including a camp sleep out in tents, the high ropes crate stack, the giant catapault and many more.

Our integrated unti for the term is 'Medieval Times'. The dark ages are an exciting time period to research, explore and scrutinize. The year 6 rooms fill with creative writings, ballads, historical fictions, shields, catapults, coats of armour and knights of old. The students work in small groups to research medieval lifestyles, warfare and technology, castles and the feudal system of Government. One of the highlights of the term is Medieval Day where everyone dresses up including the teachers and we participate in archery, games, tug-o-wars, singing and feasting. The hall turns into a medieval castle with long tressel tables set with a feast suitable for a king or queen, or a lord or lady. A great time is assured to all who attend.

Canoeing on camp is always fun	Constructing giant catapaults on camp

Term 3

The Environment

In term three year6 participate in an environmental unit of study. They explore sustainable uses of renewable and non-renewable resources. They are involved in a wide variety of experiments on wind and solar power including a solar sausage cooker. The students use this information as well as personal research to design and build an environmentally friendly house.
This unit also includes studies from a global perspective on world environmental issues. Power point presentations feature issues that the students are concerned about and these are added to their web pages.
Assessment items, art work, photos, sport all become part of each individual`s web pages.

Model of an environmentally friendly home	Fun at camp!

Term 4

Disasters and survival

The final unit of study for the year is Disasters and Survival. The students study disasters such as the Titanic, Mount Vesuvius, Ash Wednesday, The Stinson, cyclones and earthquakes. The students concentrate on improving their research skills and understanding the world around them.
The power of survival instincts within individual humans is also explored.
There are some wonderful examples of people overcoming adverse conditions to survive and these are inspiring stories to read about. Fourth term is also leadership time and students prepare for the role of choosing the school's leaders. Many students are trained as peer mediators and sport captains.