Yesterday was our ninth annual Field Day and it was fantastic. We started with an extravaganza of the Arts from our early childhood children who danced, played instruments, acted and sang to the song: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. This was a culmination activity from their classes with Ms Balanzategui and demonstrated how The Arts is melded through the curriculum.
Our students demonstrated all of their work and were able to explain what they had learnt, to other students and adult visitors. The depth of their knowledge and the skills and understandings they had developed through their inquiry studies was very evident. Many adults commented on the ways the students talked about their work and answered questions with ease showing their passion for their subject.
Our teachers worked hard to give the students rich learning experiences and to set them up to be successful in the sharing of their work. Teachers started with concepts or big ideas and matched them to the Australian Curriculum. Students were then challenged to wonder and question the topic which helped to guide the inquiries. This way of working builds curiosity and taps into the natural inquisitiveness of children and leads to greater engagement in learning. The embedding of literacy and numeracy teaching and learning was obvious in the work demonstrated.