Literacy Provocation

As part of Literacy and Numeracy

Week, the children experienced flying
in a rocket in order to provoke writing
responses and artwork
Context of Item
As part of Literacy and Numeracy Week, the students experienced a pretend flight in a rocket
to an uncharted planet
The students were told very little of the experience until it was actually due to happen
Each child received a ticket that they presented to the air hostess as they boarded the
rocket (the rocket was the Hall that the school uses for Assembly)
The air hostess was a hired actress one of the senior students Mother who the school has
used on many occasions such as this
The students sat in seats equipped with seat belts (skipping ropes that were tied loosely
around them before the take off)
Footage of a real rocket launch was projected on a large screen at the front of the aircraft;
this was supposedly footage from the outside of the rocket as it was taking off from Earth
In addition to the rocket launch footage, there were also sound effects played, and the Hall was
completely blacked out by garbage bags placed over all of the windows to create the illusion of
the unknown
After take off, the hostess announced that we would be required to make an emergency
crash landing due to unforeseen turbulence that had thrown us off our original flight
schedule to Jupiter
After crash landing, the hostess began questioning where we may have found ourselves;
What would the surface of the planet look like?
Would there be any life on this planet other than us?
What would the surface of the planet feel like?
Would we be able to breathe the air? Would there be any air to breathe?
Would the temperature of the planet be unbearably hot or cold?
Would we ever be able to get off the planet? What if the rocket was beyond repair due to the
emergency crash landing?
It was at this time that the students were able to exit the rocket back to their classroom,
where they would write a descriptive piece about what occurred after the crash landing

Development as a Beginning Teacher
This provocation showed me that there are many different ways of eliciting
fantastic responses from young children in terms of writing
The students had a wonderful time on their rocket flight and it was incredibly
simple to set up (the senior students stayed back for twenty minutes after
school the day prior to the experience to assist in the blacking out of the
windows in the Hall, and to arrange the chairs)
It was evident that the students were very eager to begin writing down their
thoughts as soon as they were back in the classroom
The younger students (this Literacy Provocation was something that the entire
school experienced at different times throughout the day) drew a picture of
what they believed the planet would look and feel like, and were then required
to write a short description of what their illustration entailed
The older students were required to write a minimum of one page describing
an event that transpired during their time on the mystery planet
This showed me that programs such as this one can be utilised across all levels
of any given school, as it is such a broad, original idea to base a piece of writing
on
Student Learning
The students were able to choose anything in
the world to write about; because this activity
allowed their imaginations to be their limit
who knows what is in the universe? Some of
their suggestions could very well be true
The children were able to justify why it was
they had decided to write about a specific
place, alien race or plant life during their
descriptive pieces; this ability to justify will put
them in good stead for later years in their
schooling life
V.I.T Standards and Early Childhood
Teacher Graduating Standards
Professional Knowledge
Know the principles and skills of instruction and program design and know how to engage
students actively in learning.
Have a sound knowledge of the role of language and literacy in learning, of the conceptual,
cognitive or developmental steps students make and of barriers to learning.
Have knowledge of effective pedagogical approaches specific to the content areas they
intend to teach.
Professional Practice
Use their professional knowledge to establish clear, challenging and achievable learning
goals for students as individuals and groups.
Model exemplary behaviour for cooperative learning and positive interaction with others.
Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the
content they teach accessible and relevant.
Professional Engagement
Demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional learning and employ effective
strategies to develop their knowledge and refine their professional practice.
Demonstrate a capacity to contribute to a professional learning community, in a school and
in the wider community (e.g. by engagement with a professional teaching body)
(http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Standards-for-Graduating-Teachers-
jan-09.pdf)
Rationale
I decided to include this item in my portfolio
because it was a terrific experience for both
students and teachers alike
The entire school was involved; encourages
unity among the students
Produced descriptive writing pieces
completed to a high standard
Final Reflection
The Literacy Provocation was one of my
favourite experiences on placement
Not only did it give students a great base to
begin writing/creating their work, it also
showed them that imagination is key to
producing innovative, strong, descriptive
pieces
It is my belief that many students gained
new confidence through this experience