TASK 7 : Planning, teaching, assessing, and evaluating one 3-week unit of work

AusVELS Domain- Discipline-based Learning

AusVELS Strand- Science (linked to The Arts)
Sub-strandWeather
AusVELS Science Understanding- FOUNDATION (Earth and space sciences): Daily and seasonal changes in our environment, including the
weather
- LEVEL 1 (Earth and space sciences): Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape
AusVELS Science as a Human Endeavour- FOUNDATION (Nature and development of science): Science involves exploring and observing the world
using the senses
- LEVEL 1 (Nature and development of science): Science involves asking questions about, and describing
changes in, objects and events

LESSON DATE

TOPIC

LEARNING INTENTION

TASK CONDITIONS INCLUDED

1
(1 hour)

Seasonal
weather
changes

Students will express their prior

knowledge of the changes in weather
during the four seasons of the year, as
well as the effects of weather on
people, animals, and our environment.

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/

Wednesday
19.11.14
1:00pm

activities/tasks

- prompting questions

Self-Evaluation: I effectively explained the task and students all completed what was asked of them to the best of
their knowledge. Most students had a good idea of the different seasons so it was great to gain an understanding of
where their learning could continue from. I encouraged all students to participate in sharing and used good
questioning to prompt students thinking and articulating of answers.
2
(1 hour)

Wednesday
26.11.14
1:00pm

The Story of
a Raindrop

Students will learn about the cycle of

water on Earth through listening to
The Story of a Raindrop, and class
discussion. Students will demonstrate
their understanding of what happens to
water (rain) by drawing.

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/
activities/tasks

- prompting questions
- resources
- time allocation

Self-Evaluation: I felt that this lesson was quite successful and engaging, as it had a class story component with
discussion, an experiment which was observed during the second half of the lesson, and a drawing component
which allowed students to express their understanding about the cycle of water and rain. I found it difficult to
complete the experiment in a position where all children could see clearly and were in the shade (we were outside,
and I felt we didnt have time for everyone to get their hats because the experiment took less than 5 mintues), and
there was a lot of calling out because children were very excited and curious. As well as using the 90/10 positive
reinforcement model, I could have used a loud and direct voice to show the children that I was serious and getting a
little bit cross with not many people putting up their hands before speaking.
3
(1 hour)

Wednesday
03.12.14
1:00pm

Dreamtime
Students will watch the YouTube clip
story: Tiddalik Tiddalik the Frog, and engage in class
the Frog
discussion on droughts and floods
(how and why this happens). Students
will create an oil pastel piece for their
report journals of Tiddalik (The Arts)

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/
activities/tasks

- prompting questions
- resources

Self-Evaluation: Another successful lesson, and a fun way to introduce a DreamTime character- Tiddalik. The
discussion on droughts and floods was good as many students had experienced a minor occasion of at least one of
the two. Students were polite and cooperative while being engaged and interested in learning about the frog. The
Art component was also very successful.
4
(1 hour)

Friday
05.12.14
12:00pm

Dreamtime
Students will review Tiddalik the Frog
story: Tiddalik and relate droughts to their own lives
the Frog
(Mildura affected in recent years).
Students will then show understanding
of the cycle of droughts and floods by
drawing the sequence of events of the
story in the correct order.

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/
-

activities/tasks
prompting questions
resources
assessment strategies
time allocation

Self-Evaluation: The children showed a good understanding of why droughts occur and many had remembered
details of what we spoke about in our Science lesson on Wednesday which was fantastic. I was pleased that
children shared personal experiences of their farms/blocks being affected by drought, and even the thunderstorm
from the past weekend, and could relate our learning to their lives. Children showed their new understanding of
droughts and why they occur through their retelling of the story Tiddalik the Frog through drawing in sequence.

5
(1 hour)

Wednesday
10.12.14
10:00am

What is a
Rainbow?

Students will discover what makes a

rainbow and watch the YouTube clip
What is a Rainbow?. Students will
learn which colours make up a rainbow
and create their own rainbow out of
scrunched up crepe paper

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/
activities/tasks

- prompting questions
- resources

Self-Evaluation: Today I used the non-compliance strategy and properly followed through with the child, which I was
pleased about. I felt that the warnings were not having an affect on the child changing their undesired behaviour, so
I took the next step of telling them they would be paying back time during their play. I spoke to the child at playtime
and talked through the issue. The discussion was fantastic and the children surprised me with the prior knowledge
of why rainbows occur. The art component was perfect.
6
(1 hour)

Thursday
11.12.14
2:30pm

Reflection on
weather

Students will reflect on their learning

about weather changes, and answer
three questions about seasons, rain,
droughts, and rainbows. They will then
draw a scene of weather changing and
this work will be collected and
assessed.

- background knowledge
- AusVELS link
- learning experiences/
-

activities/tasks
prompting questions
resources
assessment strategies
time allocation

Self-Evaluation:

- teacher evaluation