In Year 5, as part of our High Performance Learning approach, students are set homework projects each term which enable them to explore their creative sides and to bring their learning together. This term Year 5 have been learning about the Victorians and so their projects all revolved around Victorian themes.
Those students who benefit from structure are provided with weekly suggestions based on the topic for the week. For those who are more able to direct their own learning, this allows them to explore in more detail some aspects of what they have studied in class based on the themes they have enjoyed the most. For example, some students explored famous Victorians, while others spent their time investigating the steam engine.
The opportunity to showcase their learning to others, including parents and other students, is just one of the Exciting Experiences that we offer at school. Every student had a variety of presentation styles, from movies to models, and they were able to explain in detail what they had found to both adults and peers. The elation was palpable as all students spoke and presented their work with passion and enthusiasm.
The thrill did not stop there! In the afternoon, in true Victorian style, boys and girls were separated and girls painted with water colours while boys studied Science which included making flip books. We came back together to watch a short clip about the young Queen Victoria. Here is what some of our students had to say about the day:
“I really liked Victorian Day. I liked seeing peoples’ projects and the best thing was when all of the girls from Year 5 came to my classroom and we played Victorian school” - Ji Hu Lee
“I loved when we (the boys) made moving pictures” - Logan Ricker
“I really enjoyed Victorian Day because I liked seeing everyone else’s projects and presenting my own project. It was very interesting how we made small flip books and watched a film. The most interesting thing was seeing what people were wearing!” - Kristian Janci
“Victorian Day was fabulous; I really liked seeing other people in their Victorian dresses. My favourite part was presenting my project to all the mums and dads!” - Gerard Muixi
Year 5’s project next term will be the 'Earth, Sun and Moon' and students will be answering a variety of questions including "What is the most amazing thing about space?" Again, there will be an opportunity for answers to be presented in a variety of ways. Each student will select one answer to perform as a speech, with the best presentations from each class selected to present in the theatre in front of parents and other students on our showcase day. We can’t wait to see what the Year 5s come up with next!