Classroom News
What's Been Happening in Year 3
This week our Year 3 students traveled to the Melbourne Zoo. This was part of their Biological Science unit on living things. They explored how living things are grouped according to their observable features and how habits change due to the animals' needs. The students engaged in a hands-on workshop that explored the different habitats and environments birds live in according to their needs. In addition, the students investigated the Zoo from a religious perspective. They explored how environments impact God’s creation and how God is present in the animal's environments and lives.
After the excursion, the students took some time to reflect and write about their experiences. Here are some snapshots of our fun-filled days.
What's Been Happening in Year 5
5A - Isla & Mikey
→ Isla: in the Melbourne Gaol, we saw Ned Kelly’s death mask which was a mould of his face made of wax. There were more masks of other people that we saw as well. It looked really creepy and it was interesting to see. It was displayed in a glass case in a separate room for us to look at. They shaved his face and hair for the mask so it didn’t really look like him without the hair.
→ Mikey: When we went to the state library, we split into 3 groups. With our leaders, we went upstairs to see Ned Kelly's Armour. Around the armour was a lot of writing about Ned Kelly. We could see the dents from bullets. Ned Kelly’s armour kind of looked like Boba Fett from Star Wars. It looked really heavy because it was about 45 kilos worth of steel and bolts. It was the first bullet proof armour made.
5B - Peyton & Ruben
→ Peyton: After we went to the library, we went to the ‘Courtroom Drama’. Some people acted as lawyers, judges and witnesses. We reenacted the court case for Ned Kelly. Ruben was the judge's assistant. The courtroom was so clean and it didn’t look very old. On the wall behind the judge, there were different images and flags to represent Australia.
→ Ruben: So we got on the bus to head to the city. We went to the State Library of Victoria. It’s very big and it has a lot of old books. The library floor was very old and cool. There were so many cool places to sit and read in the library. I would definitely go back!
5C - Isabel & Hunter
→ Isabel: when we went into the Gaol, we saw the cells inside. In the cells, we saw prisoners face moulds. The cells were really small, the prisoners would sleep in a terrible little straw bed. They had to go ‘you know’ in an old bucket. It was very cold there. I was a bit scared actually. The doors had holes in them so guards could see what the prisoners were doing. Only seven of us could fit in the cell standing up.
→ Hunter: In the courtyard at the Old Melbourne Gaol, we saw a lot of the old punishments that were inflicted on prisoners. Punishments at Melbourne gaol were cruel and nasty. If the women didn’t follow the rules properly, they got sent 4 levels below ground with no food, no light, no windows and no communication with others. The men were punished with whips about 20-30 lashes. That would be extremely painful.
5D - Armanita & Jayden D
→ Armanita: After we looked at the Gaol cells, the tour guide took us to where the prisoners got executed. The prisoners were hung by a rope until they died. ‘OUCH!’. They took us right up to where they were hung, there were more than 300 hundred people who were hung in that one spot where we were standing. Creepy! There was a whole list of the people who were executed. Before they were executed, prisoners were kept in an empty cell for 24 hours, they were lucky enough to pick their last meal. Ned Kelly had a roast chicken dinner with red wine.
→ Jayden D: After the state library, which was so cool by the way, we went to the courtroom to role play Ned Kelly’s sentence. Some students got special roles while I got the best role of all, shouting in a British accent. Jayden K took the role very seriously with his accent. I’m not sure it sounded very British though. The best part was Alex, as the judge, banging the gavel as hard as he could yelling; ‘ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT!’. As a class, we agreed that Ned Kelly’s trial was not fair at all. Ned Kelly’s trial was on the 28th of October 1880 and he was executed on the 11th of November 1880.
..