As per our school’s Curriculum Plan and Policy, the core Curriculum Areas of Religious Education, English and Mathematics are complimented by the delivery of an integrated unit of work using an inquiry approach.
Each year level’s integrated Inquiry Units will encompass the General Capabilities as well as several discipline-based curriculum areas from the Victorian Curriculum, such as History, Geography, Civics & Citizenship, Economics & Business.
This semester, our whole school Inquiry concept is: CONNECTIONS
In order to plan engaging learning experiences and meaningful units of work, staff commenced the planning process in November last year. The voice of students, staff and parents were considered prior to more in-depth planning of our Inquiry units.
“Student Voice” was collated by classroom teachers, specifically through class discussions about the concept of CONNECTIONS and explicitly planned activities where students shared their prior knowledge of various topics that may be covered in our units.
Here is a snapshot of each level’s Inquiry units for Semester 1 2024:
Prep
Title: Who am I?
Compelling Questions:
Who am I?
How are we connected?
Key Topics & Understandings:
Family - Family tree, family structures, people in my family, family cultural background, family celebrations and traditions, God’s family
Feelings and Emotions - Naming feelings and emotions, Zones of Regulation, Identifying emotions in others
Belonging - Groups we belong to (family, school, sporting club, Church), how we belong (uniform, meeting place, shared values), how it feels to belong
Personal History - past vs present, comparing me to a family member (e.g. grandma)
Understandings:
I belong to my school and my family.
I can have lots of different emotions.
My family is unique.
The past is different from the present.
Year 1/2
Title: Me and My World
Compelling Questions:
How am I connected to my world?
How do my personal strengths contribute to this?
What makes me belong?
Key Topics & Understandings:
Belonging - being wanted/needed, apart of something
School/Community/Life - friendships, class, clubs, school community (COHR)
Family - your role, school, family tree, celebrations, culture (food, traditions, dances)
Relationships - extended family, positive/negative, good friends
Understandings:
I can change my behavior to strengthen a friendship.
I can identify a personal strength that impacts my family and friends.
I can show how I belong to my family, friends and the community.
Year 3/4
Title: We are Many, but We are One
Compelling Questions:
Why are connections important?
How can we strengthen our connections?
Key Topics & Understandings:
Australia - settlement, First Fleet, connections, geography, population, characteristics of places
People - Multiculturalism, diversity, experiences, relationships between the Indigenous Australians and the land, reconciliation
