IGNITE NEWS

𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨

On Friday 28 June our year 8 IGNITE students hosted an Expo.

𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓 is an integrated unit where students made connections across their core subject to investigate the following questions:

• How well prepared are we to respond to a world changing event?

• What type of event would it take to destabilise existence as we know it?

• How could society rebuild in a broken world?

Students showcased their mathematics and science prototyping to reduce the impact of a catastrophic event, while also demonstrating their knowledge of leadership structures and envisioning a futuristic/ science fiction world which may follow the catastrophic event.

Expo Reflections by IGNITE students

Year 7 IGNITE- Land of Tomorrow

By Suchit Batchu 7IG1

LAND OF TOMORROW is a unit where students got to investigated and learn how humanity continues to produce industrial and commercial by-products at alarming rates. We found out that factories are dumping a heap of different types of by-products like water, oils, sand, rocks, dye into the environment and expecting nature to clean it up. But there is too much choking nature for it to clean.  So, we figured out that instead of dumping the by-products into the environment, we could make our own products from the waste for people to buy. In science we were able to practice different types of separation techniques while in math, we learned about considering costs, rates, and percentages. In HASS we learned about SDG’s [sustainable development goals] and with our group members created a product with the factory waste by-products. In English we had to work with modes of persuasion and advertise our products using Ethos, Pathos and Logos [gut, emotion and logic]. 

In the Expo, we presented all the aspects of our learning and showed parents and students our digital or cardboard 3D factory, the prototype of our new sustainable product, and a series of advertisements using the persuasive techniques as well as saying why our product was better than other groups products. 

The most enjoyable part of the expo for us was probably creating our factory and separating our by-products. The most challenging bit was probably working with the classmates that you don’t usually work with which made it hard to communicate with each other. Lots of parents and other classes came to visit our expo, so it was really cool to tell them about our projects and show the year 8’s the cool things we were doing. Lots of them commented they wished that they did the same thing last year, and they were very impressed with the work we were showing. They loved all of the model factories, products, additions and all the other work we did. Overall, it was a cool task that was very hard in some parts, but also super creative.

Year 8 IGNITE- Deep Impact

By Georgin Santhosh 8IG1

In Term 2 the year 8 Ignite students actively engaged in a new model of learning called Deep Impact. This integrated unit connects all four core subjects through coordinated learning and investigations. Initially, we were required to learn concepts from each core subject in depth, then apply this knowledge to a real-life scenario. 

This year, the theme was Sci-Fi, focusing on an impending asteroid impact on Earth. In Mathematics and Science, we designed and created prototypes to mitigate the impact of a catastrophic event. We demonstrated our knowledge of leadership structures and envisioned a futuristic or science fiction world that might follow such an event. 

In English, we wrote science fiction narratives that incorporated the asteroid scenario, utilising the skills and tools we had learned to enhance our stories. In HASS, we studied various governmental systems worldwide, identifying the most and least effective. We then selected a government system we believed would be best suited to manage the asteroid crisis. This unit also provided us with an understanding of global stability in the face of unpredictable events and the potential for even minor issues to destabilise the world and threaten human existence. 

Following the completion of our projects, we participated in an expo to showcase our learning and discoveries to teachers and students. Many parents and Year 7 students attended, engaging with our intriguing ideas. We spent time explaining the concepts and ideas from our learning to the Year 7’s, giving us the opportunity to show them what their learning next year could look like. The year 7’s certainly brought with them many thought-provoking questions, allowing us to confidently explain facts and knowledge to others. The expo and the unit were a success, with students not only mastering their concepts but also learning meaningful lessons and acquiring crucial skills for the future. We look forward to our feedback being used to continue to improve and develop the future iterations of this unit.