JUNIOR SCHOOL 

Year 5

Meet the Teacher - Mr Sam King

Describe yourself in 3 words or less? Growth mind set

What/who inspired or influenced you to become a teacher? Vanessa Mikelans was a memorable teacher that inspired me to work hard and believe in my capabilities, this led to me becoming a teacher. I also am inspired by the students I teach. Building positive relationships with them and their parents is at the core of my teaching. 

What is your favourite colour? Blue

What was your favourite subject in school?  Drama

What do you do on the weekends to relax?  Hang out with my wife Jenna and my three little ones  Jude, Stella and Penelope.

Do you own any pets? Not yet, we're thinking a cocker spaniel when the kids are a bit older.

Year 5 Chicken Coop Inquiry

If you were given the job of designing a chicken coop for our school, what would it look like and what elements would you need to consider?

Students in Year 5 have been investigating what chickens require to live happily, healthy and safely in a chicken coop.

Students have been learning how to care for living things. There has been a focus on sustainability by using recycled materials. The intention is for students to recognise that they are capable of creating something special that will be a legacy in our school.

The class visited the Ag plot and were delighted to see the new chicken coop being built by Mr Dawson and Mr Haywood. The students learned about the 5 freedoms for caged and free range chickens. Students took notes after the visit to the Ag plot so they can use the ideas when designing their chicken coops.

Mr Grant, the Year 5 Visual Arts teacher has been incorporating the unit into lessons with Year 5. Students made chicken models for their coops and created some 3D designs of their ideas.

Student work Samples of notes from Ag Plot visit

Jack Sheargold

Cody Bullock

Student work Samples of Chicken Investigation

My Chicken Coop

By Katelyn Miller

My chicken coop is two storey with a nesting area downstairs. The upstairs area is a playing area for all the chickens to jump about on all the tubes taking up half its space.

The coop is also on stilts that are a metre above the ground so the chickens don’t get flooded!

The nesting area is made of little houses for protection of the eggs. There is a door at the back so you can reach in and take the eggs out.

On one side of the coop is a food chute so you can easily pour food into the funnel at the top and it goes into the coop filling a small trough inside.

There is a 4mx4m outside space for the chickens to run about. There is also an outside trough you can fill by going in the gate.

Careful not to let the chickens out!

Chicken Coop 

By Nilara Nirupan and Urbi Otumbo

Our chicken coop has an opening roof so that the chicken carers can fetch the eggs. Our chicken coop is sustainable and is made of recycled materials including wire and scrap metal. The lovely coop will have enough space for 6 whole chickens. It has a roofed outside compartment so they can get fresh air. There is a levitated drinking bottle/food dispenser. In our comfy coop there are roosting poles for the female chickens to rest on and nests for them to make our fresh eggs. The chicken coop has bushes around it for the chickens fresh air.

Drenching and docking

Drenching is the deworming of the chicken or removing parasites. Docking is the removal of an animal's tail or sometimes ear.

Picture of chicken models made in Visual Arts

Picture of 3D model designs of Chicken Coops

Visiting Mr Dawson's Chicken Farm

Archie Pollard, Patrick Dunstan, Liliana Evans and Amelie Mota working on research for their chicken coops.