Adventure Learning in Room H is a thing of beauty. At the beginning of the year, we sat down as a class and brainstormed a range of topics that we all wanted to learn about. Throughout the year, I would select a topic and teach the children about it, using an inquiry learning model. We would tie it into the school inquiry topic and as many curriculum areas as it would fit into. Every topic covered Literacy and Numeracy.
Children were given an Adventure Learning Journal and a ROLL (Random & Other Learning) book in which we recorded our learning, asked questions, copied down research, drew annotated diagrams and reflected upon what we liked best about these topics. As the year went on, the depth of questioning that the students presented grew. Instead of asking what questions (Level 1/2 oral language), they began to think deeper about out topics and ask questions that would require them to think deeply about the answer and ask further questions. By Term 3, students were beginning to develop a sense of wanting to steer an adventure in a direction of their choosing, not the same direction that their peers were taking. They were asking questions but wanting to research the answers themselves, and then discuss their findings. While this was all time consuming, I had students who were trying their best to direct their own learning, students who were motivated and engaged with their learning and, best of all, wanting to come to school and wanting to learn.
The Most Successful Adventure
Our most successful unit would be out Insects unit. This was completed in Term 2. Each week we would pick a new insect to learn about; read about it, write a report about it, do some form of maths based on this insect (where possible) and complete an art project about this insect. All of the students were SUPER engaged in this topic and I began to feel as if we would be OK this year. This was the topic that students began to start asking deeper questions. They were all coming to school and ready to learn. We were still doing our literacy and numeracy rotations but these activities were all hands on, and linked to our insects unit.
The Least Successful Adventure
Probably our least successful adventure was our Fairy Tales unit. This happened in Term 3. Term 3 in Room H was an absolute disaster. For some reason, we had a lot of behavioural issues pop up which lead to a classroom that was not the most inviting place to be. Stress levels were high in both me and the kids and this unit got put on the back burner in favour of resetting routines, working on behavioural issues, a big push on social skills and trying to create a healthy atmosphere. Looking back, I don't think we did near enough to even say that we learnt about fairy tales this year. Disappointing, considering this was one I was looking forward to and the kids new a lot about already.
- Learning topics
- Fairy tales
- Insects
- Antarctica
- France
- Madagascar
- NZSL
- Tanzania
- African animals
- Volcanoes
- Tornadoes
- Portugal
- Olympics
- Norway
- Germany
- Brazil
- England
- Japan
- China
- Russia (and class topic)
- Kites
- Postcards from around the world
- Continents
- Equator
- Space
- World war 2
- ANZAC - WW1
- Under the Sea
- Inventions
- Worm Farm
- Art Expo
- Science - How to make butter (Wall Chart Prep)
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