TechnoLadies+-+Lesson+Plans



= Authentic Learning and Assessment = Authentic Learning refers to the practice of engaging students through the simulation of real-world problems. In integrating authentic learning with the Curriculum, you enable the student to learn in a way that is relevant and has meaning to them. They collaborate and solve the problems based on evidence found through research, and present their solutions in a way that is seamlessly harmonized with - and in a way, practically an extension of - the task they were required to originally undertake. There are nine elements of authentic learning, including authentic assessment.

In order to claim an **authentic context**, the student must be faced with a problem or topic that they would encounter during their every day lives. The Five Senses is a topic that can easily be described as having an authentic context and through the other modes of authentic learning students will learn about how they can explore the world around them through their senses. An **authentic task** is one that is relevant to the context that is being applied. For the purpose of our topic, students will be lead by the teacher in one session that explores the preliminaries of each sense. This is an authentic task in that the students will experience and focus on individual senses that are experienced naturally and may not have been consciously investigated before. Through a variety of websites and online activities (see our Student Resources page), students will have access to a number of **expert performances** relating to the particular scent their group is researching.

Students will have access to a number of resources, both technological and traditional. As members of a group, they will be able to gather a range of information and use a broad spectrum of knowledge gathered from a variety of sources to provide **multiple perspectives**. Students will **collaborate** with the other members of their group in order to collate and present their information to the rest of the class. **Authentic assessment** is achieved through the students being required to work together on and present to the class a short Powerpoint presentation that is enabled through the teach providing adequate support through regular coaching and suggestions for improvement, also known as **scaffolding**. The students are then able to implement their presentations as a means of **articulation**, including thoughts about the task and assessment by way of **reflection**.

= Our Tasks = The main aim of our lesson plan is to strengthen the student's knowledge of the five senses by engaging them in a group-focused activity.

We have planned an initial hour long activity aimed at Year 1/2. Before this activity, a class discussion will be held introducing the senses as a topic and what they are used for. This will engage the students and prepare them for the activity. The activity involves setting up five stations (one for each sense) each with an object specific for that sense (eg. honey for tasting, instrument for hearing, cotton balls for touching etc.). The purpose of this activity is to allow the students to to work in groups and rotate between stations, using their senses to determine each object. Objects are to remain covered so that students are only relying on one particular sense at a time in order to discover the object. A worksheet asking three simple questions at each station is to be used by each group to record results as the group circulates the room. A 'clue card' will be placed at each station in case any student is stuck on what sense they are to use. The activity can be adapted to different age groups by simply modifying the objects at each station.

You can view the video below for some good examples of elements that could be included in each station, and how to set up stations.

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After the completion of this main task, each group will be asked to focus on one sense and given an additional 45 minute session per day for two days. The students will use this time to research their sense and gather information about it. At the end of the task period they will present a short and simple Powerpoint presentation to the rest of the class, facilitating their own learning through the assessment period and providing some reflections on the process as part of the assessment itself.

= Our Lesson Plans = You can view our lesson plan for our activities below. We have also provided some helpful lesson planning tips and tools that may be needed if this lesson is to be adapted for another year level. Please note that as the second and third lesson are both for research purposes, they will have the same lesson plan outline.

For some extra ideas about lesson planning for this topic, including how to adapt the topic for older groups, please see the video below.

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= Learning Outcomes =
 * To enable learners to recognise that observation is an important part of exploring and investigating the things and places around us
 * To enable learners to share their observations with others and articulate their experiences
 * To enable learners to explore and observe using their five senses
 * To enable learners to research and investigate one of the five senses using various resources, including technology based resources
 * To enable learners to present their findings to the class using the computer program Microsoft Powerpoint

= Links to Curriculum = The Australian Curriculum addresses the element 'senses' in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 for the area of Science. For the purpose of our assignment, our topic relates to the following areas of the Curriculum for Year's 1 and 2:

Physical Sciences
(Year 1 - ACSSU020) //Light and sound can be produced by a range of sources and can be sensed.// Through Lesson One, the students will be exposed to a range of objects that will encourage them to engage with their senses and focus on one at a time, rather than as a collective experience.

Nature and Development of Science
(Year 1 - ACSHE021) (Year 2 - ACSHE034) //Science involves asking questions about, and observing changes in, objects and events.// Students will be expected to observe and investigate, while collaborating as a group, throughout the duration of the task and assessment.

Use and Influence of Science
(Year 1 - ACSHE022) (Year 2 - ACSHE035) //People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things.// Students will learn that their senses form the basis of their perception of their environment, and that they will use their senses every day to help observe and care for themselves, others an the environment.

Planning and Conducting
(Year 1 - ACSIS025) (Year 2 - ACSIS038) //Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as manipulating materials, testing ideas and accessing information sources.// In Lesson One, the students will be engaged in a guided investigation to explore their own five senses. In later lessons, they will be guided through scaffolding techniques to investigate the sense their group is focusing on for the assessment.

Processing and Analysing Data and Information
(Year 1 - ACSIS027) (Year 2 - ACSIS040) //Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables.// The students will be guided through the process of presenting their data, using a range of media in order to articulate their findings.

Processing and Analysing Data and Information
(Year 1 - ACSIS212) (Year 2 - ACSIS214) //Through discussion, compare observations with predictions.// In their groups, the students will discuss and compare their research findings.

Evaluating
(Year 1 - ACSIS213) (Year 2 - ACSIS041) //Compare observations with those of others.// In their groups, the students will compare their observations and discuss which observations and information are relevant to their sense in order to prepare for the assessment.

Communicating
(Year 1 - ACSIS029) (Year 2 - ACSIS042) //Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways, such as oral and written language, drawing and roleplay.// The students will be given a range of resources to use for the construction of their presentation and will be guided in the use of these resources through scaffolding techniques.

More detailed information in relation to the Curriculum can be obtained from the Australian Curriculum website.