Rebecca's+Hurdle+Task

= 21st Century Skills =

Level 4 VELS (years 5 - 8) is focused on building breadth and depth of knowledge within all domains of learning in the three learning strands (VCAA 2009). The following examples highlight potential activities for year 5/6 students to practice the skills listed below.

The student would commence this task by pulling together any and all words that they can think of that have an association with natural disasters. They would use a tool such as Wordle to bring this together. This process would allow the class to be lead into a discussion about the themes of the nouns, verbs and adjectives being displayed. They would the be asked to develop lists based on those three group. This activity would also link to curiosity and imagination as the students have a large amount of creative control over their displayed work.
 * Critical Thinking and Problem Solving**

There are many 'eduskypers' websites that have been developed by teachers wanting connect with other teachers worldwide in order to connect their students with other classes throughout the world. The teacher would first make contact with colleagues via the network to ensure suitability and interest. A suitable time for a classroom Skype call would be organised and undertaken. The students would learn some key facts about the areas and the schools they were talking with prior to the call (which would tie into Critical thinking and Oral and Written Communication as well). Ideally, the teacher would Skype with an area of the world that they were to cover in humanities.
 * Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence**

To demonstrate agility and adaptability the students are given a task that has them sample 3 different versions of similar software for a group project. For example, students wishing to make an image poster would be asked to create a media poster in glogster, powerpoint or word and wallwisher. This will enable the students to understand that they are able to present the information they gather in many ways and formats.
 * Agility and Adaptibility**

Students will create their own comic strip via programs such as ToonDoo. These comic strips could be simply framed (in decorated card) and sold in the schools art show or fete day to raise money today a natural disaster relief fund of the classes choosing.
 * Initiative and Entrepreneurism**

Students are to create their own story book via bookr using flickr images of disaster-type events. In this exercise, they will not be limited to only natural disasters. Along with they images, they will be asked to write a few sentences relating to why they have chosen the images that they have and detailing what they see in those images.
 * Effective Oral and Written Communication**

To demonstrate accessing and analysing in the classroom the students will be reviewing recent natural disasters in an international context. The students will access wikipedia to gain an initial understanding of their chosen recent natural disaster. The students will then be led into a discussion focusing on the need for more than one data source of information in order to appropriately understand and analyse the issue. The students will be exposed to a variety of web-based searches for information and data gathering, including but not limited to, rss feeds, newspaper sites, tourist websites, charity and aid relief websites in order to gain a broader understanding of the topic. The students will then be asked to produce a webpage in PebblePad covering the before and after information affecting the area of choice. VELS humanities economics and geography will be strong within this topic.
 * Accessing and Analysing Information**

Students are asked to pick a topic of their choosing (in consultation with the teacher). The intent is to allow the class to realise that even their most 'fantastical' imaginative topic can have educational relevance. For example, the sample student will undertake a project to understand 'all about aliens'. Once the topic has been chosen the students will use bubbl.us to brainstorm the direction of the project. Through this project, an appropriate medium will be developed (diagrams, text, 3d rendering, glogster poster). Each student will be required to cover particular elements within their project such as, 1) articulating why they have chosen their topic, and 2) the relevant history of their chosen topic.
 * Curiosity and Imagination**

References VCAA (2009). Victorian Essential Learning Standards, Level 4. Accessed 7 July 2011., Retrieved from http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/downloads/vels_standards/velsrevlvl4.pdf