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Magill Junior Primary School: CCE for Junior Primary
The school and its community
Magill Junior Primary School is part of the Magill School Campus and is situated in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The Junior Primary School caters for children, 5 to 8 years, in Reception to Year 2. During the school year the enrolment will increase to more than 300 students. Many of the students come from diverse cultural backgrounds. The school has identified six core values: Caring, Cooperation, Diversity, Respect, Achievement and Self-Worth. Program Achieve is also being incorporated into the learning environment. The core values and Program Achieve are integral to providing a learning environment that is child-centred and success-oriented and which purposefully engages young students in meaningful activities. Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) plays a key role across the curriculum enabling students to be active citizens, developing skills in lifelong learning.
Program Outline 1: A Whole-School Approach
Program Outline 2: Student Voice
Program Outline 3: Using the Discovering Democracy Materials
Program Outline 1: A Whole-School Approach
Values and beliefs Core values: Caring, Cooperation, Respect, Self-Worth, Diversity, Achievement | ||
School policies and programs Values Education, Essential Learnings/SACSA, Student Voice, Program Achieve, Literacy, Learning Technologies, Active for Life | ||
Continue whole-school approach to enable all students to be active citizens | ||
Classroom teaching and learning | School organisation, ethos and environment | Partnership and community links |
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Integrate Program Achieve and Values Education | ||
Classroom teaching and learning | School organisation, ethos and environment | Partnership and community links |
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Developing links between student voice, school values and literacy | ||
Classroom teaching and learning | School organisation, ethos and environment | Partnership and community links |
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Building whole-school and community links by buddy classes, Student Representative Council and sharing resources | ||
Classroom teaching and learning | School organisation, ethos and environment | Partnership and community links |
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Planning 150 celebration | ||
Classroom teaching and learning | School organisation, ethos and environment | Partnership and community links |
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Program Outline 2: Student Voice
At Magill Junior Primary School the learning environment enables young students to develop skills in lifelong learning through active participation in decision making, negotiation, planning and taking on special roles and responsibilities. Students have opportunities to engage in a wide range of groups, activities and events which enable them to develop an understanding of democracy and government in a community.
Clean-up
Sports monitors
For information on programs run under the Student Voice see the school website:
http://www.magillps.sa.edu.au/.
(Under Foci, look at Student Voice.)
Learning outcomes addressed through Student Voice
Young students:
- are active citizens in the day-to-day life of the school
- participate in decision making, negotiation and planning
- develop an understanding of government and democracy in Australia.
Program Outline 3: Using the Discovering Democracy Materials
The Discovering Democracy materials were used to plan a unit of work on 'Volunteers'.
Materials included:
- Australians All! including the Teachers' Guide
- CD-ROM – One Destiny! The Federation Story
- Discovering Democracy Australian Readers Middle Primary Collection.
We used Australians All! as a literacy focus with emphasis on the story of Bindi Gully.
Students:
- viewed the text
- discussed the content of the story
- analysed the setting, theme, characters, language and expression
- discussed the problems and conflict resolution strategies used in the story
- related the problem-solving aspects of the story to class meetings and the SRC.
Australians All! was also used as a focus to explore the reasons why volunteers are needed and what kinds of volunteers there are.
Students:
- identified volunteers in the family, school and community
- researched a range of volunteers and presented projects to class
- discussed planning special activities at school to entertain others (eg Talent Show)
- identified skills and talents so that they could participate in the Talent Show
- developed collaborative skills by working together to plan, organise, promote and present the Talent Show
- worked with Year 7 students who volunteered to provide lunchtime activities so that younger students could learn new skills and activities.
The Discovering Democracy materials were also used to plan a unit of work on 'Celebrations' and 'working together' leading up to a whole-school celebration. This incorporated International Children's Week and the Centenary of Federation.
Using the 'The Bindi Gully Band' story from the big book Australians All!
Students:
- explored and researched types of celebrations
- looked at why people celebrate
- discussed the events and issues in the story
- identified how the people from Bindi Gully solved problems and worked together to plan a celebration
- suggested, discussed and agreed on developing a whole-school celebration for International Children's Day and the Centenary of Federation working through the SRC and class meetings.
From this, students across the school:
- developed an understanding of Australian heritage, culture and diversity
- participated in decision making through class meetings and the SRC
- worked together with another class to learn dances
- celebrated cultural background through dress and food
- organised and planned a whole-school celebration
- promoted the celebration within the school and invited parents to the Children's Day celebration
- discussed rights and responsibilities and world peace
- supported children in Afghanistan by donating money to UNICEF.
Evaluation and assessment
- Students used De Bono's Thinking Hats to evaluate the Children's Day celebration.
- Students discussed and recorded what they learned, enjoyed and had problems with in the planning and organisation of the celebration.
Other resources used
- For Every Child – Hutchison UNICEF
- It's One World – Geoff Hocking
Other activities based on Australians All!
Through the poem 'My Country' students:
- identified characteristics of the Australian landscape
- created pictures of the Australian landscape using oil pastels and paint wash
- researched the author on the Internet.
'I am Australian' and 'My Island Home' were used for:
- class and choir singing
- discussions on setting and themes.
Using 'Australia Becomes a Nation' students:
- viewed and discussed the text
- noted facts
- sequenced events.
The One Destiny! CD-ROM was used to:
- inform students of events and people relating to Federation
- explore the history of Federation
- experiment with the flag activity.
Acknowledgements
Principal Wilma Sullivan, staff and students at Magill Junior Primary for their commitment and support of the programs and activities
Discovering Democracy Project Officers, SA:
Mary Hudson and Leanne Carr
The Civics Team for commitment to developing programs across the school:
Jill Dodd
Anne Gilligan
Dee Cooper
Sue Rogers
Patricia Lutz
For using Discovering Democracy materials and developing units of work 'Volunteers' and 'Celebrations':
Dee Cooper
Patricia Lutz