Transdisciplinary Unit – Kylie Rivera 110231567

Essential Question: How does our food choices affect our health and wellbeing?
Learner context
Topic Focus: The impact of food and physical activity on our health and wellbeing
Level of schooling: Year 4
How will this Unit Work: All lessons are 50mins and will be done daily when possible, with a daily 10 minute mental maths in the morning.
What is the learning focus?
Concept(s) Thinking and Working Scientifically/Mathematically
Science
Animals are consumers in that they ingest food to survive. Plants are From Skamp & Preston 2015, p.86
BIOLOGICAL

producers and grow through the photosynthetic process by which carbon Communicating their understandings about the reason why humans are
SCIENCES

dioxide and water are used to produce starches of which the plant material is reliant on fruit and vegetable plants for their health and wellbeing.
made. (Skamp & Preston 2015, p. 270; Deakin University 2019).

All flowering plants has a similar life cycle (seed-germination-seedling-plant- Drawing a labelled diagram of a flowering plant’s lifecycle and classifying
bud-flower-pollunation/fertislisation-fruit-seed (Skamp & Preston 2014, p. 271). different flowers and its fruit.
Children and Adolescents should eat sufficient nutritious foods from the five Constructing a healthy eating board game that communicates facts about
SHE: USE AND INFLUENCE OF

food groups and limit the intake of foods that are high in saturate fat, added the importance of nutritious foods for children and Adolescents.
sugars and added salt, to get enough essential nutrients for good health,
growth and development. (Department of Health and Ageing n.d)
SCIENCE

According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, a healthy balance diet Predicting what the five food groups are, the recommended proportion of
consist of food from the five different food groups (Grains, Dairy, Vegetables, each food group, and classifying foods.
Fruits and meat) where discretionary food should be eaten occasionally
(Department of Education 2013).
Investigating their own intake of the five food groups, specifically the
Children in the 4-8 aged grown are recommended to eat 4 ½ serves of fruits and vegetable food group.
vegetables and 1 ½ serves of fruits everyday (Department of Education 2013).

Mathematics
Data are gathered and organised in order to answer questions and draw to a From Van de Walle et al. 2014, p.39
conclusion. It can be recorded in a table or using tally marks (Van de Wall, Gathering data on their prior knowledge and their food intake through a
REPRESENTATION

p.551; Reys et al. 2018, p.618). food diary. Justifying necessary actions that can take to ensure a
nutritious diet.
DATA

A pie graph is a circle representing the whole, with wedges reporting

percentages of the whole (Reys 2018 et. al, p. 626). Exploring and making a conjecture about the AGHE pie graph.

Column graphs are used mostly for discrete data where the column Collecting pictorial and discrete data and constructing a whole class and
represent these data. (Reys 2018 et.al , p. 265). individual column graph to represent their findings.
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 1
 Weight is a measure of the pull or force of gravity on an object. It can be Predicting what is a serve of fruits and vegetables in grams. Using
MEASUREMENT measured in grams, using a scaled instrument. (Van de Walle, p. 504) scaled instruments to weigh a serve of different fruits and vegetables
UNITS OF

and constructing a table of their results.

Key Manipulative/ Algorithmic skills being developed Dispositions

• Collecting quantitative (e.g. from the number of fruits and vegetables
they see at the garden) and qualitative (from their food diary) data.
• Using a ruler to construct a table and column graph.
• Understanding the elements of a column graph and how to interpret it
• Drawing conclusions of their diet through collecting data
• Using ICT to record written and pictorial data
• Using technology to collect data on different cultural foods, including
Indigenous Bush Tuckers
• Constructing an educational board game based on their learnings
• Measuring and weighing fruits and vegetables to understand a serve
• Making connections between relevant issue and their lifestyle to ensure
they consume nutritious foods for healthy growth and maintenance
• Develop confidence to make decisions on what foods they consume on a
daily basis and in cooking healthy recipes
• Be inspired to grow their own fresh produce through the place based
experience
• Practising to be an effective communicator through learning experiences
and partner work
• Be active learners through inquiry based learning of the AGHE
• Appreciating different cultural foods

How will the students engage with this learning?

Learning
Experience
Mathematics Science
1. Hook: Teacher to introduce the topic of healthy eating by showing 0:00 to
2:19mins of Healthy Food for Kids from Steve and Maggie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKuYfLM0yDc
2. Students will complete a KWL about what they already know about healthy
eating. Students will record down what they think they know about healthy
Prior Knowledge/ Engage

3. Students will construct their KWL chart in their books and write the correct eating in the K section, and any wonder questions in the W section.
corresponding titles for each section (What I think I know, What I wonder
about, What I’ve learned).
4. Students will record their current understandings of the topic under the K 5. Students will engage in a quick discussion about some of the things they
section. wrote down. As a class, they will view Healthy Eating: An introduction for
1

children aged 5-11 YouTube clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMHVEFWNLMc
6. Students will engage in a think-pair-share on what they’ve learnt from the
video. Teacher will summarise the importance of eating healthy and eating
lots of healthy food for growth, staying healthy and preventing the risk of
7. Students will go back to their tables and write down what they learned food related diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
from the video under the ‘L’ section of the KWL chart. Students will also
add any other wondering questions under the ‘W’ section of the chart. This
will be used to inform some learning experiences.
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 2
 Learning about the 5 different food groups and why they are essential for the body
1. Teacher will show students a blank template of the Australian Guide to
Healthy Eating (AGHE) (refer student resource section). Students will be
required to work in pairs and complete a notice and wonder on the chart.
They will construct a 2 column table and write the corresponding titles.
Some of the guiding questions of this activity are:
Some shapes appear larger than others?
What kind of food do you think belongs in each food group?
2. Students to share some of the things they noticed and some of the things
they wonder to the class. Teacher to display the complete Australian
Explore and Explain

Food guide to healthy eating on the board (refer to student resource

section). Teacher to recap the content that was learnt about the
importance of healthy eating and add on by explaining the 5 food groups.
3. As a class, go through the 5 food group and do a collaborative notice and
2

wonder as a class about the food in each food group. Teacher to write up
on the board what nutrients we get from different food groups
• e.g. meat = protein which helps build, maintain and the repair of
muscles *detailed facts on what each food group gives to the
body is in the teacher resource section of the planner
4. Teacher to explain that the AGHE is displayed in a pie graph where the
different shape sizes represents the recommended proportion of each food
group to be eaten,
Teacher to ask the following questions to the class based on the graph:
• Which food group is recommended for us to eat more of?
• Should we have a bigger portion of fruit intake or vegetable intake?
5. Students to go back their table and add more things that they notice based
on the visual graph of the recommended food group intake by the AGHE.
Students can add more wondering questions in the ‘wonder’ section.
Understanding what is a serve of different food groups and weighing a serve of fruits and vegetables
1. Teacher to display the AGHE Eating on the board and ask students what
they think a serve is.
2. Teacher to display the recommended serves of food from each food
Explore and Explain

groups for girls and boys in the 4-8 age group (refer to student resource
section).
3. Teacher draw student’s attention to the fact that the Australian Guide to
Healthy Eating recommends boys and girls in the age of 4-8 to get 4½
3

serves of vegetables and 1½ serves of fruit every day. Also, that a serve
of vegetables is about 75g and a serve of fruit is about 150g.
4. Teacher to provide a wide range of fruits and vegetables and electronic
scales. In partners, students will weigh the different fruits and vegetables to
understand what a serving size of vegetables and fruits looks like.
5. Students will take photos of their findings and display it in a 2 column table
where the headings are ‘food’ and then the image.
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 3
 Guest speaker: An Indigenous Elder will talk about different Bush Tuckers + student explores different cultural foods
1. Guest Speaker: An Indigenous Elder will come in and talk to students
Explore and Explain about different Bush Tuckers. As a class they will classify which food
group each Bush Tucker belongs to and its nutrients it provides to the
body.
3. Students will research the country of origin of each food. They will show
4

their results in a table with the labels being: name of food, country of
origin and food group (refer to student resource section).
3. Students are to journal about their experience what they found
interesting about the different types of Bush Tuckers that the Elder
spoke about
Understanding and demonstrating what is a balance diet
1. Class discussion about the importance of a balance diet and eating a
variety of foods within each food group. Teacher will display different
food plates on the board. After each photo, students are to physically
pick a side of the room to Revisit balance diet by showing pictures of
food meals. Students will physically pick a side on the room whether it
2. After each photo, students will pick either yes or no by standing behind is or not. (see student resource)
a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ heading. Students will be creating a life-size column graph
Explain

to answer the question displayed. Collaboratively, they will count who is

5

in the yes and no section.

3. For each plate of food displayed, students will explain why they stood
behind each heading and reason what they would change to make it
more balanced.
4. They will then draw their own plate of food to demonstrate their
knowledge of a balanced diet.
5. Students will have the opportunity in their lesson to research some of
their wondering questions that they came up with in LE1
Understanding the life cycle of flowering plants
1. Teacher will ask students to recap how many serves of fruits and
vegetables they are recommended to have daily. Class to discussion
how fruits are produced. Then view Pear flower opening to fruit
Explore and Explain

swelling lapse filmed over 8 weeks YouTube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHkmOh942A
2. Teacher will show a video of the life cycle of flowering plants and
6

engage students in a class discussion after:

https://vimeo.com/218127170. In partners, students will collaborative
3. Students will use ICT to find a picture of different flowering plants and construct a labelled diagram of the life cycle of a flowering plant.
their grown seed whether it is a fruit or vegetable. Students will display
their findings in a table. NOTE: some fruits and vegetables that students
will research will be on some Bush Tuckers that the Elder spoke about in a
previous lesson
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 4
 NOTE: BEFORE the visit to Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden at the Botanic Gardens of South Australia
1. Students will record what they may expect to see at the garden. They
Explain will utilise ICT to research about seasonal produce.
2. Students will record their findings in a pictorial column graph with the
7

headers being ‘fruit’ and ‘vegetables’.

3. Students will engage in a peer assessment where their peer will have to
check/research if the fruit and vegetables that they researched are in
fact seasonal.
NOTE: EXCURSION to the Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden at the Botanic Gardens of South Australia
1. Students will engage in hands on practical activities at the Garden that
Explore and Explain

will enhance their knowledge of healthy eating and the life cycle of
2. 2. Students will keep a tally and list of how many fruits and vegetables fruits and vegetables.
they see at the Garden.
8

3. They will also write down a short reflection about their experience
such as any new knowledge that they learnt about flowering plants
and healthy eating.
4. For homework, students will be required to find a doable recipe that
would be considered as “healthy” and explain why.
Cooking a ‘healthy’ and ‘nutritious’ dish
*Students would’ve had their recipe approved by the teacher before the
Explain

lesson
9

1. Students will make/cook a healthy recipe with a partner. They will 2. After cooking their dish, students will have to explain why their dish is
ensure they measure and weigh each ingredient correctly using scaled a healthy dish by referring it back to the 5 food groups of the AGHE.
instruments.
10.1 Tracking their food intake with a food diary (for one week)
1. Students will collect data on the types of food they eat for 4 days by using a food diary (see student resource section). After collecting data on their
food intake, they would then need to create a column graph that highlights the servings they had from each food group, including the discretionary
food and drinks group. *Connects to Learning Experience 14
Investigation/ Elaboration

10.2 Healthy food board game (NOTE: 50mins x 3 lessons)

2. In partners, students will need to design and create a healthy eating board game that would be educational for children within the 4-8 aged group.
They will need to include the following:
10-13

• Decide how the game will work e.g. will it be like the Classic Snakes and Ladders game or, if they land on a good choice they get to go up
and if they land on a bad eating choice then they move back a number.
• Outline the logistics of the board game which includes counting and make a draft of their information that make sense.
• Come up with a minimum of 4 healthy food choices and 4 unhealthy food choices.
• Include a minimum of 4 educational healthy food facts on their board game.
3. In Learning Experience 2, students will complete a glow and grow peer feedback on their progress so far and information that they included. A ‘Glow’
highlights what the student has don’t well and a ‘grow’ is a constructive comment.
4. In Learning Experience 3 before submission, students will do their own self-assessment using the rubric (see appendix 1)

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 5

 Reflection on their eating habits

Afterviews/ Evaluation 1. Students will look back at their KWL chart to see what they prior knowledge was about Healthy eating and the importance of it.
2. Students will reflect on their food journal and complete a 3-2-1 that highlights:
• 3 new facts/learnings that they learnt from the unit.
14

• 2 things they would add or remove from their diet from looking at their food diary.
• 1 thing they still want to find out.

3. Students will have the opportunity to play each other’s healthy eating board game.

How will you know what the students have learnt? (Assessment)
Science
What will you asses? How will you assess? When will you How will you What forms of
Concept(s) assess? & Who record your feedback will
Thinking and Working Scientifically leads the assessments? you provide?
assessment?
Animals are consumers in that they ingest food to survive. KWL Chart LE1 Checklist Immediate
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Plants are producers and grow through the photosynthetic (diagnostic) (Teacher led) verbal feedback
process by which carbon dioxide and water are used to Anecdotal notes during the
produce starches of which the plant material is made. Observations and Informal LE7, LE8 from conversations lesson
Communicating their understandings of why humans are conversations (Teacher led)
reliant on fruit and vegetable plants for their health and (formative) Comments in
wellbeing. Student’s books
All flowering plants has a similar life cycle (seed-germination- Partner
seedling-plant-bud-flower-pollunation/fertislisation-fruit-seed. co-construction of a LE6
Drawing a labelled diagram of a flowering plant’s lifecycle and flowering plant’s life cycle (Teacher led)
classifying different flowers and its fruit. (formative)

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 6

 Children and Adolescents should eat sufficient nutritious KWL Chart LE1, Anecdotal notes & Immediate
foods from the five food groups and limit the intake of foods (Diagnostic) (Teacher led) Checklists verbal feedback
SHE: USE AND INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE
that are high in saturate fat, added sugars and added salt, to Notice and Wonder table LE2 throughout during the
get enough essential nutrients for good health, growth and (formative) (Peer assessment) lesson
development. Journal (formative) LE2
Constructing a healthy eating board game that communicates Healthy Eating board game (Self assessment)
facts about the importance of nutritious foods for children and (summative) LE10-13
(Peer assessment &
Rubric and Rubric and
Adolescents. spreadsheet feedback form
Teacher led)

According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, a

healthy balance diet consist of food from the five different
Classifying different foods LE4, LE5 Glow and Grow Glow and Grow
food groups (Grains, Dairy, Vegetables, Fruits and meat)
where discretionary food should be eaten occasionally. from different cultures table (Teacher led) Peer assessment feedback form
Predicting what the five food groups are, the recommended & drawing of a balance diet feedback form
(formative)
proportion of each food group, and classifying foods.
Food diary (summative) Comments in
Children in the 4-8 aged grown are recommended to eat 4 ½ LE3, LE7, student’s
(Teacher led & peer workbook
serves of vegetables and 1 ½ serves of fruits every day.
Results of weighing a serve assessment)
Investigating their own intake of the five food groups, LE14
of different fruits and
specifically the fruits and vegetable food group. (Self- Assessment
vegetables (formative), and
3-2-1 (summative) and teacher)
Mathematics
Data are gathered and organised in order to answer Food diary and LE10-13, LE14 Rubric and Immediate verbal
questions and draw to a conclusion. It can be recorded in a reflection(summative) (Teacher and self- spreadsheet feedback during
table or using tally marks. assessment) recoding the lesson
Gathering data on their prior knowledge and their food intake Tally of foods they
DATA REPRESENTATION

through a food diary. Justifying necessary actions that can observed at the garden Ongoing checklist Rubric and
take to ensure a nutritious diet. (formative)
LE7, LE8 and anecdotal notes Feedback form
(Teacher led)
A pie graph is a circle representing the whole, with wedges Notice and Wonder table Glow and grow Glow and grow
LE2
reporting percentages of the whole about the AGHE (formative) (peer-assessment) feedback feedback
Exploring and making a conjecture about the AGHE pie
graph.
Class construction of LE5
A column graphs are used mostly for discrete data where the column graph & pictorial (Teacher led)
column represent these data. data on seasonal fruits LE7
Collecting pictorial and discrete data and constructing a and vegetables (formative) (peer-assessment)
whole class and individual column graph to represent their
findings.

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 7

 Weight is a measure of the pull or force of gravity on an Weight fruits and LE3 Checklist and Immediate verbal
MEASUREMENT object. It can be measured in grams, using a scaled vegetables and when (Teacher led) anecdotal notes and written
instrument. cooking their healthy recipe LE9 feedback during
UNITS OF

(formative) (Student led) Written self- lesson

Predicting what is a serve of fruits and vegetables in
grams. Using scaled instruments to weigh a serve of assessment on
different fruits and vegetables and constructing a table of recipe in student’s
their results. books

Links with the ACARA Framework

SCIENCE
Strand Sub Descriptor Achievement standards Cc priority General capability
strand

Living things depend on each other and They describe relationships Aboriginal and Literacy
UNDERSTANDING

the environment to survive (ACSSU073) that assist the survival of Torres Strat Islander
Numeracy
BIOLOGICAL

o investigating the roles of living things in a living things and sequence histories and
SCIENCES
SCIENCE

habitat, for instance producers, consumers or key stages in the life cycle of cultures
decomposers ICT
a plant or animal.
Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072)
Intercultural Understanding

Use a range of methods including tables They use provided tables ICT
AND INFORMATION
SCIENCE INQUIRY

PROCESSING AND
ANALYSING DATA

and simple column graphs to represent and column graphs to

data and to identify patterns and trends organise data and identify Numeracy
SKILLS

(ACSIS068) patterns.

Science knowledge helps people to They identify when science is Aboriginal and Torres Personal and Social
used to understand the effect Strait islander histories Capability
INFLUENCE OF

understand the effect of their actions

SCIENCE AS A

ENDEAVOUR

and cultures Critical and Creative

USES AND

(ACSHE062) of their actions.

SCIENCE
HUMAN

Thinking
Asia and Australia’s Intercultural Understanding
Engagement with Asia ICT

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 8

 MATHEMATICS
Strand Sub Descriptor Achievement standards Proficiencies General capability
strand

Select and trial methods for data collection, They construct data displays Understanding Literacy
STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

DATAT REPREESNTATION AND

including survey questions and recording from given or collected data.
sheets (ACMSP095) Reasoning Numeracy
INTERPRETATON

Construct suitable data displays, with and ICT

without the use of digital technologies,
from given or collected data. Include
tables, column graphs and picture graphs
where one picture can represent many
data values (ACMSP096)
Use scaled instruments to measure and Students use scaled Understanding Literacy
compare lengths, masses, capacities and instruments to measure
AND GEOMETRY

USING UNITS OF
MEASUREMENT

MEASUREMENT

temperatures (ACMMG084) temperatures, lengths, Numeracy

shapes and objects.

CROSS CURRICULUM LEARNING AREAS

Learning Area Descriptor
Health and Physical Education Identify and practise strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS036)

Design and Technology Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and
graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP015)

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 9

 TEACHER RESOURCES
ACARA Links:
§ Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10 Curriculum Science v.8.4, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority, viewed 1 April 2020, < https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/science/>
§ Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10 Curriculum Mathematics v.8.4, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority, viewed 1 April 2020, < https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics/>
§ Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10 Curriculum Design and Technology v.8.4, Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority, viewed 1 May 2020, < https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/technologies/design-and-technologies/>
§ Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10 Curriculum Physical Education v.8.4, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority, viewed 1 May 2020, < https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-and-physical-education/>

Informed Concepts:
§ Department for Education 2013, Healthy Eating Curriculum Kit for South Australian primary Schools, Second edition, Australian Guide to Healthy Eating,
viewed 29 May 2020 <https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/healthy_eating_curriculum_kit_for_sa_primary_schools.pdf?acsf_files_redirect>
§ Deakin University 2019, Ideas for Teaching Science Years P-8, Deakin University, viewed 27 May 2020, < https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/sci-enviro-ed/early-
years/>
§ Skamp, K & Preston, C 2018, Teaching Primary Science Constructively, 6th edn, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne
§ Van De Walle J, Karp K & Bay-Williams, J 2014, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, Pearson Education, NSW.
§ Reys, RE, Rogers, A, Bennett, S, Cooke, A, Robson, K & Ewing, B 2017, Helping children learn mathematics, Second edition., John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Milton, Qld
§ Department of Health and Ageing n.d, Healthy eating for children, Eat for Health, viewed 27 May 2020 ,
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/The%20Guidelines/n55f_children_brochure.pdf

Video used:
§ Studios, A 2017, BBC Bitesize – The Life Cycle of Plants, video, Vimeo, 19 May, viewed 1 June 2020 < https://vimeo.com/218127170>
§ Steve and Maggie 2017, Healthy Food for Kids from Steve and Maggie | Speaking with NEW Stories for Children Wow English TV, video, YouTube, 1
November, viewed 1 June 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKuYfLM0yDc>
§ Eat Happy Project 2016, Healthy Eating: An introduction for children aged 5-11, video, YouTube, 27 April, viewed 1 June 2020
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMHVEFWNLMc>
§ Bromhall, N 2018, Pear flower opening to fruit swelling time lapse filmed over 8 weeks, video, YouTube, 24 October, viewed 1 June 2020
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHkmOh942A>

Place-based experience: Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens of South Australia n.d, Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden Learning Program, Botanic Gardens of South Australia, Department for Environment
and Water, viewed 27 May 2020 < https://www.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/education/little-sprouts-kitchen-garden-learning-program>
Informed planning and Learning Experiences:
(See Accompanying paper for more references)
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 10
 STUDENT RESOURCES
Learning Experience 1 Learning Experience 2 Learning Experience 3

§ Pencils § 5 food groups website: § Electronic Scales per partner

§ Rulers http://healthy-kids.com.au/food- § Different fruits and vegetables to weigh e.g. carrots, apples, bananas, oranges, celery
§ Student’s book nutrition/5-food-groups § What is a serve pdf:
§ YouTube Clip: Steve § AGHE Blank Template
and Maggie § AGHE Full Template

Learning Experience
14

§ Pencil
§ KWL Chart from first
lesson

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 11

 Learning Experience 4
§ Bush Tuckers from Elder e.g. Bush
tomatoes, wild orange, bush plums
§ Laptops
§ Pencils
§ Types of food to research:
Learning Experience 7
§ Pencil
§ Books
Learning Experience 5 Learning Experience 6
§ Photos of balanced and unbalanced diet § YouTube clip of a flower swelling:
examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHHkmOh942
A>
§ Laptops
§ Diagram of the cycle of a flowering
plant:
Learning Experience 8 (Excursion) Learning Experience 9
§ Books § Cooking ingredients and utensils
§ Pencil § Journals
Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 12
 Learning Experience 10-13

Food diary example:

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Breakfast

Snack

Lunch

Snack

Dinner

Evening Snack

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 13

APPENDIX 1: RUBRIC FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

HEALTHY EATING BOARD GAME

CRITERA PARTIAL
PRESENTATION Board lacks colour and creativity.
Board is messy.
Handwriting is unclear and difficult
to read.
KNOWLEDGE 1 or fewer examples of healthy
eating choices. Few examples make
sense and are detailed.
ORGANISATION Did not complete the task within the
allocated time.
A low level of engagement on this
summative assessment task.
TEAMWORK and Seldom worked well with partner.
COLLABORATION Show respect, open-mindedness
and commitment occasionally.
OVERAL EFFORT The board game has only
addressed some of the outlined
criteria.
A limited level of understanding
shown about types of healthy eating
choices.
SATISFACTORY
Board colourful and creativity.
Board is messy.
Handwriting is clear and legible.
2 or 3 examples of healthy eating
choices. Most examples make
sense and are detailed.
Completed the task within the
allocated time.
A satisfactory level of engagement pacing.
on this summative assessment
task.
Generally worked well with partner. Consistently worked well with
Showed respect, open-
mindedness and commitment all
the time.
The board game has successfully
addressed most of the outlined
criteria.
A satisfactory level of
understanding shown about types
of healthy eating choices.
GOOD
Board colourful and creativity and
draws in the players.
Board is neatly presented
Handwriting is clear and legible with
effective word spacing.
3 or more examples of healthy eating
choices. All examples make sense
and are detailed.
Completed the task within the
allocated time with appropriate
A high-level of engagement on this
summative assessment ask.
partner.
Showed respect, open-mindedness
and commitment at all times.
The board game has successfully
addressed all of the outlined criteria.
A competent level of understanding
shown about types of healthy eating
choices.

Teacher Comment

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 14

 Accompanying Paper
Kylie Rivera 110231567

My transdisciplinary unit explores the importance for children to consume food from the five
food groups to promote their health and wellbeing. The teaching and learning strategies
imbedded in the unit aligns with the constructivist view of learning, which encourages
student exploration, sense making through physical involvement and hands-heart-heads-on
learning (Van De Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams 2014, p. 50; Reys et al. 2017, p. 34; Skamp
2007, p. 21; Skamp & Preston 2018, p.14). These aspects are evident in my unit through
eliciting student’s prior knowledge, enabling students to physically weigh fruits and
vegetables for students to visually see a serve, incorporating inquiry tasks that utilises ICT
to research different flowering plants and physically cooking a healthy recipe. Specifically, I
used the strategy of ‘notice’ and ‘wonder’ when exploring the visual graph of the five food
groups as it allows for multiple entry points of mathematical inquiry, which results in greater
active participation (Rumack & Huinker 2019, p. 397; Van De Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams
2014, p. 54). The unit follows the 5E model which ensures students construct their own
knowledge through understanding their prior knowledge which enables them to make
connections, and providing a variety of practical experiences to build, extend and reflect on
their knowledge and skills (Açisli, Yalçin & Turgut 2011, p. 709; Skamp & Preston 2018, p.
22; Hackling & Peers 2007, p.12).

I incorporated diagnostic, formative, summative, peer and self-assessment throughout my

unit to ascertain student’s learning progress at the beginning of the unit, to ensure students
can reflect on their learning progress, as well as informing the teacher on their progress
(Brad, L & Kennedy 2012 p.50). Some of these assessments are in the form of informal
conversations, glow and grow peer-assessments, journaling, self assessment of summative
task using the rubric and constructing an educational board game. Throughout these
assessment pieces, the concepts and thinking and working scientifically and mathematically
will be assessed, which is documented at the beginning of the transdisciplinary unit. The
concepts about the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, flowering plants life cycle, data
collection and representation, and weight measurement were informed by the Australian
Curriculum (2018), Deakin University (2019), the Department for Education (2013), Van De
Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams (2014), Reys at el. (2017) and Skamp & Preston (2018).
Anecdotal notes and a checklist is the mode of recording student’s progress throughout the
unit which will assist with ensuring immediate verbal and written feedback is given (Brady &
Kennedy 2012, p.60).

The topic of healthy eating was chosen because it aligns with one of the transdisciplinary
themes of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, which is called ‘Who Are We’
(International Baccalaureate Organisation 2012, p.2). This theme explores an inquiry into
the nature of self and factors such as health and wellbeing that impacts what it means to be
human (International Baccalaureate Organisation 2012, p.2). Moreover, healthy eating is a
relevant and real life issue as the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating reveals that 40% of

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 15

children are not eating enough fruits and 97% of children are not eating enough vegetables
(Department for Education 2013, p. 5; Hodson 2003, p. 645). This issue based approach to
curriculum connects to students’ life and permits students to understand the issue to take
good, informed decisions and action (Osborne 2006, p. 3; Hodson 2003, p.655; Smith
2001, p.33). This unit includes a place-based experience to the Little Sprout Kitchen
Garden where students will be able to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls and
contextualise learning (Smith 2002, p. 31, Edwards 2003, p. 9; Gruenwald 2003, p.4,
International Baccalaureate organisation 2012, p. 3).

I ensured I incorporated serval opportunities that promotes a culturally responsive

pedagogy and indigenous ways of knowing through connecting content to student’s life
(Rigney 2019). The assessment task where students investigate and collect data on their
food intake of a week is accessible for all students and it links the learning in the classroom
to their own lives. The learning experience that requires students to explore and categorise
different cultural foods promotes a culturally responsive pedagogies as it results in teaching
through students personal cultures and respects the diverse backgrounds and identities in
the classroom (Chown 2019; Rigney 2019; Chigeza 2007, p.12). Indigenous ways of
knowing is demonstrated in my unit by inviting an Indigenous Elder to talk about and show
students different kinds of bush tuckers, and by collaboratively categorising each bush
tucker to their respective food groups (Hackling et al. 2015, p.31; Chigeza 2007, p.14).

Using concrete and computer manipulatives to teach Mathematics is a possible

pedagogical topic that I am interested in investigating for PROFEX 4. Many research has
revealed that concrete and computer manipulatives in the classroom can have a significant
impact in enabling a student to move from concrete to abstract thinking of mathematics
(Larkin 2016, p.14; Coles & Sinclair 2019, p.466). For instance, concrete and computer
manipulatives assists all students of different learning abilities to visualise abstract
Mathematical concepts, engage students, motivate students and problem solve, to better
understand mathematical concepts or properties (Bouck et al. 2014, p. 190; Toptas, Celik &
Karaca 2012, p.1122). A study revealed that manipulatives, particularly computer
manipulatives, has significantly helped students with Autism to learn mathematical concepts
such as subtraction and solve problems individually (Sarama & Clements 2009, p.147)
However, the integration of computer manipulatives in the classroom has been recently
perceived as more beneficial than concrete manipulatives, as it enables students to better
connect with their mental actions and have more precise decompositions that are not easily
duplicated with concrete manipulatives (Sarama & Clements 2009, p. 149). This key aspect
of computer manipulatives is something I am interested in exploring further.

Word Count: 743

Assessment 3: Transdisciplinary unit | Kylie Rivera 110231567 16

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