Inquiry Lesson (1):

Subject & Grade: Year 2 Inquiry/HASS

Topic: Places of Significance

AC:
Pose questions about past and present objects, people, places and events (ACHASSI034 - Scootle )
Compare objects from the past with those from the present and consider how places have changed
over time (ACHASSI039 - Scootle )
The history of a significant person, building, site and/or part of the natural environment in the local
community and what it reveals about the past (ACHASSK044 - Scootle )
EYLF:
Outcome 2: Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding
of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation
Outcome 4: Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence,
creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity
Outcome 4: Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry,
experimentation, hypothesising, researching, and investigating
Outcome 4: Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place,
technologies, and natural and processed materials

IB:
Where we are in place and time
Central idea:
Places of significance reveal much about the past and present
Key concept:
Connection, form, and responsibility
Inquiry into:
Places connect us to the past and changes
Purpose and characteristics of places of significance to the community
The importance of preserving places of significance

RESOURSES:
Sticky notes + Pencil + Idea boards
Tv + YouTube video
Tour guide + School Museum
Learning objectives: The learning objectives for this lesson surround the IB PYP program and the
inquiry for the term “where we are in place and time?” The lesson aims to develop the student
understanding of 2 of the 8 key concepts of the PYP program. Firstly change, the understanding that
change is the process of movement from one state to another. It is universal and inevitable.
Secondly connection, the understanding that we live in a world of interacting systems in which the
actions of any individual element affect others. These learning objectives are also strongly linked to
the Australian curriculum through HASS and General Capabilities, this is evident through the
curriculum links.
Achievement standards: By the end of Year 2, students identify the features that define places and
recognise that places can be described at different scales. Students recognise that the world can be
divided into major geographical divisions. They describe how people in different places are
connected to each other and identify factors that influence these connections. They explain why
places are important to people, recognising that places have meaning.

Students pose questions about familiar and unfamiliar places and answer them by locating
information from observations and from sources provided. They represent data and the location of
places and their features in tables, plans and on labelled maps. They interpret geographical
information to draw conclusions. Students present findings in a range of texts and use simple
geographical terms to describe the direction and location of places. They suggest action in response
to the findings of their inquiry.
Lesson:
“Last night I received a top secret letter and it was addressed to all of us, I will put it on the screen
so you can see and we can read it together….

Dear Alexandra and the Annesley year two’s,

We are writing to enlist your help for a top-secret mission. On the weekend one of our agents lost a
time machine in your school. Because we are a top-secret agency, our time machines are
programmed to turn invisible if they are ever misplaced. The only way to make the time machine re-
appear is to complete a list of tasks. Over the next few weeks, we will be sending you letters, with
details of the tasks we need you to complete. For each task you complete the time machines
visibility meter will go up and when it is full our time machine will re appear.

We are counting on you to save the day and find our time machine!
Regards,
President of The Department of Australian Time Travel.
Mr Time.
First task:
Dear Alexandra and the Annesley Year Two’s,
Your first task is to discover as much as you can about Annesley’s history and how schools
have changed over the last 100 years.
Regards,
President of The Department of Australian Time Travel.
Mr Time.

Prior knowledge:
“The first thing I need to know, is what do you already know about schools in the past? How have
they changed? I am going to give everyone two posted notes and I need you to write down one thing
you already know and one thing you would like to learn.”
Give x2 examples (prewrite them)
What do I already know about what school life in the past?
What do I want to know about what school life in the past?
1 posted note for each question
Play BTN History of Teaching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS2jcb4Nxcc
(Here I added a discussion about key elements of the video, I asked the students what they noticed
in the video about how schools have changed over time)
Tour of Annesley Museum, the children will look at old photos, the uniform through the years and
over Annesley memorabilia.
Reflection:
1. What went well in this lesson? Why?
Overall, the lesson went very well, most of the children were excited and engaged with the “top
secret mission. There was a strong sense of community and the personal aspect of looking at the
school resonated with the kids. A lot of the students have parent who went to the school before,
so the idea of learning about the history of the school was even more enticing for them.
2. What problems did I experience? Why?
On refection I would say there were two major problems with this lesson. I had both of the year
two classes for this lesson, so 40 students, I think this may have been too many for a lesson that
involved walking across campus and a lot of excitement. The other issue was that of BM, the two
classes in general were having a slightly off day and had been calling out during early classes I
had taken. I also didn’t take into consideration the fact some of the lower performing students
may need help with the writing portion of the lesson.
3. Was it “student centred”? Should it have been?
Yes, the lesson is designed for it to be slight “student run” regarding them completing the
mission. As the teacher I acted as more of a guide, posing questions to them and engaging the
students in discussion about their prior knowledge, the video and the museums.
4. What could I have done differently?
 If I were to do this lesson again, I would add a seesaw component to it. My mentor teacher and
myself did this at the end of the lesson on her suggestion, although moving forward I will get the
students to add something to here own seesaw page with a voice note.
5. What did I learn from this experience that will help me in the future?
Knowing that the student had been having a slightly off day, my mentor teacher told me to “set my
expectation” before beginning the class. This meant I told the students what was expected of them
during the lesson (ie no calling out, legs crossed). I believe this was a great BM technique that I will
be able to use in the future, it resulted in the lesson being less chaotic, with minimal students calling
out during floor time.
1. Preparation and research - Was I well prepared? - What could I have done differently?
I believe the lesson was well prepared, although I would have added help for the lower students and
a seesaw post. The only other thing with altered the flow of the lesson was the museum’s director
did not show up. Although I believe I recovered from this well and because I was well prepared the
impact to the lesson was minimal.
2. Written plan – Was I organized? Did the written format work? Is there a better form?
The writing of a “script” works well for me, when running a large lesson like that one I did today.
Moving forward I will be using the script format for my plans, although less conventional, I believe it
added excitement and served as a great guide for myself.
3. Presentation – Were the students involved? Was I clear in my presentation? How was the
pacing?
Yes, as a teacher we tell out students to recognise their strengths, presentation is mine. The
students were involved and engaged with the content. I had a clear and loud voice, the lesson was
not rushed or slow, the children were engaged and interested.
4. Assessment – Does my method(s) of assessment measure what I want? How did the class do?
What should I change for next time?
As this lesson was the introduction to a wider unit, the only assessment that took place was that of
prior knowledge. My teacher has suggested I use my prior knowledge collection for assessment at
the end.
Inquiry lesson (Added to the Unit – Separate from the “mission”)(7):
Subject & Grade: Year Two Hass & Inquiry
AC:
Pose questions about past and present objects, people, places and events (ACHASSI034 - Scootle )
Compare objects from the past with those from the present and consider how places have changed
over time (ACHASSI039 - Scootle )
The history of a significant person, building, site and/or part of the natural environment in the local
community and what it reveals about the past (ACHASSK044 - Scootle )
IB:
Where we are in place and time
Central idea:
Places of significance reveal much about the past and present
Key concept:
Connection, form, and responsibility
Inquiry into:
Places connect us to the past and changes
Purpose and characteristics of places of significance to the community
The importance of preserving places of significance
Resources: Dictation books, Speedy Maths books, ‘God save the queen’, Speaker, Costumes, White
board and TV.
Learning Objectives: The learning objective for this lesson is to develop knowledge and
understanding of how things have changed over time. For this lesson the place of significance the
children with be comparing and posing questions about, will be their own classroom.
Achievement standard: By the end of Year 2, students identify the features that define places and
recognise that places can be described at different scales. Students recognise that the world can be
divided into major geographical divisions. They describe how people in different places are
connected to each other and identify factors that influence these connections. They explain why
places are important to people, recognising that places have meaning.
Students pose questions about familiar and unfamiliar places and answer them by locating
information from observations and from sources provided. They represent data and the location of
places and their features in tables, plans and on labelled maps. They interpret geographical
information to draw conclusions. Students present findings in a range of texts and use simple
geographical terms to describe the direction and location of places. They suggest action in response
to the findings of their inquiry.
Lesson:
This lesson will come after the excursion to Ayers House:
In the morning children come into the classroom, the desks are in lines and me and Ashleigh are
wearing ‘old fashion’ style clothes remanent of teachers from another decade.
The children will have to follow a set of rules, written on the board:
- Come in a sit at your desk
- Do not speak unless spoken too
- Do not leave your seat without permission
- Children must sit and stand with straight backs
- Girls and boys must not speak to one another
- Children must stand up to answer questions
- Children must stand when an adult enters a room.
The board reads: Friday the 6th of November 1820.
National anthem (god save the queen) – Lyrics on tv so students can sign along (only tech used in
1820 lesson)
Roll Call
Dictation - in their dictation books – 3 sentences read out based on the sound/rule of the week – the
rule this week being the doubling rule- they are reminded on COPS (capitals, organisation,
punctuation and spelling)
Silent maths – Seedy Maths booklets used as part of their maths rotations (include – small sums and
times tables)
Crunch and sit quietly at your tables
Marching practice around oval
Before recess we run the day as if we were back in 1820, there is a list of rules on the board that the
students must stick to.
After matching children will come in and watch the BTN video on olden day schools.
https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/old-school/10536244
This lesson will lead to their persuasive writing lesson, run by Ashleigh about whether they would
like to go to school now or in the olden days. This allows them to reflect on what they have learn
about how schools have changed.

Reflection:
What went well in this lesson? Why?
This lesson was engaging and creative, most of the class really enjoyed going ‘back in time’ and
learning about how things had changed. The student did not want to return to 2020, spending a
large part of outdoor play canting 1820 and begging myself and Ashleigh to stay strict teachers.
What problems did I experience? Why?
One student at the beginning of the day before class started properly got a little overwhelmed with
the situation, although we had expected we may have some negative reaction, we were not
expecting Audrey to be one of them.
Was it “student centered”? Should it have been?
Although this lesson being ‘student centred’ would have gone against the purpose of the lesson, it
did give one of our students the opportunity to shine. Hugh has a massive passion for history and
was able to lead the class in some exercises, even correcting myself and Ashleigh when we were
slighting wrong in our explanations. It was a fantastic opportunity for him to show his strengths.
What could I have done differently?
I would have Printed off the lyrics to ‘God save the queen’ as having them on the TV did not help
show ‘change’. There is a lot more you could do with this lesson to help assist your students in
understanding change, but time and budget were no on my side.
What did I learn from this experience that will help me in the future?
That most children respond extremely well to creative ‘role play’ learning but that you will have
some adverse reactions from students who do not like their routine interrupted.

Final Inquiry Lesson (8):

Subject & Grade: Year two Inquiry/Hass
Topic: Inquiry Reflection
AC:
Pose questions about past and present objects, people, places and events (ACHASSI034 - Scootle )
Sequence familiar objects and events (ACHASSI037 - Scootle )
Leaning objective: To reflect on the embed critical and creative thinking students have actively
engaged in throughout all learning areas of this unit. To encourage students to engage in higher
order thinking, to use logic and imagination, to reflect on how they have best tackled issues, tasks,
and challenges through out the unit.
Achievement standards: Explicit teaching and embedding of critical and creative thinking
throughout the learning areas encourages students to engage in higher order thinking. By using logic
and imagination, and by reflecting on how they best tackle issues, tasks and challenges, students are
increasingly able to select from a range of thinking strategies and use them selectively and
spontaneously in an increasing range of learning contexts.
Activities that foster critical and creative thinking should include both independent and collaborative
tasks, and entail some sort of transition or tension between ways of thinking. They should be
challenging and engaging, and contain approaches that are within the ability range of the learners,
but also challenge them to think logically, reason, be open-minded, seek alternatives, tolerate
ambiguity, inquire into possibilities, be innovative risk-takers and use their imagination.

Resources: Time capsule, Time Machine, Certificates, Music player for Time Machine Sounds.
Students will be in a circle; this will be their last opportunity to add items to the time capsule. We
will discuss what we have in the box and how it represents the Annesley year two class.
We will then walk over to the patchell museum, where we will be keeping our time capsule. In the
museum we have a conversation about the students coming back in year seven to open the capsule.

During this time, I will enlist another teacher to come into the museum and tell us that something
has just appeared in Gillingham hall.

We will enter Gillingham hall to find the time machine in the middle of the stage, with this letter:

Dear Alexandra and the Annesley Year Two’s,

Congratulations, you have completed the mission and recovered the time machine. Everyone
at the department is so impressed by all your hard work, as a token of our gratitude we would like to
present you with these certificates. Unfortunately, we have run a risk assessment on time travel
from the year 2020 and decided due to Covid-19 we unable to allow time travel at this stage. Once
again, amazing work Alexandra and the Annesley year twos, the department thanks you.
Kind regards,
Mr time
After we have read the letter the children will all get a chance to check out the time machine, once
they have had a turn they will gather on the hall floor for a conversation about what they have learnt
and they will receive their certificates.
Reflection:
What went well in this lesson? Why?
This was a fantastic lesson, it sparked creativity, allowed the students to reflect on the unit and what
they had learnt. The excitement and engagement cemented their involvement in the unit, as well as
being a reward for their hard work, it also allowed their sense of wonder to be engagement and
maintained.
What problems did I experience? Why?
The lesson was exciting and extremely simulating and therefore lead to a small amount of bad
behaviour from some of the boys, I don’t believe this is necessary something that can be prevented
with 7/8-year-old children. I could of possibly re iterated my expectations when we were in the hall,
although this had been done before leaving the classroom.
Was it “student centered”? Should it have been?
Yes, the ‘time machine’ sparked peer conversation and reflection, it allowed for creative exploration
and imagination.
What could I have done differently?
During the time in which the students were ‘experiencing’ the time machine, I should have set out a
task for the others to completed as they waited. Potentially a questionnaire or a feedback sheet. We
did have a groups discussion that allowed me to gather feedback on the unit, but I do feel as though
a more formal feedback sheet could have been beneficial.
What did I learn from this experience that will help me in the future?
Overall, from this unit I have learnt the creativity is the best resource we have as early learning
teachers. It allows us to engage our students, while invoking a sense of wonder and excitement
around learning. I have learnt that there will always be children that will go against the grain and it is
our job as educators to not force participance, but to find an alterative way to inspire and engage
them.