What Do We Learn and

How Do We Support Each Other? 

Staff at Sunnybank Hills have identified Core or Essential Learnings to form the basics of each Year levels’ program.  These include English, Mathematics and Information Literacy Processing Skills. 

Therefore your child in a given year will have a list of basic expectations in: 

            English             Reading                                   Writing                        Speaking and listening

Spelling(A Core list as well as phonics or word study elements to study)

Handwriting                            Viewing

            Mathematics   Number                                   Patterns and Algebra

                                    Space                                       Measurement

                                    Chance and Data

            Information Literacy Processing and Organisation Program

                                    Library skills                           Research Skills

                                    Technology Skills 

The school staff have grouped the Outcome statements from the Science, Studies of Society and the Environment, Technology, The Arts, Health and Physical Education according to commonalities of content or theme.  The content implied in these statements is then taught and the children demonstrate their knowledge in a range of ways. The key way is via the “Real” or “Authentic” Task.  Similar tasks are undertaken across the classes of each Year Level. These tasks aim to provide children with the opportunity to demonstrate their own knowledge in their own way and at their own level.  Technology, Spoken and Written language are all vital for this task.

Examples of these tasks are:  

Year 1  After participating in many activities the children will develop a knowledge about the differences between life in the country and in the city.  This will be shared in a display. 

Year 2  The students will identify characteristics of themselves, their families and the community.  With support, they will construct a 3D model of their family tree and research, create and present themselves as their future profession.  Their peers will offer valuable feedback about the presentation. 

Year 3  The students will select an endangered animal and create a diorama or model to demonstrate an understanding of a sustainable environment for that animal.  The students will be required to present their model with an oral explanation of their choices and this should identify the extent of research that the child has performed.  Children will also be required to write a report (used as a research tool) to accompany the diorama/model. 

Year 4  The students will design a museum display tracing the development of one form of media, transport, a technological device (or invention) from the past, to the present and into the future.  The display will include a written text and a variety of visual texts, for example, computer generated activities, word document, web page or multimedia presentation, models, charts, photographs etc. 

v      Attributes of Lifelong Learning

In all aspects of school life we believe that learners need certain skills or attributes to be able to be independent learners and contributors.  In each of the syllabus documents the following attributes are listed as being the foundations for lifelong learning. 

ü      Knowledgeable person with deep understanding

ü      Complex thinker

ü      Creative thinker

ü      Active investigator

ü      Effective communicator

ü      Participant in an interdependent world

ü      Reflective and self-directed learner

As a school we believe in this information age that as well as ensuring there are essential or core learnings we also have a responsibility to help students learn and practice these attributes.  With the explosion of information it will be necessary for students of today to develop these attributes to become lifelong learners.