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Teacher notes: Captain Cook

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Students love to hear about Cook's adventures and discoveries and also his untimely death. Captain James Cook has gone down in history as one of the greatest explorers who ever lived and for navigating and mapping more places than anyone else during his time. Here you will find helpful teaching ideas, background information and links to relevant sites to help you explore Captain Cook with your class.

His second trip began in 1772 with two ships, Adventure and Resolution, His aim was to find out if there was a Southern continent in that region. He never found this continent, but during his expedition discovered South Georgia Island and the South Sandwich Islands, along with other places.

Captain Cook met an unfortunate death in 1779 when a quarrel turned deadly after Captain Cook tried to take the Hawaiian leader captive and the people came to his defense. They killed the Cook before he could get back to his ship.

Australian Curriculum Links:
Year 4 HASS curriculum content descriptor requires that students investigate the journey(s) "of AT LEAST ONE world navigator, explorer or trader up to the late eighteenth century, including their contacts with other societies and any impacts ACHASSK084" Captain Cook is an ideal topic to meet the curriculum while keeping students engaged with his interesting experiences and adventures.

Resource Round Up
We've put together some links to places, videos and sites that might help you with your exploration of Captain James Cook.
http://www.captaincooksociety.com

If you're looking for something to make your life easier and ease your workload. We have created a great range of teaching resources dedicated to Captain cook that can be incorporated in to your Geography, Maths and English lessons. They are available to purchase separately or can be bought as a bundle saving your 30%.

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Students love to hear about Cook’s adventures and discoveries and also his untimely death. Captain James Cook has gone down in history as one of the greatest explorers who ever lived and for navigating and mapping more places than anyone else during his time. Here you will find helpful teaching ideas, background information and links to relevant sites to help you explore Captain Cook with your class.

His first trip in 1768 as Captain of the ship Endeavour was to Tahiti in the South Pacific to measure the distance of the earth from the sun by observing the movement of the planet Venus. While on this voyage he also explored the Society Islands, New Zealand and Australia of which he drew very detailed and accurate maps. He found Australia to be most interesting as there he discovered many new kinds of plants and animals His second trip began in 1772 with two ships, Adventure and Resolution, His aim was to find out if there was a Southern continent in that region. He never found this continent, but during his expedition discovered South Georgia Island and the South Sandwich Islands, along with other places.

On his third trip in 1776, Captain Cook went in search of a passage that many believed joined the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. His ships were Resolution and Discovery. He sailed halfway around the world he did not find the passage. He eventually ended up discovering Hawaii and its islands where he and his men became the first Europeans to set foot there. Captain Cook met an unfortunate death in 1779 when a quarrel turned deadly after Captain Cook tried to take the Hawaiian leader captive and the people came to his defense. They killed the Cook before he could get back to his ship. Australian Curriculum Links:Year 4 HASS curriculum content descriptor requires that students investigate the journey(s) “of AT LEAST ONE world navigator, explorer or trader up to the late eighteenth century, including their contacts with other societies and any impacts ACHASSK084” Captain Cook is an ideal topic to meet the curriculum while keeping students engaged with his interesting experiences and adventures.

Lesson Hook IdeasSetting the scene is a great way to inspire students and quickly grab their attention. Check out your local op shops and thrift stores to collect items that might look like they belong on a ship. Dress ups can also be a great fun way to engage students and let them get in to character while they explore Captain Cook and his story. Present your students with ‘what if’ scenarios to discuss what Australia might look like if Captain Cook hadn’t discovered Australia. We have a free set of ‘what if’ scenarios in our Introduction to Austalian Explorers pack which you can get here. Resource Round UpWe’ve put together some links to places, videos and sites that might help you with your exploration of Captain James Cook.http://www.captaincooksociety.com If you’re looking for something to make your life easier and ease your workload. We have created a great range of teaching resources dedicated to Captain cook that can be incorporated in to your Geography, Maths and English lessons. They are available to purchase separately or can be bought as a bundle saving your 30%. Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4

Planning your expedition in to Australian Explorers

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Expedition Planning Party
What a great way to spark enthusiasm and set off on your voyage in to your new unit. Before launching in to your new topic spend time with your students exploring the new topic, what it is about, why it is part of their learning journey and establishing what they already know. There are several ways to do this and we’ve created a solution for your but first let’s consider the possibilities.

Brainstorming
Generate discussion and thought by holding a class brainstorming session. You could follow the KWL method by sorting their responses in to what they already know (K), what they want to know (W) and how will they know they’ve learnt it, or at the end of the unit return to the chart and record what they’ve learnt (L)

Quiz time

A quick quiz can be an easy way to check for prior knowledge. This can be helpful if you have new students who may have already covered this topic at their old school. This could be an individual task or conducted as part of your class discussion. The Australia Curriculum flows nicely for students to progress to this topic after Year 4 but it shouldn’t be assumed that all students have followed this path as some States and schools have their own version of the National Curriculum.

Classroom display

Involve your students in setting up your Australian Explorers classroom display to help generate discussion, prompt them to remember prior knowledge and introduce them to the new topic. This could be as simple as sorting a set of Explorer posters in to chronological order creating a timeline.

'What If’ Scenarios and discussion prompts
These 16 prompts are a great way to generate discussion and debate amongst your students. Look out though, it could become one of those lessons that you just have to roll with once they get going! (these are sometimes the best lessons) Children can find it difficult to think beyond the here and now but these scenarios are sure to get them to consider what life might be like if Captain Cook hadn’t claimed Australia for Britain, if the British settlers hadn’t had guns and if only the east coast of Australia was settled as British territory. This activity also includes a recording sheet for students to record their thoughts for one scenario which could be completed with a partner to help them consider all the possibilities.

What is an Explorer?

This cute and easy to execute flip book is a great place to start to help your students consider what it takes to be an explorer, the character and physical traits required and the skills they would need. Your students will also be able to imagine their own adventures and discuss where they would like to explore!

Tracking Australia’s Explorers

Australia is a vast continent and by mapping their expeditions students can grasp they enormity of their achievements. This activity requires students to track the routes taken by eight of Australia’s explorers and discuss the possible reasons for their expeditions and the dangers they faced.

Navigating My Own Exploration
This is flip book is an alternative to a boring KWL chart and provides a record of individual student learning and progress from the start of the unit to the end. Asking students to record their own understanding and reflect on what they’ve learnt is a great way to help them take responsibility and ownership of their learning.

Explorer Topic Specific Spelling Lists

These lists are the perfect complement to your Australian Explorer teaching unit. These Look, Say, Cover Write, Check lists allow for daily practise and are designed to cater for three levels of ability. They are ideal for homework or as part of your daily routine.

Starting a new unit of work is an exciting time but it can also be a lot of work. Hopefully your students will remember the topic of Australian Explorers as fondly as I do! I also hope that these ideas and resources make it a lot easier and Don’t get bogged down in the preparation when the fun and joy of your job is in teaching and participating in lesson with your students.

Happy exploring!

Click here to receive your FREE Australian Explorers Intro Pack.

Expedition Planning PartyWhat a great way to spark enthusiasm and set off on your voyage in to your new unit. Before launching in to your new topic spend time with your students exploring the new topic, what it is about, why it is part of their learning journey and establishing what they already know. There are several ways to do this and we’ve created a solution for your but first let’s consider the possibilities.

Brainstorming Generate discussion and thought by holding a class brainstorming session. You could follow the KWL method by sorting their responses in to what they already know (K), what they want to know (W) and how will they know they’ve learnt it, or at the end of the unit return to the chart and record what they’ve learnt (L)

Quiz time
A quick quiz can be an easy way to check for prior knowledge. This can be helpful if you have new students who may have already covered this topic at their old school. This could be an individual task or conducted as part of your class discussion. The Australia Curriculum flows nicely for students to progress to this topic after Year 4 but it shouldn’t be assumed that all students have followed this path as some States and schools have their own version of the National Curriculum.
Classroom display
Involve your students in setting up your Australian Explorers classroom display to help generate discussion, prompt them to remember prior knowledge and introduce them to the new topic. This could be as simple as sorting a set of Explorer posters in to chronological order creating a timeline.

Aussie Star Resources has created the Australian Explorers Introduction Pack which is a quick and simple way to navigate your students to the topic of Australian Explorers – and best of all it’s FREE so you won’t have to dip in to your own slush fund or contact your ships Paymaster! In this pack you’ll find 5 great tasks to inspire and engage your students without having to spend your own time creating quizzes and resources – it’s all here ready for you. ‘What If’ Scenarios and discussion promptsThese 16 prompts are a great way to generate discussion and debate amongst your students. Look out though, it could become one of those lessons that you just have to roll with once they get going! (these are sometimes the best lessons) Children can find it difficult to think beyond the here and now but these scenarios are sure to get them to consider what life might be like if Captain Cook hadn’t claimed Australia for Britain, if the British settlers hadn’t had guns and if only the east coast of Australia was settled as British territory. This activity also includes a recording sheet for students to record their thoughts for one scenario which could be completed with a partner to help them consider all the possibilities.

What is an Explorer?
This cute and easy to execute flip book is a great place to start to help your students consider what it takes to be an explorer, the character and physical traits required and the skills they would need. Your students will also be able to imagine their own adventures and discuss where they would like to explore!

Tracking Australia’s Explorers

Navigating My Own ExplorationThis is flip book is an alternative to a boring KWL chart and provides a record of individual student learning and progress from the start of the unit to the end. Asking students to record their own understanding and reflect on what they’ve learnt is a great way to help them take responsibility and ownership of their learning.

Explorer Topic Specific Spelling Lists

Remembrance Day

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

The Aussie Star family live in a district where my family has lived for generations. There are links to our past around the small towns which can be seen on plaques, in community halls, sporting clubs and churches. Ancestors can also be found on the local war memorial where the names of members of my family are listed for both World War I and II. Although I never met these relatives I can’t help but feel a connection to these two men, particularly my Poppa’s brother who was killed in Damascus in Syria and is buried there. I sometimes feel sad that there is no chance of someone visiting his grave in a country that is torn apart by war and unsafe to visit. Last year I took my daughter (11) to see the memorial and we discussed the reasons her ancestors were included on the list of names. It was clear that it had struck a nerve with her as she asked constant questions on the way home;

Why did the war start?
Why did they have to go and fight?
Didn’t they know it would be dangerous?
If there is another war will Dad have to go and fight?

And on it went. Upper primary students have the maturity to see beyond the plaque on the memorial and to make connections between the past and the present which makes teaching older primary grades so enjoyable.

What are Digital Interactive Notebooks?

aussiestarresourcesau · Jun 11, 2019 · Leave a Comment

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of interactive notebooks. I love them for being crafty and hands-on but still totally dedicated to learning. Students love them too but sometimes it would be great to have something just as fun and engaging that didn’t require time at the printer and scissors and glue. Well, this is where Digital Interactive Notebooks come into play – they’re a total game changer. Digital resources are a relatively new thing in the resource development world and it’s been a steep learning curve to workout exactly how to design, create and publish these resources. That said, the end result is totally worth the effort and there will be many more to come. We’ve also had great feedback from teachers who have found their students really engaged with their learning through digital resources.

Let’s take a quick look at Digital Interactive Notebooks.

What is a digital resource and how can I access them?

Great question! I’m so glad you asked. A digital resource is a file that can be completed by your students on iPads, laptops or computers. There’s no need to print anything, the entire activity is completed online. Most digital resources we create are delivered via Google Slides which means they can be downloaded as a PowerPoint activity if required, alternatively if you have a Google Classroom set up you can issue the work straight from your Google Drive.

Being digital, you will be provided with a download link to access the resource. Most resources designers use Google Drive to store their digital resources and you will most likely be given a link to create a copy of a resource. You then save the file as your own Google Drive document or on your PC. All of our digital activities include comprehensive instructions on how to access and save your file in your purchase folder. We also include a handy document that provides instructions for the huge variety of digital learning platforms available such as Google Classroom, OneNote, SeeSaw and many others. It’s important you read the instructions fully and take the time to follow the steps. If you get stuck send us an email so we can help you out. Once you’ve done one you’ll be sorted!

What do digital interactive notebook activities look like?

Like printable interactive notebooks the digital versions feature graphics and images and interesting layouts. One of my favourite things is that they can be full colour because they’re not going to be printed. This makes them even more engaging and fun to work on. You’ll be presented with pages or slides that are A4 in size. The sections that would normally be on a printed version will be embedded into the page and text boxes are available for students to enter text.

Some digital resources feature moveable graphics that students can move around on the page using a mouse or their finger. This is great for timelines and sorting activities. You can see an example of the moveable pieces in our Economic Needs and Wants activity above.

In short they look really spiffy!

If you’re keen to checkout our range of digital resources click here to head to our growing range of Business and Economics resources. We’ll be adding more digital resources as we create new products and creating helpful videos to help you set up your own digital classroom.

If you have any questions about digital resources please leave us a comment below.

Happy teaching!

Amy!

Bring Your Lessons to Life with Interactive Notebooks

aussiestarresourcesau · Apr 25, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Make your HASS lessons engaging with Interactive Notebooks

Put your hand up if you’re tired of using worksheets for History lessons?

Put your other hand up if you’ve resorted to the book of black line masters.

Ok, put your hands down – people might be watching. 😉

I’ve been there. You’re faced with tricky topics. You’re short on time. And you want to get it done and black line masters are a very handy tool – sometimes a life saver.

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not criticising BLMs, they have a place. But I guarantee your students groan when they see those worksheets coming. If you’re looking for ways to spice up your HASS lessons interactive notebooks are a great solution.

So what are Interactive Notebook activities?

Interactive notebook activities are like the sexy younger sister of worksheets. You know – she’s way more fun and, while the two share a resemblance, she’s definitely more glam and happening. Regular worksheets are a page of text with questions presented in a linear format. Interactive Notebook activities are far more hands on and well…interactive. They usually include cutting and folding components to create foldable displays. They might include 3D elements, and are often more colourful. They can also include charts and diagrams to present ideas and concepts. Students love putting them together and take pride in their work.

My reluctance to teach Federation lead me to create interactive notebook activities. My students were crying out for something fun and interesting. Creating a visual display of their learning helps students to engage with the topic. I find that students remember the lessons that included an interactive notebook activity. If you’re recalling an idea or concept covered earlier in the year you’ll hear comments like:

“I know that the Local Government manages garbage collection and the Federal Government manages immigration. I remember because we sorted their responsibilities in to their ‘briefcases’ last term.”

I could go on forever about Interactive Notebooks. They’ll revolutionise your HASS lessons.

If you check out our store you’ll see there are very few ‘standard’ worksheets. Even the simplest resource has some form of interactivity in it. One of our favourites is our For and Against Federation Activity. Or our Free Goal Setting Flip Book.

If you’ve used our interactive notebook activities we’d love to know.

Happy teaching!

Amy

PS. Did you know that Interactive Notebooks can be digital? Look out for our next post which will explore all things digital.