CMIS Evaluation

Looking for more activities in the lead up to the Olympic Games in Beijing?

As well as 2008 being the year of the Summer XXIX Olympiad it is also the International Year of Languages. The Olympic Resource for Languages offers an opportunity to combine LOTE lessons with a study of the Olympic Games through a school-based Olympic celebration.  This resource has been developed by the Modern Languages Teachers’ Association of Victoria and is part of the a.s.p.i.r.e. school network of activities from the Australian Olympic Committee.

A review of The Olympic Resources for Languages is available on the CMIS Evaluation website. To find out about the International Year of Languages In Australia go to International Year of Languages 2008 : Australia.     

As part of National Science Week, 16 – 24 August 2008, one of the events listed for schools is The reality of going for Olympic gold. This is a panel discussion about the science of preparing an elite athlete for competition. Some of Western Australia’s top experts in sports nutrition, biomechanics, psychology and performance, ethics, neuroscience and trauma will give short talks and respond to questions about science in sport. Details are available on the website. 

The Ribbons of Blue Program is conducting a competition for Primary and Secondary School students in which students are asked to create a ‘fantasy’ creature to represent a macroinvertebrate aquatic mini-beast. These almost invisible creatures are found in all waterways.

The model must be accompanied by background information such as habitat, lifecycle, habits and pollution sensitivity. Students will need to research one of the tiny creatures to add the information.
A competition flyer is available from the website.

Entries are divided into three categories :  Junior Primary (K-3; Primary (Yr 4-7); High School (Yr 8 -12) and should be sent to regional Ribbons of Blue coordinators – see website – before 26 September 2008.

Teachers can incorporate the competition and Ribbons of Blue program into classroom science activities using the Life and living Outcome.

Related CMIS Theme: Water

For entries where there is no coordinator send entries to the Education Officer, Ribbons of Blue, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, 6983 

Each year the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) produces resources for teachers to use in schools. The department is currently conducting a survey to ascertain what teachers think about the educational services and products. The survey runs until November 30th 2008 and participants in the survey will receive a free education product from the DVA after the closing date.

The latest resource from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Australian Women in War  was sent to schools in late May. This publication provides teachers and students with self-contained classroom-ready activities about the roles of Australian women in wars of the past 100+ years. The full publication, and individual chapters, is available as a PDF to download from the DVA website and includes a Teachers’ Introduction.

On the DVA website schools can also apply for small commemorative project grants through the Saluting their Service  program. The grants can be utilised for activities such as erecting or upgrading memorials in school grounds.

The National Archives of Australia now has a Flickr presence
where a selected Pic of the Week from the vast collection is featured.

Each week a different image is uploaded from the NAA home page.

The featured photo is then linked back to the NAA site where teachers and students can explore the collection through the the extensive online resources section by registering with vroom [Virtual Reading Room] which gives easy access to archival records.

There is also access to special release documents, Australia’s Prime Ministers and Find of the Month. Each month, this section features something special of National Interest which has been selected by staff to display online.

Through the DET Portal teachers can utilise these resources when using the K-10 Syllabus resource Time Lines and Pathways to the Past: Find Yourself in History.

Competitions, whether included as part of a general teaching and learning program or used as an extension activity, offer students the opportunity to create a specific product and present their work to an audience beyond their immediate peers and classroom teacher.

Teachers may like to consider incorporating some of the following competitions in their second semester programs of work.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION…CALL THE SHOTS FOR YOUR FUTURE The myfuture Student Video Competition gives young people the opportunity to submit 2-3 minute video clips that profile a range of occupations showing real people in real workplaces.

The competition is supported by DVD and a web based resource that provides a step by step guide to producing entries. The competition is open to either individuals or educational institutions as a group effort. Entrants must be students in Year 9 to 12 or between 15 – 19 years of age. Upon registration, entrants will receive a free copy of Video Production: a classroom survival guide. More information is available from the School Torque website. Registration opens 1st April 2008.  Entries close 18th August 2008.

DRAWING THE LINES Students are invited to participate in a national political cartooning competition for upper primary and secondary school students by submitting a black and white or colour cartoon, on A4 paper, dealing with a recent political issue of national significance.

Winner, runner-up and highly commended prizes will be awarded to students in upper primary and secondary school categories. There will also be awards in both categories for the class with the best overall entry. A selection of the best entries will be displayed on the National Museum’s website. More information is available from the Drawing the Lines 2008 website. Entries must be postmarked on or before 17th October 2008.

2008 NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE The National History Challenge is an exciting contest that encourages students from Years 5 to 12 to use research and inquiry based learning to discover more about Australia and its past.

Students are the historians, they can investigate their community, explore their own and their family’s past, explore major events that have taught Australia, as a nation, new ideas or theories. The Challenge encourages inquiry based learning, the use of primary and secondary sources and offers a variety of presentation styles that can cater to individual learning styles. School judging completed mid-July. Entries must be received by State/Territory coordinator by August 15th 2008.

	VALUE ADDING QUEST The Value Adding Quest is a competition run by WA Technology and Enterprise Learning Area professional associations. It is open to all WA students.
There are prizes for students and schools and special prizes for first time teachers to encourage them to enter their students’ work. All students involved with the Quest receive a Certificate of Participation. See our previous post on CMIS Technology Focus: Money for value for more information and links. Closing date September 11th 2008.

	AMOS ART COMPETITION Students of all ages are invited to join in and enter the AMOS Art Competition.
Spend some time watching the skies or the ocean. Be swept up by this inspiration. Connect with the power and the beauty and channel that into a short story, poem, song, painting or something that captures the essence of what you feel. See our previous post on CMIS Evaluation blog: Weather, Oceans and Art for more information and links. Closing date September 26th 2008.

ROBOCUP JUNIOR The Robocup Junior competition is an educational project that gives both primary and secondary school students across Australia an opportunity to explore the world of robotics.

Students are encouraged to create a robot that can be manipulated to perform any number of actions from ballet to football (soccer). This year Scitech Perth will be hosting both the state and national championships. See our previous post on CMIS Technolgy Focus blog: Fun time robotics for more information and links. September 16 is the day set for the state final with the national event on September 20 & 21.

Image by ghindo

Please leave a comment to let us know if you would like a follow up post about competitions later in the year.