CMIS Evaluation

It’s time again for the the National Trust of Western Australia’s  Photo and Story Competition. The competition is open to students in years 1-10 in three different age groups.  The competition closes on the last day of Term 3 and winners will be announced in Term 4.

Subjects for the students’ work do not have to be heritage listed but be of value to them and naturally the work must be original.

Entry forms and information for Teachers and parents can be found at the National Trust’s new Education and Learning website - Valuing Heritage.

This new site also explains Insurance, Excursion Management & Evacuation Procedures for their heritage sites.  There is also information about the trust’s ongoing free Professional Learning for teachers at heritage properties in WA.

Several CMIS Evaluation theme websites are related to this topic of Western Australian heritage places and can be utilised for study of this topic.

• Built Environment
• Western Australia
• Water

DET teachers can access for Time, Continuity and Change resources in the Society and Environment section of the K-10 Syllabus  through the DET Portal.

• Time Lines and Pathways to the Past
• Local History Study
• Northbridge History Project
  

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.

This weekend [June 27th 2008] marks 128 years since the Siege of Glenrowan which saw the ultimate capture of Australia’s most well known outlaw - Ned Kelly.  History records Ned as a criminal - indeed he had murdered three policemen and committed several offences, but there are many who see him as a “freedom fighter”, standing up for his beliefs against authority and defending people who had no power.  Australians often back the underdog in lopsided confrontations- perhaps the Ned Kelly story and the Glenrowan siege was the beginning of this social peculiarity.

The argument surrounding Ned Kelly’s role in Australian History is one which can be long debated and never completely decided.  Students and teachers can investigate Ned’s Life and times through web links, literature and film.

WA teachers can use Part 4 of the K-10 Syllabus document “Time Lines and Pathways to the Past: Find Yourself in History” - Crossing the country : City, Town and the Bush - as a starting point for discussion.

Other useful resources include “Black Snake“ by Carole Wilkinson and “Ned Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter“ which is shortlisted for this year’s Eve Pownall Information Books Award for the 2008 Children’s Book Awards.  Teachers’ notes and information are available here.  The Jerilderie Letter Soundscape download recreates the scene of the letter handover through voice, sound effects and music.

Ned Kelly on film can be explored through the Australian Screen website which houses several clips of historic footage of the Kelly Gang story and includes teachers’ notes on the clips.

Other informative websites include :- Ned Kelly’s World ; Ironoutlaw ; Proposed Ned Kelly Centre ; Iron Icon ; Ned on the Net ; Ned Online ; Melbourne Gaol’s Most Famous Inmate ; In Search of Ned Kelly ; Death Mask

A majority of Western Australian schools will celebrate the creation of the Swan River Colony around the date of Foundation Day June 2nd.The re-establishment of WA Week to coincide with Proclamation Day on October 21st is also a good time to celebrate this great state.  The CMIS Western Australia theme page has links to many different aspects of life in WA to assist teachers and students.

WA Week was re-launched by Celebrate WA in October 2007 to provide citizens from all regions and sectors with an opportunity to celebrate Western Australian’s unique history, heritage and development and applaud individual and collective achievement and contribution.

The October date was selected to include the anniversary of the State’s Proclamation Day on 21 October 1890, which marked the transition of Western Australia from a colony under British rule to self-government.

WA Week 2008 will take place from 20 - 26  October 2008.

Your school, (through the P&C) can participate by holding an event during the week. 
The Government of Western Australia has provided a WA Week small grants program for eligible groups and organisations to hold a project or event during WA Week. The program is managed by Celebrate WA.  On the website there is also a PDF list of suggested activities.

WA Week Small Grant applications will open 19 May 2008 and close on 27 June 2008.
For futher information contact Celebrate WA on 9481 8066

National Archaeology Week May 18 -24

National Archaeology Week aims to increase public awareness of Australian archaeology and the work of Australian archaeologists both at home and abroad, and to promote the importance of protecting Australia’s unique archaeological heritage. Held from the 18th to the 24th of May 2008, this exciting nationwide program of events and activities will include public lectures, seminars, exhibits, demonstration excavations and displays.

In Western Australia a “live dig” is taking place in Pioneer Reserve, opposite Fremantle Railway Station. The site is to be investigated for its archaeological and interpretive potential, giving an insight into 19th century commercial port activity and leisure past-times in the 1920s and 30s. Expert consultants will be available at the site to answer questions.

Pioneer Park was home to the Uglieland Fun Park from 1922 to 1936, run by the charitable Ugly Men’s Association to alleviate suffering in the community after World War I. City of Fremantle Heritage Planner Vanessa Collins said “This project intends to peel back some of the layers to reveal and communicate the area’s rich and varied past”. Check out your state for events in your local area; Meet the Archaeologists; Take the Quizzes! Perhaps you school has a site for students to investigate like a real scientific study.Classroom activities can be linked to related CMIS themes topics such as Ancient Worlds and Shipwrecks