Part+A+Introduction

** //Knowledge Objectives:// **  The focus concept of this topic is wearing protection from the sun, which shall then be extended to awareness and the importance of being sun smart especially in Australia’s natural climate. Specific facts and developments which shall be introduced to assist with child comprehension include; the consequences of staying out in the sun and how this has a detrimental effect on our bodies as humans; the students understand that if they personally stay out in the sun without sun protection they shall experience the effects of sunburn – which they are mature enough to associate with a negative connotation. The students understand that by applying the Sunsmart concept, Cancer Council of Victoria five S’ //Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek// and //Slide// they are prolonging their chances of playing safely outside. The students realize that it is not just their skin that is affected when they stay out in the sun without protection- they may experience eye damage and heat stroke. Despite the fact that we as team teachers did not develop our Unit sequence centralized around a focus question, we certainly ensured that our lessons had a focus theme, which is the Cancer Council of Victoria’s five S’. Each lesson centralizes on an aspect of the five S’ and allows for extensive research and children development on prior and existing knowledge. By focusing on each of the five S’, we aimed to ensure that the children understood that they are to practice each aspect as a unit in order to be sun smart and protected. //Skill Objectives:// ** **//Inquiry:// **  Through our understandings and acknowledgement of the importance of inquiry skills, and various inquiry based learning resources that have been presented to us through university resources; we ensured that the students were immersed in an environment of constant inquiry and encouragement to do so. The objective inquiry skills we aimed the students to achieve by the conclusion of the Unit included, being able to ask why the sun has such negative effects on our skin?; how can we prevent the sun from becoming dangerous?; how can I define being Sun smart and sun protection?; how can we inform and insight others of the importance of being sun smart and wearing sun protection? //Academic:// **  Academically, students were able to enhance, broaden, develop and extend their prior knowledge. The students were simply given a theme which was developed and extensively focused upon throughout a series of eight lessons. We aimed to ensure that academically students displayed competency and skill in: acknowledging that there is a need and demand for sun protection and awareness to be publicized, not just within the school but also the wider community; associating sun protection with health and positivity, and how it is beneficial to us as individuals; the children to be able to learn the Council of Victoria’s five S’ //Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide//- this informed us (as educators) the extent and depth of our students’ retention on the subject and the skills that they were learning and developing. Students extended their skills in memory retention and recall, developing and enhancing their knowledge and comprehension of the sun, its impact on the human body and the possibility of damage. Students also focused on their motor and visual drawing skills, they assisted with the development and creation of many projects, the most relevant and important being the Family and Friends Sun Awareness school picnic. The students were very much involved in the planning process of this day, they created a PowerPoint demonstration, presented a dance and song, designed visual posters to be displayed throughout the classroom, etc. In this way students were very much academically challenged and extended throughout this unit development and all academic objectives were achieved. ** //Social:// ** We designed this Unit Development Sequence to be especially centralized around social acceptance, interaction and cooperation as a classroom entity. Being that the students are in VELS level 1 (which is approximately Prep to Grade 1, primary school grading equivalent) we as educators understand the importance of social interaction and cooperation between students in their early years of education. We also understand that assessment is not entirely focused on academic merit but also the way a child is able to behave and interact with other peers in the classroom. Socially, the skills we aimed for the students to display and experience are based on classroom unity, interaction, cooperation and the ability to be empathetic and think of others. This Unit Development assisted with our objectives as it is very socially based and focuses on the aspect of enlightening others (not just within the school, but the outside community) of the effects of the sun on individuals that do not practice sun protection and awareness. We also aimed to inform students that it is socially accepted and deemed “cool” to be seen practicing sun protection and wearing a hat and sunglasses when playing outside in the playground. We also extended this point by incorporating interaction between the younger students with their Grade 6 buddies, who are also considered ideal role models for the classroom and school. //Attitudes/Sensitivities/Value Objectives: // ** The students recognize the fatality and potential negative outcome of not practicing sun awareness and protection when outside. They understand that Australia is a very hot climate and extremely focused on its sun as an element of leisure and entertainment, therefore it is especially essential to be informed and educated on this Unit topic. They realise that they shall no doubt be confronted with situations where they shall have to be sun smart and practice sun protection constantly. Students appreciate the resources and services provided by companies and schools to assist with sun protection and being sun smart and to prevent a negative outcome by not doing so. Students also recognise the importance of enlightening and informing others of these new findings, and therefore became incredibly involved with the idea of planning a Parents and Friends Sun Awareness Picnic Day. Students appreciate that this Unit topic was developed and created to inform and assist with their future well-being and must be considered seriously. ** //Social Action Objectives:// ** By incorporating various social activities such as the Parents and Friends Sun Awareness Picnic Day into the Unit Development, we are ensuring the students display skills in taking social action and informing the wider community. We ensured this was possible by physically demonstrating the concepts being learnt, and encouraging the students to practice these new developments and knowledge in their everyday lives- outside the school environment. This topic centralizes highly around public and student awareness, therefore social action objectives had to be considered before the development of the Unit. In turn, there is a high focus on classroom cooperation and unity- the Unit Development demands a high standard of peer involvement. Yes, we also incorporated various child independent activities featured within the lesson plans, such as the creation and design of a sun smart hat (this allowed the students to individualize their work and create their own positive perspective on wearing hats and being sun smart out in the school playground); the students also applied personal initiative by going outside and identifying various //sun smart// locations to use during lunch and recess times; there have been countless other instances where we and incorporated independent child activities within our Unit Development as we realize that the student s have to also personally extend and develop their own perspective and beliefs on wearing protection.
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